Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 424
WIND RIVER RANGE FOOTHILLS-Kristy Wardell dawned rain gear though the skies were clear. The lifelong rancher was dressed in protective garb to guard against manure and urine that 366 ewes and 442 lambs had discharged along the wheeled journey around the Winds. On her hands and knees, the 59-year-old crawled into the bowels of a big rig she'd driven to flush out the animals, which will summer on Jim Magagna's pasture land along the banks of Lander Creek. Not used to being trucked, the band "had a...
After 15 years of planning and permitting, construction will begin this year on the TransWest Express high-voltage transmission line - a milestone expansion of Wyoming's electric power export industry to markets in the American Southwest and one of the largest transmission upgrades to the western grid in decades. The Bureau of Land Management granted TransWest Express LLC a "notice to proceed" in April, culminating years of work and millions of dollars invested in a "vision" to bring Wyoming's...
GILLETTE - Two years ago, Heidi Nation was looking for a purpose in life. She had moved out to the Oriva Hills subdivision in the spring of 2021 after years of living in Gillette. "We came out here, and there was, like, nothing," said Nation, the owner of Spirit Nation Alpacas. But even before the move, "I was in the same kind of predicament," she said. She needed something to do, she needed someone to take care of. Then one day, Betty White, Gary Busey, Kevin Hart and Wanda Sykes walked into...
KEMMERER - Cpt. Scott Montefusco is driving down the road in a restored 1952 Korean War Willys Jeep, with a picture of Horatio Nelson Jackson - the first person to travel across the United States in an automobile - taped to the dashboard. He is wearing a jet-helmet and throwing out the occasional "Woohoo!" He told the Gazette that he refuses to put the windshield up, no matter what the weather throws his way. He compares the experience to a scene in "Forrest Gump" where Lt. Dan braves the storm...
CANYON VILLAGE - Photographer Kenneth Keifer nearly missed both shots. But persistence paid off and serendipity kissed the Mooresville, Indiana resident, enabling him to get stunning photographs of two landmark waterfalls. His pictures of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park and Harrison Wright Falls in Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania, appear on two new U.S. Postal Service stamps. Sixteen years ago, Keifer visited Yellowstone bent on capturing the Lower...
CHEYENNE (WNE) — On Thursday, Gov. Mark Gordon provided testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health proposed rule and in favor of a bill to withdraw that rule. According to the BLM, the proposed Public Lands Rule, announced in late March, would provide tools for it to: . Restore critical wildlife habitat and clean water . Protect healthy public lands in the face of increasing drought, wildfire and climate impacts . Ensure responsible development backed by...
SHERIDAN — Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyoming, recently discussed the bill that suspended the U.S. debt ceiling and what it’s like to navigate a hostile political environment. Barrasso and Lummis, who both voted against the bill, spoke about it during a visit to Sheridan last week. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, also voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. Wyoming Senators’ review of Fiscal Responsibility Act President Joe Biden signed the Act June 3. The bill suspends the U.S. debt ceiling until Jan 1, 2...
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $40.5 million to the University of Wyoming to advance a "large-scale" commercial carbon storage hub in the southwest corner of the state. It's the latest show of federal support for cleaner energy projects in the state, and comes as a result of years of foundation laying in the sector. The Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub - part of the federal CarbonSAFE Initiative - will be located near Granger, west of Green River, according to a UW official. Texas-based...
WYOMING RANGE-At nearly 14% body fat, mule deer F14 was plump in the rump, and expecting two fawns, going into this most recent winter. The 8-year-old doe's dual pregnancy was par for the course - F14 was prone to birthing twins. She was good at raising them, too. Four of her eight previous fawns had survived to independence. "F14 was a really good mom," University of Wyoming ecology PhD candidate Tayler Lasharr recalled. No track record of success could save F14 and her peers from the brutal...
GILLETTE - Dozens of athletes were at the Thunder Basin High School track Friday afternoon, running, walking, throwing and rolling. Jordi Stewart, 9, ran to grab a Powerade for Lander Special Olympian Nick Eisnnicher, who just completed the 30-meter slalom on the track, swerving his wheelchair in and out of cones as eighth-graders from Sage Valley Junior High timed him. Jordi, a Buffalo Ridge student, also helped over the weekend with the basketball skills competitions, which included...
KEMMERER- When a 16-inch diameter ductile-iron municipal water pipeline failed this spring, a crew dug in for repairs. They found that the 40-year-old line was so brittle that repressuring it after patching it up created more breaks 100 yards away. The crew chased and patched leaks over several days until they ran out of repair "bands" and had to find a manufacturer to build new ones. Forty-seven homes were without potable water for days as the community pitched in with water deliveries and...
At approximately 3:53 a.m. Friday morning, May 5, Sweetwater Combined Communications was notified of a structure fire on E 4th South Street. Green River Fire Department Units were dispatched at 3:54 a.m. and were on scene at 4 a.m. Upon arrival there was heavy smoke coming from the structure. Green River Police Department officers notified neighbors of the incident while Castle Rock Ambulance was on standby at the scene to back fire crews in case of injury. Fire crews entered the structure and...
Multiple fire agencies, first responders, and law enforcement officers responded together to a grass fire near Telephone Canyon in Green River Monday afternoon. Around 3:27 p.m. on Monday, May 1, the Green River Fire Department was dispatched to a wildland fire near the water treatment plant. "Upon arrival it was observed that the fire was in heavy greasewoods with winds blowing 15 – 20 miles per hour, shifting directions," GRFD explained in a press release. It took crews several hours to f...
On April 14, 2023, around 9:30 p.m. the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) was notified of a crash at the intersection of Interstate 80 and US 191 near Rock Springs, Wyoming. WHP Troopers learned through the investigation that the driver of a Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) truck failed to stop and yield to oncoming traffic at the intersection. The truck collided with a Green River Police vehicle passing by the intersection headed south on US 191. The occupants of both vehicles were transported to area hospitals for injuries sustained...
Utah-based convenience store chain Maverik announced last week it will acquire the Kum & Go chain of convenience stores in a deal that also includes a tank truck carrier and logistics firm owned by Kum & Go’s parent company. Maverik operates one convenience store in Sweetwater County located in Green River, while Kum & Go operates four locations in Rock Springs. Maverik’s purchase expands the company’s reach by more than 400 Kum & Go locations in 13 states. Once the sale is complete, Maver...
CASPER — A sweeping policy that would restrict which bathrooms transgender students use, remove liability protections for teachers who counsel students about gender dysphoria and require teachers to notify parents when a student raises the subject was set to go before a Natrona County school board committee late Monday afternoon. The discussion comes less than two months after the state barred transgender girls from competing in women’s sports and during a broad push by Republicans to enact laws related to transgender people. In an unc...
CODY - As the snow falls in thick sheets turning Meeteetse into God's personal snow globe, rancher Barry Zeller watches his son mounted on a horse drag a load of frozen calf carcasses piled on top of a sled through the frozen, white landscape. "The snow has been never-ending this year. It's come in December, and it's stayed all winter," Zeller said. "Calving this time of year is pretty tough. We try to make every one of them live because every one of them is a paycheck, but it's been a...
At 8:32 a.m. Monday morning, the emergency call came in - a report of an active shooter at Rock Springs High School. Law enforcement responded, placed the school in lockdown, and began clearing everyone out. All other Sweetwater County School District No. 1 schools and the Central Administration Building were placed under a Secure Hold, meaning no one could go in or out. Parents who were asked to stay away from the schools waited for updates. By 9:24 a.m., the school district reported that all...
It was no April Fool's joke when a winter storm effectively shut down Wyoming at the beginning of the week. With a winter storm watch in effect from 11 p.m. Sunday night to 6 p.m. Tuesday night that was predicted to bring possible snow accumulations of 10 to 15 inches, the forecast actually wasn't as bad as the actual storm. The US National Weather Service Office in Riverton reported that Rock Springs had received 9 to 13 inches of snow by 7 p.m. Monday evening. By noon on Tuesday, Green River w...
Rocky Mountain Power continues its quest for net zero emissions, which will have impacts locally as the company seeks to convert the four units at the Jim Bridger Power Plant to natural gas by 2030. The conversations away from coal for Jim Bridger's units three and four will take place seven years earlier than initially planned. Units one and two are planned to convert to natural gas by the end of the year. The company released its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan Friday, which details the...
She's 27 years old, reputed for being a stellar mother and knows her way around a crowd. If you live in Jackson Hole she might be your nosy neighbor. Regardless, her olfactory senses are terrific. Wyoming resident Grizzly 399 has lived a wild life that has garnered attention around the world. Like the best of us, she's endured trials and tribulations and heartbreak. And her extraordinary life has inspired untold fans near and far. Hordes of the grizzly's faithful fan club will surely be staked...
CASPER – A woman accused of setting fire to a Casper abortion clinic is being released from jail to live with her parents while a federal grand jury considers her case. Lorna Green appeared Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Cheyenne, where a magistrate judge weighed whether to hold the 22-year-old in custody. She is formally charged with felony arson of a facility engaged in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Green is being released on a $10,000 u...
Stephenie Eastman woke up in the early hours of the morning on Sunday not feeling well. Not long after, she lost consciousness. Her husband Matt was trying to figure out what was wrong when their eight-year-old daughter Maizee made her way down the hall before collapsing. Kaden and Reese, the oldest daughter and son of the family, hurried upstairs after hearing the commotion. Kaden called Emergency Services, but while he was still on the phone he collapsed as well. This nightmarish situation...
For Sunshine Week - the nationwide celebration of public records and transparency - WyoFile checks in on a pillar of open government. The Wyoming State Archives, established in 1951, preserves and shares records documenting Wyoming's history and governmental operations. "We keep records as a means of transparency," State Archivist Sara Davis said. "We keep records for people to access those records." Journalists might use them to examine government officials' past decisions, like reporting that...
The Bureau of Reclamation suspended extra "drought response" releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir Tuesday at the request of Wyoming and the other three Upper Colorado River Basin states. The reservoir, which straddles the Wyoming-Utah border, was tapped for an extra 500,000 acre-feet of water starting in May 2022 to help ensure that water levels downstream at Lake Powell don't drop low enough to threaten hydroelectric power generation at Glen Canyon Dam this year. An estimated 463,000...
