The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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Florida man gets 15 years for fatal crash GILLETTE (WNE) — A truck driver from Florida who was found with beer cans in his cab after crashing into and killing another driver north of Gillette has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Nicholas L. Alvarez, 39, on Aug. 15 received an imposed 8.5- to 15-year sentence for aggravated vehicular homicide, according to court documents. Alvarez pleaded guilty to the charge in May. In addition to imposing prison time, District Judge Stuart S. Healy III also ordered Alvarez to pay $11,196.08 in r...
State’s unemployment rate holds steady at 2.9% CASPER (WNE) — Wyoming’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.9% from June to July, the Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported Monday. While Wyoming’s unemployment rate has remained low, the U.S. unemployment rate has increased in each of the past three months, rising from 3.8% in March to 4.3% in July. Over the year, unemployment rates were higher than year-ago levels in every county, with most counties ticking up two-tenths of a pe...
The political action committee affiliated with the hard-line Republican Wyoming Freedom Caucus announced late Thursday it returned thousands of dollars to the Crook County GOP after the Wyoming Senate president alleged the donation was illegal in a complaint he filed last week. "While we are immensely grateful for the Crook County Republican Party's commitment to the liberty movement, no amount of support is worth a politically motivated prosecution for the sake of another headline meant to...
New York man pleads not guilty after saying he would shoot up a school CASPER (WNE) — The case of a man who called 911 to report that he was going to shoot up several locations — including a mission, Walmart, high school and the Natrona County Library — was taken up in court recently as officials sought to determine if he should stand trial. On June 22, 2023, police arrested Bryce Montesdeoca at the Central Wyoming Rescue Mission in Casper, where he had been staying since his recent move from New York. Montesdeoca had a 9 mm pistol he claim...
Utility requests rate increase to offset fire costs, new power lines CASPER (WNE) — Rocky Mountain Power, Wyoming’s largest public utility, filed a request to increase customer rates in order to underwrite new infrastructure and cover the rising costs of insurance premiums relating to wildfire risk. The company is seeking to levy an additional $123.5 million, or an overall increase of 14.7%, resulting in an extra $17.17 per month for the typical residential customer. Around half of the increase is requested to pay Wyoming’s share of new infra...
CHEYENNE — This year, Wyoming lawmakers and health care stakeholders are narrowing down the state’s role in supporting essential services for vulnerable adults. A vulnerable adult is anyone 18 years of age and older who is vulnerable to abuse. Adult Protective Services defines “abuse” as financial exploitation, neglect, self-neglect, physical or sexual abuse, or intimidation. The Wyoming Department of Family Services is statutorily required to “coordinate a protective services program consistent with this act, with the goal of ensuring...
JACKSON — Gov. Mark Gordon plans to send another set of Wyoming law enforcement personnel to the southern border in response to an aid request from Texas. The ten Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers will deploy later in August, and will provide law enforcement and emergency assistance on the border of Mexico in support of the Texas Department of Safety for two weeks. Two Wyoming deputies from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office also plan to deploy at a later date. The announcement comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made a request for emergency ass...
Arch coal production stays down in PRB GILLETTE (WNE) — The amount of thermal coal shipped from Arch Energy Resources, the bulk of which comes from its Powder River Basin mines, dipped further as the industry’s slow start continued through the first half of the year. The roughly 9.7 million tons mined from Black Thunder marked the lowest production number at the mine this millennium, and its first time notching fewer than 10 million tons in a quarter, according to Mine Safety and Health Administration data. After shipping 12.8 million tons — p...
The 2023-'24 winter proved the third deadliest for Yellowstone wolves in the decades since Canis lupus was reintroduced to the landscape in 1995. Overall, 13 wolves were shot by legal hunters, caught by trappers, killed by poachers or died of suspected hunting-related injuries. Like in past winters, the vast majority of wolves that met their fate after straying beyond the protections of Yellowstone National Park did so in Montana, near the park's northern boundary. Eight wolves were legally hunt...
Devils Tower on pace to have busiest year ever GILLETTE (WNE) — Devils Tower has been on a record-setting pace so far in 2024. Through June, 192,682 people visited the national monument in Crook County. That’s up more than 5000 visitors from 2021, which is the busiest year on record for Devils Tower. In 2021, 550,712 people visited Devils Tower. It was the first time the national monument broke the 500,000-visitor mark, and it happened as the country started to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and people began flocking to the outdoors. But...
Kidnapped man lands up to 14 years in prison GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette man who pleaded guilty to the second-degree sexual abuse of a minor received has been sentenced to ten to 14 years in prison. Zackery Minard, 22, was found in bed with a 14-year-old girl by the girl’s mother, who called her boyfriend, Timothy James Ott. Ott, 30, and a friend beat up Minard, put him in a car trunk and drove him out of town, eventually abandoning him on a country road. The temperature outside was about 35 degrees. According to Minard, Ott told him to wal...
CASPER - Walking into the Natrona County Townsend Justice Center is a bit daunting. You're met with security, asked to part with electronic devices and then shepherded through a metal detector. Take a quick right, then left, and just past the elevator you arrive at the Natrona County Court Navigator Pilot Project, which has a name possibly larger than the closet-like space from which it operates. While sparse and windowless, the room and its volunteers represent an effort from the state's...
Wyoming’s top elected officials denounced political violence and offered their prayers following an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. “President Trump, his family and the families of the victims of today’s shooting are in our prayers,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement. Trump’s campaign said the presumptive GOP nominee was doing “fine” after the shooting, according to the Associated Press, after a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear. “We are thankful for th...
GILLETTE - The last several months have been a whirlwind for Crook County ranchers Shondah and Randall Otwell. They have been putting the finishing touches on their product, the water rippler, which they hope will make life easier for ranchers all across the country when it hits the market this fall. The water rippler solves a problem that has plagued the agricultural industry for generations. In the winter, water tanks freeze over and ranchers have to go out to each tank and break the ice...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation would like to remind motorists of the new penalties for violating highway closures to light and high profile vehicles that went into effect July 1. The "Light and high profile vehicle closures bill" (SF0113) passed in the 2024 legislative session. The bill language notes that, "any person who willfully fails to observe any sign, marker, warning, notice or direction" for closures to light, high-profile vehicles is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon...
Local woman sentenced for role in state park death CHEYENNE (WNE) — In connection with the death of a man in Curt Gowdy State Park, Gizelle Kellum has pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact as a relative. This misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in prison and/or a $750 fine. Judge Steven Sharpe sentenced Kellum to 180 days with credit for 175 days of time served. Kellum’s varying accounts during the investigation were cited by the prosecution as a reason for the charge. Stacey “Jason” Mullen was found unresponsive at Curt Go...
Police arrest man known for harassing people at Cheyenne businesses CHEYENNE (WNE) — Laramie County Sheriff ’s deputies arrested a 42-year-old man known locally for harassing and “hexing” business owners on June 20 for trespassing. On the day of Joshua Hayden-Ali’s arrest, Deputy Aaron Veldheer responded to a disturbance in progress at the Safeway supermarket at 700 South Greeley Highway. The description of the man matched that of Hayden-Ali. Veldheer spoke with the woman who said Hayden-Ali had been threatening her. She told Veldheer...
Powell woman dies in apparent suicide at jail POWELL (WNE) — An inmate at the Park County Detention Center died Saturday night in what authorities described as an apparent suicide. The Powell woman, who’d been booked into the jail early Friday morning, was 35 years old at the time of her death. In a Monday afternoon news release, the Park County Sheriff’s Office withheld the woman’s name, saying that a family member had yet to be notified of her death. As a result, the Tribune is not publishing her name either. The sheriff’s office said dete...
BUFFALO — Federal and state firefighting agencies on Friday unveiled a new aerial firefighting base in Casper, a centrally located resource created to benefit all of Wyoming heading into what is expected to be a busy fire season. Amping up aerial firefighting capabilities out of the base at the Casper-Natrona County International Airport has been an interagency effort, involving the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and Wyoming State Forestry. The single engine airtanker – or SEAT – base first opened in 2020, and the BLM has si...
Wyoming’s average gas prices are down again this week CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have fallen 1.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.27 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming. Prices in Wyoming are 5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 27.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.82 per gallon, while the highest was $4.19, a difference of $1.37. The national average price...
New mental health program off to a fast start GILLETTE (WNE) — A new program to help Gillette residents with their mental health has gotten off to a fast start. Earlier this spring, the Northeast Wyoming Community Health Foundation launched Hope Source to help people pay for therapy and counseling costs. Nachelle McGrath, executive director of the foundation, said she’s received 20 applications, and ten of them have been approved. The other applications were sent back because they needed more information, and they will be re-submitted. “I...
Commissioners protest BLM coal leasing change GILLETTE (WNE) — Campbell County Commissioners are protesting the Bureau of Land Management’s recent proposal to put an end to federal coal leases in the Powder River Basin. The federal agency announced its changes to the Buffalo Field Office land use plan in mid-May, and if it goes through, it would effectively kill coal mining in Campbell County 17 years from now. The plan targets the Powder River Basin and its 12 Wyoming coal mines, which are all located in Campbell County, and would allow mines...
JACKSON - Brent Bien has high hopes for his ballot initiative that could cut Wyoming property taxes in half for homeowners. And he's one step closer to getting it in front of voters to make it state law. Joined by co-applicants Cheryl Aguilar and Rich Weber, Bien turned in 644 petition booklets to the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office for certification Thursday. "We're anxious to hear the results here in a couple of months," said Bien, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate who...
Four wild horse and burro adoption events to take place in June CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Bureau of Land Management Wyoming is kicking off the summer with four wild horse and burro adoptions in June. Untrained animals will be offered to qualified adopters at the following in-person adoptions for a $125 minimum fee: • June 1, Wind River Wild Horse Ranch Public Off-Range Pasture: Approximately 20 wild horses (burros to be determined) will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the public off-range pasture near Lander. Take a free wagon tour to view th...
Grizzly attack in Grand Teton was ‘surprise encounter’ JACKSON (WNE) — A grizzly bear attacked and injured a man visiting Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. The 35-year-old Massachusetts man is in stable condition and expected to fully recover. Park officials have not released the victim’s name. The Jackson Hole Daily’s attempts to contact him were unsuccessful by press time Monday. Meanwhile, Grand Teton biologists and law enforcement rangers are investigating the incident, which occurred near Signal Mountain Lodge. While few details a...
