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Cheyenne South High student who shot gun on campus pleads not guilty

CHEYENNE (WNE) – Cheyenne’s South High went into lockdown one morning in late February after a student shot a gun in the school’s parking lot.

Matthew Carabajal, 17, was originally charged with felony aggravated burglary of a motor vehicle with a deadly weapon, felony theft, misdemeanor property destruction and misdemeanor marijuana possession. A Laramie County Circuit Court judge dismissed the felony theft charge, but sent the rest of the charges to district court.

Carabajal pleaded not guilty to those charges in his first Laramie County District Court appearance Monday before Judge Steven Sharpe.

Carabajal could face a maximum sentence of more than 26 years in prison and more than $50,000 in fines if a jury finds him guilty on all charges. If a jury finds him guilty of only the felony charge, he faces a minimum of 5 years in prison.

Carabajal had been released from custody following the incident on a $3,000 bond payment, but was re-arrested on the as-yet unpublicized new charges after submitting his plea in court Monday.

His trial is set for Aug. 6, during which a jury will determine if there is enough evidence in the case to convict the teenager.

On Feb. 28, Carabajal allegedly shot a gun through the front passenger window of a fellow student’s unoccupied vehicle and then stole a backpack out of the vehicle, according to court documents. The estimated damage to that vehicle was roughly $600.

After taking the backpack from the vehicle, South High security cameras show Carabajal getting into a separate car and driving away.

Wyoming economy still “modestly” improving

CHEYENNE (WNE) – Wyoming’s economy continues to improve following an energy bust years ago, but the state has only recovered about a third of the jobs lost during that time.

An economic analysis released by the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information this week shows growth across multiple sectors in the fourth quarter of 2018. This includes employment, personal income, housing prices and state revenue.

The state’s total employment grew by 1 percent, or 2,800 jobs, in the last quarter compared to one year earlier – the largest year-over-year growth since 2015.

Unemployment dropped slightly to 4.1 percent, marginally higher than the nationwide level of 3.8 percent.

Mineral extraction employment grew 1.5 percent from last year, with related industries, such as construction and manufacturing, increasing, too.

“During the downturn in 2015-16, we lost almost 20,000 jobs,” said Wenlin Liu, the Economic Analysis Division’s chief economist. “Even with the rebound, we’ve only recovered a fraction of those lost jobs.”

He added that the construction industry is finally seeing significant growth after improving at a slower pace than even the mining industry.

“It seems to be rebounding pretty well,” he said.

He attributed this to new pipeline, wind farm and utility construction throughout the state.

Total taxable sales grew 9.1 percent to $4.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018. The construction industry experienced the fastest growth, with a year-over-year expansion of 32.5 percent.

UW trustees approve new bachelor’s programs

CASPER (WNE) — The University of Wyoming’s board of trustees continued its busy week Thursday, approving the creation of three new bachelor’s degree programs while reorganizing the school’s geographic studies offerings. 

Starting in the fall, the university will offer a bachelor’s degree in general studies, in elementary and special education, and in art education, according to a Friday press release from UW. The latter two degrees would be bachelor’s of arts degrees. At the same time, the university will eliminate its Department of Geography while retaining the bachelor’s degree for the program. No staff will be laid off as a result of the move, according to the release. 

“The university’s strategic plan ... calls for development of academic programs that address workforce needs of the state and region,” UW Provost Kate Miller said in the press release. “The new Bachelor of General Studies provides a high-quality and flexible degree option for nontraditional and transfer students, making a college degree more accessible to the many adult Wyomingites with some college credits but no degree. And the elementary/special education and art education degrees will help fill critical needs for teachers in our state’s public schools.” 

The general studies degree is intended to provide a “pathway” for the tens of thousands of Wyomingites with college credit but no degree, according to the release, as well as for community college graduates who may not otherwise continue their education. 

 
 
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