Wyoming News Briefs

Political community group hosts town hall with Prism Logistics

CASPER (WNE) – Prism Logistics Manager Kyle True stepped into the spotlight Thursday to address a Liberty’s Place 4 U town hall meeting in Casper. 

True is seeking to build a gravel pit on state land at the base of Casper Mountain near Coates Road, and his plans have been met with fierce opposition, led primarily by residents in the surrounding area. 

Thursday’s town hall hosted by the political community group was one of the first public meetings to discuss the topic at which True was the main speaker. 

In his presentation, he outlined plans to reduce impacts on quality of life, water and natural resources, but said that he isn’t convinced concerns raised by residents are legitimate enough to halt plans for a mine. 

“Will it be a scar on the mountain?” he asked at one point during his presentation. “I really don’t think it will.” 

A group formed by neighbors and residents called the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance pushed back against True’s claims both at the meeting and in a press release sent after the town hall. 

“Permitting a gravel pit operation on Casper Mountain, an iconic local landmark, would be a step backward for Casper. The community demands robust protection for this key landscape, akin to safeguarding the North Platte River, crucial for maintaining Casper’s appeal as a desirable place to visit and live,” the press release said.

Teton County sees increase in DUIs

JACKSON (WNE) — Law enforcement officers accustomed to a quieter shoulder season say they’ve been busier than expected responding to calls of people drinking and driving. 

The number of DUI arrests since April 1 has hit double digits, which represents an uptick, according to Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr.

Between April 1 and May 10, the sheriff’s office has made 15 DUI arrests, according to data provided by Dustin Richards, deputy sheriff and IT manager for the sheriff’s office.

Fifteen DUI arrests were also recorded for the same time period in 2023. 

Recent years have been busier for patrol cars. During the same springtime period, there were only nine arrests in 2022, 13 in 2021, 1 in 2020, five in 2019 and seven in 2018.

“It would seem that in the last couple weeks, we’ve seen an uptick,” Carr told the Jackson Hole Daily.

Four of the 15 DUIs occurred in one week, between April 30 and May 7.

“It’s getting regular,” Carr said. “It’s supposed to be off-season.”

The majority of those arrested are area residents. He theorized the windy, cloudy and wet spring temperatures may have had some people abusing alcohol while trying to cope with a feeling of endless winter.

Lt. Russ Ruschill of the Jackson Police Department said the agency is getting busier, evidenced by a rise in the number of reports written weekly, which he attributed to the opening of Yellowstone National Park’s west and north entrances. The south entrance opened Friday.

Man arrested in fatal house fire, coroner IDs another homicide victim

RIVERTON (WNE) — Police have arrested a Riverton man on charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a woman found dead during a house fire on April 26. 

Vurnon Doney, 55, was arrested at his home on Blackfoot Avenue and booked into the Fremont County Jail. 

According to the Riverton Police Department, law enforcement were called at about 2:20 a.m. on April 26 on a report of a house fire with a woman possibly trapped inside the home on the 1200 block of East Main Street. Detectives were called in after first responders noted signs of accelerants inside the home.

Eve Newton, 48, of Riverton, was found dead inside. The results of an autopsy are pending. 

Fremont County Coroner Erin Ivie also identified the victim of a homicide and her cause of death. 

According to the office, Utahnna BearComesOut was murdered on April 14 and died of a single gunshot wound to the head at around 9:20 p.m. 

Her death was the fifth of seven this year in Fremont County that have either been ruled as a homicide or are under investigation as suspicious. 

Federal agency finalizes rule requiring electronic ID for livestock

CASPER (WNE) — The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a subsidiary of the USDA, recently finalized a rule requiring cattle traveling between states to have electronic identification ear tags. 

The rule, slated to go into effect Nov. 4, is intended to improve the traceability of and agency reaction to “high-impact diseases” and “foreign animal diseases,” according to the document published in the Federal Register. 

The new ear tags must be “visually and electronically readable,” according to the document summary. 

Rep. Harriet Hageman expressed displeasure with the regulation, describing it as “a solution in search of a problem” and alleging that the new system will encroach on the privacy of ranchers. 

More information on the rule, titled “Use of Electronic Identification Ear Tags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison,” can be found through the Federal Register. 

Deputies arrest teen speeding 140 mph in chase north of Gillette

GILLETTE (WNE) — Campbell County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 16-year-old boy who led them on a short pursuit north of Gillette Friday night, which reached speeds of 140 mph.

Deputies saw a black 2015 Cadillac speeding 142 mph in a 55 mph zone near Hannum Road at about 8:15 p.m. Friday. 

When they tried to stop the vehicle, the teen sped north on Highway 14-16, driving into the Eagle Butte Mine parking lot before leading deputies back out to the highway, Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds said.

The chase lasted for about 15 minutes, Reynolds said, before the boy pulled over about 30 miles north of Gillette. Deputies performed a high risk traffic stop and arrested the 16-year-old for eluding law enforcement and reckless driving.

A 15-year-old girl who was a passenger in the Cadillac was released to her parents.

The boy told deputies he didn’t stop because he was afraid he’d get in trouble, Reynolds said.

Millions in federal subsidies will keep Cody-Denver air service going

POWELL (WNE) — To keep commercial flights coming to the Cody airport in the fall, winter and spring, it will take more than $11 million worth of subsidies from the federal government over the coming years. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has long subsidized Yellowstone Regional Airport’s commercial air service in all but the peak summer months. However, the price tag for the “Essential Air Service” is rising significantly this year. 

Last week, the Department of Transportation agreed to pay SkyWest Airlines a $3.46 million subsidy to provide twice-daily flights between Cody and Denver from October through May 2025. The contract calls for a $3.7 million payment in 2025-26 and $3.96 million owed in 2026- 27. 

This year’s subsidy is more than triple what the department has been paying. 

However, at an estimated $84 per passenger, it’s significantly less than what’s being paid to secure commercial service to some other communities and it’s well below the $1000 per passenger maximum. 

SkyWest will also operate the fuller and more profitable summer flights without a subsidy, offering three daily flights to Denver beginning on May 23. Then from mid June through August, the airline will provide four daily flights to and from the Colorado capital. 

The federal program offers subsidies to airlines willing to offer at least two daily flights between a regional hub and rural airports. Cody has participated in the program since 2011, but the recently awarded contract to SkyWest is the biggest by far. 

Thanks to the federal subsidy, the 41,200 travelers expected to catch a Cody-Denver or Denver-Cody flight between October and June will be insulated from the rising costs. SkyWest said it will charge an average of $128 per ticket, which is actually below the $139 segment fare of two years ago. 

Wyoming’s average gas prices back up 4.1 cents a gallon in past week

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have risen 4.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.31 per gallon on Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 0.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand 4.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.76 per gallon, while the highest was $4.29, a difference of $1.53.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.58 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 3.7 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands 6.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to Gas-Buddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

The national average price of diesel has fallen 4.6 cents in the last week and stands at $3.90 per gallon.