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LinkedIn agrees to pay $1.8M in back wages to female workers after being accused of pay discrimination
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The career-networking service LinkedIn has agreed to pay $1.8 million in back wages to hundreds of female workers to settle a pay discrimination complaint brought by U.S. labor investigators.
The U.S. Labor Department announced Tuesday that it has reached a settlement agreement with LinkedIn to resolve allegations of “systemic, gender-based pay discrimination” in which women were paid less than men in comparable job roles.
The settlement affects nearly 700 women who worked in engineering, product or marketing roles from 2015 to 2017 at the company’s offices in San Francisco and Sunnyvale, California. It includes the time before and after Microsoft’s $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016.
LinkedIn said in a statement that “while we have agreed to settle this matter, we do not agree with the government’s claims; LinkedIn pays and has paid its employees fairly and equitably when comparing similar work.”
The settlement agreement says LinkedIn argued that its statistical models didn’t identify pay disparities. The government said its own analysis found significant pay disparities even after controlling for “legitimate explanatory factors.”
The agency said the case was sparked by a routine evaluation by its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Federal laws ban discriminatory practices at companies that contract with the federal government.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/linkedin-agrees-pay-18m-back-wages-female-workers-after-being-accused-pay-discrimination/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:13Z |
Man charged with sexual abuse after exposing himself to children, police say
Published: May. 5, 2022 at 3:32 PM EDT
GLASGOW, Ky. (Gray News) – Police in Kentucky have charged a man after they say he exposed himself to two children.
The Glasgow Police Department said they arrested Robert O. Grindle Wednesday after investigating a complaint made against him.
After the investigation, the department determined that Grindle had exposed himself to victims who were younger than 12 years old.
Police charged Grindle with two counts of first degree sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 12.
Police are continuing to investigate the case.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/man-charged-with-sexual-abuse-after-exposing-himself-children-police-say/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:20Z |
Man, woman charged after school alerts police to 9-year-old’s bruising, officials say
KOKOMO, Ind. (Gray News) – A man and a woman in Indiana are both facing several felony charges after school staff notified authorities about a potential case of child abuse, officials said.
According to the Kokomo Police Department, Kokomo School Corporation Staff called police on March 24 concerning a 9-year-old girl who had bruising on her body.
Officers met with the child and determined she needed medical attention. The girl was taken to the hospital, where medical staff discovered she was malnourished and weighed just 48.5 pounds, police said.
Following an investigation, police arrested 32-year-old Tracy A. Seats and 38-year-old Amy D. Smith on Monday. They were booked into the Howard County Criminal Justice Center.
Seats and Smith were both charged with domestic battery with serious bodily injury to a person under 14 years of age, neglect resulting in bodily injury, and domestic battery with bodily injury to a person under 14 years of age.
Seats faces two additional charges, including one count of intimidation with a deadly weapon and one count of strangulation.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Cameron Cunningham at (765) 456-7136 or the Kokomo Police Department Hotline at (765) 456-7017.
Kokomo is located about 50 miles north of Indianapolis.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/man-woman-charged-after-school-alerts-police-9-year-olds-bruising-officials-say/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:27Z |
May is Healthy Vision Month: Here’s how to maximize your vision for the long run
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - May is Healthy Vision Month in the U.S., and one local optometrist is stressing the need for routine eye exams.
Dr. Mark Holliday, owner of the Beckley Vision Center on Harper Road, says eye health should start as early as possible. He also recommends patients have a dilated eye examination once a year. This way, problems like Glycoma, cataracts and even cancer can be detected early.
“These things do progress slowly, so we have a chance to keep up with them and monitor the patient and keep them having good ocular health and good vision. That is our goal. Good vision health leads to good vision.”
In addition to regular exams, Dr. Holliday has several tips for those in-between appointments.
This includes:
- Limiting screen time
- Lowering the brightness on devices
-Wearing glasses that block UV rays
Most importantly, he says if you see any changes in your vision, report it to your doctor as soon as possible.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/may-is-healthy-vision-month-heres-how-maximize-your-vision-long-run/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:34Z |
Mom finds boyfriend in bed with 7-year-old daughter, hits him with car when he ran, police say
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD/Gray News) – A man in Texas was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child after police said a 7-year-old’s mother found him naked in bed with the girl.
According to the police report, the woman called 911 around 1 a.m. on Aug. 8, 2021, when she found her boyfriend in the bed.
KCBD reports the man was identified in the police report as 29-year-old Delmer Orlando Ortiz Licona. In the Lubbock County Detention Center, his name is listed as Orlando Delmer-Ortiz.
When the woman called 911, she started yelling, “What are you doing to her?”
She then told the dispatch operator she needed an officer at her home.
“I just found my man, huh, whoever lives with me, naked in the bed with my daughter,” she said. “Please hurry. He’s running away. Please hurry.”
When the dispatcher asked, “And he’s your boyfriend?”
The woman responded, “He’s supposed to be, but you hurry up or I’m going to kill him. I’m going to f*****g kill him. Please hurry, please hurry. I’m fixing to kill him, hurry please, please hurry, please f*****g hurry. He’s jumping the fence. He’s f*****g jumping the fence. Hurry.”
The 911 call-taker heard the woman tell the child to get in the car. The dispatcher asked if the child was OK. The woman said, “Yes, I got home just on time.”
She told the 911 call-taker she was following the male, and “I’m not going to deal with it.”
Then the 911 call-taker heard a loud sound that sounded like something was hit and then a little girl started screaming and crying. The dispatcher heard someone say, “Please get an ambulance.”
The 911 call-taker asked, “Did you just hit him?”
The woman went on to explain that Licona jumped in front of her car, and she hit him. She said he was passed out drunk, but everyone was OK.
Investigators were assigned to the case in March, and the woman agreed to bring the child to be forensically interviewed for the assault case.
The child gave specific details about the assault.
In April, police attempted to interview Licona about the sexual abuse investigation, but police reports show he repeatedly refused to show up to scheduled meetings with the investigator.
The case was presented to the criminal district attorney’s office.
Copyright 2022 KCBD via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/mom-finds-boyfriend-bed-with-7-year-old-daughter-hits-him-with-car-when-he-ran-police-say/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:40Z |
Wall Street, tech investors back Musk Twitter bid with $7 billion
(AP) - Elon Musk has strengthened the equity stake in his $44 billion offer to buy Twitter with commitments of more than $7 billion from a diverse group of investors including Silicon Valley heavy hitters like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
A regulatory filing Thursday also said that Musk is in talks with others for additional funding, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, the social media platform’s second-largest individual stakeholder after Musk.
Ellison, who is also a board member of electric vehicle maker Tesla, is making the biggest contribution, pegged at $1 billion. Musk is Tesla’s CEO and biggest shareholder.
Other investors include tech investor Sequoia Capital Fund, which pledged $800 million, and VyCapital, which committed to $700 million, according to the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Also, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud has pledged 35 million Twitter shares, according to the filing.
The 18 investors are a “who’s who” list of Wall Street and Silicon Valley investment firms, said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, who follows Twitter and Tesla. Before Thursday’s announcement, Ives gave the deal a 75% chance of closing, but now it’s 90% or 95%, he said.
The high profile investors show “that it’s not Musk single-handedly trying to turn around Twitter,” Ives said.
Other investors backing Musk are technology venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, who said his firm, known as Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, is putting in $400 million because it believes in Musk’s “brilliance to finally make it what it was meant to be.”
“While Twitter has great promise as a public square, it suffers from a myriad of difficult issues ranging from bots to abuse to censorship,” Horowitz tweeted Thursday. “Being a public company solely reliant on an advertising business model exacerbates all of these.”
Sequoia has invested in Zoom, DoorDash, Apple, Netflix and others. “We help the daring build legendary companies,” is a headline on its website.
The firm has a long history with Musk. It was an early investor in what would become PayPal, which Musk co-founded and was sold for $1.5 billion in 2002.
A $500 million commitment from cryptocurrency exchange Binance raised the possibility that Musk plans to incorporate cryptocurrencies and related technologies into his vision for Twitter, in the mold of so-called Web3 businesses that aim to create a new stage of the internet. Andreessen Horowitz has also in recent years prioritized investing in cryptocurrency startups.
“We’re excited to be able to help Elon realize a new vision for Twitter,” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said in a statement Thursday. “We hope to be able to play a role in bringing social media and web3 together and broadening the use and adoption of crypto and blockchain technology.”
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, which is contributing $375 million, declined comment Thursday.
The Saudi prince tweeted that Musk will be an “excellent leader” for Twitter and said he looked forward to rolling about $1.9 billion worth of shares into the company. It was a sharp change of tone from last month, when the prince publicly criticized Musk’s takeover proposal and Musk responded by questioning Saudi Arabia’s record on “journalistic freedom of speech.”
Originally Musk had committed to borrowing $12.5 billion with Tesla stock as collateral to buy San Francisco-based Twitter. He also would borrow $13 billion from banks and put up $21 billion in Tesla equity.
Money from the new investors cuts the amount borrowed on the value of Tesla stock to $6.25 billion, according to the filing. The Tesla equity share could go from $21 billion to $27.25 billion.
But Ives said he expects Musk to reduce the equity share with money from more investors. Musk is balancing any adverse impact on Tesla stock against his desire to buy Twitter, Ives said. “He wants Twitter, but you can’t sacrifice the golden child to get it,” Ives said.
Tesla shares closed Thursday down 8.3% at $873.28 as the broader markets fell. Analysts say investors are concerned that the Twitter bid may distract Musk from Tesla, SpaceX and his other companies.
Twitter shares closed up 2.7% at $50.36, edging closer to Musk’s offer of $54.20.
Musk in earlier regulatory filings revealed that he has sold roughly $8.5 billion worth of shares in Tesla to help fund the purchase. Musk later tweeted that he doesn’t plan any further sales of the company’s shares, meaning he would need outside commitments to help fund the $44 billion deal.
Last November, Musk began selling shares, which he said on Twitter would go to pay for his tax obligations on stock options that are part of his all-stock compensation package. Last year he sold more than 15 million shares worth roughly $16.4 billion.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/musk-gets-7-billion-backing-twitter-bid-tech-heavyweights/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:47Z |
President Biden heads to Cincinnati to tout manufacturing jobs
On Friday, President Biden is scheduled to visit United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio, located north of Cincinnati.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - President Biden is calling on Congress to pass legislation to boost our nation’s productivity. On Friday, he’s heading to Cincinnati to discuss his plan on how to manufacture more in America.
”Cincinnati is a city of the future,” said Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval.
Pureval said his city has a booming manufacturing sector, but said it needs federal support to create more jobs including for battery and green energy production.
”We are home to the largest city-led solar farm in the country,” said Pureval. “In many ways, we’re leading the country in our green innovation.”
On Friday, President Biden is scheduled to visit United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio, located north of Cincinnati.
A release from the White House states the president will discuss his plans to build on the 473,000 manufacturing jobs the White House said were created since Biden took office.
Another focus of the president is pressing leaders in Congress to work out their differences between the America Competes and U.S. Innovation and Competition Acts to pass legislation to boost America’s bottom line.
The President delivered these remarks to Congress in his State of the Union Speech in March.
”Let’s not wait any longer,” said Biden. “Send it to my desk. I’ll sign it.”
In a statement, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who represents Cincinnati said in part:
“We need more manufacturing jobs in Ohio, but we need a pro-growth tax code to build them. The Biden Administration’s tactic of taxing and punishing American manufacturers will only hurt our state and Ohio workers.”
This is the president’s second trip to Ohio in recent months. In February, President Biden visited Cleveland and Lorain to tout the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/president-biden-heads-cincinnati-tout-manufacturing-jobs/ | 2022-05-07T07:18:54Z |
Prosecutors want boy, 12, tried as an adult in S. Carolina school killing
Published: May. 5, 2022 at 3:21 PM EDT
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Prosecutors say a 12-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his classmate in a South Carolina middle school hallway should be tried as an adult on a murder charge.
Monday’s request by prosecutors to move the case out of Family Court did not include any explanation on why the boy should be charged as an adult.
Murder carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison in South Carolina.
If he is convicted as a juvenile, he couldn’t be kept in jail after he turns 22.
Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson was shot during a class change at Tanglewood Middle School in Greenville on March 31.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/prosecutors-want-boy-12-tried-an-adult-school-killing/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:01Z |
OPEC+ opens oil taps gradually as Russian war roils markets
LONDON (AP) — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries decided Thursday to gradually increase the flows they send to the world, even as Europe’s plan to sanction Russian oil threatens to yank millions of barrels off a global market already thirsty for crude.
The cautious approach from the OPEC+ alliance — which includes non-member Russia — will exacerbate a global energy crunch, with prices expected to rise further for oil and the gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel made from it. Those higher prices will worsen global inflation, eating away at people’s ability to spend money that would otherwise support the economic recovery.
At an online meeting, OPEC+ stuck with its road map to gradually open the oil taps, agreeing to add 432,000 barrels per day in June. The plan is to make those regular increases to restore cuts made in 2020 during the worst of the pandemic recession.
Oil prices have risen — more than 40% this year — as the boost in production remains smaller than what the U.S. and other oil-consuming countries are pressing for to ease high prices at the pump.
Bigger surges in oil prices have been held back by COVID-19 lockdowns in China cutting demand and the U.S. and other member countries of the International Energy Agency releasing oil from strategic reserves.
Still, analysts from Rystad Energy foresee the global market potentially losing up to 2 million barrels within six months if the 27 European Union countries approve a proposal to sanction Russian oil. Moscow is expected to see production fall after losing its biggest oil customer — Europe.
OPEC has made it clear to European officials that the oil cartel is not going to increase production to compensate for lost Russian oil. Some OPEC members already can’t meet their oil production quotas.
Russia is the world’s largest oil exporter with some 12% of global supply, and fears its oil and natural gas could be cut off have kept energy prices high. Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russian sent around 3.8 million barrels of oil per day to the European Union, where refineries turn it into gasoline and diesel fuel.
If the EU carries through on its plans to phase out crude imports in six months, Russia could try to sell those barrels to countries in Asia that are not participating in the boycott. But it might not be able to find customers for all of the oil displaced from Europe, even at tempting knockdown prices.
For one reason, there is limited pipeline and rail capacity to Asia. While some oil could be redirected by sea, that will depend on the availability of oil tankers willing to deal with Russian crude, given the risk of sanctions. Banks and companies that insure tanker fleets may be reluctant to facilitate the sale of Russian oil.
“Higher prices could be around the corner,” said Bjornar Tonhaugen, head of oil markets research at Rystad Energy. “The oil market has not fully priced in the potential of an EU oil embargo, so higher crude prices are to be expected in the summer months if it’s voted into law.”
U.S. oil prices rose Thursday, up 1.2% after the meeting to $109.01 per barrel, or 43% higher since the start of the year. International benchmark Brent crude rose 1.7%, to $111.81 per barrel.
The price of crude oil accounts for about 60% of the price at the pump in the United States. Average U.S. gasoline prices stood at $4.19 per gallon Wednesday, up $1.29 from a year ago.
Diesel for trucks and farm equipment has risen even more over a year ago, by $2.34, to $5.43 per gallon.
Drivers in Europe, where taxes make up a larger proportion of the price at the pump, are paying more, too. Gasoline prices are averaging 1.95 euros per liter in Germany, or the equivalent of $7.77 per gallon, while diesel has been at 2.02 euros per liter, or $8.05 per gallon.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/russian-war-china-lockdowns-roil-oil-markets-opec-meets/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:08Z |
Sheriff: 66-year-old pastor arrested on child sexual abuse charges involving minor under 15
PITT COUNTY, N.C. (Gray News) - Authorities in North Carolina have arrested a pastor on several sex crime charges stemming from a joint investigation.
The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office reports their detectives, along with police from the Winterville Police Department, joined forces to investigate suspected child abuse involving 66-year-old John William Lovelace earlier this year.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of Lovelace.
The pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Ayden, North Carolina, was charged by Winterville police with four counts of second-degree forcible sex and three counts of sexual battery.
According to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Lovelace is also facing two counts of statutory sex offense with a child under the age of 15 and indecent liberties with a minor.
The 66-year-old was booked into the Pitt County Detention Center on a $12.4 million bond.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/sheriff-66-year-old-pastor-arrested-child-sexual-abuse-charges-involving-minor-under-15/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:14Z |
Some call for less flying hours for new pilots amid nationwide pilot shortage
(CNN) - A latest push by airlines to curb flight cancellations caused by a shortage of pilots is concerning for some people, including John and Marilyn Kausner.
Their daughter, Elly Kausner, was on board Colgan Air Flight 3407 on February 12, 2009, when it plunged into a Buffalo, New York, neighborhood.
She was among 45 passengers and four crew who were killed.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to walk my daughter down the aisle,” John Kausner said.
After the crash, the Kausners fought to mandate more pilot experience.
New airline pilots, once required to have 250 flying hours, now need 1,500 hours, but some airline executives say that requirement is contributing to the shortage.
“This is not a safety issue, and I think it’s important that some of the politicians start to act and take this up because, if they don’t, they’re putting the industry in jeopardy,” said Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of Mesa Airlines.
A change in regulations would be felt most at smaller, regional airlines contracted by major carriers. They operate short routes and make up 40% of all flights in the United States.
Regional Airline Association President Fay Malarkey Black supports substituting some flight time for classroom time.
“We should not be talking about roll back or repeal, but add and replace and enhance so that we can open up training pathways to people who have not had access,” Black said.
This week, an executive from JetBlue said pilots from other countries operate safely despite looser regulations.
The National Transportation Safety Board found pilots of Flight 3407 did not properly recognize an aerodynamic stall.
Elly Kausner’s family said that was due to lack of experience, something they insist regulators never forget.
“We put rules and regulations in place that have been preventing plane crashes, largely and that’s the legacy. Let’s not lower our safety standards,” her father said.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Transportation Secretary said the federal government is looking to fund workforce development grants aimed at increasing the number of pilots.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/some-call-less-flying-hours-new-pilots-amid-nationwide-pilot-shortage/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:21Z |
‘Special relationship’ between escaped Alabama inmate and corrections officer dates back to 2020, sheriff says
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF/Gray News) - The “special relationship” between escaped inmate Casey White and assistant director of corrections at Lauderdale County Jail Vicky White traces back to 2020, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton says.
“As far as we know, that was the earliest physical contact they had,” Singleton said.
Casey White was first brought to Lauderdale County Jail in 2020 for an arraignment on murder charges related to the 2015 murder of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway. He and Vicky White stayed in contact after he went back to state prison, WAFF reports.
Singleton confirmed Vicky White had phone contact with Casey White while he was in Donaldson Prison.
On Wednesday, Singleton confirmed that Vicky White has been terminated and will lose her state-funded pension contributions.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Service released a bulletin on their website with information about the pair, calling them “dangerous.” Officials believe they may be armed with an AR-15 rifle and a shotgun, and warn the public not to approach them.
The bulletin also says the two may be driving a gold or copper-colored 2007 Ford Edge. There may be damage to the left rear bumper.
Singleton announced Monday at a press conference that an arrest warrant has been issued for Vicky White, an assistant director of corrections for the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
She is charged with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree in connection with capital murder suspect Casey White. The maximum time in prison is 10 years with a $15,000 fine.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly said he is shocked and disappointed as more information develops about the incident.
“I would have trusted Vicky with my life. I really mean it,” Connolly said. “If we needed something from the jail, she was our go-to person, solid employee. That’s why it’s so shocking.”
Officials say that although Casey White was handcuffed and shackled when he left the jail, he is a free man and no longer restrained.
“We found her radio, sheriff’s department radio, and the leg shackles and handcuffs,” Singleton said.
Detectives also believe Vicky White has her phone, but it is turned off.
“It wasn’t left in the car. You know, we’ve attempted using technology. We haven’t had any success with it,” Singleton said.
Vicky White sold her home a month ago below market value, and authorities are looking through her finances to see if there is anything unusual.
“We’ve had the Secret Service helping us with some of that kind of stuff. They’re working on that angle of it.” Singleton said. “We’re assuming she’s got some cash.”
Vicky White and Casey White have been missing since Friday, which was Vicky White’s last day of work before she was set to retire. Vicky White said she was taking the inmate to a mental health evaluation. Singleton confirmed that no mental health evaluation existed. Investigators said there is no doubt that Vicky White aided and abetted Casey White with his escape.
Shortly before her disappearance, Vicky White said she had also planned to get medical care because she wasn’t feeling well, but she never arrived.
The vehicle in which the two departed Friday morning was found at a shopping center in Lauderdale County later that afternoon.
Authorities said Vicky White violated a policy that required more than one official to be involved in transporting inmates. The policy was put in place when Casey White was jailed two years ago and authorities believed he was planning to escape.
Casey White was serving 75 years for a series of crimes and was awaiting a capital murder trial in Alabama. He also faces a number of charges in Tennessee, including attempted first-degree murder.
Casey White is 6-feet, 9-inches tall and weighs about 330 pounds, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.
Vicky White is 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. She has blonde hair and brown eyes, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. She may be using the aliases April Davis and Renee Marie Maxwell, according to Singleton.
The Marshals Service said people with information about Casey White’s location or Vicky White’s disappearance can call the service at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the U.S. Marshals Tip App.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Casey White and $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of Vicky White.
Authorities say they have received more than 100 tips about the pair.
Copyright 2022 WAFF via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/special-relationship-between-escaped-north-alabama-inmate-corrections-officer-dates-back-2020-sheriff-says/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:27Z |
Study: Majority of trans children who transition socially keep new identity
(CNN) - A new study has found that most transgender kids who go through a social transition tend to stick with it.
A social transition means when a child changes their name or pronoun or wear clothes aligned with their chosen gender identity.
The study followed 317 transgender youths, from the ages of 3 to 12. Five years after their initial transition, 94 percent were still living as transgender girls or boys.
A small percentage re-transitioned, either re-identifying as their birth sex or identifying as non-binary. Most often, that happened before the age of 10.
This is the first large-scale study focused on children transitioning more than once.
It was published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/study-majority-trans-children-who-transition-socially-keep-new-identity/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:34Z |
Suspect accused of body-slamming man on concrete charged with attempted murder, police say
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB/Gray News) – A man in Louisiana was charged with attempted second-degree murder after authorities say he body-slammed another man on concrete, causing the victim to suffer a brain bleed.
Brody Hurst was arrested and booked in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Tuesday.
According to arrest documents, on March 5, around 3 a.m., the victim stated Hurst showed up at an apartment complex. The victim reported that he encountered Hurst after entering the security gate of the complex and that the two were not on speaking terms.
A witness told police Hurst and the victim had agreed to meet up to resolve issues between them.
Once the victim entered the security gate, the witness says Hurst grabbed the victim and slammed him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. The witness went on to tell police Hurst began stomping the victim in the head and torso as he lay unconscious.
The witness also stated she had to pull Hurst off the victim with the help of another person. The witness reportedly told Hurst that she was calling police, causing Hurst to stop and flee the scene.
Cell phone footage captured some of the attack, police say.
Arrest documents detail the witness took the victim to a local hospital. A bone in the victim’s face got broken and he suffered bleeding on the brain, reports say.
Copyright 2022 WAFB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/suspect-accused-body-slamming-man-concrete-charged-with-attempted-murder-police-say/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:41Z |
US announces seizure of superyacht owned by Russian oligarch
WASHINGTON (AP) — A superyacht that American authorities say is owned by a Russian oligarch previously sanctioned for alleged money laundering has been seized by law enforcement in Fiji, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.
A judge in Fiji earlier in the week permitted U.S. authorities to seize the yacht Amadea — worth $325 million — but also put his order temporarily on hold while defense lawyers mounted a challenge.
The Justice Department said authorities in Fiji, acting at the request of the United States, have now served a search warrant freezing the yacht, which had earlier been prevented from leaving the South Pacific nation.
American officials say the 348-foot vessel belongs to Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018 and has faced further censure from Canada, Europe, Britain and other nations after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Kerimov made a fortune investing in Russian gold producer Polyus, with Forbes magazine putting his net worth at $14.5 billion.
Defense lawyers had claimed the yacht actually belonged to another Russian oligarch.
In an application in support of the search warrant, an FBI agent wrote that there was probable cause to believe that Kerimov had owned the Amadea since 2021. The vessel, which is flagged in the Cayman Islands, had turned off its automated information system on Feb. 24, which is the day Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
The Justice Department said the seizure was coordinated by its KleptoCapture task force, which was created in March to seize assets belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs. In April, the Justice Department seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the latest seizure “should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime.”
The Justice Department said the yacht is now in Lautoka, Fiji.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/us-announces-seizure-superyacht-owned-by-russian-oligarch/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:48Z |
Walgreens, Florida settle opioid costs lawsuit for $683M
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Walgreens pharmacy chain has reached a $683 million settlement with the state of Florida in a lawsuit accusing the company of improperly dispensing millions of painkillers that contributed to the opioid crisis, state officials said Thursday.
State Attorney General Ashley Moody said the deal was struck after four weeks of government evidence was presented at trial. Walgreens was the 12th and final defendant to settle with Florida, which will bring in more than $3 billion for the state to tackle opioid addiction and overdoses.
“We now go into battle armed and ready to fight back hard against this manmade crisis,” Moody said at a news conference in Tampa. “I am glad that we have been able to end this monumental litigation and move past the courtroom.”
Walgreens, based in Deerfield, Illinois, said in a statement the company did not admit wrongdoing in the deal, during which $620 million will be paid to the state over 18 years and a one-time sum of $63 million for attorney fees. Walgreens operates more than 9,000 stores in all 50 states, according to the company website. About 820 of those locations are in Florida.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has a tentative nationwide deal that includes $6 billion in cash from members of the Sackler family who own the company. In all, settlements, civil and criminal penalties around the country since 2007 have totaled over $45 billion, according to an Associated Press tally.
The Florida case hinged on accusations that as Walgreens dispensed more than 4.3 billion total opioid pills in Florida from May 2006 to June 2021, more than half contained one or more easily recognized red flags for abuse, fraud and addiction that the company should have noticed and acted upon.
The opioid epidemic has been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades, counting those from prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and generic oxycodone as well as illicit drugs such as heroin and illegally produced fentanyl.
In the same case, CVS Health Corp. and CVS Pharmacy Inc. agreed to pay the state $484 million. Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. agreed to pay $195 million and Allergan PLC more than $134 million.
Florida has previously obtained millions of dollars in opioid settlements involving McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., Johnson & Johnson Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/walgreens-florida-settle-opioid-costs-lawsuit-683m/ | 2022-05-07T07:19:57Z |
Stocks slump 3% as worries grow over higher interest rates
NEW YORK (AP) — A sharp sell-off left the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 1,000 points lower Thursday, wiping out the gains from Wall Street’s biggest rally in two years, as worries grow that the higher interest rates the Federal Reserve is using in its fight against inflation will slow the economy.
The benchmark S&P 500 fell 3.6%, marking its biggest loss in nearly two years, a day after it posted its biggest gain since May 2020. The Nasdaq slumped 5%, its worst drop since June 2020. The losses by the Dow and the other indexes offset the gains from a day earlier.
“Yesterday’s sharp rally was not rooted in reality and today’s dramatic selloff is a reversal of that misplaced exuberance,” said Ben Kirby, co-head of investments at Thornburg Investment Management.
Wall Street’s breakneck day-to-day reversal reflects the degree of investors’ uncertainty and unease over the array of threats the economy is facing, starting with inflation running at the highest level in four decades, and how effective the Federal Reserve’s bid to tame higher prices by jacking up interest rates will be.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced a widely expected half-percentage point increase in its short-term interest rate. Stocks bounced around following the move but then sharply rose as bond yields fell after Fed Chair Jerome Powell reassured investors by saying the central bank wasn’t considering shifting to more aggressive, three-quarters point rate hikes as the Fed continues with further rate increases in coming months.
But whatever relief Powell’s remarks gave stock investors vanished Thursday. Stocks slumped and bond yields climbed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.04%. Rising yields are sure to put upward pressure on mortgage rates, which are already at their highest level since 2009.
Investors remain uneasy about about whether the Fed can do enough to tame inflation without tipping the economy, which is already showing signs of slowing, into a recession. In addition to high inflation and rising interest rates, investors are grappling with uncertainty over lingering supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions.
“The biggest issue is there are just a lot of moving parts and the unanswered question is to what extent as the Fed attempts to tame inflation will that result in economic slowing, and perhaps, a recession,” said Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.
The S&P 500 fell 153.30 points to 4,146.87, while the Nasdaq slid 647.16 points to 12,317.69. The Dow briefly skidded 1,375 points before closing down 1,063.09 points, or 3.1%, to 32,997.97.
Smaller company stocks also fell sharply. The Russell 2000 fell 78.77 points, or 4%, to 1,871.15.
The Fed’s aggressive shift to raise interest rates has investors worrying about whether it can pull off the delicate dance to slow the economy enough to halt high inflation but not so much as to cause a downturn. The pace and size of interest rate increases is being scrutinized closely on Wall Street.
“Investors realized that by the Fed continuing to take a very measured approach, it could actually allow inflation to remain out of control,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA.
The latest move by the Fed to raise interest rates by a half-percentage point had been widely expected. Markets steadied this week ahead of the policy update, but Wall Street was concerned the Fed might elect to raise rates by three-quarters of a percentage point at its next meeting. Powell eased those concerns, saying the central bank is “not actively considering” such an increase.
The central bank also announced that it will start reducing its huge $9 trillion balance sheet, which consists mainly of Treasury and mortgage bonds, starting June 1. Those large holdings are a policy tool the Fed uses to keep long-term interest rates, like those on mortgages, low.
When Powell said the Fed wasn’t considering a mammoth increase in short-term rates, that sent a signal to investors to send stock prices soaring and bond yields tumbling. A slower pace of interest-rate hikes would mean less risk of the economy tipping into recession, as well as less downward pressure on prices for all kinds of investments.
But diminishing the odds of a three-quarters point hike doesn’t mean the Fed is done raising rates steadily and sharply as it fights to tame inflation, not even close. Economists at BNP Paribas still expect the Fed to keep hiking the federal funds rate until it reaches a range of 3% to 3.25%, up from zero to 0.25% earlier this year.
“We do not think this was Chair Powell’s intention,” economists at BNP Paribas wrote in a report, citing the market’s jubilance on Wednesday, “and we reckon we could see coming ‘Fedspeak’ seek to re-tighten financial conditions.”
The Bank of England on Thursday raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest level in 13 years, its fourth rate hike since December as U.K. inflation runs at 30-year highs.
Energy markets remain volatile as the conflict in Ukraine continues and demand remains high amid tight supplies of oil. European governments are trying to replace energy supplies from Russia and are considering an embargo. OPEC and allied oil-producing countries decided Thursday to gradually increase the flows of crude they send to the world.
Higher oil and gas prices have been contributing to the uncertainties weighing on investors as they try to assess how inflation will ultimately impact businesses, consumer activity and overall economic growth.
Homebuilders fell broadly as average long-term home loan rates climbed. D.R. Horton slid 5.8%.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.27% this week, its highest level since 2009, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. A year ago, it averaged 2.96%. Mortgage rates tend to follow moves in the 10-year Treasury yield. The sharp increase in mortgage rates has strained affordability for homebuyers after years of sharply rising prices.
___
AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed. Veiga reported from Los Angeles.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/wall-street-slumps-erasing-big-rally-day-earlier/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:04Z |
WATCH: Driver saves 40 students after school bus catches fire
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WKMG) – A school bus driver in Florida is getting credit for saving 40 young students after their bus caught fire on Tuesday.
Imagine Schools at West Melbourne said things could have been a lot worse if not for the driver’s quick actions.
The terrifying moment the school bus caught fire was captured on camera Tuesday afternoon.
Imagine Schools said the driver, Janet O’Connell, saw the smoke coming from the hood just 10 minutes along her route after the school’s dismissal, when she stopped and started getting 40 children from kindergarten to the 6th grade off the bus.
“Ms. Janet, when there’s a child in need, she steps up,” Imagine Principal Brian Degonzague said.
Degonzague said he believes it was an electrical fire.
Imagine is a charter school managing its own buses. Degonzague said the buses are inspected as often as every day.
“It was spontaneous,” he said. “It looked like something that could happen to any vehicle.’’
The school said the fire destroyed the camera on the bus, so there’s no video showing how it started.
The only documentation of the fire is one recorded by a nearby witness.
“Ms. Janet is a very humble person,” Degonzague said. “When I spoke to her about it, she said, ‘Brian, I did what I did because I love my kids.’ She doesn’t want the spotlight on her, but what she did was pretty incredible.’’
The school said O’Connell didn’t even take a day off after the fire. She was right back to work Wednesday, driving a new bus.
Copyright 2022 WKMG via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/watch-driver-saves-40-students-after-school-bus-catches-fire/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:11Z |
WHO: Nearly 15M deaths associated with COVID-19
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, more than double the official death toll of 6 million. Most of the fatalities were in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In a report Thursday, the U.N. agency’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the figure as “sobering,” saying it should prompt countries to invest more in their capacities to quell future health emergencies.
Scientists tasked by WHO with calculating the actual number of COVID-19 deaths between January 2020 and the end of last year estimated there were between 13.3 million and 16.6 million deaths that were either caused directly by the coronavirus or were somehow attributed to the pandemic’s impact on health systems, like people with cancer unable to seek treatment when hospitals were full of COVID patients.
The figures are based on country-reported data and statistical modelling, but only about half of countries provided information. WHO said it wasn’t yet able to break down the figures to distinguish between direct deaths from COVID-19 and others caused by the pandemic and said a future project examining death certificates would probe this.
“This may seem like just a bean-counting exercise, but having these WHO numbers is so critical to understanding how we should combat future pandemics and continue to respond to this one,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious diseases specialist at the Yale School of Public Health, who was not linked to the WHO research.
For example, Ko said, South Korea’s decision to invest heavily in public health after it suffered a severe outbreak of MERS allowed it to escape COVID-19 with a per-capita death rate around a 20th of that of the U.S.
Accurate numbers on COVID-19 deaths have been problematic throughout the pandemic, as the figures are only a fraction of the devastation wrought by the virus, largely because of limited testing. According to government figures reported to WHO and to a separate count kept by Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 6 million reported coronavirus deaths to date.
Scientists at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington guessed there were more than 18 million COVID deaths from January 2020 to December 2021 in a recent study published in the journal Lancet, and a team led by Canadian researchers estimated there were more than 3 million uncounted coronavirus deaths in India alone. WHO’s new analysis estimated that missed deaths in India ranged between 3.3 million to 6.5 million.
In a statement following the release of WHO’s data, India disputed the methodology used by the U.N. health agency. India’s Health and Family Welfare Ministry called WHO’s analysis and data collection methods “questionable” and complained that the new death estimates were released “without adequately addressing India’s concerns.”
Samira Asma, a senior WHO director, acknowledged that “numbers are sometimes controversial” and that all estimates are only an approximation of the virus’ catastrophic effects.
“It has become very obvious during the entire course of the pandemic, there have been data that is missing,” she told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. “Basically, all of us were caught unprepared.”
Ko said better figures from WHO might also explain some lingering mysteries about the pandemic, like why Africa appears to have been one of the least affected by the virus, despite its low vaccination rates.
“Were the mortality rates so low because we couldn’t count the deaths or was there some other factor to explain that?” he asked, citing the far higher mortality rates in the U.S. and Europe.
Dr. Bharat Pankhania, a public health specialist at Britain’s University of Exeter, said the world may never get close to the true toll of COVID-19, particularly in poor countries.
“When you have a massive outbreak where people are dying in the streets because of a lack of oxygen, bodies were abandoned or people had to be cremated quickly because of cultural beliefs, we end up never knowing just how many people died,” he explained.
Although Pankhania said the estimated COVID-19 death toll still pales in comparison to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic — when experts estimate up to 100 million people died — he said the fact that so many people died despite the advances of modern medicine, including vaccines, is shameful.
He also warned the cost of COVID-19 could be far more damaging in the long term, given the increasing burden of caring for people with long COVID.
“With the Spanish flu, there was the flu and then there were some (lung) illnesses people suffered, but that was it,” he said. “There was not an enduring immunological condition that we’re seeing right now with COVID.”
“We do not know the extent to which people with long COVID will have their lives cut short and if they will have repeated infections that will cause them even more problems,” Pankhania said.
____
Krutika Pathi and Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/who-nearly-15m-deaths-associated-with-covid-19/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:18Z |
With proxy voting set to expire, lawmakers split on its usefulness
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Voting by proxy is still an option for U.S. House members despite other COVID guidelines being dropped on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is allowing House members to vote by proxy at least through May 14. Proxy voting became an option for lawmakers in 2020 for public health reasons. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) says it is a useful tool.
“They do it in other organizations you know. There’s such thing as sick leave,” said
Over 4,400 proxy voting letters have been filed over the past two years. Amodei accounts for 16 of them. Each one says, “I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency,” then lists another member he gives permission to vote in his place.
Amodei says it is helpful for those who have to fly long distances or tend to other matters that require them to miss votes.
“My mother passed away. I missed some votes. Or when I had to have retina surgery on my eye. I missed some votes,” said Amodei.
He says it is better to have someone cast a vote on behalf of the district than to miss a vote entirely. But some lawmakers, like Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) want to do away with proxy voting. He thinks it is having a negative impact on how the House operates.
“It doesn’t help forward the body. And, you know, we’re not the most respected body as it is, I actually think it further denigrates our standing in the community,” said Biggs.
Molly Reynolds is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution tracking proxy voting. She says a tool like voting by proxy is a positive adaptation to the pandemic. But Reynolds says some are abusing the option.
“Proxy voting was not designed to allow people to say, run for governor and continue to vote on the House floor,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds says some members are using proxy voting to stay home and campaign. She says misusing the system undermines trust and raises questions about the future of legitimate proxy voting.
“What’s the best way to balance these competing tradeoffs?” said Reynolds.
While proxy voting is set to end in 10 days, it is unclear if it will be extended once again with some areas of the country seeing a spike in COVID cases.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/with-proxy-voting-set-expire-lawmakers-split-its-usefulness/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:25Z |
Woman accused of helping convicted murderer escape, court docs say
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA/Gray News) - A woman has been charged with helping a convicted murderer escape custody, according to court documents.
Susan Lemley, 40, has been charged with facilitating escape. Court documents state she helped David Kyle, 49, escape.
Kyle was being housed at the Red Eagle Work Center in Montgomery, Alabama, when he fled on April 23 from a job site where he was assigned, under supervision, to work, according to WSFA.
According to court documents, Lemley helped Kyle escape from the site at Riverwalk Stadium. She then took him to Tennessee.
Kyle was serving a 99-year sentence for a 2000 murder conviction when he escaped. He was also sentenced to eight years in prison for a separate arson conviction.
According to a 1999 article from the Associated Press, Kyle, then 27, was a known drug dealer who shot a man to death in 1998 and left his remains in the trunk of a burning vehicle. The article also indicates Kyle was serving a separate 8-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 1998 to burning the business of an employer who had recently fired him.
Kyle was taken into custody Monday morning by the U.S. Marshal Service, the Alabama Department of Corrections and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said Kyle was arrested in the Slackland community of his county.
Lemley is being held in the Montgomery County Detention Center with bail set at $5,000.
Copyright 2022 WSFA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/woman-accused-helping-convicted-murderer-escape-court-docs-say/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:33Z |
Woman mistook body found floating in canal for manatee
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WPBF) - A woman walking around her backyard was surprised to see something floating in the canal behind her house. She thought it was an animal, but it was actually a body.
Police are now trying to figure out what happened to him.
Maureen McGuire regularly takes a walk along the canal in the backyard of her Port St. Lucie home.
“I’m forever pulling weeds and checking back there. There’s a lot of wildlife back there. There’s alligators there,” McGuire said.
But it wasn’t an alligator she saw Wednesday morning.
“I saw it there and I thought it was a manatee,” McGuire said.
She thought the animal was either dead or in trouble. So, McGuire called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and they quickly figured out it was not a manatee.
“FWC responded and determined it was a human body,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said.
Mascara believes the body had been in the water for about a day and is calling it a suspicious death.
“That’s all we can really say right now until we get the body off-site to the medical examiner’s office,” Mascara said.
As the medical examiner determines how the man died, detectives will try to figure out how he wound up in the canal behind McGuire’s home.
“I guess it is scary, sure, to think that right in my own backyard something like that happened,” McGuire said. “I was shocked. But I guess these days and ages nothing shocks you really.”
Since the story first aired, WPBF learned the man has been identified as 32-year-old Daniel Pastor.
His mother reported him missing on Sunday.
Copyright 2022 WPBF via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/woman-mistook-body-found-floating-canal-manatee/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:40Z |
Women and people of color experience longer ER wait times than white men, study says
(CNN) – If you’ve been to the emergency room recently, what was it like?
For women and people of color, the experience is often different from what white men experience, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The research is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of nearly 30 million people.
Researchers looked at people younger than 55 years of age who went to the ER for chest pain.
They discovered that patients who identified as people of color waited 10-15 minutes longer in the ER to receive care for chest pain compared to white adults.
They also found that women and people of color were less likely to get testing done and less likely to get medication for a heart attack.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/women-people-color-experience-longer-er-wait-times-than-white-men-study-says/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:49Z |
Wyoming defamation lawsuit against Alec Baldwin is dismissed
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit over online harassment filed against actor Alec Baldwin by the family of a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan, saying the Wyoming court did not have jurisdiction over the case.
An attorney for the family said the case would be refiled elsewhere, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Wednesday.
The sisters and widow of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum alleged Baldwin subjected them to online harassment after he posted and commented on a photo shared online by one of McCollum’s sisters, Roice McCollum, who had been in Washington during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
Baldwin had donated $5,000 to the family after learning of the death of Rylee McCollum in a bombing at the airport in Kabul in August 2021, just weeks before his daughter was born. Baldwin had contacted Roice McCollum via Instagram, according to the lawsuit.
In January 2022, Baldwin saw that Roice McCollum posted a nearly year-old picture of demonstrators from former President Donald Trump’s rally taken on the day Congress counted the Electoral College votes from the 2020 presidential election, the complaint stated.
Baldwin sent her a private message and confirmed she had organized the fundraiser for her brother, the lawsuit said. She responded that her participation in the protest was “perfectly legal,” according to court documents.
Baldwin told Roice McCollum he would share her photo with his 2.4 million Instagram followers and wrote: “Good luck,” according to the lawsuit.
Roice McCollum said in the lawsuit that she received hundreds of hateful messages in response to his post. The complaint, which also names her sister Cheyenne McCollum and Rylee’s wife, Jiennah McCollum, as plaintiffs, sought $25 million in damages.
Baldwin asked for the case to be dismissed, saying he was expressing his political opinion, that he had not been in Wyoming and that claims by Cheyenne and Jiennah McCollum should be dismissed because he did not make any statements about them.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal said Wednesday that the case could not be brought in Wyoming because Baldwin made the posts from New York and because they were not directed specifically at a Wyoming audience. Her decision did not address the veracity of the allegations in the complaint.
“We are pleased with this victory,” said Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas. “This is a significant step toward the complete dismissal of the lawsuit, which seeks to punish Mr. Baldwin for expressing his political opinion.”
Dennis Postiglione, an attorney for the McCollums, said that the case would probably be refiled in New York, where Baldwin lives, or in California, where he works.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/wyoming-defamation-lawsuit-against-alec-baldwin-is-dismissed/ | 2022-05-07T07:20:56Z |
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST
SATURDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 kt and seas 7 to 11 feet.
* WHERE...All Hawaiian Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
LĪHUE – Kauai police will host its first summer camp for incoming high school juniors to outgoing seniors.
The 2022 Kauai Police Department (KPD) Investigations and Forensic Science Camp will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 21 to 23, and 8 a.m. to noon, June 24 at KPD’s Līhue headquarters, 3990 Kaana Street.
Participants will learn the ins and out of being a detective and forensic scientist, and will acquire a number of skills throughout the four days, including:
-Interview and interrogation techniques
-Crime scene processing and photography
-Report writing
-Different types of Police Investigations
-De-escalation, listening, and deflection skills
-Forensic science and digital evidence overview
-Evidence collection
-Fingerprints
-Forensic Pathology
“We look forward to showing some of our island’s youth what it takes to conduct investigations and the important skills that are needed to solve crimes,” said Investigative Services Bureau Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce.
“Part of the intent of this program is to show the youth of Kauaʿi the different type of job opportunities at KPD. To become a police officer, you only need to be 21, have a high school diploma and have a desire to serve the community. Plus, the starting salary is one of the best on the island as far as entry level positions are concerned at $65,652, and $68,244 after successful completion of the initial probationary period.”
Duane Shimogawa has more than 15 years of experience in the media industry with stints as a reporter/anchor at several TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers such as Pacific Business News, Hawaii News Now, KNDU/KNDO-TV, and more. | https://www.kitv.com/news/kauai-police-to-host-first-forensics-summer-camp-for-high-schoolers/article_7e2691a0-cdd1-11ec-b453-e7952834d9fc.html | 2022-05-07T08:55:28Z |
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST
SATURDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 kt and seas 7 to 11 feet.
* WHERE...All Hawaiian Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
1 of 2
Protectors of Mauna Kea fear the new Authority will be less accountable handling the Mauna outside of the land trust.
MAUNA KEA-- It's unclear exactly who at all supports the bill passed by the legislature to create a "Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority." The bill is currently awaiting its fate on the Governor's desk.
The bill is opposed by DLNR, UH and now the Protectors of Mauna Kea who stopped construction of the controversial 30 Meter telescope in 2019.
All entities fear less accountability and vague details about the conservancy of the Mauna.
The arrest of 38 of the protectors in 2019 including Aunty Maxine Kahaulelio hasn't stood in the way either. She was found not guilty of an "obstruction charge," even when the younger generation offered to step up.
"So much love and aloha. But we told them no. Stay back. This is not your time," Aunty Maxine told KITV.
At the base of the mountain, signs still remain of the Protectors of Mauna Kea,
who were joined by thousands across the world to amplify the message.
"That people have to understand Mount Fuji Japan is sacred. Himalayas for the Tibetans. Every place on the world has a Mauna. They have their sacred mountain. Why can't we have ours?," Aunty Maxine asks, "Given to us as a makana, a gift, a treasure that we should not destroy. But people get other ideas."
The latest idea is the "Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority" working in conjunction with UH to manage the land.
Others, including DLNR- and even UH, criticize the bill for being overly broad and rushed. Still unresolved for the Protectors, the larger symbolism of the Mauna and its importance to the Hawaiian people.
Aunty Maxine concluded, "We listened to our ancestors, we took the path again and took the lead. We gonna pau pretty soon. We gonna die. Now another generation, we take the lead. And you know what, it's going to happen. It's going to happen."
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Jeremy Lee joined KITV after over a decade & a half in broadcast news from coast to coast on the mainland. Jeremy most recently traveled the country documenting protests & civil unrest. | https://www.kitv.com/news/mauna-kea-protectors-oppose-new-bill/article_adb779a0-cddd-11ec-b0de-678098a48594.html | 2022-05-07T08:55:34Z |
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST
SATURDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 kt and seas 7 to 11 feet.
* WHERE...All Hawaiian Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a photo released by the North Korean government on April 27.
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile -- likely launched from a submarine -- into the waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, South Korean authorities said on Saturday.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired at 2:07 p.m. local time from the Sinpo area of North Korea's east coast.
The Japanese coast guard confirmed the projectile had fallen into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, at 2:25 p.m. local time.
South Korean and US intelligence officials are analyzing the launch, and the South Korean military is maintaining a state of readiness, the Joint Chiefs said.
Saturday's launch comes just days after another ballistic missile test by North Korea on Wednesday.
North Korea has stepped up its missile testing program this year.
Saturday's projectile marks the country's 14th missile launch in 2022 so far, including one that is presumed to have failed in mid-March.
By comparison, it conducted only four tests in 2020, and eight in 2021.
At a military parade on April 25, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to ramp up his development of nuclear arms at the "highest possible" speed." Experts say the parade, as well as Kim's rhetoric and the flurry of launches, offer a glimpse into his ambitions for his weapons program -- particularly efforts to develop solid-fueled missiles that would be easier to hide from foreign spy agencies. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-into-sea-of-japan/article_2a1b345c-1e77-5f6c-8c0a-28b5f3c7d02d.html | 2022-05-07T08:55:41Z |
Another strong pitching performance, a couple timely hits and solid defense powered Oregon Tech to a 4-0 victory over The College of Idaho on Friday in the first round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference softball tournament.
Sarah Abramson pitched a four-hitter for her league-leading 11th shutout to help the fourth-ranked Hustlin’ Owls pick up their fifth win of the season against the 20th-ranked Yotes.
Lexi Klum and Aubrie Businger each hit run-scoring singles in the fourth inning to help Tech push its season record to 44-10.
OIT will return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday and will meet Eastern Oregon to see which will remain the lone unbeaten team in the tournament, which features four of the top 20 NAIA teams in country in a competition at John and Lois Stillwell Stadium.
Eastern stunned Southern Oregon, 3-1, to move on and end SOU’s 17-game winning streak.
Friday’s effort was especially pleasing for Businger, who was named the league’s top third baseman earlier in the week.
“It just feels good at this time of the season,” Businger said after having had some struggles at the plate much of the season. “I was just looking for something hard to slap, and not trying to do too much.”
She had Tech’s first hit and her fourth-inning single allowed McKenzie Strum to score and up the OIT lead to 3-0. A groundout also plated a run to cap the only scoring effort of the contest.
Maggie Buckholz was hit by a pitch and Kennedy Jantzi walked to open the Tech fourth. After a sacrifice advanced the runners, Strum hit a ground ball to second and Buckholz beat the throw home. Klum followed with a run-scoring single.
A couple of timely hits could have added to the lead. Abramson took care of the rest as she upped her season record to 25-5. She retired 11 straight batters at one stretch, struck out four and walked one.
“Another strong performance from Sarah,” OIT coach Greg Stewart said. “We told the kids a game like this often comes down to one inning and we told them we liked how well they are competing and putting the ball in play.”
The College of Idaho, which fell to 38-14 and will meet Corban in an elimination game at 9 a.m. Saturday, had opened the tournament with a come-from-behind, 6-5 win over the University of British Columbia powered by three home runs.
UBC, which will play Southern Oregon at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, had taken a 5-1 lead after two innings, but Kylie Smith hit a two-run homer to begin CofI’s comeback, and the Yotes took the lead when Hattie Hruza hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning.
Eastern Oregon, which became the third league team to pick up 40 wins this season, used a two-hitter by Amanda Smith top stop Corban, 8-1. The game was close until the Mountaineers scored five times in the sixth inning.
The Mounties had nine hits and took advantage of six walks and six wild pitches in their win.
Madison Stateler’s three-run homer, which hit the top of the fence and bounced over, gave Eastern’s its come-from-behind win over Southern and allowed the Mounties to tie their school record with 41 wins in the season.
Tech talk
• Three former Henley High players were on the field in OIT’s game against The College of Idaho. Tech catcher McKenna Armantrout and shortstop Kaila Mick were teammates with CofI first baseman Tanner Higgins.
• Both Corban hits were for extra bases, a triple by Kaycee Arase and a double by Maddie Ogles.
• Corban, Eastern Oregon and British Columbia were playing at Stilwell Stadium for the first time this season.
• Friday’s fourth game was delayed by a heavy downpour that forced the game to start about 30 minutes late. The delay also forced tournament officials to turn on the lights as a safety precaution.
Steve Matthies is Herald and News sports editor emeritus, and has covered Oregon Tech athletics for more than 30 years. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/oregon-tech-opens-cascade-collegiate-softball-tourney-with-shutout-win/article_11bddc46-5625-523c-b314-31c17813944f.html | 2022-05-07T10:11:02Z |
Aiden Hayes went 4 for 4 with a double and triple, scored four times and drove in four runs as Henley High defeated host Phoenix 16-3 to complete a sweep of a Skyline Conference doubleheader Friday.
The Hornets (18-5 overall, 10-2 conference), who won the opener 17-5, moved into a first-place tie with Hidden Valley, the top-ranked team in the state in Class 4A.
Hunter Schwenk went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs for the eighth-ranked Hornets and also pitched a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the second game. Teammate Matt Douglas went 3 for 3 with a double, scored twice and drove in three.
Hayes, Douglas and Schwenk all had three hits and three RBIs in the opener. The Hornets scored nine runs in the top of the third inning to take a 13-1 lead. Leo Ahalt went 3 for 4 with a triple, with Tyler Harper and Schwenk each hitting two doubles.
Bonanza 17-32, North Lake 0-0: The host Antlers (13-6, 11-1) swept the Class 2A/1A Special District 6 twin bill from the Cowboys (0-18, 0-12).
Softball
Lakeview 5-7, Rogue River 0-0: Tyler McNeley pitched a pair of shutouts, including a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts in the opener, as the visiting Honkers swept the Class 2A/1A Special District 5 doubleheader.
McNeley didn’t walk a batter in the first game and the only Rogue River baserunner reached on a fourth-inning error.
Annikah Tacchini went 3 for 4 with a double for Lakeview (15-4, 7-0). McNeley added a double and leadoff hitter Emily Philibert had a triple and scored twice.
McNeley allowed three hits in the second game and struck out 13.
Philibert, Bridget Shullanberger, Fernanda Inzunza and Laura Jo Buss each had two hits for the Honkers. Philibert and Shullanberger each scored twice. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/klamath/prep-roundup-henley-sweeps-on-road-stays-tied-atop-skyline-baseball-race/article_8434a3b4-f5a5-5e45-873d-3fef84894007.html | 2022-05-07T10:11:04Z |
Across the country, in big cities, small towns and rural expanses, thieves are targeting auto parts — with a prime focus on catalytic converters.
The catalytic devices convert pollutants from motor vehicle engines into less-toxic emissions. They are stolen and sold to metal recyclers or in some instances body shops in need of auto parts.
The converters, also known as CATs, can fetch anywhere between $50 and $1,400, according to police departments and insurance agencies across the country.
“They are targeting the metals in the mufflers which they can sell to a metal scrap dealer, for around $200 to $400. They work fast, and can steal the item in less than two minutes. We have not caught any of the suspects but suspect they are a traveling group,” said Lieutenant Mike Budreau with the Medford Police Department in southern Oregon.
The city of more than 85,000 people saw 37 catalytic converter thefts in 2021 and nine so far this year, Budreau said.
Medford is not alone.
CAT burglars have been on the rise stealing catalytic converters from dealerships, businesses and residences in Miami, Baltimore, the Washington D.C. area, parts of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore as well as Bend, Oregon, Chicago and Fresno, California.
An alleged armed converter thief was shot and killed by police in Sugar Land, Texas near Houston during an alleged heist by a crew at a loft development Thursday, May 5. Other suspects escaped during the shooting.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks crimes reported to insurance companies , the number of reported catalytic converter thefts raced from roughly 1,300 in 2018 to more than 52,000 in 2021.
Higher costs of metals because of inflation can help fetch more money from recyclers for thieves. Shortages of auto parts because of the impacts of the pandemic and supply chain problems could be driving some illegal demand for converters, law enforcement officials said. COVID shutdowns in China, inflation in the U.S. and unpredictable demand have hampered automotive supply chains worldwide — including for parts.
Gone in sixty seconds
Police in Las Vegas report experienced crews can strip CATs quickly with Ford and Chevrolet pickup trucks, Honda Accords, Jeep Patriots and Ford Econoline vans among the top targets.
Like with other theft rings, police say some of the catalytic converter crooks are mobile and will move operations from state to state.
“We believe the suspects are from out of town and are taking the converters out of state. Converters are targeted due to the current prices of the precious metals contained in the convertors which include platinum, rhodium and palladium.Unscrupulous recycling centers will pay $50 to $250 per converter,” said Todd Kleisner, deputy chief of police in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Kleisner has seen commercial trucks as well as hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius targeted by thieves usually seeking money from metal recycling. Stolen hybrid converters can fetch as much as $1,400 in the underground market, according to other police and insurance agencies.
U.S. and NATO sanctions against Russia (and its ally Belarus) over the invasion of Ukraine have cut supplies of raw materials (including precious metals found in catalytic converters) as well as auto parts worldwide. COVID shutdowns have also challenged auto parts supply chains during the pandemic.
“There have been rumors the converters are being sent overseas due to raw materials shortages over there,” Kleisner said.
The Cheyenne Police Department in Wyoming saw 116 converter thefts in 2021 and 19 so far this year. Thieves can target commercial and personal vehicles. They can also be lightning fast.
“This criminal activity can take place during the day or at night. Thieves will crawl underneath the vehicle and cut the converter out with a saw – some have gotten so good at removing them, that it can be done within minutes,” said Detective Bureau Lieutenant Adam DeBall with the Cheyenne PD. “In most cases, you won’t know this has happened until you start your car. When you press the gas pedal, you may hear a loud noise.”
Law enforcement in Wyoming, Oregon and other states are also working with recycling centers to combat the theft rings but are making a limited number of arrests. Similar efforts have been previously undertaken with copper thefts, with varying degrees of success.
Replacing a stolen catalytic converter is also not cheap. It can cost $1,000 to $3,000 to replace the emission equipment, according to NICB and the Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council.
Easy money
Police in Yonkers, New York have seen a rise in converter thefts with rings coming from the Bronx and other boroughs of nearby New York City.
Dean Politopouous, public information officer for the Yonkers Police Department said law enforcement agencies in the region are trying to raise public awareness about auto parts thefts targeting everyplace from car dealerships and commercial parking lots to residential driveways.
Politopouous said thieves can make off with converter in two minutes and they can fetch “several hundred dollars.”
“Easy money,” said Politopouous of the motivations for the thefts adding police concerns about reductions in pre-trail detainments for defendants facing other criminal charges.
In the Northeast, thieves have targeted Hondas, Nissans and Toyotas. Other parts of the country have seen CAT thieves go after hybrids as well as trucks and commercial vans.
“If you hear power or cutting tools outside during night hours, it’s probably a CAT theft and they should notify the local police,” Politopouous said.
Police and car insurance companies have a variety of other tips to help avoid CAT. Those include buying an anti-theft device, getting the CAT welded to the bottom chassis of the war, etching the car’s VIN number or your license plate number onto the converter, install motion sensors as well as parking in secure and well-lit area.
Cottage industry
The boom in CAT thefts has also spawned a cottage industry of anti-theft products that car dealers, fleet owners and consumers can use to lock the emissions devices.
A variety of companies offer locking devices aimed at discouraging catalytic crooks. Some require installation by an auto mechanic.
• Toledo, Ohio-based CAT Clamp has locking converter cages that range in price from $181 to $920.
• Cat Security near Sacramento offers anti-theft shields for Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Chevrolet vehicles between $190 and $500.
• Another California company, Santa-Clara-based MillerCat sells a line of anti-theft locking devices for hybrids and popular models such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Prius for between $75 and $570.
In Texas, a company called Converter Guard offers an etching set and will put a car’s CAT into a national database for $249. If the CAT is stolen, the company promises to pay up to $2,500 in replacement costs.
New York state officials have also launched a new etching and registration effort with the car dealers with police (including the New York City Police Department) to tag and track stolen converters. Parts of New York have seen a 200% increase in thefts of the emissions control device.
“The sharp increase in the number of catalytic converters being stolen across the country has police and legislators searching for a way to curb the thefts,” said Nichole Soriano, regional director for Travelers Insurance Company and chair of the New York Anti Car Theft and Fraud Association at May 6 announcement of the tagging effort.
Other police jurisdictions across the U.S. report a variety of intensity when it comes to the volume of CAT thefts.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office in southern Oregon said the rural county occasionally sees catalytic thefts but the mostly rural county has not seen recent spikes.
In Florida, the city of Sarasota had 5 converter thefts last year and one reported theft this year, according to the city’s police department. The Florida city has a population of more than 57,000.
Across the state, police in Fort Lauderdale reported 45 CAT thefts so far this year, according to crime statistics from the city’s police department. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/cat-burglars-theft-rings-target-catalytic-converters-across-the-country/article_35babd4a-59b3-57bd-aec1-22dde81b81f6.html | 2022-05-07T10:11:05Z |
Carol "Chris" Wallace Barnes It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Carol Wallace (Chris) Barnes, 85, of Medford Oregon, on Thursday, April 21, 2022 at home. Chris was born August 10, 1936 in Modoc Point, Oregon, to Everett Irl Barnes and Valborg Marie (Tillie) Ericksen. He was raised in Klamath Falls and graduated from Klamath Union HS in 1954. He married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Davison, in 1956 and together they had three children; Alan, Linda and Curtis. Their marriage ended in 1962. In 1963, after a whirlwind romance, Chris married Lois Houser of Ashland, in Reno NV, and that union created a blended family that included her children from a previous marriage; Darrell, David and Darlene. The new household was noisy and full, with six children ranging in age from three to seven and Chris thrived as father to them all. That marriage ended in 1986, but they remained friends until his death. In 1989 he met Nita Simmons through a mutual acquaintance, and they married in 1990 in Reno, NV. He then became "Pops" to her four children; Buddy, Crickett, Buster and Derrill. Chris lost Nita to cancer in 2019, after almost 30 years of marriage. She was truly the love of his life. Chris was a true Oregon woodsman, spending his entire working career in lumber mills in Klamath, Crook and Jackson Counties. He retired in 1979 as head planerman from Boise Cascade, formerly Elks Lumber. When not working, his favorite pastimes included hunting, fishing, camping and riding quads. He was never so at home as he was in the woods or on a lake, and throughout his life he imparted that love to his children and grandchildren. He was an avid gardener and loved spending time in his yard, whether it be actually working or just puttering around. He could grow anything, but was known particularly for producing the best tomatoes, and sharing the bounty with everyone he could. Chris's proudest role in life, however, was as a grandfather. He was known as Gpa to his many grandchildren and great grandchildren and he had nicknames for all. His and Nita's home was always full of kids year-round, and all have unforgettable stories of spending the night there - some even as grown adults who had moved away but came home for a visit. There were so many kids wanting to spend time with them that they eventually had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of turns. Weekends were filled with video games, cookie baking, and picking tomatoes. Gpa Chris was famous for his homemade chili and peanut brittle, but mostly his beef stew. He also never failed to have fruit snacks and Otter Pops on hand for little visitors. For relaxation, he loved reading and watching Westerns, and never passed up a game of cribbage, which he taught to many of his grandkids. Chris is survived by sons Darrell, Alan (Jodie), David (Deanna), Curtis, Buster (Rae), daughters Linda (Ken), Darlene, and his faithful dogs, Sassy and Daisy. He also leaves a legacy of numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Earl and Mitchell, wife Nita Barnes, son-in-law David Barrus, son Derrill, granddaughter Jacline, and great grandson Noah. The family wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Edward Helman and his staff for the many years of attentive care and friendship, and for putting up with all the bad jokes and puns. A service will be held Saturday, June 4, at 11 am at Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home in Ashland. In lieu of flowers, Chris asked that donations be made to St Jude Children's Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/about-st-jude/faq/how-can-i-donate-to-st-jude.html. Celebration of life lunch immediately following at the home of Alan Barnes, Medford, and all are welcome.
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You voted: | https://www.heraldandnews.com/obituaries/barnes-carol-chris-wallace/article_4503d665-e584-5515-a397-9f973cafd6c7.html | 2022-05-07T10:11:08Z |
Kenneth Lee Rumelhart Kenneth Lee Rumelhart 68 of Springfield, Oregon passed away on April 2. 2022 after a battle with cancer. Ken was born to James Pier and Jean Thomas Rumelhart on September 9,1953 Klamath Falls, Oregon. Ken was preceded in death by his younger sister Susan Rumelhart. Survived by his parents James and Jean Rumelhart and his brother Daniel (Darla) Rumelhart Springfield Oregon, Three nieces, Courtney (Patrick) Imholt Springfield, Oregon, Crescent Jones-Rumelhart Arcata, CA, Elisha Lee -Adams (Anthony) Victoria, BC, and extended Family and special friends Herts and Li-ying Chen and Family, Portland, Oregon. Ken was passionate about many social issues and dedicated the majority of his adult life to the well being of his immediate family. His love and dedication will be his enduring legacy. Outspoken on political and social issues. He had knowledge on a kaleidoscope of topics. Ken graduated from Klamath Union High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Portland Community College and Portland State University with Double Bachelor Degrees with Honours. He was gifted with enthusiasm and passion for lifelong learning. His ability to retain information and his organizational skills will always be remembered. Ken was plagued with a lifetime of back injuries and surgeries; his ability to suffer from chronic pain and continue to be civil and passionate to others will not be forgotten by those that understood him. Ken enjoyed wintering in Yuma Arizona, while in Yuma he enjoyed playing pool, swimming, volunteering and adventuring in Mexico. Recently, he looked forward to being with his friends playing pool at the Springfield Elks. He loved travel, playing cards, cooking, camping , fishing ,rafting etc.. His most outstanding characteristic was his love of family and friends . He will be missed by all. We love you Ken. Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 PM, May 13, 2022 at Northwood Christian Church, 2425 Harvest Lane, Springfield, Oregon 97477. Donations may be made to Egan Warming Center.
The Herald and News also publishes its obituaries and death notices with Legacy.com, a leading online obituary database that partners with more than 1,500 newspapers. | https://www.heraldandnews.com/obituaries/rumelhart-kenneth-lee/article_402d4d72-3cc6-5737-a346-85b96b57b958.html | 2022-05-07T10:11:09Z |
You know the ditty: “April showers bring May flowers.”
There is truth to it – if you didn’t water your tulips during our dry April (or last summer), your tulip buds three or four weeks later may be small or not open at all. Quite a contrast from last year. The daffodils and small bulbs don’t seem to be affected as much, but the earliest ones were zapped by that cold snap. The best defense is a variety of bulbs slated to bloom at a variety of times, March through June.
My perennial flower beds are mulched every fall by falling tree leavesThe flowers’ stems keep them from blowing away. Underneath, it usually stays moist. In April, I start removing layers to expose the early flowering crocus. I start clipping stems, chopping them in small pieces to add to the remaining mulch. But there are a couple areas that blow out, and I can never keep mulch in place. This spring, I noticed the bare areas have mysterious half-inch diameter holes in the ground. I think they might be ground-nesting bees overwintering. So bare ground isn’t such a bad thing.
Neither is the broken top on the neighbor’s spruce tree, where the Swainson’s hawks have their nest again this year. Neither is the rotten section of another neighbor’s tree where the red-breasted nuthatches are thinking about nesting. Neither are the stringy dead leaves still in my garden that the robins are pulling for nesting material.
There is a time for ruthless gardeningI was reminded of this by Shane Smith, the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens’ founding director. He was featured in a webinar series last month hosted by the American Horticultural Society titled “Conversations with Great American Gardeners.”
I’d heard him say it before: Do you really want to spend hours hunting scale on a houseplant week after week? Instead, disinfect a cutting and toss the rest of it, which I did, or replace it with something new from the nursery. Isolate the new plant until you are sure it isn’t infected.
I couldn’t resist the exotic tomatoes in the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog, but at least I chose short season ones. So, our bathtub nursery has Berkeley Tie Dye Pink and Thorburn’s Terra-Cotta in addition to my husband Mark’s Anna Maria’s Heart. The extras will be available at the Laramie County Master Gardener plant sale, May 14, 9 a.m., at the Archer Event Center.
I’ve found homes for amaryllis I’ve started from seedIt takes as many as four or five years until they bloom. Friends are reporting back, and some have hybrids of the two I have, a pink-and-white and a red. However, a lot of the newer varieties of amaryllis have been bred to be sterile, so no hybridizing fun with them. But they can bloom again. No need for dormancy if you don’t mind them blooming naturally sometime between January and April instead of Christmas.
Bare root planting is good for trees, shrubs, tomatoes, flowers, everythingWhen trees and shrubs are sold in pots or “balled and burlapped,” remove all the packing material, wire, twine and dirt. Spread the roots out in a shallow hole that is wider than it is deep. Don’t add anything but the dirt you dug out. You want those roots to spread beyond the hole instead of becoming dependent on potting soil and fertilizer, circling around and around and the tree being at risk of blowing over a few years later (search “plant a tree” at https://cheyennegardengossip.wordpress.com/).
Bare root also works for flowers and vegetables. But you may amend the soil with plenty of compost for vegetables – they are hungry. For perennial flowers, especially natives, match the kind of plant with the type of soil you have and leave it unamended.
It is better to mulch than to hoeMake sure the mulch, whether wood chip, straw or other plant material, is not up against the tree trunk or tomato stem, and not too deep – water needs to get through. But you want to shade out the weeds. Most weed seeds require light to germinate. That’s why disturbing the soil with a hoe gives you an unending chore. Try pulling tiny weeds, which won’t disturb the soil much, and cutting off the big ones at ground level frequently.
Finally, my new growing season resolution is to garden in smaller increments of time Maybe an hour a day removing excess leaves and chopping up last year’s stems instead of a marathon day and a week of sore back. Besides, in spring, the yard – and the park and the prairie – are changing quickly and worth frequent walk-throughs. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/outdoors/may-garden-notes-tulip-failure-ruthless-gardening-bare-root-planting-and-mulching-everything/article_804dcc92-4d9e-5763-86e9-8f687b7a4626.html | 2022-05-07T12:58:30Z |
Cheyenne and Laramie County
WyArt Coalition Fine Art Exchange
- May 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The second installment of the Fine Art Exchange is here. Attendees can bid through the silent auction, or ... You know all those skills you have in plumbing? Or web design? Maybe you bake a killer wedding cake. How about just a crazy, off-the-wall skill you can teach? Well, now is your chance to offer that up in return for some artwork. Cheyenne Depot, 232 W. 15th St. 307-632-3905
CLTP presents “Cabaret”
– May 7-8, 12-15, 20-22, 7:30 p.m. $24, dinner theater $48. In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the “Cabaret.” With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, “Cabaret” explores the dark, heady and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Historic Atlas Theatre, 211 W. Lincolnway. 307-638-6543
Kentucky Derby Brunch
– May 7, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $25 per guest, $300 per table. Enjoy brunch with K9s 4 Mobility at The Metropolitan. Place your predictions on the live K9s Derby Puppy Run. There will also be brunch, games, drinks and music from Southern Fryed. The Metropolitan Gallery, 1701 Carey Ave. 307-222-9597
Wyoming State Museum Family Day
– May 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. This month’s theme is “May Flowers.” Join the museum for a day dedicated to the diverse plant life of our state. Make your own potted plant, explore how the fruits and veggies that you eat are pollinated, and meet experts from across Wyoming. Register online. The library will also hold storytime from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wyoming State Museum, 2301 Central Ave. 307-777-7022
The Three Little Pigs: Musical Story Time and Instrument Petting Zoo
– May 7, 11 a.m. Free. Join master storyteller Aaron Sommers and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra musicians, violinist Sarah McCoy and cellist Suzy Wagner for musical story time. Activities presented in partnership with Delta-Kappa Gamma, Upsilon Chapter. Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 710 S. Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6458
Virtual SaturD&D
– May 7, 1-3 p.m. Roleplaying adventure is just a click away. Join the library’s Teen D&D online community and get started on creating a character today. Don’t have a Discord account yet? No problem. Laramie County Library offers Discord Communities for teens to interact, chat, and play online. RSVP for the event at lclsonline.org/calendar/.
4th Annual Corgi Derby
– May 7, 2-4 p.m. Pine Bluffs Distillery is allowing 50 dogs to participate in the races. Come dressed in your best derby attire (the bigger the hat, the better!). Dog costumes are also welcome. Prizes will be given to both humans and furry friends for “Best in Show,” so be sure to bring your A-game. There will also be food trucks and drink specials. $1 from each drink will go to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter. Pine Bluffs Distilling Tasting Room, 115 Bourbon St. 307-245-3000
All Things Tulips
– May 7, 2 p.m. $5. Join Isaiah Smith as he discusses the biology, history and use of tulips. He will also give tips on how to design and plant tulips in your own garden. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 710 S. Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6349
Mother’s Day Buffet @ The Metropolitan
– May 8, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. A special brunch buffet menu in celebration of Mother’s Day. Reservations are encouraged. The Metropolitan Downtown, 1701 Carey Ave. 307-432-0022
3rd Annual Mothers Day Family Reunion Picnic
– May 8, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Nay & Jay’s Mothers Day Picnic will feature a bouncy house, food trucks, games, live music, raffles and a family tournament. There will also be a 3v3 basketball tournament. This event is presented by The Louise Event Venue. Holliday Park, East 16th Street. 307-220-1474
Poetry Open Mic @ The Hawthorn Tree
– May 8, 1-3 p.m. Free. Each poet gets five minutes to read, but occasionally go two rounds, so bring extra poems. Arrive five minutes early to sign up. The Hawthorn Tree, 112 E. 17th St. 307-369-4446
Mother’s Day Brunch @ Danielmark’s
– May 8, 1-4 p.m. $15 for unlimited beermosas and finger food. Danielmark’s Brewing Co., 209 E. 18th St. 307-514-0411
Mother’s Day @ Wyoming Rib & Chop House
– May 8, 1-10 p.m. Reservations required. A special menu in celebration of Mother’s Day. Moms will receive a complimentary photo and picture frame upon entrance. Wyoming Rib & Chop House, 400 W. Lincolnway. 307-514-0271
LCCC presents “A Night at the Opera”
– May 8, 7 p.m. The Cheyenne Brass Band and LCCC’s Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Collegiate Chorale and Cantori will showcase the diversity and history of opera through this musical performance. The free program will feature pieces by Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Gilbert & Sullivan. Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium, Laramie County Community College, 1400 E. College Drive. 307-778-5222
Guided Play
– May 9, 10-11:45 a.m. Each week, the library will feature a different playscape in the Early Literacy Center, along with suggestions of how to engage your child in guided play. This week’s theme is “Parachute Party.” Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Cowgirls of the West Luncheon
– May 9, 11:30 a.m. Reservations $25. Mike Kassel will be presenting the program on “Cheyenne and its Indian Neighbors.” Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. Call 307-632-2814 by May 6.
Painting and Pints @ Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co.
– May 9, 6-8 p.m. $42, includes all painting supplies and one pint. Freedom’s Edge and Flydragon Design Art Studio team up for another guided painting session. Space is limited to 12 painters. Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co. 1509 Pioneer Ave. 307-514-5314
”Retribution” 30th Anniversary Tour
– May 9, 7 p.m. All ages. Donation required to enter. The legendary Death Metal band “Malevolent Creation” is on tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album “Retribution.” With touring acts Luna In Sanguinem, from Illinois and Narcotic Wasteland, featuring members from Florida and Colorado. Cheyenne’s own death dealers Casket Huffer, will be playing new tracks from their upcoming release. Ernie November, 217 W. Lincolnway. 307-632-6867
Famous Illustrators
– May 10, 4:15-5:15 p.m. Ever wonder how illustrators make the beautiful pictures you see in books? Take a look into how some of your favorite book illustrators make their art. This month, the library will focus on the Pumphrey brothers. Wear play clothes, as it could get messy. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
We Drink and We Know Star Wars
– May 10, 6 p.m. Monthly themed trivia night on the second Tuesday of each month. This month is Star Wars themed, so gather your team, drink some beers and show us what you know! Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co., 1509 Pioneer Ave. 307-514-5314
Brown Bag Book Club
– May 12, 6-7 p.m. Grades 4-6. Book Club will meet twice during the month of May. We will chat about the book, do some crazy activities and enjoy a delicious treat. Participants can bring a “brown bag” meal, and drinks will be provided. We will be reading “Artemis Fowl” by Eoin Colfer. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Open Jam Night
– May 12, 7-10 p.m. Free. The Lincoln Theatre is hosting its next Open Jam Night. Musicians are encouraged to bring their guitar, bass, etc. and come jam with other local musicians! Backline provided. A full bar will be available for those who just want to come and watch. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Movies at the Library, Burns
– May 13, 1-3 p.m. Join the Burns Branch Library for a family friendly movie and some popcorn. This week’s movie is “Trolls” (PG). Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St. 307-547-2249
Friday Matinee, Pine Bluffs
– May 13, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Spend your Friday afternoons at the library to watch a family-friendly matinee. Bring a favorite snack and enjoy the show. This week’s movie is “Encanto” (PG). Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Magic Beans, Schema Things, and Amorphic @ The Lincoln
– May 13, 8-11 p.m. $20 advance, $25 at the door. A night of funk/rock jam bands hailing from Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
VFW Craft and Flea Market Show
– May 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The final show until September. Support local veterans while enjoying unique stands filled with jewelry, crochet items, candles and more. Lunch will be available. VFW Post 1881, 2816 E. Seventh St. 307-632-4053
13th Annual Sherman Hill Train Show
– May 14-15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Activities for the entire family, including a riding train for kids, a kids corner, operating model train layouts and vendors, with a variety of model and prototypical railroad wares and food. Event Center at Archer, 3801 Archer Pkwy. {a class=”action-item” href=”mailto:shmrrcts@gmail.com” rel=”nofollow”}shmrrcts@gmail.com{/a}
Cheyenne Day of Service
– May 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Help us clean up Cheyenne and show our community pride by participating in the fifth annual Day of Service. The city has put together a list of cleanup areas that are in need of some love and attention, and Community Recreation and Events Deputy Director Jason Sanchez is asking residents to pre-register beforehand, if possible, to adequately distribute the manpower. He can be reached at 307-638-4358. Various locations.
The Last Hurrah at Danielmark’s Brewing
– May 14, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. The local brewery is changing ownership. There will be live music, great food, a cornhole tourney, and it’ll be customers’ last chance to score some sweet Danielmark’s gear, so don’t miss out. Free beer with entry. Danielmark’s Brewing Co., 209 E. 18th St. 307-514-0411
Virtual SaturD&D
– May 14, 1-3 p.m. Roleplaying adventure is just a click away. Join the library’s Teen D&D online community and get started on creating a character today. Don’t have a Discord account yet? No problem. Laramie County Library offers Discord Communities for teens to interact, chat, and play online. RSVP for the event at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Battle of the Bands @ The Lincoln – Metal bands
– May 14, 7 p.m.; doors at 6 p.m. $5. The fourth night of a four-month, multi-genre Battle of the Bands competition. Each performer will be given a 15-minute set. The event is open to all musicians within 50 miles of Cheyenne that are not signed to a label. All material performed must be original. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Guided Play
– May 16, 10-11:45 a.m. Each week, the library will feature a different playscape in the Early Literacy Center, along with suggestions of how to engage your child in guided play. This week’s theme is “Block Party.” Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Library for All
– May 19, 12:30-2:30 p.m. An event specifically geared toward adults with disabilities. This month, the library will be planting an herb from the Seed Library of Laramie County to take home. Please bring your staff with you. RSVP for this event at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Sit, Stay, Read! Read to a Therapy Dog
– May 19, 4-5 p.m. Everyone loves to hear a story, even our four-pawed friends. Visit the library and practice reading aloud to one of the community’s therapy dogs. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Painting Wine Glasses
– May 19, 6 p.m. $25. Have an evening of fun painting tulips on wine glasses. Painting isn’t just for the canvas! Create your own custom wine glass, hand painted by you. We will provide the glass and all the art materials. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 710 S. Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6349
Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters with Sugar Britches @ The Lincoln
– May 19, 8-11 p.m. Formed in 2007, The Boxmasters have recorded an impressive and diverse catalogue of music that touches on their love of a wide array of influences, but most importantly, the rock ‘n’ roll of the 1960s. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Storytime at the Paul Smith Children’s Village
– May 20, 11-11:30 p.m. The library is taking storytime to the garden. Head on over to the Paul Smith Children’s Village to participate in one of our early literacy storytimes. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Movies at the Library, Burns
– May 20, 1-3 p.m. Join the Burns Branch Library for a family-friendly movie and some popcorn. This week’s movie is “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (PG). Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St. 307-547-2249
Friday Matinee, Pine Bluffs
– May 20, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Spend your Friday afternoons at the library to watch a family-friendly matinee. Bring a favorite snack and enjoy the show. This week’s movie is “Tangled” (PG). Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Comedy Night at The Metropolitan
– May 20, 7:30 p.m. $20. Laughter is good for the soul. Get your giggles on at this 90-minute comedy show featuring two awesome comedians. The Metropolitan Downtown, 1701 Carey Ave. 307-432-0022
Virtual SaturD&D
– May 21, 1-3 p.m. Role-playing adventure is just a click away. Join the library’s Teen D&D online community and get started on creating a character today. Don’t have a Discord account yet? No problem. Laramie County Library offers Discord Communities for teens to interact, chat, and play online. RSVP for the event at lclsonline.org/calendar/.
Afternoon Tea and Concert
– May 21, 3 p.m.; doors at 2:30 p.m. $15. The Cheyenne Youth Symphony presents its 22nd Afternoon and Tea Concert. There will also be an online silent auction through the Youth Symphony Facebook page. Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. 307-775-8400
Beer and Paint Night @ Black Tooth
– May 21, 5-8 p.m. $40, 3 beers and painting materials included. Your painting instructor for the evening is Danielle Kirby. The picture you will be painting could be random, funny or serious, but no matter what, it will make you smile. Black Tooth Brewing Co., 520 W. 19th St. 307-514-0362
Ongoing
Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition
– Through Aug. 14, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Presented by the Wyoming State Museum, this exhibit compiles 66 different pieces of artwork from artists around the state of Wyoming. Wyoming State Capitol basement extension, 200 W. 24th St. 307-777-7220
Art & Text: Artist as Storyteller
– Through May 17, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Enjoy visual stories and the written word created by K–12 students in Laramie County School District 1. Art is located throughout all three floors of the library. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
The Front Range
Alice in Wonderland
- May 7, 13-14, 7 p.m.; May 1, 7, 14, 1 p.m. $10. To celebrate their 30th season, Debut Theatre Company takes you on a delightful adventure to capture the imagination of all ages with clever, nonsensical word-play and irreverent humor. Lewis Carroll’s famous story about dreams and reality, childhood and growing up, games and nonsense, will transport you to a land that vexes time, stretches space and asks you to believe at least six impossible things before breakfast. The Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St. 970-221-6730
Canyon Concert Ballet presents “Snow White”
– May 7-8, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. $30-$40. This debut production brings to life the legendary fairy tale of Snow White. This production from new Artistic Director Michael Pappalardo will be complete with new sets, costumes and his exquisite choreographic style. Lincoln Center Performance Hall, 417 W. Magnolia St. 970-221-6730
Fort Collins Symphony presents Reflections: The Emotions of Music
– May 14, 7:30 p.m. $42-$60. Chen Yi’s intense, high-spirited and hopeful composition, Ge XU (Antiphony) is a tribute to Southern China’s Zhuang minority people and their celebratory song styles. Claude Debussy accesses playful emotions in Children’s Corner, dedicated to his young daughter and her favorite toys. Lincoln Center Performance Hall, 417 W. Magnolia St. 970-221-6730
”Black and White in Black and White” Exhibit
–Through May 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. $8. This new exhibit features striking photographs attributed to African American photographer John Johnson who took powerful, early 20th-century portraits of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska. Greeley History Museum, 714 9th St, Greeley, Colorado. 970-350-9220 | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/saturday-calendar-5-7-22/article_8e2662ff-a727-5b53-bf95-a4415d460f83.html | 2022-05-07T12:58:36Z |
SATURDAY
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW Planetarium presents “Europe to the Stars”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. An epic journey behind the scenes at the most productive ground-based observatory in the world. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
VFW Post 2221 Commander’s Charity Dinner: 5:30-8 p.m., 2142 E. Garfield St. Tickets 412 at the door, all proceeds to benefit VFW Poppy Fund and Albany County Search and Rescue.
”Meet the Macbeths!” presented by Laramie Children’s Musical Theater Workshop: 7 p.m., Studio 253 in the Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. Tickets $10 for adults, $5 for children younger than 12. Appropriate for ages 8 and older.
UW choirs present Brahms’ beloved “German Requiem”: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets, call 307-766-6666 or visit uwyo.edu/finearts.
UW Planetarium presents “Liquid Sky Indie Rock”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. Enjoy a custom playlist of music from out-of-this-world artists pushing the limits of rock. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
SUNDAY
Mother’s Day Brunch fundraiser: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Laramie Elks Lodge 582, 103 S. 2nd St. Cost is $15 for members and their guests, with complimentary brunch for moms. Call 307-742-2024 for a reservation.
MONDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Laramie Basin Land Coalition meet and greet: 5:30-6:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 2229 Grand Ave.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
TUESDAY
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
Albany County Genealogical Society meets: 7 p.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3311 Hayford Ave. Meetings are free to attend and open to the public. This month’s program is “Early Colonial Roads and How They Opened the West.”
WEDNESDAY
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
THURSDAY
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Second Story Book Group discusses “Come Fly the World” by Julia Cooke: 6:30-8 p.m., via Zoom. Call 786-877-3912 or email taninel@bellsouth.net for information.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
FRIDAY
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW Planetarium presents “Extrasolar Planets”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. Just a couple of decades ago scientists could only speculate if planets existed around the other stars of our galaxy. Today, an abundance of diverse worlds are cataloged each day. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
May 14
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 8:30 a.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, undergraduate ceremony for the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Engineering and Applied Science and School of Energy Resources.
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 10 a.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, for the College of Law.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 12:15 p.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, for master’s and doctoral students from colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business, Education, Engineering and Applied Science, Health Sciences and Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
UW Planetarium presents “Out There: Extrasolar Worlds”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. For thousands of years, mankind thought that the Earth was the center of the universe. Thanks to our curiosity, imagination and urge to explore, we now know that planets like ours are nothing special in the cosmos. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 3:30 p.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, for undergraduate ceremony for colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and Office of Academic Affairs.
UW Planetarium presents “Liquid Sky Pop”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. Enjoy a custom playlist of music from today’s pop artists. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
May 15
Walk With a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
May 16
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 17
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW Planetarium presents “Wyoming Skies”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. What’s up in the sky around Wyoming? Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
May 18
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 19
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
Relative Theatrics presents “The Nesting Instinct”: 7:30, Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Part of the Playwrights Voiced series, this play by Tom Bruett is directed by Sean Coyle. For more information or tickets, visit relativetheatrics.com.
May 20
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Relative Theatrics presents “Twenty-Two”: 7:30, Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Part of the Playwrights Voiced series, this play by Erin K. Considine is directed by Isa Jackowich. For more information or tickets, visit relativetheatrics.com.
UW Planetarium presents “Science of Sci-Fi”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. Everyone loves a good sci-fi movie, but how much is science and how much is fiction? Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
May 21
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW Planetarium presents “Hot and Energetic Universe”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. The planetarium documentary “The Hot and Energetic Universe” presents with the use of immersive visualizations and real images the achievements of modern astronomy. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
Relative Theatrics presents “Burst”: 7:30, Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Part of the Playwrights Voiced series, this play by Rachel Bublitz is directed by Kim Lockhart. For more information or tickets, visit relativetheatrics.com.
UW Planetarium presents “Liquid Sky Throwbacks”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. Stranger Things meets Guardians of the Galaxy — 1980s nostalgia addicts unite! Enjoy a custom playlist of music from yesterday’s top artists. Tickets $5; $3 for UW students, staff and first responders; free for children younger than 5. Call 307-766-6506.
May 23
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St. Please enter through the lower east door off the parking lot.
May 24
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 25
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
May 26
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 27
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 28
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 30
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 31
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
June 3
Fried Shrimp Dinner fundraiser: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Laramie Elks Lodge 582, 103 S. 2nd St. Cost is $16 for members and their guests. Seating is limited, so call for a reservation, 307-742-2024.
June 5
Unexpected Company Senior Theatre presents “Three Doors to Death ... or the Choice is Yours”: 3 p.m., Alice Hardie Stevens Event Center. Tickets $12 can be bought at the Eppson Center for Seniors or Laramie Plains Museum Carriage Gift Shop.
Have an event for What’s Happening? Send it to Managing Editor Greg Johnson at gjohnson@laramieboomerang.com. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening/article_3b29764a-99b0-55d4-b0ab-13a9066c52e3.html | 2022-05-07T12:58:42Z |
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There are woodhouse’s toads, pelicans, mule deer and golden eagles. Those are four wildlife species that call Guernsey State Park home.
Just how many other critters share that home is uncertain, but a better idea will be determined after this year’s bioblitz held June 10-12. It is hosted by the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute, Audubon Rockies and The Nature Conservancy.
Dorothy Tuthill, assistant director of the Biodiversity Institute, said a bioblitz involves searching and recording all the plants, animals and insects in a specific area during a 24-hour period.
“This is a very fun event for those who enjoy the outdoors,” Tuthill said. “It’s great to spend a weekend with other like-minded people while discovering the natural world.”
Guernsey State Park provides a unique site with habitats ranging from ponderosa pine and juniper trees to sagebrush prairie. Fire scorched about 2,800 acres in the park in 2015, so participants can document how that area has recovered.
The reservoir itself is not a particularly diverse biome since it is drained every summer during the annual silt run to benefit downstream irrigators. Tuthill said the bulk of the aquatic sampling will be in creeks that flow in the park rather than in the reservoir.
Jacelyn Downey, education programs manager for Audubon Rockies, described a bioblitz in an Audubon video of the 2019 event held at Bear River State Park in southwest Wyoming.
“A bioblitz is when you get together a bunch of professionals and researchers and encourage the public to join them,” Downey says. “They show what they do and welcome participants to lend a hand in collecting data.”
Presentations and workshops kick of the 2022 event June 10. Tuthill said there are three workshops available that afternoon:
An insect identification workshop lead by University of Wyoming entomologists.
A plant identification session lead by staff from the Rocky Mountain Herbarium at UW.
A session on nature journaling lead by members of the Wyoming Naturalist program.
“There will also be activities for young participants through the afternoon,” Tuthill said. “Among those activities, the Wyoming State Museum staff will bring museum mammal specimens to show the kids.”
The next day, participants join biologists, botanists and other environmental professionals to perform a wide range of surveys on birds, insects and plants in all the varied habitats of Guernsey State Park.
Tuthill said the goal is to “record every living thing that can possibly be found.”
Evening activities, in addition to gathering around the campfire, include a night hike Friday and then a moth survey and even some star-gazing Saturday if the clouds stay at bay. On Sunday, the final activity is to plant trees as a service project for the state park.
Registration is required and will close a few weeks before the event. It’s limited to 100 participants. Cost for the weekend is $20 per person. The fee covers camping, a group barbeque one night, s’mores around the campfire, one breakfast and an ice cream social. Other meals are the responsibility of the participant.
On-site tent and RV camping is available at no additional cost thanks to Wyoming State Parks. Participants need to bring their own gear and reserve a campsite ahead of time to ensure there is space available. Call Park Superintendent Chris Delay at 307-836-2334 to make a reservation. Use of an electric site requires a $10 per day fee.
Teachers can earn Professional Standards Teaching Board credits and take the knowledge they gain at the event back to the classroom. Information to sign up for the credit and for everyone to register can be found at the UW Biodiversity website at wyobiodiversity.org.
Those unable to attend are encouraged to take part in a virtual bioblitz July 15-18. This virtual version involves documenting flora and fauna at any location in Wyoming and reporting the findings on the iNaturalist website or cellphone app.
“We welcome all ages from birth to death to the bioblitz,” Tuthill said. “It is very suitable for families with children, but also for those without kids who are just curious and want to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/annual-bioblitz-promises-wild-time-for-all/article_dec721dd-f5e6-5f6a-ae19-649a9ad70d0c.html | 2022-05-07T12:58:55Z |
BUFFALO — On Johnson County’s most remote stretches of land, across the sagebrush sea, Greater Sage-Grouse finish the most consequential part of their day before most humans have had their coffee. As the day’s first light breaks, the male bird, with its distinctive tail feathers and puffed-out white chest with two yellow air sacs, is working to attract a female grouse for mating.
To make the characteristic call that can only be described as the sound of an object hitting water, the male grouse fills his air sacs, so they rise near his head, and then they deflate and fall toward his feet. Over and over again.
“That water-drop sound, it does carry,” said Bill Ostheimer, supervisory natural resource specialist for the Bureau of Land Management’s Buffalo Field Office, from the driver’s seat of his government-issued vehicle. “You’re supposed to be able to hear it from a mile away.”
And Ostheimer would know.
He’s been an audience to this song and dance for 18 years. Each year, in March and April, he and other BLM employees and sage-grouse stakeholders wake up in the early morning hours to count males on active leks (breeding locations) in northeastern Wyoming, under the direction of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
The goal is to avoid disturbing the high-strung bird, which means parking the car at least a dozen yards away. Ostheimer is aided by binoculars and experience, counting what could look to the untrained eye like blobs in the still-dark morning.
Ostheimer said that after moving into a supervisory role, he gave up most of his field work. But he’s held onto his lek counts. To generate the most accurate count, Ostheimer will visit the same leks three different times, at least a week apart.
The two rituals — male birds strutting and singing to capture the attention of females and Ostheimer visiting the site to count them — are both tied to the bird’s survival.
When Ostheimer started his career as a wildlife biologist 30 years ago, he was a “large carnivore guy.”
In his experience, the species most closely related to sage-grouse, as far as management needs go, is the grizzly bear.
“They both kind of need the same thing, which is big, wild country, and they need us to leave them and their habitats alone,” he said. “If we could do that, then both of those species are just fine.”
The Endangered Species Act gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the ability to examine species and categorize them as threatened or endangered, which then brings certain protections and requires that the federal government make plans for their recovery.
Sage-grouse have been petitioned for listing under the ESA at least 52 times since 1983, according to Fish and Wildlife, though a provision in the federal budget prevents the agency from doing so. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, previously told the Bulletin that the rider is in place to allow state management plans, such as those in Wyoming, to succeed without the influence of the federal government.
Their populations are cyclical, rising and falling, though scientists believe weather and climate play a role.
Advocates for the species’ conservation attribute this loss to decimation of sagebrush habitat due to energy development and wildfires.
Still, landowners who care about the bird can and have employed best management practices. Ostheimer pointed out some of those en route to a lek, including reflectors on fences so the birds don’t fly into them. And because so many people care about this bird and its survival, experts count them.
Cheyenne Stewart is Game and Fish’s Sheridan Region wildlife management coordinator and a member of the Northeast Wyoming Sage-Grouse Local Working Group. Game and Fish monitors a lot of animal populations, including both game and nongame species, using survey designs based on the biology and behavior of each species.
Sage-grouse lek counts have been part of Game and Fish attempts to monitor the species since the 1940s, said Nyssa Whitford, the agency’s wildlife geographic information system analyst. The methods the department uses today date back to the late 1990s.
The method used for counting sage-grouse, Stewart said, is unique. That’s because the bird’s behavior is unique. Sage-grouse have high site fidelity, meaning they are very likely to return to the lek they attended the previous year. These leks are also in roughly the same location each spring. Both of these factors make it possible for those monitoring the species to take an accurate census, Stewart said.
Like the once-every-decade U.S. Census that counts the country’s human population, a wildlife census means counting each animal present. This method isn’t used much, Stewart said, because it only works for species with high site fidelity, such as sage-grouse.
Wyoming has roughly 1,700 occupied leks, and 335 of those are in northeast Wyoming, Whitford said.
“State partners, federal partners, NGOs, private citizens, consultants and different companies all work together to monitor sage-grouse leks in the spring,” she said. “It’s a monumental effort with that many leks.”
Game and Fish has a handbook of biological techniques. It advises that participants visit the lek in April and May, during peak breeding season, between 30 minutes before sunrise and an hour after. Those who count are asked to visit the same lek three times, roughly a week apart.
Western states that monitor and manage sage-grouse have mostly similar counting methods, Whitford said, though Wyoming’s wildlife managers are adamant about visiting leks at least three times. Other jurisdictions might not have the staffing for that to happen, she said.
There are a few reasons that Game and Fish continues to monitor sage-grouse in this way, Stewart said. Because researchers have been visiting leks year after year, multiple times, the agency has been able to build an impressive data set that shows long-term trends.
“That’s also pretty unique to sage-grouse,” Stewart said. “There are a lot of species that we don’t have that ability to have long-term trends, where the methods stay consistent.”
Monitoring sage-grouse during lekking is also the option that is least likely to disturb the bird, she said. It’s not on the winter range, where they might be stressed, nor is it interrupting nesting or brood rearing.
Lek data are used to assess population trends, changing habitat conditions and impacts of disturbance, according to the Game and Fish handbook. Lek locations are also incorporated into GIS layers to guide future development and habitat management decisions.
The sage-grouse counting process purposely leaves out a party vital to the mating ritual: the female.
The object of the male bird’s attention is not counted as part of the official Game and Fish count. Part of that, Ostheimer said, is because the males, with their bravado and bright white chests and large feathers, are easier to see. Females are smaller than their male counterparts, and they blend into the sagebrush steppe.
Game and Fish, in its sage-grouse counting handbook, says that females are difficult to accurately count because of their “secretive nature and cryptic appearance.”
Stakeholders have been debating the state of sage-grouse for a long time. Studies show that its populations are cyclical, so downswings are normal, though advocates for the species worry that there haven’t been many upswings.
For Ostheimer, in his 18th season visiting leks, the decline is apparent.
He knows that it was 18 years ago, because his wife, in the passenger seat, was pregnant with his now 17-year-old daughter.
Sitting over the ridge in their Jeep, Ostheimer saw and heard the dances and songs of 75 male sage-grouse accompanied by 15 females.
On that same lek, “my high count was eight last year,” he said.
People often accuse him of overstating the loss, he said.
“All I can tell you is what I’ve seen,” Ostheimer said. “That is a precipitous loss of sage-grouse out here.”
But, there is still hope.
“If we can keep them here and take the impacts away, get the energy infrastructure out, get our busy selves off the landscape, and if there’s still birds out here, then we have a chance because we’ve got a stock of animals that can repopulate the landscape,” Ostheimer said. “If they go away completely, we can’t get them back.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/birds-dance-humans-count-in-hopes-of-saving-grouse/article_a2e9a247-7a20-50f3-93a8-43176720b4ec.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:01Z |
Cindy Clancy had successfully moved her Paint horse, Takoda, through several challenges at the Fly’n O Ranch. But the horse wasn’t keen on moving through a large, green tarp draped in the corner of the ranch’s indoor riding facility.
Every time she moved him in position, he refused to budge.
Clancy was patient, reassuring Takoda everything was safe. But the 10-year-old gelding was as stubborn as a toddler refusing to leave the candy aisle. She walked him from side to side, showing him there was nothing to fear.
Eventually, the two put their heads down and walked through the cut sections of the tarp challenge. It’s all about building trust, she said.
“This is a challenge that he won’t get exposed to (on a trail),” she said. “The challenge helps him trust me to take him through it.”
Several horse owners from across the region were at the Fly’n O Saturday to build better relationships with their horses.
The training at the ranch east of Powell was provided free by the Shoshone Back Country Horsemen — something they do every year with the help of noted horse trainer and saddle maker, Ron Ostrom. After the tragic loss of his brother, Daniel, during a horseback outing 26 years ago, Ostrom dedicated his life to helping others build trust between riders and horses.
“This builds a relationship between the horse and the rider so that when they encounter something on the trail, whether it’s a grizzly bear, or a flying feedsack,” Ostrom said, “the horse looks at the rider and says, ‘What do you want me to do,’” versus their natural instinct to run off.
Ostrom and his brother were riding in Crandall in the spring of 1996 looking for antlers “like we did when we were young,” he said.
The horse and rider went over a snowdrift, but the horse lost its footing. It fell and rolled over the top of Daniel. They finished the ride, but Daniel later complained about a headache.
“We didn’t know anything was wrong at the time,” Ostrom said. “By the time we got him life-flighted out of there and to Billings, it was just too late.”
The accident changed Ron’s life. He wanted to turn the life-altering event into something positive.
He spent the next few years of his life training with law enforcement mounted patrols from Los Angeles to New York and following experienced cowboys into the backcountry, hoping to combine his experiences to teach horsemanship to area riders.
His training eventually led to the business, as he found a serious need across the West.
Last year he helped train more than 1,300 riders both here in Powell and on the road.
“Last week I was in Utah (training) a mounted patrol police outfit,” he said.
But Saturday was a free community event “so we can keep people riding and going to the mountains where they all want to go right and have a safe trip.”
Riding organizations like the Shoshone Back Country Horsemen and the Boot & Bottle Riding Club in Cody assist by donating to help with expenses for the training opportunities for their members. Ostrom is also a member of the Back Country Horsemen.
Yet another positive coming from Daniel’s tragic accident is the Dano Youth Camp. The nonprofit organization provides eight-day backpacking wilderness adventures to teenagers in the Park County area.
“Our camps seek to promote and foster character qualities in campers such as responsibility, courage, compassion, loyalty, honesty, friendship, persistence, hard work, self-discipline, and faith,” according to the group’s mission statement.
To be eligible to apply, campers must be 13 years or older. Camps are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a priority given to Park County residents.
“Our camps are unique in that we provide the equipment (tents, backpacks, camping gear, food, etc.) needed for the trip. The only requirement of the campers is to fill out the appropriate paperwork, make a commitment to the time frame, bring a few personal items, and be prepared for summer fun!” the group advertises.
There is no charge to participate.
To help keep the camp going strong, the Shoshone Back Country Horsemen sponsored a raffle for a retired saw decorated with a mountain scene painted by Powell Middle School art teacher Jane Woods. The group brought in $1,000 through the raffle, and all proceeds are being donated to the camp.
Woods dedicated the saw to two of her former students, Shelby and Danika Fagan, who are members of the organization that clears more than 100 miles of mountain trails per year. The idea was brought to the group by former president Dale Olson, who passed away last year before the project could be finished. James Seckman, of Powell’s Seckman and Thomas CPAs, won the saw and funds from the raffle will be presented to camp officials in a June ceremony. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/building-trust-between-horse-and-rider/article_82a4f5a0-d6f3-58d1-9081-f2c1f9868fa7.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:07Z |
SHERIDAN — People filed into the Sheridan County YMCA Friday night with bags slung over their shoulders. They weren’t the standard workout bags that enter and exit the YMCA all day long. Many were oblong and rectangular, designed to hold clinking plastic pieces and chess clocks. A rolled-up checkerboard mat poked out of the top of one backpack.
Chess players of all ages flocked to the YMCA to compete against Grandmaster Alex Fishbein and prepare for the first-ever Sheridan Wyoming Open Chess Tournament last weekend.
Both events were arranged by Sheridan Chess Association, an organization dedicated to enhancing community through chess and helping local youth learn how to play the game, member Larry Mooney explained.
At Friday’s event, the association set up tables in a horseshoe shape, with 11 players on both of the horseshoe’s long sides and three more on the short end. Twenty-five players, which Mooney explained were selected from the Sheridan Chess Association’s members, the association’s children’s chess club at Sheridan KidsLife and tournament participants, sat in chairs around the horseshoe.
Fishbein planned to play all 25 players at once.
In chess, it’s called a simul — or a set of simultaneous games — played by a single player. Before the games began, Fishbein explained the process. He would move around the inside of the horseshoe, watching the amateur players make their moves and moving his own piece in response. Meanwhile, the amateurs would write down both parties’ moves on score sheets.
“You want to make sure all your moves are thought through,” Fishbein advised the crowd.
Fishbein would have one advantage, Sheridan Chess Association member and simul participant Brian Kuehl said. Although the players were allowed to choose whether they would play as black or white, Fishbein would be exempt from chess’ no-touch rule, which prohibits a player from touching — but not moving — a piece.
Fishbein also explained he and his history in chess are quite connected to Wyoming, even though he drove from Tennessee to be present at the simul and Sheridan’s inaugural chess tournament. He became a chess master upon winning the Wyoming Open in 1982 and received the title of grandmaster — the top title in the game — in Wyoming in 1992.
“I’m more honored to be here,” Fishbein said of returning to Wyoming.
And then, the games began. Fishbein began making his way around the boards, shaking each player’s hand before their opening moves. The grandmaster moved his pieces with a flick of the wrist, quick and precise.
The simul was really a precursor for the Sheridan Wyoming Open Chess Tournament April 30 and May 1, Mooney explained. Sheridan’s first chess tournament involved about 80 players from 13 states and two countries, including chess clubs from neighboring states and a contingent of four players and two coaches who had come all the way from Kyrgyzstan to participate.
Richard Shtivelband, president of the Denver Chess Club, and fellow player Tim Brennan had driven up from Colorado for the tournament. It was their first time in Sheridan, the two players said, and they hoped to represent outsiders — non-Sheridan residents — well.
At least 10 of the tournament’s players were also rated 2,000 or higher — a distinguished rank — by the International Chess Federation, Kuehl said. He attributed the arrival of so many well-ranked chess players in Sheridan to the tournament’s substantial purse, which for Division 1 players with federation scores of greater than 1,600 included a grand prize of $1,600.
As Fishbein made his rounds during the simul, the amateur players eventually began to topple their kings in surrender. Fishbein signed the defeated players’ score sheets at the end of each game, providing all the players with souvenirs of their match against a Grandmaster. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/chess-grandmaster-plays-25-amateurs-at-once/article_a96cbf29-15d6-5c1b-b9b1-b80c81d27229.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:13Z |
State legislative consideration is moving ahead for a renewed attempt to help ensure there is sufficient electricity at low rates to help attract virtual currency miners to Wyoming.
Following an April 25 hearing in Casper of a committee of state lawmakers where testimony was heard about deregulated power zones, the process has begun to start discussions through an informal sub-panel of legislators.
Members of the working group, which could be upgraded to a subcommittee, come from both legislative chambers and major political parties, said Rep. Mike Greear, R-Gillette. According to legislators including Greear, those participating are Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper; Rep. Danny Eyre, R-Lyman; Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie; and Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester.
Greear chairs the House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee and helped oversee the hearing last month of the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee.
At that hearing and during the work ahead, stakeholders will discuss how to advance or refine the proposals in Senate File 71, which died in committee during the Legislature’s budget session earlier this year.
The goal of the new informal group is to try to break a stalemate between those who want to allow the establishment of deregulated zones, and electricity providers and their allies who fear that carving out a market for any company to serve could undermine stability in the state’s power market, possibly raising prices for retail customers.
An initial action item in the process is to hold a technical meeting of stakeholders before the joint legislative committee next meets June 27-28.
Such a subcommittee can “hash out some for the issues” and, based on his previous experience, “it seems to work pretty good,” Greear said.
If the subcommittee can “come up with a good solution on it, we’ll push it forward,” he said of the crypto energy group and how the minerals committee could advance any proposals. “They need to find a way to make it work.”
The Wyoming Public Service Commission is helping to coordinate the initial meeting of the technical working group, according to lawmakers. Everyone could meet this month, although details do not appear to have been finalized, legislators said.
“My understanding is it’s a public meeting,” Greear said of his expectations for when the PSC convenes the gathering. It’s “designed to have a conversation around the issues.”
To get the participating legislators’ expenses compensated and paid for the day at the PSC, Greear said the virtual currency energy group could wind up being considered a subcommittee of sorts, perhaps under the aegis of the Legislature’s minerals committee. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/crypto-power-issue-gets-informal-panel/article_f48e6fca-bf33-5f71-be08-c24a421cb818.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:20Z |
CASPER — A Laramie County woman is suing the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and one of its officers after being accused of growing marijuana on her hemp farm, court filings show.
Debra Palm-Egle and her son, Joshua, were charged in 2019 with growing and intending to deliver marijuana after DCI agent Jon Briggs said samples from their Albin farm were above the legal THC limit in Wyoming.
THC is the psychoactive chemical that gives marijuana its high. Hemp, like marijuana, is also a cannabis plant but has much lower concentrations of THC.
Their case was dismissed less than a year later after the court found there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed.
Palm-Egle filed the lawsuit against Briggs, DCI and the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office in April in Laramie County. It was moved to federal court on Tuesday, since it deals with a claim of civil rights violations.
The farmer was a vocal proponent of hemp legislation passed in 2019 that allows Wyoming residents to grow and possess the plant as long as its THC content is below 0.3%.
The Wyoming Supreme Court found in 2021 that Briggs had lied about an exchange he had with one of Palm-Egle’s contractors, who had provided three test results showing legal amounts of THC to Briggs while the officer was executing a search warrant on the farm.
Briggs testified in a hearing that he remembered the tests as possibly showing an illegal amount of THC.
The suit alleges Briggs lied in an affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for the farm and had begun investigating the Palm-Egles based on insufficient information.
Court filings state the investigation started after Briggs received a tip from a neighbor who “had a hunch” that marijuana was being grown on the farm after seeing a greenhouse being built there.
Palm-Egles maintains the November 2019 search of her farm and DCI’s seizure of around 700 pounds of hemp were illegal. The prosecutor in the original case, Assistant District Attorney David Singleton, was publicly censured last May by the state bar for failing to correct what he knew was false testimony. Singleton was appointed as a part-time hearing judge to the Cheyenne Municipal Court in the fall.
According to the complaint, two claims Palm-Egles filed with the state were rejected in May and September 2021.
Now, she’s asking for $250,000 in damages — the standard amount for tort claims under the Wyoming Governmental Claims Act. In addition, she’s seeking around $55,000 for attorney fees and court costs from the initial case. Other damages could be awarded if she wins the suit.
Attorneys for Palm-Egles and Briggs, as well as DCI Director Forrest Williams, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/farmer-sues-dci-over-drug-charges/article_3ebad549-4a82-518d-bdb9-939b6fdb2803.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:26Z |
CASPER — Wyoming’s most populous county moved a step closer Thursday to losing nearly all of its delegates to the Wyoming Republican Party convention.
The state GOP’s credentials committee recommended the Laramie County Republican Party lose most of its delegates over a rules violation. The vote was 15-8.
At the same time, the committee rejected attempts to punish four other counties for minor rule-breaking, raising questions again of selective enforcement.
The credential committee’s decision is only a recommendation, and the full body will vote on the matter Saturday morning before the main business of the convention kicks off.
If the body votes in favor of the recommendation, Laramie will have its delegates reduced from 36 to the minimum three.
Thursday’s vote is the latest episode in a broader battle between traditional and hard-line elements within Wyoming’s Republican Party.
The number of delegates each county is afforded is based on population. Laramie is the most populous in the state, but would have four fewer delegates than the smallest county in the state; Niobrara has seven delegates to the convention.
The size of a county’s delegation can affect its influence in the broader policy discussions held at the convention, which include votes on party platforms, resolutions and rules.
The decisions made and adopted at the convention can influence the state’s politics — including which bills are brought to the Wyoming Legislature.
Laramie County is in the crosshairs because the party admittedly broke a rule at its county convention. Critics of punishing Laramie say that the infraction did not affect the business of the convention. Some have suggested Laramie County’s clashes with the party’s hard-line leadership is motivating Thursday’s action.
In the case of Laramie County, the state GOP’s executive committee received a complaint that alleged the delegate and alternate delegate selection that took place at that party’s GOP convention violated party bylaws.
Specifically, Laramie County did not accept nominations from the floor or use secret ballots.
“The county chair is going to have to go back to her own voters and explain why she disenfranchised them,” said Susan Porden, Sheridan County GOP credentials chairwoman, who voted in favor of cutting Laramie’s delegates. “We did not. She did.”
The motions on seating Laramie County’s delegates sparked a debate over the philosophies of the Republican Party.
“I feel that, as a Republican, that we want local rule and county rule,” said Mary Martin,
chairwoman of the Teton County GOP, speaking in opposition to removing Laramie County’s delegates.
Those in favor of cutting the delegates argued that it was under the purview of the state party, while those against it argued the contrary. Minor breaches in rules have not been scrutinized in the past, but this year there’s been a new emphasis put on it among the state and county-level Republican parties.
“I think we’re trying to kill a fly with a sledge hammer,” said Michael Madden, a Johnson County Republican and former state lawmaker.
At a Wyoming GOP executive committee meeting in early April, the panel unanimously passed a motion that stated that the party will “vigorously support and enforce all state and county bylaws at the 2022 State Convention.”
The focus on rule-following and enforcement on the Laramie County GOP spurred a call for state party officials to treat all counties equally when it comes to punishment.
“We really need to be careful,” said Jeb Hanson, a Niobrara Republican delegate. “We could be opening the door to allow any faction of the party to target any county that they don’t like. And it is not viable to audit each and every county. This is cherry picking.”
When it became clear last week that Laramie County was at risk of losing its delegates, Gail Symons, a Sheridan Republican, filed a complaint with the state party alleging that Sheridan, Sublette, Albany and Crook County Republican parties also broke minor rules.
At the credentials committee meeting Thursday immediately following the vote on Laramie County, Elizabeth Bingham, chairwoman of the Sweetwater County GOP and a Laramie ally, made a motion to not have Albany, Crook or Sublette’s County’s delegates sat.
“I’ve been quietly sitting back and watching how we cherry pick,” Bingham said. Bingham told the Star-Tribune that she didn’t want to be making such motions, but after the Laramie vote she was spurred to speak up.
“I think this is all utter nonsense and we should be working together,” she said.
Olsen agreed.
“I do absolutely believe that every delegate should be seated,” Olsen said following the Albany County vote. “However, a precedent has been set.”
Only Laramie County allies voted in favor of Albany and Crook counties losing their delegates: Bingham, Laramie GOP Chairwoman Dani Olsen and Natrona County Republican Party Secretary Lesley Hendry.
The Sublette County matter was a voice vote, but also failed.
Olsen said the Sublette County result “shows obvious bias” against Laramie County because its offenses were similar.
Natrona County, the second most populous in Wyoming, has already lost most of its delegates to the convention over a lack of dues payments. That county has also clashed with Wyoming Republican Party leadership. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/laramie-county-could-lose-most-delegates/article_89baaced-9692-5118-99fc-562eb3fbe55f.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:32Z |
Woman treated for accidental gunshot
A woman who suffered an accidental gunshot wound was treated and released, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office reports.
The Sheriff’s Office received a call at 2:08 p.m. April 30 reporting that a female with a gunshot wound was being transported by a private vehicle on County Road 351 (Seminoe Road), according to a press release about the incident.
The vehicle was a mile marker 30 heading south at the time of the call, and Deputy Alex Bakken intercepted them at Dugway about 7 miles north of Sinclair.
The deputy provided basic first aid until an ambulance crew arrived to take over treatment, the release says. Then it was decided the woman would be transported to a medical facility in Casper by air ambulance, where she was treated and released.
The woman’s injury appears “to be the result of an accident,” the report says.
During the investigation, which is ongoing, it was found that a man in the vehicle was wanted on an unrelated warrant and he was arrested.
Bridge and paving work starts on I-80 near Arlington
Travelers may experience delays as crews with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Avail Valley Construction, along with structure subcontractors Reiman Corp., have begun bridge and paving work on Interstate 80 near Arlington.
The project will begin with bridge rehab work on the east- and westbound bridges between mileposts 267.19 and 275.39. Various structure work will be completed on twelve different bridges between the mileposts.
This is a multi-year project split into two phases starting with structure work with paving work to follow. The structure work is expected to be completed this year. Paving operations for the project will resume in 2023, with an October 2023 completion date.
Motorists on the interstate should expect possible delays due to single lane shifts through construction zones and lowered speed limits. A 15-foot width restriction will be in place for interstate traffic during this project.
All WYDOT project scheduling is subject to change, including because of adverse weather or material availability.
New program will help you know your numbers
The Carbon County Extension Office is helping coordinate a new program to teach people to self-monitor their blood pressure.
The program includes consultations with a program facilitator, weekly check-ins and nutrition education seminars. Classes are hybrid in-person and via Zoom, and began this week. They’re held at the Carbon County Building Room 329, 215 Buffalo St. in Rawlins.
For information on this four-month program and get support for establishing a habit of self-monitoring blood pressure, contact Krista Stener at ksteine5@uwyo.edu or 307-328-2642.
Wyoming Charter School application now available
The Wyoming Legislature has amended the charter school statutes to allow for an alternative path for approval of charter schools (W.S. 21-3-301 through W.S. 21-3-314).
This change allows for charter schools to apply to either the local district or the State Loan and Investment Board and will take effect July 1.
The Wyoming Department of Education revised the Chapter 32 charter school rules to reflect these changes. Public comment was accepted between Feb. 18 and April 18. A hearing was held April 14.
Currently, the rules are awaiting approval from Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, according to a news release from the state Department of Education.
Additionally, the WDE has revised the charter school application. For charter school applications submitted in 2022, the applications may be submitted between July 15 and Aug. 15, or 30 days after these rules become effective, whichever is later.
A copy of the application can be found at https://edu.wyoming.gov/for-district-leadership/school-programs/charter-schools/. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local-briefs/article_9df14d8b-a557-5b4d-9909-b4ec9c990811.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:38Z |
The following calls were included in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office responses:
MONDAY, MAY 2
• 1:50 p.m., Albany County Area, trespassing
TUESDAY, MAY 3
• 7:15 p.m., intersection of S. 4th St. and E. Grand Ave., accident
• 10:17 p.m., intersection of S. Colorado Ave. and Franklin St., possible possession of controlled substance
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
• 4:21 a.m., Albany County Area, emergency
• 5:08 p.m., Wyoming Highway 230, accident
THURSDAY, MAY 5
• 2:56 p.m., Interstate 80, accident
• 7:55 p.m., Albany County Area, possible possession of controlled substance
• 5:08 p.m., Wyoming Highway 230, accident
• 8:29 p.m., 4700 block of Bluebird Ln, accident
The following calls were included in the Laramie Police Department responses:
MONDAY, MAY 2
• 8:05 a.m., 200 block of S. Colorado Ave., animal bite
• 10:42 a.m., 1200 block of W. Lyon St., computer crime
• 11:24 a.m., 400 block of E. Boswell Dr., trespassing
• 12:12 p.m., 1300 block of S. 3rd St., trespassing
• 2:26 p.m., 3500 block of Willett Dr., hit and run
• 3:20 p.m., 1700 block of Boulder Dr., assault and battery
• 4:09 p.m., 1700 block of Apache Dr., animal bite
TUESDAY, MAY 3
• 12:13 a.m., 300 block of S. 15th St., possible domestic disturbance
• 8:25 a.m., 300 block of Corthell Rd., emergency
• 11:36 a.m., 2900 block of E. Grand Ave., accident
• 12:02 p.m., intersection of N. 4th St. and E. Canby St., accident
• 3:33 p.m., 1500 block of Madison St., vandalism
• 3:52 p.m., 500 block of E. Ivinson Ave., possible impaired driving
• 5:35 p.m., 600 block of S. Hayes St., theft
• 7:15 p.m., intersection of S. 4th St. and E. Grand Ave., accident
• 8:10 p.m., intersection of N. 23rd St. and Nighthawk Dr., possible impaired driving
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
• 1:08 a.m., 900 block of N. McCue St., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 2:57 p.m., 900 block of N. 9th St., wildlife
• 4:51 p.m., 4000 block of E. Grand Ave., hit and run
• 6:25 p.m., 2200 block of S. 15th St., animal bite
• 7:29 p.m., 2000 block of Venture Dr., vandalism
THURSDAY, MAY 5
• 9:12 a.m., 700 block of W. Garfield St., vandalism
• 10:15 a.m., 3500 block of Willett Dr., hit and run
• 11:10 a.m., 500 block of General Brees Rd., trespassing
• 12:38 p.m., 500 block of N. 3rd St., trespassing
• 12:39 p.m., 2200 block of S. 15th St., theft
• 12:55 p.m., intersection of S. 21st St. and E. Garfield St., accident
• 1 p.m., 400 block of W. Garfield St., trespassing
• 1:30 p.m., 100 block of N. Johnson St., report of death
• 1:35 p.m., 2000 block of Harrison St., possible sexual offense
• 2:31 p.m., 4200 block of Shoshone Dr., theft
• 3:07 p.m., intersection of N. 22nd St. and Willett Dr., accident
• 3:27 p.m., intersection of N. 14th St. and E. Harney St., assault and battery
• 5:32 p.m., 2100 block of W. Snowy Range Rd., burglary
• 5:43 p.m., 100 block of E. Grand Ave., liquor violation
• 5:44 p.m., 200 block of N. 7th St., accidental weapons discharge
• 5:51 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., accident
• 6:14 p.m., 200 block of S. 30th St., liquor violation
• 8:47 p.m., 800 block of S. 26th St., animal bite
• 9:04 p.m., 200 block of S. Adams St., liquor violation
• 10:57 p.m., 3200 block of E. Grand Ave., fighting | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/arrest_record_and_police_calls/may-7-on-the-record/article_d9c8810b-2060-579d-a780-9252e207a326.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:44Z |
A group of 35 Laramie High School students were at the University of Wyoming this week to participate in Signing Day, committing to continue their education at UW.
In cooperation with Wyoming 4H, the University of Wyoming marked “Signing Day” on Wednesday on campus.
The event was symbolic of Laramie High School students committing to continue their education at UW.
In all, 35 LHS students participated in Signing Day.
UW announces spring commencement programs
A member of Wyoming’s congressional delegation, a renowned mountain guide and author, and the University of Wyoming’s president are keynote speakers for UW’s spring commencement ceremonies May 14.
They will be joined by three student speakers for ceremonies in UW’s Arena-Auditorium.
UW is scheduled to accord degrees upon 1,451 undergraduate students, 418 graduate students, 65 College of Law students and 43 School of Pharmacy students.
Each ceremony is scheduled to last about two hours, featuring a keynote speaker, student speaker, a reading of all graduates’ names and presentation of diplomas to each student. The ceremonies will be broadcast live at https://wyolinks.uwyo.edu/2022SpringComm/.
The first ceremony, set for 8:30 a.m., is for undergraduate students graduating from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Business, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Health Sciences and the School of Energy Resources.
The College of Law ceremony is at 10 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
The ceremony for master’s and doctoral degree recipients starts at 12:15 p.m.
Beginning at 3:30 p.m., another ceremony is for undergraduate students graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Office of Academic Affairs. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/worth-noting/article_bdfb2c06-3a67-5e5b-9a9f-4f897275c695.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:51Z |
JACKSON – Motivated by the same emotions that drew protesters to the steps of the Supreme Court and other courthouses across the nation on Tuesday, more than 100 abortion-rights advocates took to Town Square to add their voices to the chorus.
“What the F---” one woman’s sign read, expressing her outrage over a Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked Monday that could potentially reverse what abortion-rights supporters see as 50 years of progress in women’s health care.
“I can’t believe that we are having to do this in the year 2022; it’s absurd,” said Jennelle Linn, who was grateful to have the support of her husband and mother-in-law on either arm.
“There’s a 2-year-old, there’s a 74-year-old, it’s not just young people who care,” she said. “It’s not just a women’s issue. It’s a human rights issue.”
Despite the short notice, promotion for the rally spread quickly on social media, with many participants saying it felt good to channel their grief into action. However, one of the organizers, Carrie Kruse, said it didn’t feel like short notice.
“Is it short notice, or is it the same fight over and over again?” she asked.
For some, there was greater urgency to speak out because of Wyoming’s recently passed so-called trigger ban law, which would effectively ban abortions the moment Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Idaho and 11 other states have similar laws in effect.
Over 100 participants signed a petition for a referendum circulated by Jackson native Dom Lohn, who works as a local paralegal and said she believes there are multiple ways for Wyoming advocates to fight the trigger law in court.
Lohn also encouraged folks to donate to Chelsea’s Fund, a Wyoming nonprofit that offers financial assistance for abortions. The Casper Star-Tribune reported in April that Chelsea’s Fund had assisted 63 people so far in 2022.
Many of the mothers who showed up Tuesday said they supported abortion access for very personal reasons.
“Nothing made me more pro-choice than actually having two children and a miscarriage,” said Kathleen Doffermyre, who grew up in a conservative, anti-abortion family but said her perspective shifted during her first pregnancy.
“You should be a willing participant in pregnancy, because it’s really hard,” she said. “And kids are expensive.”
Demonstrators said limiting abortion access has the largest impact on women who are already struggling or who have less access to resources. Nina Lenz added that women who are forced to remain pregnant against their will are bringing up children in a nation without reliable, affordable child care.
Although nearly all passersby honked or waved in support, the group was heckled early on by one woman with an ice cream cone and a Marilyn Monroe poster who asked if any of the demonstrators had ever had an abortion.
But the pro-choice advocates had a quick comeback, noting that none of the male legislators regulating abortion have had the procedure. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/mothers-pro-choice-advocates-rally-in-jackson-hole/article_7124f370-2cf0-5687-9a33-78ab6652f18b.html | 2022-05-07T12:59:57Z |
Area law enforcement agencies have been working with the FBI to investigate a sexual extortion case involving teens on Snapchat and Instagram, the Laramie Police Department reports.
More than 150 victims nationwide have so far been identified, including students in Albany County and elsewhere in Wyoming. The suspects target teens in the middle and high school age range with no preference on gender, said LPD spokesperson Steve Morgan.
The Rawlins Police Department also posted a warning for local residents about the extortion attempts on its Facebook page.
The Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation and Laramie police have been working with the federal agency since being notified of the alleged “sextortion” earlier this year. The case involves multiple suspects blackmailing juvenile students into sending sexually explicit photos and videos.
The suspect will send photos or videos from a previous victim and threaten to release the contents unless the new target sends photos and videos of him or herself, the press release says.
The suspects target people between the middle school to high school age range with no preference on gender, said police department spokesperson Steve Morgan.
“The suspect demands videos and images over a multi-day period and claims that if the the victim complies and the suspect will delete the files. This is not true,” the press release said. “The suspect forces (under threat of exposure) the child victim to conduct video calls which show the victim’s face, while the suspect keeps (their) own face hidden. This is done so the suspect can further exploit the child victim.”
The suspect also will force victims to share their friends or followers lists.
“Although the suspect(s) remain unidentified, Wyoming DCI and LPD continue to actively investigate this case and work with the FBI in an effort to put a stop to this ongoing exploitation,” the press release says.
Anyone who receives a message of this nature should report it to the police department non-emergency dispatch number at 307-721-2526 or to Wyoming DCI at 307-777-7181.
Do not respond to the messages or view any content sent, but do save the messages for reporting purposes, Morgan advised. People also should not accept friend requests from accounts they don’t know or share others’ information.
“The suspect depends on victims feeling ashamed or guilty to continue to exploit them. Remember, it is not your fault,” the press release says. “Regardless of what the suspect says, (they) will not stop the exploitation regardless of how many images or videos a victim sends.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/police-fbi-warn-of-social-media-sextortion-of-teens/article_ad376ae0-92c7-5dc2-883b-e68cc6681c17.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:03Z |
GILLETTE — On April 7, 2001, on the eve of her 43rd birthday, Shirley Newson received a fateful piece of mail. She’d been unable to open it on her own, for she knew the contents had the power to upend her life and her very notion of self. She went to her then-boyfriend’s house, where they opened the mail together. It contained information that seemed simultaneously unthinkable and obvious.
She needed to tell her mother, Jean Morgan, what she’d just discovered and drove to her house in a sort of daze. Her close friend, Diane Pennington, then the owner of Boardwalk Hair Design, said Newson stopped by the salon on her way to her mother’s. To this day, Newson doesn’t remember it. She just remembers arriving at her mother’s.
“I walked in, and she was standing there, and I said, ‘I got the test results,’” Newson, 64, said. “‘They say that James Morgan has 0.00% chance of being my father.’ And she looked at me and said, ‘If he’s not your father, then I’m not your mother. I have never been with another man.’ Period. That was it.”
There was no lengthy discussion or time to debrief and recover from this shocking news.
Pennington said Newson was back at the salon “not 15 minutes later.”
If Newson was looking for a more comforting reaction from her father, Jim, who was in the Pioneer Manor nursing home at the time, she’d have no better luck.
“When I went to see him to give him the results, I said, ‘You’re not my dad,’” Newson recalled. “He said, ‘Well, I never thought I was your dad. When I brought you home from the hospital, I knew you weren’t my child. It’s just like’ — the Morgan family had a ranch, and they raised sheep, and he said — ‘it’s just like when a bum lamb with a black face is raised by another ewe. She just takes her in, even though she has a black face, and raises her. That’s what I did with you.’”
Jean would get a DNA test as well, and it would confirm that she and Newson were not biologically related.
And just like that, Newson’s entire life up to that point made sense. She knew what had happened.
On April 8, 1958, in the wee morning hours after 3 a.m. at Campbell County Memorial Hospital, she’d been mistakenly switched shortly after her birth and had spent the subsequent 43 years believing — naturally but ultimately incorrectly — that she had Morgan blood coursing through her veins.
Now, more than 20 years later, Newson is publishing a book, “The Little Dark One: A True Story of Switched at Birth,” in the hope that her story, and more specifically her perseverance, will be an inspiration to others facing difficult situations in their lives. In the course of writing the book, Newson realized it was a story she needed to tell for herself as well.
The news from the DNA tests revealed but part of a mystery. Many questions remained: Where was Newson’s birth mother? And where was the Morgans’ biological child?
Newson set about answering those remaining questions.
“I went to the library and went through microfiche and made a spreadsheet,” Newson said. “I made a spreadsheet of all the women that were admitted and the births. There were two babies born that day, but only one listed.”
Newson got Jean to sign a medical release and went to the hospital looking for records. They weren’t there, so she went next to the state archives. Once she got Jean’s medical records, Newson learned she had to petition the court to get patient records of those who were treated around the same time as Jean.
“They used a numbering system,” Newson said. “Jean’s was 4,734.”
So she requested the patients around that number, and then waited months before the judge opened them.
While all of this was happening, one of her sisters was pushing forward with her own attempts at finding her biological sister.
Jean told Newson that one of her sisters would be publishing a letter in the newspaper about the revelation.
“I said, ‘Please don’t,’” Newson recalled. “‘I will find your daughter. I’m doing the proper procedures; I’m following the letter of the law. Please. Just let me do this so we can keep this quiet.’”
The woman who’d raised her said, “You don’t understand: This is our family, and we will do whatever we have to do to find our daughter.”
Newson didn’t get her wish to keep things quiet. Her story made local, national and international news before it was over. All along the way, Newson refused to participate in any of them.
But, thanks to Newson’s hard work, the Morgans found their biological daughter, Debra.
And Newson found her birth mother. She was born to Polly Muñoz on that April morning in 1958.
In October 2001, Debra came to meet the Morgans, and shortly after that, Polly came to meet Newson. Reunions were had, and stories were written as if this particular fairy tale had reached its happily-ever-after ending.
But life is more complicated than fairy tales.
Her relationship with her birth mother was not as close as she might have hoped it would be, Newson said.
Neither was the relationship between Debra and the Morgans.
But one positive that came out of the discovery was that Newson felt, for a brief moment, a sense of belonging.
It came when she met her biological mother’s sister, Mary, in Worland.
“I walked into her pharmacy, and she said, ‘You look just like your mother,’” Newson said. “And I was just crying because I had never in my life been told I look like anyone.”
More than two decades later, the retelling of that moment is still enough to bring tears to Newson’s eyes.
Newson’s rocky relationship with her family didn’t start with the revelations contained in those DNA tests. Uncertainty surrounded her entire existence. The Morgan family was described at every turn as physically imposing and fair-skinned, of Irish ancestry with blue or green eyes and red hair.
Newson, on the other hand, was a slight woman with dark skin and dark eyes. She was the seventh out of eight children, so by the time she’d come along, the Morgans pretty well knew what to expect from a new addition to the family, and she simply wasn’t it. When she was to be singled out from her siblings, Newson was often referred to as “the little dark one.”
“The family dynamics changed when I was born,” Newson said.
Those physical differences were the cause of great mistrust from her father.
When Newson was in junior high school, Jim’s mother sent a letter to Jean in which she put vile words to a suspicion that seemed to linger in the minds of some who knew the family. Jean read the letter, and then, inexplicably, called Newson over to see what was written in it.
“She called me the (n-word) in the woodpile,’” Newson said.
Pennington said whispers and speculation abounded in the community, with many coming to the same conclusion: Newson’s physical differences must have been the result of an affair on Jean’s part.
“All those years, she went with that accusation hanging over her head, including (from) her husband, and that’s horrible, too,” Pennington said.
“It was always there,” Newson said. “(Jean) said she never knew about (the rumors), but she got that letter when I was in junior high, and I would assume other things were said to her. But she never acknowledged any of it.”
It was a different time, Newson said. Feelings weren’t discussed.
“You lived by the code of, ‘If we don’t talk about it, it didn’t happen,’” Newson said.
Despite more than four decades of life dictated by that code, Newson said it still hurt.
When Jean responded so matter-of-factly about the DNA results, “it was like a stab in my heart,” Newson said. “She didn’t say, ‘You know what? It doesn’t matter. We still love you.’ That was never said.”
The result was years of reinforcement of the same heartbreaking messages she’d internalized her entire life.
“I feel like there were just countless, countless messages to this beautiful woman all of her life that, ‘You just don’t belong,’” said Cheryl Wales, a cognitive behavioral therapist who treats Newson and was given permission to talk about her treatment.
The revelation presented by the DNA test, as disorienting as it was, provided clarity.
“What I felt after I found out that I’d been switched was validation,” Newson said. “It validated all the feelings I’d had my whole life. Not being loved, not belonging, being unworthy, not being lovable, worthless.”
But that validation brought with it a whole new set of concerns, most simply stated as: Now what?
“On one hand, you’re able to say, ‘I was right all along,’” Wales said. “‘I’m not like them because I don’t belong to them. It’s OK for me not to be like them. It’s really OK. On the other hand, they were right. And that doesn’t feel good. They were right to not embrace me. They were right that I wasn’t them, that I wasn’t theirs.’ And who would want that?”
One of Newson’s strengths seems to be her ability to put aside questions like, “Do you ever wish you hadn’t been switched?” A question that seems natural for someone just hearing her story is not one that she spends much, if any, thinking about. This is the life she was given, she said.
“She’s the poster child for resiliency,” Wales said.
That resiliency comes, in large part, from Newson’s strong Christian faith, and her forthcoming book is reinforced by that faith.
Newson is a fiercely private person, so her decision to write and publish a book begs the question: Why now?
“I’m in the best place emotionally that I’ve ever been in my life,” Newson said.
It was her son Austin’s idea that she should tell her story in the form of a book.
“‘Mom, you need to tell your story,’” Newson recalled Austin saying to her. “‘Do you know how many people you could help with your story? If they could see what you went through and see who you are, you need to let them. Even if you only help one person, it would be worth it.’”
She began to look for a ghostwriter, but she wasn’t having any luck finding one. Then one day she noticed her cousin on Facebook was writing a book of her own and reached out to her to see if she knew a ghostwriter.
The cousin called her and convinced her to write it herself.
“‘Who better to tell your story than you?’” Newson said her cousin told her.
Newson then enrolled in the Book Creators program at Georgetown University, and she’s been working on her manuscript since October 2021.
It was not a natural thing for Newson. She’s an accountant. She prefers spreadsheets and numbers over word processors and words.
Accounting fit her personality. It was finite. There were definite answers. She had a sense of control, something that her life had sorely lacked from childhood.
“I’m very OCD and anal,” Newson said. “Which, a counselor has told me, given how I was raised, that was the one area I could control.”
Writing does not lend itself to those traits. It is a singular pursuit, an infuriating one at times, the creation of order out of chaos. On top of that, Newson’s subject matter required her to revisit countless documents she’d saved from her life, legal documents, stories from media outlets, and more.
She started writing the book because she believed Austin was right: There was something in her story that could prove inspirational or helpful to others. But in the writing of it, she found a measure of relief for herself.
“I’d always been an insomniac,” Newson said. “Since like the early ‘90s. It was so bad I had to take sleeping medication because my mind would never shut off. But now I can sleep. It’s like I just let go.”
She’s wrestled with the material and the writing of the book for six months now. She said once it’s done, she’ll be happy to close the chapter on that part of her life.
But it’s that part of her life that she uses for comparison to her current life, and after 64 years, Newson is most proud of the family she’s created with her husband, Scott, the same man who’d been by her side when she opened that DNA test result in the mail.
“It’s the exact opposite of how I was raised,” she said of her family. “They talk to me on the phone. We never end a conversation without saying ‘I love you.’ ... I’m there for them. They never have to doubt that they’re loved, that they’re cared for.”
Newson’s is a complicated story and far from a fairy tale. It doesn’t so much try to answer the question of “nature versus nurture,” but rather it presents a case study for neither nature nor nurture.
Shirley Newson was born Shirley Muñoz but grew up Shirley Morgan. She felt ill at ease as a Morgan, as if she didn’t belong. And she didn’t. She wasn’t a Morgan. But she wasn’t really a Muñoz, either. She was both. And she was neither.
She searched for belonging by looking to the past, and what she found failed to sustain her. So she forged ahead, despite an unknown nature and an unforgiving nurture, to build a life of her own. After ups and downs, she succeeded, and therein lies her story’s happy ending. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/switched-at-birth-gillette-woman-shares-her-story-to-inspire-others/article_b3c5339c-85a8-5ece-9fb4-123b9c1b8d44.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:09Z |
Two years into the pandemic, Laramie representatives are considering changes in the city’s approach to COVID-19 monitoring to account for public reaction to the virus and the virus itself.
Since 2020, the community has been monitoring the virus with a series of approaches, including testing, mask wearing and curtailing in-person gatherings.
As COVID-19 vaccines and at-home testing has become widely accessible and early precautions are retired, creating a more robust and understandable wastewater testing system could be the next step in monitoring infection rates in the city.
To explore this, a community group of Laramie City Council and residents now shifting focus from COVID-19 vaccination incentives to wastewater testing.
With case numbers increasing nationwide, the group hopes wastewater testing can act as a sort of “canary in the coal mine” to indicate when local residents should start to worry.
“We aren’t trying to sound the alarm, but we are trying to get data so we know when to sound the alarm,” said Vice Mayor Jayne Pearce.
After the state halted a wastewater testing program in December, the city decided to continue monitoring on its own dime and with the help of a University of Wyoming laboratory.
The testing is now being conducted with a graduate student who coordinates the work with the supervisor of the local wastewater treatment plant. The samples are collected twice a week at the plant. If a tester notices a high signal for the virus, officials can work to pinpoint more specific geographic areas by taking samples from manholes near apartment buildings or dorms.
Information from testing wastewater tends to be a more accurate indicator than COVID-19 human test numbers, which rely on people to choose to get tested, said Carol Wilusz, a scientist at Colorado State University.
“We have a way to monitor the whole population without the population actually participating in it,” Wilusz said. “There are communities that really don’t even believe that (COVID-19) really exists. Those people aren’t going to go get tested when they get sick.”
Wilusz is the principal investigator of a CSU lab that has been conducting wastewater COVID-19 testing since spring 2020. The method has been a useful tool for communities to gauge outbreaks of the virus in an early, accurate way, she said.
This is because people can shed generic material from the virus even if they aren’t displaying any symptoms. The testing method also provides an early indicator of infection rates before people start getting sick enough to go to the hospital.
Wastewater testing also can better represent the entire community, because it includes groups of people who may not get tested out of fear of repercussions such as missing work or revealing an undocumented immigration status, she said.
For Laramie, the method could mean striking a balance between producing accurate data on the virus spread while respecting people’s individual choices.
The local group plans to work with scientists, statisticians and students at UW to develop a streamlined way to interpret the wastewater test data and then communicate it to the public.
For Sharon Cumbie, the leader of the initiative, this could mean creating a color coding system similar to the well-known fire danger scale, then working with the community to display it in as many areas as possible.
“We aren’t trying to tell people what to do, but people could go in and read bullet points about mitigation,” Cumbie said.
Added challenges
There are a range of challenges that come with making wastewater testing a widespread practice, Wilusz said.
Though the method has been used in the past to test for polio and even drug use in communities, the practice wasn’t widely known or used before the pandemic.
“Wastewater isn’t a nice thing to handle,” Wilusz said.
Anyone working in the lab must be trained in biosafety practices, and to actually interpret the testing a strong understanding of molecular biology is necessary. The samplers used to collect the wastewater cost $3,000 each.
There are cheaper methods that don’t require as much scientific knowledge, but they are less sensitive, Wilusz said.
The CSU lab charges $200 per sample tested. Some labs charge more, with one in Arizona charging up to $1,140 per sample, depending on the type of analysis required.
Despite the challenges, wastewater testing could help communities with more than just COVID-19 in the future, Wilusz said. The technology could one day be used to detect other common illnesses, such as the flu.
More money for the local testing program could become available in August through grant dispersal at the state level. In the meantime, the city group hopes to continue solidifying the program and have more details outlined within the next three weeks. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/testing-the-waters-city-group-mulls-benefits-of-covid-19-wastewater-program/article_056323fa-d423-5bd9-baaf-33ce0e101542.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:15Z |
In another step in a yearslong battle over the proposed Rail Tie Wind Project, some area residents are making their case the Wyoming Supreme Court.
The Albany County District Court upheld an Albany County Commission on March 30 decision to grant a permit to ConnectGen, the company leading the project.
Known as a Wind Energy Conservation System (WECS) permit, the decision gives ConnectGen the go-ahead to move forward with its wind farm project, which is in planning and permitting stages with construction slated to begin in spring 2023.
About 45 people with interests against the wind farm have signed onto a second appeals process filed last week to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Monaghan Farms Inc. also filed its own separate appeal.
The 500-megawatt project calls for up to 149 turbines on 26,000 acres of public and private land south of Laramie near Tie Siding. It will tie into the Ault-Craig 345-kilovolt transmission line, which runs through the southern part of the project area.
Noise, light pollution and impacts to wildlife and the natural beauty of the area are among the concerns brought by opponents, many of whom own property near the proposed area for the wind farm, which will be located on private and state lands along Highway 287 south of Laramie near Tie Siding.
“Albany County residents felt strongly that their (county commissioners’) decision was not based on protecting county residents or Albany County’s natural resources, but were rather motivated by quick tax revenue and political motives,” said Paul Montoya, who is part of the appeals process. “We feel confident the Wyoming Supreme Court will see the errors in the county’s decision-making process and uphold our appeal.”
The WECS permit includes nine conditions that are meant to address concerns for residents surrounding the wind farm, said Amanda Flores, manager for the project for ConnectGen. These include installing fire suppression systems on the turbines; increasing the distance between turbines, residences and public roads; and installing an aircraft detection lighting system to reduce light pollution.
The project has already received necessary state permits and has completed an environmental impact statement. Final engineering and pre-construction planning will continue throughout this year, with construction set to begin next spring. According to the schedule, the wind farm would be fully operational by the end of 2024.
The objections
“This isn’t about ‘not in our backyard,’ it’s about respecting the safety of local residents,” said Tie Siding homeowner Andrew Grant. “We’re here, we’re paying our taxes. We expect to be looked after.”
Grant said that while he supports green energy, he has many concerns about the location of the wind project being in such close proximity to people who live nearby.
Living in the forest, Grant and other residents voiced concerns about increased fire danger and lighting strikes with the roughly 600-foot-tall turbines. While the turbines won’t be visible from many houses in the area, residents will be forced to drive past them along Cherokee Park Road, the main route in and out of the area.
“What they are trying to do is turn our trip to the grocery store into a game of Russian roulette, as far as we’re concerned,” Grant said of the risk of ice shards falling from turbines.
Modern wind turbines are equipped with an ice detection system that causes the turbines to stop spinning if ice build-up is detected on the blades, according to the ConnectGen website.
In addition to quality-of-life concerns, some residents cited concerns with what they considered to be an insufficient public input process from the Albany County Commission.
“It’s been a frustrating experience to be given three minutes to verbally address something that’s a complicated process, and then have not any questions asked back,” said Al Minier, who owns a second home 8 miles south of Tie Siding. “Part of this fight is based on the fact that I think the scrutiny given to wind projects is really not adequate.”
Mitchell Edwards of Nicholas & Tangeman LLC is representing the opponents. He claims the county failed to follow its own regulations in gathering information on the Rail Tie project and didn’t give adequate public notice before meetings in which the project was discussed.
“I can’t think of any point in this process where anyone from the project has reached out to me and asked for my concerns,” Minier said.
The Albany County Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the appeal by press time.
“We believe the District Court correctly concluded that the Albany County Commissioners properly granted the WECS permit in accordance with the applicable regulations and hope the Wyoming Supreme Court will reach the same conclusion,” Flores said.
The court will have 120-180 days to issue a written decision on the appeal after undergoing a multi-step process of hearing arguments from both sides. Typically, the appeals process takes between a year and 18 months, Edwards said. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/turbine-turbulence-residents-continue-legal-battle-against-rail-tie-wind-project/article_2654019c-46a5-53a4-b378-a3f51c9101f7.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:22Z |
CHEYENNE — People around town still don’t seem to understand what Curt Theobald does for a living.
“It’s a big thing, and it’s hard to believe,” Theobald said. “A lot of people in the community of Pine Bluffs know that ‘Curt works with wood,’ but any more than that, no. It’s hard to describe.
“I made this piece of wood. I glued 700 pieces of wood together, and then I’m going to sell it for $15,000. That doesn’t make sense in the farming and ranching community of Pine Bluffs.”
Rest assured, there are plenty of people who do understand his work. They live all over the world, including Ireland, France, New Zealand and England. But from May 13-April 2, the public will be able to see his work somewhere new: in our nation’s Capitol.
Theobald, a contemporary wood artist living in Pine Bluffs, recently had his 2013 artwork titled “Eye of the Storm” donated to the Smithsonian Institute by private collectors. It will now be featured in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum as a part of its newest show, “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World.”
And that isn’t his only honor. For the opening exhibition, Theobald was one of 12 artists invited to Washington, D.C., to interact with attendees during the showing. Out of more than 170 pieces, he was chosen to represent the medium of woodworking with his sculpture.
“There’s plenty of wood artists that they could have selected from,” he said with a laugh. “Did they put the names on a big spinning board and throw a dart at it?”
It’s a labor-intensive medium, carving and sculpting wood. Theobald spent many years running a cabinet business, putting his skills to practical use, which is probably why neighbors get confused as to what he’s doing in the shop all day.
But during his time running a business, he waited for those six weeks off when he could work on his craft. It was the thing that allowed him to express himself after a life of manual labor.
“My dad, he’s the farmer – our farm just turned into a century farm – and his deal is, if you don’t have three hours of work in by eight in the morning, you’re a slacker,” Theobald said.
Theobald told his dad some years ago that he would be flying to England to teach woodturning.
“His question was, ‘How much does that cost?’ I said, ‘No, dad, they’re paying for me to come.’ It just doesn’t make sense to somebody that used to till the ground.”
He can thank his father for one thing, and that’s instilling in him a work ethic. What’s kept Theobald woodturning is the drive to solve problems and create something new. The moments he realizes he doesn’t know how to do something are often his favorite.
Such is the case with “Eye of the Storm,” an intricate piece of woodworking that gives the top-down illusion of a gyrating cyclone.
From the elevation of Pine Bluffs, he can look out over the prairie at the early morning thunderclouds pluming in the distance. He sees the hues of blue and violet as they build over a vast landscape. The scene reminded him of a hurricane, the eye of the storm that lay idle in the middle.
The circular piece is meant to replace that of a hurricane’s “pinwheel” effect, as Theobald calls it.
He doesn’t know how long it took to complete “Eye of the Storm;” he doesn’t pay much attention to the time. Judging by the intricacies of his Smithsonian item, it took a good deal of patience to perfect.
“I’m no more patient than anyone else waiting at that traffic light to turn green, but everybody has a patience for their passion,” Theobald said. “If your passion is flying kites, you’re gonna go out there every day you can to get the satisfaction of flying that kite.
“When I make my work, patience just goes into the passion,” he added. “It’s absorbing. The world does tend to go away when you’re making a piece of art.”
Beyond that, he isn’t sure what inspires him to design a piece of wood a certain way. He always sketches his work, but as he gets absorbed on the process, different ideas arise, and he takes risks.
Sometimes, before the sun rises, he’ll wake at 2 a.m. with an idea. There’s no rhyme or reason as to when inspiration strikes.
Despite years of labor and practice turning wood and working in other mediums like glasswork, it’s hard for Theobald to take in the fact that his work will remain in one of the most prestigious art museums in the world.
There is one person he wants to thank above everything else, and that’s his wife, Wanda. While he’s working in the shop, she’s keeping things afloat with her day job as a teacher.
“It’s nothing new, but behind every successful artist is a successful spouse,” Theobald said. “It’s not that my wife has boatloads of money – she’s a school teacher, so she gets by – but the success is her believing in me that I can do this.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/wyo-wood-artist-to-be-featured-in-smithsonian/article_41f7c16b-f0c9-5bf2-be32-85376e13f891.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:28Z |
CASPER — The leaked draft ruling showing that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade is raising a lot of questions about what will happen to abortion in Wyoming, particularly following the state’s passage of an abortion trigger bill in March. The Supreme Court verified Tuesday that the leaked document is authentic.
The draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito and published Monday night by Politico, is a strong rejection of the 1973 landmark case that made abortion a constitutional right in the U.S.
The draft’s implications are dramatic. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, that means it’ll be up to states to decide the legality of abortion within their borders.
Earlier this year, lawmakers passed House Bill 92, which would trigger a near-total ban on abortions in Wyoming if the Supreme Court does away with Roe. Some Wyoming legislators who were against House Bill 92 argued that it could cause mayhem for the state if the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe was ambiguous. But based on the current draft, it appears the Supreme Court’s decision would be pretty clear-cut.
“It looks like its on track for a rapid implementation,” Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, said in reference to Wyoming’s abortion trigger bill.
Case was one of a handful of legislators who were against the abortion trigger bill. His amendment on the bill, which ended up passing after a similar one by Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, failed, provides for exceptions to the potential abortion ban in cases where the mother’s life or physical health is in extreme danger, or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.
“It seems pretty clear that we’re going to have many restrictions and maybe a complete reversal of Roe v. Wade,” Case said. “There are a lot of people who are on pins and needles about this.”
House Bill 92, the abortion trigger ban that legislators passed in March, would outlaw abortion in Wyoming except for a handful of circumstances including extreme physical danger to the mother or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.
Case said he thinks that “it would take a sea of change in political thinking” to reverse the bill.
David Adler, a professor of constitutional law and the director of the Alturas Institute, said it’s important to remember the leaked opinion is only a draft — the text of the opinion, or the actual vote itself, could still change.
But if it becomes final, Adler said Wyoming would likely see the ban in place within 35 days of the opinion. That’s the maximum time the law provides for a review by the state attorney general and certification from the governor.
Wyoming’s ban, while nearly total, is still more moderate than other states that have trigger laws in place that don’t allow abortions to be performed even in cases related to sexual assault or incest.
Cristina González, a nurse who works with Lander-based nonprofit Chelsea’s Fund, said it’s too early to tell what the opinion will mean for Wyomingites. The fund gives financial assistance to people ordering abortion pills through the mail, which can be obtained with a telemedicine referral. González said she’s not yet sure how that service will be affected, but that the fund’s board will be meeting to discuss a “game plan” in the event the opinion becomes final.
Abortion wouldn’t be illegal everywhere if the Supreme Court decides to overturn Roe v. Wade. A reversal of Roe v. Wade would give states the ability to decide on the legality of abortion.
Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, a pro-life legislator, told the Star-Tribune that it would be “nice to see the power going to states.”
“This is a pivotal time in our country’s history,” he said. “It’s also a pivotal in that this is an issue of states’ rights to rule.”
A return of power to states over abortion would likely make the practice illegal in about half the U.S., according to the New York Times.
The U.S. Senate could still vote to pass a bill — which has already made it through the House — to codify Roe v. Wade and make abortion legal on the federal level. But that would likely require some uncharacteristic votes from Republican senators, or a possible elimination of the filibuster to allow the bill to pass without bipartisan support.
“One of the first things that jumped to mind was how important this year’s elections are going to be,” said Sharon Breitweiser, the executive director of Pro-Choice Wyoming. She said the coming vote isn’t likely to change the Wyoming Legislature’s makeup enough to pave the way to repealing the trigger law “in the near future,” but her group hopes to “start moving in that direction.”
“I don’t want to be naive, but I don’t know what other hope we have.”
Overturning Roe v. Wade would essentially make the Mountain West an abortion desert. Abortions would, in most instances, be illegal in Wyoming. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, Idaho and Nebraska would probably move to ban abortion. Utah enacted a trigger law in 2020. South Dakota and North Dakota also have trigger bans.
If Roe falls, Colorado and Montana would be the only two states neighboring Wyoming where abortion would be legal. Those states are gearing up to provide more services for people who live in states where abortion would be outlawed.
Abortions are already hard to get in Wyoming. There’s only one clinic — the Women’s Health and Family Care Center in Jackson — that currently offers abortion services. Founder of Wellspring Health Access Julie Burkhart said last month that she plans to open a clinic in Casper. Burkhart said in a statement Tuesday morning that she continues to move forward with those plans despite the revelations of the leaked opinion draft.
But Wyoming is a big state and essentially an abortion desert already. Not everyone can drive to a clinic to get an abortion.
To be clear, the leaked opinion is still a draft.
“We don’t know if a judge might change his or her mind,” Sen. Bear, the anti-abortion legislator from Gillette, said. “The impact right now with the leak is that there is a great deal more pressure on judges.”
ACLU spokesperson Janna Farley also emphasized that the decision isn’t set in stone.
“While it confirms our deepest fears about what the Supreme Court is ready to do, nothing is final,” she told the Star-Tribune on Tuesday.
The ACLU, which was heavily involved in debates on Wyoming’s abortion trigger ban, also said the decision could change.
“We are not conceding anything right now and we will not let the Court off the hook when a decision is finally published,” the statement said. “But if the Court does indeed overturn Roe, it would have a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people — falling most quickly and heavily on the most marginalized people: people of color, those trying to make ends meet, young people, and undocumented immigrants,” the statement continued.
Michelle St. Louis, an anti-abortion Casper resident, said she’s “still somewhat skeptical” about the leaked opinion’s implications.
“We’ll see. I’m not ready to jump up and down in the streets yet,” she said. “I would like this to be a done deal.”
Another Casper resident opposing the city’s planned clinic, Ross Schriftman, said he thinks the leak is likely to divide people even more on the already contentious issue.
The Wyoming Democratic Party will “weigh (its) options” for potential legal action in response to the pending decision, said executive director Sarah Hunt.
“In the meantime, our mission is to elect policymakers who see this ruling for what it is: an attack on our freedom to make personal medical decisions, including when to start a family or choose reproductive healthcare options,” Hunt said.
The added public scrutiny, thanks to the leak, may also influence the Supreme Court’s final opinion, according to Adler. It’s also sparked a Supreme Court investigation into the leak, and drawn anger from many anti-abortion politicians.
“It will be interesting to see how the final opinion is different from this opinion,” Case, the Republican lawmaker from Lander, said.
The Supreme Court is likely to make a final decision on Roe v. Wade in June. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/wyoming-braces-for-roe-v-wade-impact/article_e6ec6b7d-0bdd-5e02-bf72-60ca19c3775b.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:34Z |
Regional ranchers are advocating for the passage of a federal bill calling for increased cash negotiation in the cattle market as beef prices soar but the payment for cattle remains stubbornly low.
The issue, said Brett Crosby, a cow-calf rancher and commodity market analyst, is a concentrated market with an increasingly rigid price structure and a growing lack of competition.
Four big meat packers – Cargill Inc., Tyson Foods, JBS USA and National Beef – control more than 80% of the nation’s beef supply. The four packers have together made formula trading the standard in the market, over negotiated cash trade.
The road to today started in 1999, when the U.S. Congress made mandatory price reporting the law of the land. The practice allows for open, transparent price discovery and universalized access to market information for ranchers.
But it also allowed for a new way to price cattle.
Using the information provided in the livestock mandatory price report, packer companies have based most of the market on formula pricing, creating a more universal price for cattle in replacement of a negotiated price between a feedlot and packer operation.
“When the (Livestock Mandatory Reporting program) went into effect, it gave packers a huge data set,” Crosby said. “They started using a formula. They just told feedlots, instead of negotiating for the cattle every week, we’ll give you the average price.”
The method had some merits at first, Crosby said.
Alongside increased efficiency, the formula also gave incentive to ranchers to breed cattle with good carcass characteristics, creating a more standardized level of quality cattle within the market.
But today, the practice is cannibalizing the industry, Crosby said.
Up to 80% of all cattle are purchased under formula pricing, while only 20% are negotiated between a buyer and seller. A number of plants now purchase their inventory exclusively through formula pricing.
“Without intervention, the trend is expected to continue until negotiated trade in at least one major region is virtually eliminated,” Crosby said.
With negotiated trade decreasing dramatically, the industry not only has far less competition, but the negotiated market, upon which formula prices are based, is also far more vulnerable to manipulation, keeping payouts artificially low.
Accurately priced formula trade relies on the accuracy of the prices reported to the market, and discrepancies are beginning to be seen. Ironically, accurate data relies on the negotiated trade, the practice formula pricing is eliminating. In some regions, negotiated trade is less than 10% and is not a significant enough sample size to ensure an accurate price for cattle.
But cattle feeders are stuck with it. In an already thin market, smaller farmer- owned feedlots have little room to negotiate.
“It all trickles down to the cow calf guy,” Crosby said. “If the feedlot doesn’t make money, they can’t bid much for cattle here. For those of us who bring cattle to a feedlot and sell them, the formula trade is the only way a little guy can sell cattle. You don’t get a choice; you don’t get to say no. You have to commit your cattle on a Tuesday, and they’ll say you’ll get whatever the Nebraska average price is [for the coming week].”
According to Jess Peterson, a rancher in Eastern Montana and the executive director of U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, this dynamic puts local cattlemen, who typically have a higher quality cattle than other U.S. regions, at a particular disadvantage.
“Folks in Wyoming need a competitive market for their cattle, but the meat packer will utilize lesser quality cattle so they can put pressure on quality cattle and use that leverage to lower the prices,” Peterson said. “Higher quality cattle are best procured in a cash agreement. If you’re going to utilize the current system, you need to be active in the cash market. A portion of the cattle need to be purchased on a cash basis.”
Leo MacDonell, a Montana rancher who sits on the board of directors of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, said the current market has resulted in “sweetheart deals” between major packers and lower quality markets.
Some ranchers have seen their profit decrease by upward of 300% in recent years, MacDonell said.
It helps, Peterson said, to think of a cattle lot like a vehicle lot. A company selling vehicles wouldn’t keep many customers if they didn’t make room for negotiation.
“You don’t keep a car lot running very long if you’re not honest about pricing,” Peterson said.
Regional ranchers see a possible solution in the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2022, co-written by Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is a co-sponsor of the bill.
The primary purpose of the act is to require that a minimum percentage of cattle be bought and sold through negotiated cash deals, creating a transparent pricing mechanism and thereby ensuring a more competitive price. The legislation also contains multiple provisions giving ranchers and feedlots more market data, such as the number of steers being processed by a packer, giving sellers more leverage in negotiations.
“Right now, we don’t know how many they have going into processing in the next few weeks,” Peterson said. “If you know how many cattle packers are processing, you can base your price on the demand.”
Some may view it as more red tape, making a complicated market even more complicated, but Crosby argues the bill just fixes existing regulation.
The legislation is currently being considered by the Agriculture Committee and is expected to hit the floor of Congress this month.
Peterson said the impact of more accurate cattle pricing will prove a boon to local communities.
“Any amount of increased value will go right back into the economy,” Peterson said. “It’s a stimulus package.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/wyoming-cattle-ranchers-seek-relief-in-thinning-market/article_3dd56dc8-ad2a-540a-9dc8-f56db50ddf38.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:40Z |
Justice Antonin Scalia was among the most prescient Supreme Court justices in American history, and the firestorm over the leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion overturning Roe is a reminder of it.
In Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, the 1992 Supreme Court decision upholding (and amending) Roe v. Wade, the justices in the majority believed that they could settle once and for all the dispute over abortion.
Scalia thought this was outlandishly wrongheaded and said so in a dissent that looks farsighted 30 years later. Not only did the Court fail to calm the political waters on abortion, it made itself central to the political and moral argument over the issue.
If there’s any doubt about that, consider the security fencing reminiscent of the days after January 6 that is now going up around the Supreme Court building. Consider the left-wing group planning protests at the homes of conservative justices. Consider the proposal from Sen. John Cornyn of Texas that justices get 24/7 security details.
It’s extraordinary that now, at the very least, the whiff of physical intimidation is part of the Court’s deliberations on Roe.
Scalia might be surprised by that, but not that abortion has remained a point of contention over the decades, despite the Court’s preposterous belief that it could make itself the final arbiter.
In his dissent in Casey, Scalia analogized the Court’s jurisprudence on abortion to its decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, the notorious 1857 case in which the Court denied the petition of a slave named Dred Scott for freedom.
The Court issued a sweeping decision, declaring unconstitutional the Missouri Compromise of 1820 that had banned slavery north of the 36°30 parallel in the Louisiana Purchase. It did this, in part, because it thought it could forge a settlement on slavery that had eluded the political branches.
Instead, the Chief Justice Roger Taney made himself infamous for a decision that, like Roe and Casey, was wrongly decided, that entrenched and extended a profound social wrong, that short-circuited democratic decision-making, and that utterly failed to create political and social peace.
The decision was immediately excoriated by opponents of slavery in the harshest possible terms. They called into question its legitimacy and indeed the legitimacy of the Court itself. Serious and sober-minded men like Abraham Lincoln and William Seward advanced conspiracy theories for how the Court could have arrived at such an atrocious place. (There were indeed improprieties around the Court’s deliberations.)
Scalia invoked a portrait of Roger Taney at Harvard Law School by the great painter Emanuel Leutze in 1859. “He sits,” Scalia wrote, “facing the viewer and staring straight out. There seems to be on his face, and in his deep-set eyes, an expression of profound sadness and disillusionment.” Scalia imagined him despairing at what his ambitious ruling in Dred Scott had wrought and warned the Court against making the same mistake again.
“It is no more realistic for us in this litigation than it was for him in that,” Scalia noted, “to think that an issue of the sort they both involved — an issue involving life and death, freedom and subjugation — can be ‘speedily and finally settled’ by the Supreme Court ...”
Rather, Scalia argued, “By foreclosing all democratic outlet for the deep passions this issue arouses, by banishing the issue from the political forum that gives all participants, even the losers, the satisfaction of a fair hearing and an honest fight, by continuing the imposition of a rigid national rule instead of allowing for regional differences, the court merely prolongs and intensifies the anguish.
“We should get out of this area,” he urged, “where we have no right to be, and where we do neither ourselves nor the country any good by remaining.”
The Court should have listened to Scalia the first time. Now, Alito’s opinion opens the way for it, after one of the most catastrophic misadventures in its history, to finally heed his wisdom. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/scalia-was-right-again/article_4aefe74d-ff74-53c8-866a-e808c1eac454.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:46Z |
In the last week of April, Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons have become daily occurrences and now include threats against NATO countries, to destroy Great Britain for example.
Recall that Russia threatened war in Ukraine before it happened, then it did happen.
As Peggy Noonan pointed out in the April 30 Wall Street Journal regarding Vladimir Putin and the risk of nuclear war: “For this man, Russia can’t lose to the West. Ukraine isn’t ... a sideshow; it is the main event. I read him as someone who will do anything not to lose.”
Russia is losing the conventional war in Ukraine. Therefore, there is a real chance of nuclear war. My own guess is a 10% chance of some use of nuclear weapons and a 5% chance of a Russia nuclear attack on our homeland.
Unlike the two-week Cuban missile crisis 60 years ago, these risks remain elevated as long as this war continues, for months or years. These risks are greater than those you insure against with auto insurance or health insurance. Pay attention to them.
First, decide to survive and realize your obligation to survive. Multiple times I have described these risks to intelligent adults whose immediate and reflexive reaction is that if nuclear war occurs, they will simply die.
That defeatist thinking is stupidity of the worst kind. Each of us descends from an unbroken chain of survivors reaching back to the beginning of life. Past generations have survived wars, plagues, oppression and famine.
If, God help us, America faces its greatest test under nuclear attack, we are obligated to survive if we can. To just roll over and die when our country, our families and our friends need us would betray the entire American experiment of the founders, those who prevailed at Gettysburg, those who landed at D-Day and those who marched for a better country.
Your obligation to survive is a necessary precondition for the fulfillment of all your other obligations.
Arms control agreements have reduced the strategic arsenals of Russia and the USA more than 80% since the Cold War. A Russian first strike could attack the USA with 1,000 warheads with yields ranging from 80 to 800 kilotons. A significant part of Russia’s arsenal would target other NATO countries, including Canada, Britain and those in Europe.
A Russian first strike would target our nuclear forces, our cities, other military targets and strategic economic targets.
Likely targets in or near Wyoming are F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Cheyenne itself and more than 100 Minuteman missile silos spread across the plains east, northeast and southeast of Cheyenne, including parts of Colorado and Nebraska. The bombs hitting those missile silos will be ground bursts, producing more fallout.
Laramie is almost certainly not a target; our population is not large enough.
What will kill us in Laramie, if we are not aware and prepared, is nuclear fallout from those many bombs landing 50 to 100 miles east, or fallout from the bombing of further away cities such as Denver, Salt Lake City or Portland. Fallout is deadly in the first hours, can kill you with accumulated dosage in the first week, and is at unhealthy levels requiring precautions for a considerable time after that.
In Laramie and most of Wyoming, fallout is the only direct effect of nuclear war that can kill us. If there is a nuclear attack, stay inside and seal yourself off from outside air, ideally for two weeks.
However, depending on the number of people and the size of your space, carbon dioxide accumulation after several days may require you to exchange air with the outside. I bought duct tape, plastic sheeting and a couple of furnace filters, among other supplies.
Some fallout radiation, such as gamma rays, can penetrate the walls of your home. Improvised shielding helps. I will pile boxes of books and cases of water on and around a sturdy table to attenuate the exposure for two people under it. If your home has a basement, that is a better place to shelter than higher up.
If you are unlucky enough to be in an area that is attacked, an 800-kiloton air burst will collapse many buildings out to a 4-mile radius and produce third-degree burns if you are in the open out to a 7-mile radius. If you receive any attack warning, best to be inside away from windows and with window blinds closed. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/surviving-nuclear-war/article_8bca0ec1-be45-5154-ba35-eba6f38c1d8c.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:53Z |
Damien, 16, is a caring child worth knowing. Anything tech-related is right up his alley, and he loves figuring things out on a computer.
Damien has fun playing with RC cars and spending time on his iPad. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman are all well-liked characters. Black is his favorite color, and he never tires of eating chicken with ranch dressing. He likes McDonald’s when in the mood for a quick meal.
When he needs to get some movement in his routine, Damien appreciates meandering about on his scooter. He is sure to be up for any outing that ends in a visit to his favorite local arcade. After a long day, Damien enjoys watching cartoons. Flying would be the only superpower that he would want. Damien enjoys spending time with peers.
This 10th grader is doing well in school. One of his goals is to graduate from high school.
Damien would do best in a family in which he is the only child in the home; however, his caseworker will consider all family types. Financial assistance may be available for adoption-related services. Damien lives in Nevada. Child ID: 209279
Child profiles are provided by Raise the Future at www.raisethefuture.org. For more information about waiting children, contact Raise the Future at 800-451-5246.
An approved adoption home study is required to be considered for placement of a child. Children can be placed across state lines, so Wyoming families are encouraged to inquire, regardless of the child’s current state of residence.
For information about becoming an adoptive parent, contact Wyoming Children’s Society at 307-632-7619 or visit www.wyomingcs.org. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/a_child_waits/a-child-waits-5-7-22/article_48e8f3ec-1240-5933-9375-323b200ca589.html | 2022-05-07T13:00:59Z |
CHEYENNE – A small crowd gathered in the Cheyenne Depot Plaza on Friday afternoon in front of the long-awaited presence of a professional stage at the plaza’s center.
Food trucks and tents lined the perimeter and mimicked a scene that will come to look very familiar, though more enthusiastically congested, come June 3. That is when the 2022 Fridays on the Plaza concert series will be launched.
Jason Sanchez, deputy director of Community Recreation and Events for the city of Cheyenne, took the stage to announce the lineup of artists.
“We’re bringing bands that are from all across the country, bands that are from Wyoming and some that are from Cheyenne,” Sanchez said in his introduction. “I think we hit the nail on the head. We built a lineup that is so diverse that you will have a week where I guarantee you’re gonna want to come and check it out.”
After rousing those who gathered to hear the news, he stepped aside and let a brief extraterrestrial-themed video delivered the lineup of artists who are to take the stage over the course of this summer.
The lineup
The performers are:
June 3: Jalan Crossland with The Low Road
June 10: Flatfoot 56 with The Byrne Brothers
June 17: Dragondeer with Motherfolk
July 1: Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts with Extra Cold
July 8: Ayron Jones with The Catcalls
July 15: Mystery Skulls with Sensei
July 16: Twista with Petey Pablo & DJ Sammy G
July 22: The Josephenes with Jimmy Keith & Freeway Soul
July 27: Boogie Machine with Mike Morris
July 29: Nappy Roots with Real Deal Music
Aug. 5: Kash’d Out with Josh Gonzales
Aug. 12: Rozzi with Holdfast
Aug. 19: Jeremiah Tall with Dirty Grass Players
Aug. 26: Jocelyn & Chris with The Patti Fiasco
Most of these Friday concerts begin with opening performances at 5:30 p.m. The headliners will take the stage at 7:30 p.m.
Other days
Two of the dates are not scheduled on a Friday.
July 16 and July 27 are both a part of what Cheyenne Presents refers to as Fridays Extended.
The July 16 show will begin at 7 p.m., with Twista performing at 8 p.m. On July 27, the concert will begin at noon.
Five of the featured artists are Wyoming natives: Jalan Crossland, Jimmy Keith & the Freeway Band, The Patti Fiasco and Josh Gonzales, the latter three of whom are from Cheyenne.
The lineup is fairly diverse. Out of 30 artists, there’s a balanced mix of country, pop, alternative, rock, rap and jam bands genres.
Nappy Roots, Twista and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are some of the most prominent acts to be featured.
“A lot of folks see our creative team building all the ads, our marketing team will do all the booking, and then our tech team puts it all together the day of the show,” Sanchez said after the announcement.
“It’s a big team effort, and we love doing it. It’s one of the best community events that we have. I think everyone looks forward to it.”
There also is a good concentration of Denver and northern Colorado-based bands. Among them are Dragondeer, Ryan Chrys & the Rough Cuts, The Catcalls, Extra Gold, Boogie Machine and Holdfast.
Other groups come from all around the country.
Dirty Grass Players hail from Baltimore with a brand of bluegrass music. The Josephenes are a rock/country outfit from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Ayron Jones is a genre bending artist from Seattle, and Kash’d out is a reggae/rock fusion band traveling all the way from Orlando.
Fridays on the Plaza is a free concert event. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/diverse-lineup-announced-for-2022-fridays-on-the-plaza-concert-series/article_51dbae9d-28b8-5ec2-9a82-ac70b736c980.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:05Z |
Triumph High announces third-quarter honor roll students May 7, 2022 1 hr ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save CHEYENNE – The following students from Cheyenne's Triumph High School made the honor roll for the third quarter of the 2021-22 school year:High HonorsSummer Kinney-Mojanovski, Zachary Koonce, Rylee Nielsen, Crystal Pountney, Haven Primus, Emily Seward, Danielle Spangler, Emily Torres, Eva Torres, Lauren WillisHonorsRiley-Jayne Anderson, Makenzie-Lynn Barber, Felix Calderon, Brady Davis, Evelyn Eversull, Faith Giroux, Ryan Harris, McKenna Herrera, Christina Liggett, Kylee Lords, Lia Lovering, Brody Maas, Julianna Marquez, Mia Mason, Tracy Matier, LaNaya McDonald, Ajalei Peebles, Ramsey Sanchez, Kaylee Seward, J’Aimee Smith, Giovanna Spezzano, Jaelyn Tafoya, Alicen ThomasHonorable MentionMatthew Andera, Beau Austin, Jereny Barnett, Baylee Baur, Zowie Brown, Dreahdyn Brownson, Colten Christopherson, Shondra Derby, Avery Dunn, Jasmine Frazier, Camren Galvan, Angelina Harrison, Alexyss Ingleby, Michael Jack, Tianna Johnson-Apodaca, Theo Koonce, Curtis Martinez, Dominic Martinez, Nevaeh Martinez, Bryelle Matthews, Emelia Mofield, Aislin Noland, Cody Oaks, Julissa Portillo-Ibanez, Billy Scharf, Shawnee Smith, Dajha Stratton Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Tags Triumph High School Honor Roll 2021-22 School Year Local Briefs Recommended for you Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Trending Now Married LCSD1 assistant superintendent and principal resign Wyoming Supreme Court rules traffic stop unconstitutional Pine Bluffs wood artist to be featured in the Smithsonian Trump to hold Casper rally May 28 to support Hageman Union Pacific donating several locomotives, passenger cars to Illinois museum Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. 2022 Wyoming Legislature Updates Sign up to receive daily headlines on the 2022 Wyoming Legislature session. News Updates Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Laramie Boomerang Want to keep updated on news headlines? Sign up today! News Updates - Rawlins Times Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Wyoming Business Report Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! You must select at least one email list. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up Manage your lists | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/in_our_schools/triumph-high-announces-third-quarter-honor-roll-students/article_e4ff3444-cd50-5f7a-9a8a-7cda5bb4da4d.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:11Z |
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I was excited to see her. I passed through the double doors, down the hall and into the dining room. I knew lunch should be almost done, so it would be a great time to have a nice visit.
Tiny and frail, she was sitting at a table in the middle of the room – alone. I walked up to her, smiled and said, “Hi, did I miss lunch?”
I knew it would be a surprise, not because I hadn’t told her I was coming, but because her memory could only hold thoughts for about 10 minutes before they disappeared.
Since she moved into the assisted-living facility, I had traveled six hours from my home to visit her every chance I could. Every time, I told her when I would be there. Every time, when she saw me, she would clap her hands, unfold a full-face smile and react as if I was the biggest surprise she had ever received.
This time was different. She looked up from her plate with no excitement or surprise. Confusion crinkled her face as she raised her hand and used her pointed index finger to paint a circle in the air around my face. This emphasized the comment she was about to crush into my heart.
“I think I know you, but I don’t know your name.”
I knew this day was coming. The day that dementia would win. The day she would no longer know me.
It was her finger in my face that flashed my memories. The memories of a mom who would shake her finger with a strong, “no, no, no” when I toddled over to touch something breakable or dangerous. The finger that she raised in my face when at 13 when I whined and complained that I wanted to be older and do the fun things my siblings could do.
Her finger shook in my face as she told me to never wish my life away – it would pass way too quickly on its own. It was the finger that tickled the tummies of my babies and tapped the noses of her great-grandchildren. It was the finger that adjusted the oxygen machine levels for my dad as he was dying.
It was the finger that always added power to her lectures that began with, “Let me tell you something,” and ended with a profound proclamation of her opinion about life. It was the finger that pointed to her entire family as she aged, reminding us that we were not the boss of her.
I froze. I couldn’t breathe. The painful crack caused by watching the mom I knew disappear broke deeper through my heart. I reached for her finger, folding it in so that our hands clasped together.
She was always proud of her hands. She informed everyone that her doctor said she has very young hands – much younger than the almost 90 years old that she was. Her nails were always manicured, and the rings she was so proud of sparkled on her delicate fingers.
I helped her stand and told her I would walk to her apartment with her. The lump in my throat was thick with fear. I wondered if she was gone forever. If I would always be a stranger, a visitor that occasionally stopped by.
I chatted about the weather and how good she looked, while arm-in-arm we walked the hallway to her apartment. She sat in her chair by the window. The topic changed to her bird feeder, and the number, color and size of the birds visiting her that day.
An hour had passed when she looked away from the birds and matched her eyes with mine. Her blank stare turned to a smile, she clapped her hands and her eyes twinkled as she said, “I’m so happy you are here!”
I hugged her, burying my tears in the shoulder of her shirt and told her I was happy, too. In that second, my mom was back. She knew me!
The month of May brings Mother’s Day, her birthday and a lifetime of memories. I can still see her hands as she raised that finger to my face and reminded me to not wish my life away. In my heart, I always wished her life would last forever.
I will honor her wishes and do the best I can to enjoy life, not rush time, and I will forever be happy that she was here.
Pennie’s Life Lesson: Hold your mom’s hand – there will come a time when you can’t. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/hunt-i-am-happy-she-was-here/article_595c78f3-74a1-58a8-bd51-4eecee97aeec.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:24Z |
Arbor Day was started in the USA in Nebraska in 1872 with the planting of an estimated 1 million trees. History has reported that Cheyenne planted 12 trees a decade after its founding. Today, we have more than 250,000 trees due to our forefathers’ efforts and the current efforts of our Urban Forestry Division.
I was invited to Romero Park on April 29 to join Goins Elementary third-grade classes to learn about trees and to plant four new ones in the park. Mark Ellison, our city forester, and his team does such a good job of teaching the kids the value of an urban forest. They showed off the fun tools they use to manage our trees. We have celebrated Arbor Day in Cheyenne now for 140 years. I think the mature trees we have inherited really make a difference in the beauty of our city.
Darlene Kinnison worked in our building department and was a part of our city team for over 15 years. She retired at the end of April, and I enjoyed the opportunity to eat some Italian wedding cake with her and wish her well in retirement. It is sad to see folks leave, but I am happy that their hard work has gotten them to the point where they can leave and enjoy their life. Thanks, Darlene.
Our city transit department has been looking for a new home for a few years now. Last month, we finally closed on a new home for the crew, with the new location to be on Westland Road. This will move the buses out of downtown and help prepare the transit system for the post-COVID world. Our Metropolitan Planning Organization is working on a transit plan to upgrade how we route buses. We should see the plan in late fall. With our economy moving like it is, public transportation is vital for helping many get to work, shop and attend medical appointments.
Judy and I traveled to Salt Lake City for the weekend to visit our oldest son, Sean, and his girlfriend, Kaili. It has been too many months since we had a chance to see them, and it was a blast. We got to see an exhibit on the Sistine Chapel. It is so interesting to learn how the ceiling was painted and to see the amazing artistry of Michelangelo. Those of you who are parents know how much these trips mean to us. Thankful for good roads and weather.
We have a new restaurant coming to our airport. Billy Jack’s Pizza Pub is opening two new Cheyenne locations very soon. I met with the management team to discuss how they should handle the liquor part of the business until the new liquor license approved by the Legislature becomes available in July. I did not want them to overpay for such a short time frame. It was a good discussion, and I am sure they will be an asset to our community.
Chris Brown is the executive director of the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association. I served on one of Chris’ boards and love the guy. We met so I could ask for his advice on how to proceed in our mission to change the state law on the availability of retail liquor licenses. Chris represents many members who own these licenses, and I thought his advice would be valuable. That proved to be right. We have lots of work to do, and I look forward to working with Chris in the process.
I received a request for a meeting from Theodore Hanlon to discuss the Belvoir Ranch. His daughter, Lindsey, is a friend, so I said yes. Happy that I did. Ted has a passion to see the ranch get open for public use, starting with a trail system. I shared with him all the work we have done, and now we have a new partner. He volunteered to design a drinking water system that will remove the potential of trichloroethylene (TCE), help find and write grants, and to do anything else they can to make our dream come true. It is another example of the amazing volunteerism here in the Capital City.
Tourism is our number two industry in Wyoming. Governor Gordon hosted many of the state partners in the Capitol to share the importance and sign a proclamation declaring National Travel and Tourism Week. I learned the travel industry in Wyoming is the state’s largest private sector employer, with an estimated 31,000 employees. We had 8.1 million overnight visitors who spent $4.1 billion. I was also impressed that Laramie County is number three in overnight stays, just behind Park County. I am not sure we will ever catch Teton County, but Visit Cheyenne is trying. I love the partnerships we have in Laramie County.
I have been in the bicycle business for 40 years now. I was invited to Cole Elementary to help with a National Bike to School Day event. As part of the event, Safe Kids brought helmets donated by Bell to give to the kids. I was in my element. The kids were beautiful, and I enjoyed fitting them for their new helmets. We had lots of smiles, and we posed for lots of pictures. What a great program. The kids learn bike safety and then have a fun event.
We have a Community Development Block Grant office that is charged with taking federal dollars and finding great ways to invest them to help the underprivileged in our community. As part of the services they provide, upgrading homes to help residents stay in them is an important part. The question is what happens when the residents die or leave the home with an outstanding mortgage. This recently happened, and again a member of our community came forward to help educate me on what options we have and how to help keep these homes in the affordable housing arena. I so appreciate Rick taking the time to help the city going forward.
The Wyoming Mortgage Lender’s Association is holding their annual conference here in Cheyenne this week. I was honored to welcome them to our city and wish them a successful conference. These conferences fill our hotels and restaurants, and really move the needle in our economy. The housing market is a big part of our local gross domestic product (GDP), and I know houses don’t get sold without the mortgage industry. It is nice to have them in town.
I presented the mayor’s budget on Wednesday to the City Council. Our general fund revenue and expenses are projected to be $59,636,705 for the 2023 fiscal year. This is an increase of $5,743,486 from last year’s budget. Our top revenue sources are sales taxes (36.9%), property taxes (11.3%), gas and electric franchise fees (8.6%) and state distribution (7.6%). Our top expenses are payroll and benefits (73.4%), vehicle parts and fuel (4%), light fuel and power (3.9%) and outside agencies we support (3.7%).
I find a couple of things interesting in our budget. For every $1,000 a person spends on taxable items, the city gets $7.71 into our general fund. It takes almost $1.5 billion in taxable sales to pay just our 91 firefighters for a year. On the average $400,000 home, the city gets $304 into our general fund from property taxes a year. It would take 37,963 average single-family homes to pay our 91 firefighters for a year. That is more homes than our city has ... sigh!!
Wishing all the moms in our city a Happy Mother’s Day. You are loved and appreciated. Miss you, Mom!
If you have a question for me, send it to media@cheyennecity.org. I’ll continue to answer them in my future Mayor’s Minute columns. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/mayor-s-minute-moving-ahead-on-liquor-licenses-belvoir-ranch-access/article_804e77e7-dca7-588a-bd0b-3e6454e277fd.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:30Z |
There are woodhouse’s toads, pelicans, mule deer and golden eagles. Those are four wildlife species that call Guernsey State Park home.
Just how many other critters share that home is uncertain, but a better idea will be determined after this year’s bioblitz held June 10-12. It is hosted by the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute, Audubon Rockies and The Nature Conservancy.
Dorothy Tuthill, assistant director of the Biodiversity Institute, said a bioblitz involves searching and recording all the plants, animals and insects in a specific area during a 24-hour period.
“This is a very fun event for those who enjoy the outdoors,” Tuthill said. “It’s great to spend a weekend with other like-minded people while discovering the natural world.”
Guernsey State Park provides a unique site with habitats ranging from ponderosa pine and juniper trees to sagebrush prairie. Fire scorched about 2,800 acres in the park in 2015, so participants can document how that area has recovered.
The reservoir itself is not a particularly diverse biome since it is drained every summer during the annual silt run to benefit downstream irrigators. Tuthill said the bulk of the aquatic sampling will be in creeks that flow in the park rather than in the reservoir.
Jacelyn Downey, education programs manager for Audubon Rockies, described a bioblitz in an Audubon video of the 2019 event held at Bear River State Park in southwest Wyoming.
“A bioblitz is when you get together a bunch of professionals and researchers and encourage the public to join them,” Downey says. “They show what they do and welcome participants to lend a hand in collecting data.”
Presentations and workshops kick of the 2022 event June 10. Tuthill said there are three workshops available that afternoon:
An insect identification workshop lead by University of Wyoming entomologists.
A plant identification session lead by staff from the Rocky Mountain Herbarium at UW.
A session on nature journaling lead by members of the Wyoming Naturalist program.
“There will also be activities for young participants through the afternoon,” Tuthill said. “Among those activities, the Wyoming State Museum staff will bring museum mammal specimens to show the kids.”
The next day, participants join biologists, botanists and other environmental professionals to perform a wide range of surveys on birds, insects and plants in all the varied habitats of Guernsey State Park.
Tuthill said the goal is to “record every living thing that can possibly be found.”
Evening activities, in addition to gathering around the campfire, include a night hike Friday and then a moth survey and even some star-gazing Saturday if the clouds stay at bay. On Sunday, the final activity is to plant trees as a service project for the state park.
Registration is required and will close a few weeks before the event. It’s limited to 100 participants. Cost for the weekend is $20 per person. The fee covers camping, a group barbeque one night, s’mores around the campfire, one breakfast and an ice cream social. Other meals are the responsibility of the participant.
On-site tent and RV camping is available at no additional cost thanks to Wyoming State Parks. Participants need to bring their own gear and reserve a campsite ahead of time to ensure there is space available. Call Park Superintendent Chris Delay at 307-836-2334 to make a reservation. Use of an electric site requires a $10 per day fee.
Teachers can earn Professional Standards Teaching Board credits and take the knowledge they gain at the event back to the classroom. Information to sign up for the credit and for everyone to register can be found at the UW Biodiversity website at wyobiodiversity.org.
Those unable to attend are encouraged to take part in a virtual bioblitz July 15-18. This virtual version involves documenting flora and fauna at any location in Wyoming and reporting the findings on the iNaturalist website or cellphone app.
“We welcome all ages from birth to death to the bioblitz,” Tuthill said. “It is very suitable for families with children, but also for those without kids who are just curious and want to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/annual-bioblitz-promises-wild-time-for-all/article_75f17422-f9d9-5933-9435-d62c504dbef4.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:36Z |
SHERIDAN — The Bighorn National Forest will soon act on dispersed camping solutions brought forward two years ago by the Big Horn Mountain Coalition Dispersed Camping Task Force.
The suggestions — which range from requiring a dispersed camping sticker for campers to implementing a year-round 14-day stay limit — are all intended to address some common issues with dispersed camping, or camping outside of a designated campground, said Bighorn National Forest recreation staff officer Andrea Maichak.
These issues include overcrowding and lack of availability of campsites in popular areas, Maichak said, and have gotten worse in recent years.
“I had a chance to work for the forest in 2005 as a dispersed recreation and (off-highway vehicle) technician,” Maichak said. “I can share with you that in 2005, dispersed recreation was a concern for the forest and the public as well. And I know since 2005, that concern has continued to grow.”
Currently, the forest requires campers to move at least 5 miles after 14 days in one location. However, many campers, trailers and recreational vehicles are left on the mountain unoccupied for much longer than 14 days, which can cause frustration for other recreationists who are following the rules and seeking a new place to camp every 14 days.
One potential solution forwarded by the task force is the implementation of a yearly sticker all dispersed campers would have to purchase, Maichak said.
Andrew Johnson, Bighorn National Forest supervisor, said the sticker would make it much easier to contact users who are violating the forest’s 14-day rule.
“If we’re selling those stickers, we have those peoples’ names and addresses and phone numbers (and)…that will all be retained in a secure database….” Johnson said. “The key is that we know who they are. So when we see a sticker, it’s easy for employees in the field to contact our district offices and find out who has a certain sticker number.”
The sticker would have other values outside of dispersed camping enforcement too, Maichak said.
“Last year, when the fires started, we were really scrambling to move the campers away from… the closure areas,” Maichak said. “So… it would be much easier for us to contact the owners of the campers if we had special numbers associated with each sticker.”
In addition, the forest is considering extending the 14-day stay order throughout the year. Currently, the order extends from June 1 through Sept. 30, and campers can stay in one place for as long as they want outside of those four months, Maichak said.
Bighorn National Forest is currently the only national forest without year-round limits on dispersed camping, Maichak said.
Another proposed change would clarify how far a camper would need to travel when moving after a 14-day stay, Maichak said. The current rule is they must travel 5 “air miles” or the distance measured by traveling in the air. Maichak admitted this guidance was confusing for drivers.
“We recognize that air miles are very difficult to determine when you’re actually on the ground camping,” Maichak said. “…One of the recommendations the task force had was changing it to road miles. That way you can get in your vehicle, look at the odometer and determine how far you need to go before you can camp again.”
All potential changes will be open to public comment before being implemented, Tongue District Ranger Amy Ormseth said. Ormseth expects the public comment process to begin this summer, but a specific timeline and plan has not been determined at this point.
“I want to make sure people have their voices in the room,” Ormseth said. “Obviously, we know this could be a contentious issue with some folks, and I want to make sure people feel like they have an opportunity to voice their concerns.”
All the suggestions currently being considered were brought to forest staff nearly two years ago by members of the Big Horn Mountain Coalition Dispersed Camping Task Force, comprising concerned citizens from Sheridan, Johnson, Big Horn and Washakie counties. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/bighorn-forest-examines-stickers-to-solve-camping-issues/article_b338ab9a-0b7a-5228-a2ad-77ad01eaf9f6.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:42Z |
CHEYENNE – The Laramie County District Attorney has formally objected to a disciplinary panel’s recommendation to the Wyoming Supreme Court that she be disbarred. She argued that, except in one instance, the panel did not have the “clear and convincing evidence” required to show she violated professional conduct rules for attorneys in the state.
In a document filed with the state’s high court Tuesday, DA Leigh Anne Manlove and her attorney, Stephen Melchior, asserted that, even if the court did decide she violated rules, appropriate sanctions under American Bar Association standards would be things like “private reprimand” and “public censure.” Manlove rejected an argument that disbarment would not remove her from her elected position as DA, calling it “illogical.”
“Suspending or revoking the (Laramie County District Attorney’s) license to practice law while they are in office would effectively remove them from their elected position by disabling their legal authority to act as the (district attorney),” the response said.
The state Supreme Court oversees the Wyoming State Bar and its Board of Professional Responsibility, from which a three-person disciplinary hearing panel was chosen. The BPR is the hearing body for attorney discipline in the state.
The court will ultimately decide what consequences Manlove will face. This process may take several months.
Bar Counsel Mark Gifford declined to comment on Manlove’s response.
Formal charges filed by the Office of Bar Counsel last year with the State Bar alleged Manlove had mishandled the prosecution of cases and inappropriately dismissed certain cases, and that she created a hostile work environment.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, the panel announced Feb. 11 that it would recommend Manlove be disbarred, or lose her ability to practice law in Wyoming, for violating six rules of professional conduct. It filed its formal recommendation with the Supreme Court on March 11.
These rules were found to be: Rule 1.1, duty of competence; 1.3, duty of diligence; 3.3(a), duty of candor to the tribunal; 3.4©, duty to follow rules of the tribunal; 8.1(a), material false statements in a disciplinary proceeding; and 8.4(d), which says, “It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.”
The report also recommended Manlove be required to pay an administrative fee of $3,000.
In her response, Manlove rebuked the choice by the BPR and Office of Bar Counsel to hold the eight-day hearing at “the lovely and luxurious” Little America Hotel & Resort in Cheyenne, accusing the BPR and OBC of “sparing no expense” on meals and beverages.
“The Office of Bar Counsel’s willingness to expend (State Bar) resources in this way is outrageous, and no doubt done with full confidence and expectation that Manlove would be reimbursing (the Bar) in the end,” the response said.
The state Supreme Court has discretion over whether Manlove is responsible for reimbursing the Bar more than $91,000 in total for costs associated with the hearing and investigation.
The largest portion by far was $64,635.75 for lodging, meals, meeting space and use of audio/visual equipment. The Wyoming Room, the ballroom in which the disciplinary hearing was held, cost $1,200 each day – except for the two Fridays the ballroom was used, when the price increased to $2,600.
Manlove noted the “extraordinary” toll the almost year-and-a-half proceedings took on her life, and that the more than $91,000 requested for reimbursement doesn’t include more than a year of legal defense fees and costs.
Disregard of witnesses
Manlove also said the BPR panel “markedly discounted the testimony of Manlove and her witnesses,” and “gave full credence to to (Special Bar Counsel Weston W. Reeves’) witnesses but expressed distrust of Manlove and her legal assistant, Lisa Riggs.”
The DA rejected the panel finding she was “combative” and “defiant” during the hearing, as Manlove had been “under attack for more than a year by the time the hearing took place and was there to defend herself,” the response said.
Manlove added that she had taken responsibility, long before any formal charges, for failing to produce evidence in a timely manner in a 2019 case involving the defendant Rodney Law. She said this is the only allegation for which the panel has clear and convincing evidence.
“Manlove also apologized and took responsibility for her perceived harsh treatment of certain employees,” the response said.
She also reiterated arguments made in previous responses and during the hearing that she did not act improperly in her attempts to deal with proposed budget cuts by the state, or in her discretion to fire or hire certain attorneys and other staff members at the beginning of her tenure.She also asserted thatThe DA said there was no evidence to support the assertion that she’d directed cases to be dismissed because she wasn’t prepared to go to trial.
The panel discounted testimony by employees who did not support the allegation that Manlove fostered a chaotic or toxic work environment, the response said, while finding testimony that supported that allegation credible.
Contemporaneous notes by former office manager Amanda Santee were “improperly admitted,” following an objection by Melchior, Manlove’s attorney, that they only consisted of hearsay statements, according to the response.Manlove reiterated an assertion she testified to, that “she has multiple reasons to believe she is/has been the target of person animus of Mark Gifford, Bar Counsel.”
Contrary to the panel’s findings, there was “ample testimony” that a former deputy DA, Caitlin Harper, “had an interest in seeing Ms. Manlove removed from office” so she herself could take the position. Harper was the only person who spoke to a few Laramie County judges about alleged dysfunction in the DA’s office, save for a comment by former attorney Cameron Geeting that the office was “hostile and not working for me,” according to the response.
Gifford then seemed to solicit the assistance of Harper and other either former or soon-to-be-former employees to gather information on Manlove.
Manlove wrote that, rather than bring concerns she’d heard from Harper to her directly, Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers and other judges decided to write a letter to Gifford. He used the letter, “prepared (by the seven Laramie County judges) with the encouragement and guidance of Mr. Gifford” as the basis of a petition filed a day after with the Supreme Court to immediately suspend Manlove, the response said. The court denied that petition. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/da-manlove-objects-to-disbarment-recommendation/article_06823e83-ddc3-53e5-bba0-9cc43ec3844d.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:48Z |
CODY — For two decades, Wyoming’s wolf population has been above the minimum population number to be considered a recovered species.
Wyoming Game and Fish recently released its annual report on the population of wolves in and around Yellowstone National Park.
According to the report, at the end of 2021, the gray wolf population in Wyoming remained above minimum recovery criteria, making 2021the 20th consecutive year Wyoming has exceeded the numerical, distributional and temporal recovery criteria established for wolves by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
At least 314 wolves in more than 40 packs (including more than 23 breeding pairs) inhabited Wyoming statewide on Dec. 31. Of the total, there were more than 161 wolves and more than 24 packs (including more than 14 breeding pairs) in the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area, which includes the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem outside of the national parks.
There were 97 wolves and more than eight packs (including six-plus breeding pairs) in Yellowstone National Park; more than 17 wolves and more than three packs (including two-plus breeding pairs) in the Wind River Reservation; and more than 39 wolves and at least five packs (including one-plus breeding pair) resided in areas where wolves are designated primarily as predatory animals in Wyoming.
A total of 107 wolf mortalities were documented statewide in Wyoming in 2021: 62 in the WTGMA, 38 in areas where wolves are primarily designated as predatory animals, six in Yellowstone, and one in the Wind River Reservation. Humans caused 84% of wolf deaths, 13% were attributed to natural causes and 3% unknown.
Fifty-six wolves were captured and radio-collared for monitoring and research in 2021.
In 2021, G&F implemented a wolf hunting season with the biological objective to stabilize the wolf population at approximately 160 wolves in the WTGMA.
A mortality limit of 47 wolves was divided between 13 hunt areas in the WTGMA and one hunt area in the Seasonal WTGMA (hunt area 12). Wolf hunting seasons were open Sept. 15-Dec. 31, with the exception of hunt area 12 (opened on Oct. 15) and hunt area 13 (closed March 31). The hunting season for each hunt area closed at the season’s end date or when the mortality limit in the hunt area was met, whichever occurred first.
A total of 30 wolves were killed during the 2021 wolf hunting season. In addition, the 2020 wolf hunting season was extended from Jan. 1-March 31 in hunt area 13, during which two wolves were taken.
Wolves were confirmed to have killed or injured 109 head of livestock (50 cattle, 53 sheep, five livestock-guarding dogs, and one horse) statewide in 2021.
Wolf-livestock conflicts in the WTGMA were the lowest recorded since 2010, while conflicts in the seasonal WTGMA and year-round predatory animal area increased.
Thirty-two wolves were lethally and legally removed by agencies or the public in an effort to reduce livestock losses (17 in the WTGMA, 15 in predatory animal areas in the state). | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/game-and-fish-wolves-remain-recovered-species/article_93dbfca9-8c57-52f3-bfd4-e0d2ae37edc8.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:51Z |
The Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee spent almost half of its two-day meeting in Lander last week discussing whether Wyoming’s private-trust and limited-liability-company laws are prone to abuse by bad actors — tax evasion, tax avoidance, money laundering, shielding assets from creditors and law-enforcement etc. Most — but not all — of the expert witnesses objected to that idea, telling lawmakers that Wyoming is neither a tax haven nor a harbor for illegal activity. One expert offered sharply different testimony.
“It’s apparent we have two widely different thoughts here,” Committee Chairman
Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander) said during the meeting.
Legislative leadership assigned the topic following scathing reports in the Washington Post and elsewhere. But despite the international spotlight and the lengthy discussion, the committee adjourned without giving legislative staff instructions for further action on the topic, such as research or bill drafting. Case told WyoFile, “[I] definitely don’t think we are finished with this.”
Private trusts and LLCs are both legal entities that can be used to protect and manage assets. In Wyoming, in particular, both entities — either separately, or in combination with one another — can provide a high degree, if not complete, anonymity to involved parties thanks to little regulation and strong privacy laws.
Proponents describe the status quo as a strength that, when combined with Wyoming’s lack of an income tax, makes the state an attractive jurisdiction in which to house and protect wealth. Detractors say it is indeed attractive, though not to the right people, and provides little to no benefit to Wyoming residents that are not employed in the industry.
Independent of the moral hazard question Case said Wyoming’s trusts and LLCs are potentially an untapped revenue stream at a critical time for the state, hence his request for the topic and its assignment to the committee responsible for figuring out how to fund state government.
Trust companies in Wyoming hold at least $31.5 billion worth of assets in trusts — close to the GDP for the entire state.
Wyoming provides the legal structure but may not be getting a fair return, according to Case. Because the topic is extraordinarily complex, Case said it was important for the committee to begin its work with a “primer.”
Attorney Chris Reimer was the first of about a half-a-dozen local experts to walk the revenue committee through the ins and outs of Wyoming’s statutes on April 28. This was far from Reimer’s first experience with the Legislature. He had helped to draft and revise the very laws at the center of the discussion, he said.
As a partner with Long Reimer Winegar Beppler LLP, his practice includes setting up and administering private trust companies, “usually for out-of-state and international clients,” according to the firm’s website.
Aside from legal explanation, Reimer spent much of his time in front of the committee criticizing the work of the Washington Post and objecting to the idea that Wyoming may be enabling criminal activity. That was echoed by several others, including Scott Weaver and Betty Andrikopoulos of the Wyoming Trust Association.
Reimer did not completely deny the presence of criminal activity, though he characterized it as a thing of the past. For instance, Reimer brought up concerns about registered agents, who act as a representative for a company.
LLC filings are typically public record. The identities of the LLC’s members, however, can be kept private if a business formation company is hired to act as a registered agent. Wyoming does not require any training for these individuals, such as how to vet a company before representing them — a process which is not required by Wyoming law.
It’s also not uncommon for registered agents to know very little about the companies they represent, according to the Washington Post, which also linked several registered agents in Wyoming to companies facing accusations of wrongdoing in international court cases.
The Sheridan Press reported on the potential unintended consequences of the secrecy afforded by using a registered agent.
Reimer, however, said the potential for illegitimate businesses hiding behind a registered agent in order to disguise shady operations has been voided by the federal Corporate Transparency Act which was enacted in January 2021, but hasn’t yet fully gone into effect.
“The most important thing to take away from this is that a so-called secret shell company … that is a thing of the past,” Reimer said. “It is over.”
The CTA will require some legal entities to report certain basic information about themselves, their beneficial owners and who is authorized to act on their behalf. The data collection has begun but it has yet to be determined who will have access to that information.
The CTA’s unhurried rollout is a problem, according to Ryan Gurule. He’s policy director for the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition, a non-partisan group based in D.C. working to end the use of anonymous shell companies as vehicles for illicit activity, among other things.
“Wyoming has attracted and protected capital from people who threaten our national security, and undermine the stability of our financial and main street markets, including by using complex structures to avoid taxes, launder ill-gotten monies and hide assets,” Gurule told the committee, pointing to Igor Makrov, a Russian oligarch.
“He protects portions of his immense fortune via a Wyoming trust, managed by an unregulated Wyoming private trust company,” Gurule noted, as reported by the Washington Post.
That was of particular concern for Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson). He repeatedly raised questions about foreign nationals using Wyoming’s legal framework to hide assets from their home countries.
“Wyoming is not in a position to regulate Russian oligarchs,” Lucas Buckley, an attorney with Hathaway and Kunz, told the committee. Buckley’s firm offers commercial registered agent services, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Rep. Pat Sweeney (R-Casper) was more concerned with how recent reports painted Wyoming’s reputation, which he felt were unfair.
“We’re being painted with this broad brush. Basically we’re a bunch of hicks out here and we don’t know what we are doing, which I totally, fundamentally disagree with,” Sweeney said. He then asked Chris Reimer what should be done, if anything.
“From where I sit and practice, there’s no law regarding information of entities or private trust companies or trusts that needs to be implemented in Wyoming,” Reimer said.
His peers in the Wyoming Trust Association also urged the committee against any kind of tax, saying it would drive the trust industry out of the state and into competing jurisdictions, like Nevada and South Dakota.
Case was not convinced. He said he continued to circle back in his mind to one question — what does Wyoming get out of this?
In terms of static assets, he said, the business is bigger than the mining industry or the oil and gas industry.
“As Wyoming changes, we’ve got to follow the money,” Case said.
“Part of my concern with the folks that testified at the hearing was that the majority of them have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo,” Jenn Lowe with the Equality State Policy Center told WyoFile.
It’s a very complex financial system, Lowe said, and the experts present contributed to good discussion. But she’s not sure where the topic goes from here since the committee did not give staff any direction.
“There’s a lot of money to be made in the trust industry, which is not a bad thing at face value, but on the other hand, I’m not sure that the folks that live here in Wyoming are seeing a return in benefit,” Lowe said.
The Joint Revenue Committee’s next meeting is in September. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/legislators-take-no-action-on-trust-llc-laws/article_fdee2e12-d2d6-5d5d-8f0a-8756c06ed134.html | 2022-05-07T13:01:57Z |
CHEYENNE — Wyoming National Guard leaders expressed concerns to state legislators Tuesday about declining candidate recruitment and retention.
Since fiscal year 2020, the Wyoming Army National Guard reported a drop from 102% to 97% in strength, and the Wyoming Air National Guard fell more than 2 percentage points in the past year. Military officials said they anticipate a continued decline in the number of members enlisted by the end of fiscal 2022, which they attribute, in part, to the negative impact of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Wyoming National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Greg Porter said this isn’t just a Wyoming issue, but rather a nationwide dilemma.
“It’s a fairly significant problem that I’m losing sleep about,” he told members of the Wyoming Legislature’s Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee.
They met Tuesday to listen to military leaders discuss one of their interim priorities, which is finding ways to provide state support for recruitment and retention. The presentation to lawmakers stated that each year, recruiters are expected to replace every outgoing soldier or airman, at a minimum. When the Guard is not already 100% staffed, replacing outgoing Guard members is just the start.
The current average annual loss rates are 10.9% for the Wyoming Air Guard and 11.9% for the Army Guard. While the Air Guard gained 169 total new accessions after losing 116 last fiscal year, the Army Guard only added 231 members after losing 259.
“It’s becoming harder and harder to recruit right now,” Porter said. “And we’re spending a lot of time, effort and energy on it.”
Although fiscal 2022 is not over, and the data cannot be drawn directly from the vaccine mandate yet, there are still associated losses. The adjutant general said at least 41 individuals opted not to join the Air Guard due to the requirement, more than 64 are seeking exemptions, and 11 were honorably discharged. The Army Guard also had 19 soldiers who did not want to join, 76 refusing who are currently members, and only 75% are fully vaccinated.
He also cited societal changes. Porter said that currently only 14% of men and around 5% of women express interest in joining the military, half of America’s parents discourage their family members from joining, and the competitive advantage of providing financial support and an education has deteriorated. Since companies such as Starbucks, Walmart and McDonald’s are in search of staff, they’re offering scholarships and encroaching on the GI Bill benefits.
Another obstacle discussed by Major Karen Hinkle was more unique to the state.
“One of the challenges in Wyoming, and particularly for the National Guard, is that our state population is very small in contrast to every other state,” she said. “And that has made it challenging for us to recruit in accordance with the model that seems to be successful in surrounding states.”
She mentioned solutions that include the fact that the single best source of new recruits is current airmen and soldiers. Wyoming Guard leadership suggested the Legislature fund a $500 bonus for Guard members that successfully refer individuals. This is based on referral incentives in Alabama and Vermont.
Options include providing a cash bonus for any referral of a new member to the Wyoming National Guard or referral of enlisted members.
The easiest plan to administer is for a financial incentive for any new member, and it is the costliest plan. The total projected cost per biennium for new member referrals would be $440,000, assuming 440 individuals signed with the Guard per year. While the projected cost per biennium for referring enlisted members would be $368,000, with an assumption of 368 accessions each year, it does not incentivize the referrals of skilled professionals.
Hinkle clarified since the estimate is $500 for each referral per year, the biennium cost would be double.
Legislators did not vote on the action to draft a bill, nor did they take public comment on the recommendation. They said they will continue to consider such recruitment and retention efforts.
“What we find more and more is the military’s becoming a family business,” Porter said. “Almost every enlistee that we have has some sort of relationship, familial relationship or friend relationship with somebody in the military. That tends to be that connection now.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/national-guard-recruitment-retention-falls/article_63d66074-f3ab-5346-9ba3-5d43a3a035e5.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:03Z |
Despite what you might have learned in high school civics, the Supreme Court really only has one role in our system of government — to uphold Roe v. Wade.
That’s the animating sentiment behind the furor over the leak of a Supreme Court opinion drafted for a majority by Justice Samuel Alito overturning the abortion decision.
Left-wing commentators have hailed the shocking leak of the opinion and said that the Court deserves to be burned down and even ended altogether for the offense of finding no constitutional warrant for one of the court’s most controversial and consequential decisions of the last half-century.
The leak, assuming it’s legitimate (there’s little reason to doubt it) and assuming it came from someone on the left of the court (which seems most likely), is a brazen breach of the Court’s rules in an attempt to sabotage its deliberations.
The Court has been one of the few institutions in our national life that has managed to maintain a measure of self-respect and integrity. Its oral arguments aren’t televised, which always tempts people to play to the cameras. The arguments are invariably civil and substantive, even if intense — in contrast to what is heard on cable news, social media, or on the floor of Congress. The Court has honored confidentiality as it considers a case and justices write and share their opinions among one another.
The leaker, whether a justice, a clerk or a staffer, clearly intended to engender a huge reaction to try to intimidate a member of the majority into changing his or her mind.
This is how hardball politics works in Congress or in the executive branch, where strategic leaks are the norm and very often no one trusts nobody. It’s completely inimical to the spirit of the Supreme Court, which is supposed to decide its cases as a strict matter of law free of political influence.
Tellingly, almost no one on the left criticized the leak. Instead, many praised it as an act of brave defiance that reflects the gravity of the moment.
The is yet another sign of the hypocrisy of all the Trump-era lectures from progressives about the importance of norms and neutrally applied rules. As soon as a Supreme Court decision might go against them, they abandon all pretense of believing any of that and attempt to bludgeon the Court into submission.
The leak, in its own way, brings home how one of the key assumptions in the Court’s abortion jurisprudence has been wrong all along. It imagined itself settling once and for all a highly contested social issue. In reality, by attempting to take the issue out of politics, it made the fight over abortion even more divisive, while making itself a political football. Now, the issue that it sought to settle has blown back on the Court, perhaps changing how it operates forever.
The leak speaks of the desperation of pro-abortion forces to preserve Roe, and its guarantee of a radically pro-abortion regime everywhere in the United States. It doesn’t matter if it requires a breach of trust at the Supreme Court — indeed, for many of them, the Court as we know isn’t worth having if it doesn’t uphold Roe.
Never mind if, as Alito’s draft opinion devastatingly demonstrates, there’s no constitutional basis for Roe whatsoever.
The leak must fail. The Supreme Court justices in the prospective majority should get 24/7 security in case the intimidation campaign reaches another level. Alito’s opinion, assuming it’s final and speaks for a majority, should be released as soon as possible — to send a message that the Court isn’t going to bend to pressure. And everything possible should be done to ferret out and punish the leaker.
The Supreme Court’s loyalty isn’t to Roe, but to the Constitution, and it can show it by issuing the Alito opinion that its critics want to foil by any means necessary. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/a-shocking-assault-on-the-supreme-court/article_512457a5-398e-5a19-9b35-4e8d981fe37e.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:09Z |
Gun ownership has always been a given in Wyoming. Both major political parties support it. Hunter safety classes are in our schools and children are raised hunting for food and recreation. Many of us have hunted and owned guns all our lives.
But there is a counterculture that has emerged that raises the hair on the back of my neck. It has nothing to do with personal protection or recreational use of guns. It is a predatory, terrorist movement that seeks to plunge us into a civil war.
The propaganda is pervasive across social media. And unfortunately, many readers are easily swayed. Words can indeed kill us, like shouting fire in a crowded theater does. It seems there is a fear-driven stampede by many to accumulate a bigger and bigger arsenal to protect us from those who are different; in other words, our neighbors and friends.
Armchair politicians may think their alarmist posts are justified, but their words often incite others to react in extreme ways. Now, many citizens think they can become vigilante law enforcers.
Threats are brazenly made on social media. Or, they prance into grocery stores, filling stations, hardware stores and other privately owned businesses armed to the teeth.
It is not personal protection; it is a cocky, arrogant challenge to everyone else. It is High Noon at OK Corral or some fantasy-driven dream of gun supremacy.
We see similar things happening in the political arena in our state.
Republicans are fighting within their party. They call moderate Republicans RINOs because they do not adhere to the extremism of others.
One Republican incumbent went after another Republican challenger in a vicious, character destroying way. It is telling that he had enough supporters to win. Another very conservative legislator who has hunted for years was demonized for drawing a reasonable line.
How can those who use such tactics call themselves decent, civilized people?
A couple of years ago, armed delegates to the Republican convention in Laramie decided to challenge the University of Wyoming’s ban on guns on campus. Another year in Gillette, some of the armed delegates had a fist fight.
We’ve seen some of the more extreme in the movement setting up a hunting camp with a confederate flag or a Nazi swastika flag flying. Or, flags with indecent language are mounted in the back of trucks or flown on poles next to homes.
Free speech seems to make them believe they are entitled to verbally assault and bully others. Sadly, many are exhibiting hate, bigotry and intolerance.
Suspicion of neighbors and fellow citizens is now rampant.
It used to be we were united against threats from outside our country. Now other citizens of being called un-American because:
• They belong to a different political party.
• They are gay.
• They are transgender.
• Their skin is not white.
How can we have a safe, functioning country in an atmosphere of intolerance where use of weapons against fellow citizens is encouraged?
The paranoia that the NRA has generated for its financial gain has simply agitated gun owners and made money for gun and ammunition manufacturers. It also has made the organization obscenely rich and corrupted.
Now we have an organization in Wyoming advocating to put free guns in the hands of citizens. Lawmakers opposing them are being verbally threatened with abusive language and possible bodily harm.
Gun ownership is not going away, but responsible gun ownership is disappearing.
Right now, free speech and gun rights are colliding as gun-toting citizens are occupying the same space, says law professor Timothy Zick. Others say it may take decades to sort out this conflict.
Meanwhile, protesters and anti-protesters are carrying guns. Law enforcement is seeing a huge increase in the numbers of weapons at protests. Free speech advocates say they are intimidated by guns or feel the need to carry to protect themselves. This dynamic is eroding our freedom to peacefully protest.
And, unfortunately, here it is giving responsible gun owners and our state a bad name.
We are not all gun toting vigilantes. But we are harboring them and extremists who want to take over our state. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/free-speech-and-gun-rights-collide-in-wyoming/article_e09406a4-c09e-5989-8c3d-1cddd624c375.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:11Z |
A leaked draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito suggests the Supreme Court is on the brink of overturning two rulings, including Roe v. Wade, that guarantee the right to abortion in the U.S.
The Supreme Court confirmed that the document, obtained and first reported on by Politico, is real, but said “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”
The opinion is due to be issued later in the year. The leaked document indicates that a conservative majority in the court is on track to end a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, opening the door for states to enact bans.
Although a seismic development in the long-running legal battle and social debate over abortion rights, the development is not entirely unexpected. In recent years, pro-abortion rights advocates have been ringing alarm bells over threats to Roe. Legal scholars, health experts and sociologists have helped explain in The Conversation U.S. what is at stake and what it would mean for American women should the historic ruling be overturned.
1. How Roe changed women’s lives
A lot has changed in the nearly 50 years that separate the constitutional enshrining of the right to abortion in the U.S. to the brink of ending that right.
Constance Shehan, a sociologist at the University of Florida, provides a snapshot of life for women prior to the landmark case. In 1970, the “average age at first marriage for women in the U.S. was just under 21. Twenty-five percent of women high school graduates aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in college and about 8 percent of adult women had completed four years of college,” she notes. But today, she says, “roughly two generations after Roe v. Wade, women are postponing marriage, marrying for the first time at about age 27 on average. Seventeen percent over age 25 have never been married. Some estimates suggest that 25 percent of today’s young adults may never marry.”
How much of this change in the experiences of American women is due to Roe? And if it is overturned, will the trends be reversed? Such questions are difficult answer. But there is evidence that carrying through with an unwanted pregnancy may have a detrimental effect on a woman’s education — and that, in turn, has an impact on career opportunities and income, writes Shehan. “Two-thirds of families started by teens are poor, and nearly 1 in 4 will depend on welfare within three years of a child’s birth. Many children will not escape this cycle of poverty. Only about two-thirds of children born to teen mothers earn a high school diploma, compared to 81 percent of their peers with older parents.”
Medical abortion isn’t the only option for young women seeking abortion. As Shehan notes: “With the availability of a greater range of contraception and abortion drugs other than medical procedures available today, along with a strong demand for women’s labor in the U.S. economy, it seems unlikely that women’s status will ever go back to where it was before 1973. But Americans shouldn’t forget the role that Roe v. Wade played in advancing the lives of women.”
2. Who might be affected?
“One important group’s voice is often absent in this heated debate: the women who choose abortion,” writes Luu D. Ireland at UMass Chan Medical School. She notes that 1 in 4 American women have the procedure at some point in their life, yet because of the perceived stigma involved, their perspective is largely missing. As an obstetrician/gynecologist, Ireland does, however, hear on a daily basis stories from women who opt for an abortion.
She notes that while abortion is a routine part of reproductive health care for many, and women of all backgrounds choose to end their pregnancies, unintended pregnancies are more common in certain groups: poorer women, women of color and those with lower levels of formal education.
“Women living in poverty have a rate of unintended pregnancy five times higher than those with middle or high incomes. Black women are twice as likely to have an unintended pregnancy as white women,” she writes.
The reason women opt to terminate a pregnancy varies. The most common reason is that the timing is wrong — it would interfere with education, careers or caring for family members. The second most cited reason is financial — the women seeking an abortion just can’t afford the associated costs of raising a child at that time. One impact of abortion restrictions, research has shown, is that women unable to get one “are more likely live in poverty or depend on cash assistance, and less likely to work full-time,” Ireland writes.
More than just financial risks
Financial problems are one result of restricting safe, available access to abortions. Another is a jump in the cases of pregnancy-related deaths. Amanda Stevenson, a sociologist at University of Colorado Boulder, looked into what would happen should the U.S. ends all abortions nationwide.
To be clear, this is not what would happen should the Supreme Court overturn Roe — rather, it would allow states to implement bans based on the ending of a constitutionally guaranteed right to abortion. Nonetheless, Stevenson’s research gives context as to risks involved for women who may find themselves in states that do not allow abortion, and who lack the means to get to a state that does.
She notes that staying pregnant actually carries a greater risk of death than having an abortion.
“Abortion is incredibly safe for pregnant people in the U.S., with 0.44 deaths per 100,000 procedures from 2013 to 2017. In contrast, 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births occurred in 2019,” she writes. Stevenson estimates that “the annual number of pregnancy-related deaths would increase by 21% overall, or 140 additional deaths, by the second year after a ban.” The jump in deaths would be even higher among non-Hispanic Black women. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/guest_column/what-s-at-stake-as-supreme-court-appears-intent-on-overturning-roe-v-wade/article_2c6ac78f-eba4-5bc2-bd8b-b898c93d548b.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:17Z |
As we are all aware, the city of Rawlins has been doing damage control on water issues that don’t seem to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon.
However, that’s not my concern today. What I am concerned about as a casual observer is the current City Council, and I will preface this by suggesting not all members on the council have this attitude, seems to be micro-managing the city manager and attempting to do the same with some staff.
First, let’s define what micro-managing is: to manage or regulate very closely, often in a manner regarded as meddlesome or counterproductive.
Some other useful points to consider is that micro-managers tend to become bogged down in the minutiae of individual project strands, losing the ability to see the bigger picture. They often believe they are the only people capable of effective decision making, and those on the receiving end find themselves having to request approval about everything, which will eventually diminish self-confidence and hinders productivity.
Micro-managers have an obsession with constant updates, which generally results in people spending more time producing updates or reports rather than focusing on what they are employed to do.
If you recall, a few months ago the discussion was about an administrative assistant because the city manager was working on average of 70 to 80 hours weekly. This also suggests employees have to justify every decision made because they are not trusted to do their jobs.
This council started off with a bang, but as it becomes more settled in I am seeing the same mindset rear its ugly head, and I have firsthand experience watching elements of council micro-managing former city managers and attempting to do the same with staff.
If anything is to be learned with this group, I hope they step back, re-evaluate their managing style allow those in their positions to do their jobs without the constant need to know what is happening.
I understand the urgency with the water issue; however, this administration and staff are working to remedy the problem. Let’s not forget decades of neglect won’t be fixed overnight, and expecting it to get accomplished in that timeframe usually creates larger problems because shortcuts are being made and the fine details are ignored, which spells disaster.
There is a fine line between the right and wrong way to manage people.
The council’s job is not to manage, but act as the legislative branch of the city government, as well as its policy-making body.
If they aren’t careful, we will see a mass exodus of good people taking their talents elsewhere because the idea of power and control has gone to some people’s heads.
Food for thought, that’s just my 2 cents.
Patrick Gonzales
Rawlins | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/opinion/letters_to_editor/let-city-employees-do-their-jobs/article_79b3bb53-f31f-59f4-8d32-c72aeb50baa6.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:23Z |
CHEYENNE — Richard Prescott finished first in the 110-meter hurdles (15.56), first in the 300 hurdles (41.54), first in triple jump (43-4.50) and second in long jump (21-2.50) to help the Cheyenne Central boys win the Wiseman Invite in Torrington on Friday.
Tristan Knueppel was first in the 1600 (4:34.97) and Shawn Basart was second (16.91). Bridger Brokaw finished first in the 3200 (9:54.78), Will Barrington was second (10:02.57) and Trevor Schmidt was third (10:43.95). Jackson Whitworth tied for second in high jump (5-8) and Omarui Mangram was second in triple jump (41-3). Auggie Lane took second in shot put (49-3.5) and Hadyn Fleming took second in discus (143-07) for the Indians, who totaled 173.50 points.
Madisyn Baillie was first in the 100 hurdles (15.63) and first in high jump (5-1) for the Central girls, who also placed first with 169.50. Averie Perriton finished second in the 300 hurdles (50.34) and tied for second in high jump (4-11). Sydney Morrell finished first in the 1600 (5:18.21) and first in the 400 (1:00.17). Kaya Pillivant was first in the 800 (2:23.18) while Katie Thomson placed first in triple jump (34-10). Karson Tempel tied for second in high jump and was third in triple jump (33-5.75).
Brinkley Lewis placed first in pole vault (10-6) and Kaylee Bell was second (10-0).
Taliah Morris finished first in 100-meter dash (12.32) and first in the 200 (25.56) for the Cheyenne East girls. Nadie Burdett was second in the 100 hurdles (16.61) and Bailey Haley was first in the 300 hurdles (49.80). Clara Kerschner took first in shot put (32-10.5) and Gracin Goff was third (32-1).
Elysiana Fonseca tied for second in high jump (4-11) with Burdett. Cayden Eicholtz tied for third in pole vault (9-6) and Ynes Ronnau was third in the 800 (2:32.39). The 4x100 team of Morris, Burdett, Haley and Bradie Schlabs timed in first (50.90) for the East girls, who were second with 126.50 points.
Marik Cummings clocked in first in the 100 (10.83) and first in the 200 (22.42) for the East boys while Jude Guevara was third in the 100 (11.22). Asher Turner finished third in the 800 (2:10.56). And Drew Jackson was second in high jump (5-8). The East boys were second with a team score of 131.
Ethan Norris finished third in the 110 hurdles (17.39) and Cody Hape tied for second in high jump (5-8) for the Burns boys, who were sixth with 43 points. Emma Gonzalez was first in the 3200 (12:25.75) for the Burns girls, who were fifth with 53 points.
Kaycia Groth was fourth in the 400 (1:04.37) for the Cheyenne South girls and Gamo Simental tied for second in high jump (5-8) and Paxton Piasecki was fourth in pole vault (12-0) for the South boys. The South girls finished eighth with 14 points and the boys were seventh with 32. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/burns/prep-track-central-teams-sweep-wiseman-invite/article_0e4ad006-6bfa-5668-b5f3-b43fc3c12975.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:29Z |
CHEYENNE – Throughout the season, Cheyenne Central has struggled to get the ball to its final third and set itself up to find quality looks at the net.
Those struggles, especially early on, seemed to have disappeared Friday evening. The Lady Indians were connecting on passes through the midfield, which led to two early goals in a 3-1 victory over Cheyenne South at Riske Field.
“We’ve been working a lot on our attack, and our first two goals came off of combinations – which is wonderful – and even our third goal came off a pattern as a play,” Central coach Kaylin Olivas said. “So, it’s really nice to see we scored all three of our goals based on patterns we worked on.”
Madi Moore connected on her first of two assists when her through-ball found Kegan Longbottom slashing down the right side of the field. Longbottom’s low shot gained just enough speed and rolled into the bottom left of the netting in the ninth minute.
Moore’s second assist came just two minutes later, when Calie Mosely caught a South defender from behind and beat her to Moore’s pass inside the penalty area for a strike from the left side, putting Central ahead 2-0.
The Bison defense adjusted and didn’t let anything else easy get through until late in the half. They cut their deficit in the 29th courtesy of a score from Lawsen Quist. The freshman lined up on a free kick straightway from the frame 29 yards out, and her kick grazed over Central goalie Gracie Osterland’s outstretched arms and into the top left corner of the goal. It was one of three first-half shots on goal from South.
“We were playing more as a team in individual groups – our midfield and our defense – and it helped connect the whole field,” Quist said “Our offense was clicking better than it has.”
In the final three minutes of the first half, Central had three shots bounce off the frame. Mosely fell victim to the first two when an attempt hit the bottom of the left post, she rebounded it, and the second shot bounced off the top crossbar. Two more shots right in front of the goal followed, but the Indians couldn’t convert on the opportunities.
“We’re using what we’re doing in practice, and it’s helping us get it to the final third and get shots on goal,” Mosely said. “Those (shots off the post) were pretty frustrating, but I just have to keep my head up and get the next one. I thought both of them were going to go in.”
Central continued to find chances throughout the second half and tallied six shots on goal in the half. But, the South defense and goalie Sarah Keefe remained stout.
“We played exactly the way we wanted to, the defense – minus the five minutes where (Central) scored those two goals – they played great,” South coach Brandon McHenry said. “They played opportunistic, Cheyenne Kohlhagen played amazing … we wanted to play offensively, and I think we did that. We just got tired in the second half, couldn’t push it up and get those opportunities like we were in the first.”
Abigail Allan made it a two-goal match when she received a pass from Alyssa Brenchley and deposited it from the left side box between Keefe and the far post in the 71st to give Central the win to close out the regular season.
The 4A East regional tournament starts next week in Cheyenne, and Olivas knows Central can’t look too far ahead.
“It’s a one-and-done deal,” Olivas said. “What you’ve done in the rest of season has built up for that, but what you’ve done in the past doesn’t matter. It’s about one game.”
CENTRAL 3, SOUTH 1
Halftime: 2-1
Goals: Central, Longbottom (Moore), 9. Central, Mosely (Moore), 11. South, Quist (free kick), 29. Central, Allan (Brenchley), 71.
Shots: CS 3, CC 10. Shots on goal: CS 3, CC 8. Saves: CS 5 (Keefe); CC 2 (Osterland).
Corner kicks: CS 0, CC 4. Offsides: CS 0, CC 3. Fouls: CS 7, CC 5. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/central-connects-for-early-goals-in-win-over-south/article_3453662d-8d3a-59c6-a5f0-62f7ac9b4a25.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:31Z |
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CHEYENNE – A pair of solo home runs helped spark a first-inning lead from Campbell County that Cheyenne East struggled to come back from.
Already leading 5-0 with one out, Alexis Alexander and Paige Shaffer hit back-to-back homers to give the top-ranked Camels a 7-0 advantage after they batted through their lineup in the top of the first frame. They rolled that into a 16-5 victory Friday afternoon in the nonconference contest.
Both of those home runs came with two strikes.
“It should have been a 1-2-3 inning … we give them extra outs and next thing you know, you spot them seven runs,” East coach Adam Galicia said. “You can’t do that against the No. 1 team in the state. They’re technically pretty sound, they don’t make mistakes … against a team like that, you just can’t give them runs.”
East kept Campbell County (16-7 overall, 10-2 East Conference) off the board throughout the next two frames, allowing just one base runner, but the Lady Thunderbirds struggled early against Camels ace Avery Gray.
Ella Neider was able to get East’s first runs in the bottom of the third with a two-run single to shallow right field that scored Raquel Romero and Trista Stehwien. Lillian Vallejo pushed Neider across home with another single to right field two batters later, but a strikeout from Gray ended the inning.
After Vallejo got East out of a jam in the top of the fourth with Campbell County runners on second and third, the Camels started the fifth inning with three consecutive hits and a walk. The third hit was a single from Alexander to left field that could have cleared the bases, but Stehwien made a throw from left field to Neider, who got a sliding Jadeyn Snyder out at home.
“I was hoping they’d hit it to me, because I can control the outs I can get, and I just wanted to get out of the inning,” Stehwien said. “And when she hit that, I knew I had to get it in (to home), and it’d pump up my team if I did.”
The T-Birds got one more out in the inning before the Camels rang off seven hits – including a three-run home run from Gray to dead-center field. Eight of the Camels’ 16 runs came with two outs.
“That’s super frustrating, because you get two really quick (outs), and then you can’t close out the inning because you can’t get a third strike,” Stehwien said. “And they’re rallying because its on two (outs), so they’re just running around the bases. … we have to learn how to finish out the inning completely instead of just getting two and being satisfied with that.”
East put up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, but a strikeout ended the contest after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Stehwien was 3 for 3 at the plate with two doubles, and Neider drove home two runs. Vallejo, Gracie Oswald and Rylee Stephenson all had one RBI. Gray, Alexander and Addy Rambo each had three RBI for the Camels.
Sitting at 8-9 overall and 3-6 in conference play, the T-Birds still have an outside chance of clinching a berth in the state tournament, something they still have their eyes set on, Galicia said.
“We still have a young team, and we’re still growing,” Galicia said. “We have flashes of really good things, but it’s still been up and down. But, we’ll keep battling.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/east-cant-overcome-campbell-countys-hot-start/article_7a8ea596-8c1a-55ff-9606-f49cc4aa4b5d.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:43Z |
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CHEYENNE – Jordan Griess was thinking of Cheyenne East’s seniors when she stepped to the penalty spot Friday night.
“I just wanted to score for them so we could win on Senior Night,” the sophomore said. “We had played hard and come close a lot, so I just wanted to put one ball in and win for the seniors. I tried to be confident when I walked up there, because I wanted them to be able to walk away from their final home match with a win.”
Griess’ left-footed shot clanged against the bottom of the crossbar and landed behind the goal line as Laramie backup goalkeeper Sienna Osborne dove to her left in the 64th minute. That was the lone goal of the night in the Lady Thunderbirds’ 1-0 victory.
“Keeping the ball in front of us has been a focus in practice, and our defenders executed that well,” East coach Rebecca Valdez said. “They really kept it simple. When you do that, it’s hard to get in and get chances.
“(Laramie) has some fast girls who can be hard to defend, but our girls really played strong.”
Griess’ penalty kick came as the result of a handball in the penalty area by Lady Plainsmen junior Alexia Lucero. It was the second PK East (6-7-1 overall, 6-5-1 Class 4A East Conference) got in the second half.
The first came when junior defender Maya Peterson – who started the match in goal – fouled East freshman Brooklyn Paskett inside the 18. East senior Tayler Miller’s low, righty shot went just wide of the left upright to keep the score 0-0 in the 46th.
East got 14 shots on the night, with 10 going on goal. Laramie (11-4, 8-4) put six of its nine shots on frame. Most of the Plainsmen’s shots on goal came on direct kicks well outside the penalty area.
“(East) had a ton of numbers back, and that deterred us a little bit,” Laramie coach Justine Tydings said. “But we kept looking for that final pass into the attacking third. We talked about it a little bit before the game, and it just wasn’t quite there.
“Honestly, we still had some decent opportunities for the crew we have and the lack of depth we have right now. I was actually pretty pleased with our performance.”
The Plainsmen were without the services of sophomore goalkeeper Mckenna Barham, who suffered an injury during a 1-0 win over visiting Cheyenne Central on Wednesday. Laramie still doesn’t know if it will have Barham for next week’s 4A East regional, Tydings said.
Peterson stopped three shots in the first half before moving to her traditional defender role. Osborne turned away five shots, and another slammed off a Plainsmen defender before going out of harm’s way.
Osborne managed to keep a pair of dangerous second-half chances out of the goal despite not catching them cleanly.
“We didn’t have a lot of chances, but they both did a very good job of coming in as backups,” Griess said.
A lot of East’s shots on goal came from outside the 18. Valdez wanted her team to test Laramie’s keepers.
“Some of those shots maybe weren’t the best quality, but we were trying to find ways to score,” Valdez said. “At least we were taking some shots. We haven’t always been the best about taking shots when we have the opportunity.”
EAST 1, LARAMIE 0
Halftime: 0-0.
Goal: East, J. Griess (penalty kick), 64.
Shots: Laramie 9, East 14. Shots on goal: Laramie 6, East 10. Saves: Laramie 9 (Peterson 3, Osborne 5, Team 1); East 6 (Kershaw 6).
Corner kicks: Laramie 4, East 7. Offsides: Laramie 0. East 0. Fouls: Laramie 9, East 6. Yellow cards: Laramie 2 (Sell, 36. Lucero, 71); East 1 (Pierson, 46). | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/jordan-griess-pk-propels-east-girls-past-laramie/article_039966b3-adf0-5dc4-a236-fd5229ce1bf3.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:51Z |
LARAMIE – The Laramie High boys soccer team proved its first loss after a 10-game winning streak stung a bit, and followed it with a convincing win.
The Plainsmen – after being on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss at Cheyenne Central on Wednesday – didn’t waste any time righting the ship for a 6-0 win against Cheyenne East to close out the regular season Friday evening at Deti Stadium.
“The Central loss actually did us some good as far as lighting that fire again and to have the team remember what it feels like because it’s been a while,” Laramie coach Anne Moore said. “We haven’t lost since the first weekend of the season and it was a good wake-up call for us to know every game counts and every moment counts.”
Laramie ended the regular season at 13-2 overall and 11-1 in the Class 4A East Conference. The T-Birds dropped to 3-9-2 and 2-8-2.
Laramie scored four goals within the first six minutes of the game with freshman Sammy Heaney assisting on the first three. He sent sharp and crisp passes to senior Cameron Hoberg for the first two in the second and fourth minutes, and another gift to senior Christian Smith in the fifth minute.
“Sammy came out strong,” said Hoberg, who notched a three-goal hat trick in the game. “He’s a hard-working player and we just put it in the back of the net when he gave us those great passes. As a team, we were passing really well. East is a good team and we just played better against them than we usually do.”
Heaney was then rewarded with a goal in the sixth minute after an assist from junior Gage Hepworth. Hoberg’s third goal was after a nice feed from freshman Paulo Mellizo in the 21st for a 5-0 lead at the halftime break.
“There was obviously a lack of focus and a lack of intensity at the beginning of the game,” East coach Ryan Cameron said. “When you put yourself down 4-0 in less than six minutes of the game, it’s pretty tough to mentally come back from that. That’s on me as a coach to put my team in a better position to start a game than we did. I have to figure out a way of making sure our team is ready to play.
“Even with the adversity, I still thought our kids did some positive things throughout the game and had some kids who really battled. It’s easy to give in to an early result like that and not continue to battle.”
Hepworth notched the final tally in the 58th minute with an assist from sophomore Karson Busch.
In a display of sportsmanship and respect for two of Laramie’s starters on senior night, Cheyenne East casually pushed the ball for the kickoff toward senior goalkeeper Talon Luckie for one final save. East then let Luckie pass the ball to senior Landon Whisenant, who promptly kicked the ball out of bounds so they could be subbed out of the game. Luckie is out for the rest of the season after a facial injury suffered a week ago and Whisenant was not going to play because of illness.
“It meant a lot to go out there and be on the field with the guys for the last conference match for myself and Landon Whisenant,” Luckie said.
LARAMIE 6, EAST 0
Halftime: 5-0.
Goals: Laramie; Hoberg (Heaney), 2; Hoberg (Heaney), 4; C. Smith (Heaney), 5; Heaney (Hepworth), 6; Hoberg (Mellizo), 21; Hepworth (Busch), 58
Shots: East 9, Laramie 21. Shots on goal: East 3, Laramie 10. Saves: East 4 (Wheeler 3, Ward 1), Laramie 3 (Luckie 1, Ahern 2)
Corner kicks: East 2, Laramie 1. Offsides: East 0, Laramie 1. Fouls: East 4, Laramie 8. Yellow cards: East 1 (Hohn, 78), Laramie 1 (Luckie, 2) | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_east/plainsmen-finish-regular-season-with-win-against-east/article_a8cb311a-53bc-5348-b22e-67cc6372c591.html | 2022-05-07T13:02:57Z |
CHEYENNE – Four hits and a walk – all with two outs – helped top-ranked Campbell County take control during the first inning Friday morning.
The start helped the reigning state champions score at least one run in every inning of a 17-0 victory over Cheyenne South that was shortened to five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Camels center fielder Lanae Kimbley led off the game with an infield single, but was doubled off when Samantha Torres popped out to South starting pitcher Charleigh Mellish.
Campbell County starter Avery Gray reignited the offense with a single through the left side of the infield and moved to second when Natalie Clonch drew a seven-pitch walk. Both players scored on Addy Rambo’s double to left-center field for a 1-0 lead. Rambo scored on Alexis Alexander’s double to left, and Alexander came around to score on Erica Dominguez’s double to left for a 4-0 lead.
The Camels (16-7 overall, 10-2 East Conference) added three more runs in the second, two of which came on Clonch’s home run to right field. They led 7-0 after the frame.
Campbell County added another run in the third for an 8-0 advantage. It put the game away, thanks to a six-run fourth inning that saw Gray and Clonch add doubles to their tally. Both players were 2 for 3 on the morning.
As good as Gray was with the bat, she might have been even better during her three innings in the pitcher’s circle. She handcuffed the Bison with eight strikeouts, one walk and no hits before being relieved by Paige Shaffer. Shaffer added two strikeouts.
“We’ve hit off pitchers with better velocity, but (Gray) had a lot of technique and put the ball where she wanted to,” South’s Shayla Peterson said. “We weren’t really ready for that.”
Peterson had one of the Bison’s two hits in the game, looping an 0-2 pitch into left-center for a single in the fifth. Peterson swung at all four pitches she faced in the at-bat, getting her bat on three. It showed South coach Curtis Quigley that Peterson embraced the decisive approach he has been preaching to his team all season.
“We have a few at-bats where kids had the right mentality and showed they were buying into that philosophy and starting to believe they can be hitters,” Quigley said. “I’ve been telling freshmen throughout the season that they belong here. Once they get the confidence and belief in what they’re doing, the sky is the limit.”
Peterson said she was merely trying to swing confidently and aggressively when she led off the fifth.
“I really wanted to get my bat on the ball,” she said. “I had that ‘yes-yes-yes’ mentality, and it worked.”
The Bison also got a base hit from senior Aubriana Garcia with one out in the fourth.
Dominguez tallied three hits and four RBI for Campbell County.
The loss ends South’s season. The Bison went 1-14 overall, and 0-12 in conference play. But Quigley found reason for optimism.
“We were getting better at the end of the season, and climbing the ladder a little bit, but it was too late,” he said. “If we had figured some things out earlier in the year, we would have had a little bit different outcome in some games. I’m proud of these young ladies for how they competed, how they grew and how they fought through adversity.
“They showed up, and they worked. Our conference is very competitive. We got better, but we’re going to have to commit ourselves to continuing to get better during the off-season. Instead of starting next year at ground zero, we want to start building and leveling up.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_south/campbell-countys-hot-bats-topple-south/article_0796cdf3-6714-5642-9754-79fec2435cb1.html | 2022-05-07T13:03:03Z |
CHEYENNE — Jordan Griess was thinking of Cheyenne East’s seniors when she stepped to the penalty spot Friday night.
“I just wanted to score for them so we could win on Senior Night,” the sophomore said. “We had played hard and come close a lot, so I just wanted to put one ball in and win for the seniors. I tried to be confident when I walked up there, because I wanted them to be able to walk away from their final home match with a win.”
Griess’ left-footed shot clanged against the bottom of the crossbar and landed behind the goal line as Laramie backup goalkeeper Sienna Osborne dove to her left in the 64th minute. That was the lone goal of the night in the Lady Thunderbirds’ 1-0 victory.
“Keeping the ball in front of us has been a focus in practice, and our defenders executed that well,” East coach Rebecca Valdez said. “They really kept it simple. When you do that, it’s hard to get in and get chances.
“(Laramie) has some fast girls who can be hard to defend, but our girls really played strong.”
Griess’ penalty kick came as the result of a handball in the penalty area by Lady Plainsmen junior Alexia Lucero. It was the second PK East (6-7-1 overall, 6-5-1 Class 4A East Conference) got in the second half.
The first came when junior defender Maya Peterson — who started the match in goal — fouled East freshman Brooklyn Paskett inside the 18. East senior Tayler Miller’s low, righty shot went just wide of the left upright to keep the score 0-0 in the 46th.
East got 14 shots on the night, with 10 going on goal. Laramie (11-4, 8-4) put six of its nine shots on frame. Most of the Plainsmen’s shots on goal came on direct kicks well outside the penalty area.
“(East) had a ton of numbers back, and that deterred us a little bit,” Laramie coach Justine Tydings said. “But we kept looking for that final pass into the attacking third. We talked about it a little bit before the game, and it just wasn’t quite there.
“Honestly, we still had some decent opportunities for the crew we have and the lack of depth we have right now. I was actually pretty pleased with our performance.”
The Plainsmen were without the services of sophomore goalkeeper Mckenna Barham, who suffered an injury during a 1-0 win over visiting Cheyenne Central on Wednesday. Laramie still doesn’t know if it will have Barham for next week’s 4A East regional, Tydings said.
Peterson stopped three shots in the first half before moving to her traditional defender role. Osborne turned away five shots, and another slammed off a Plainsmen defender before going out of harm’s way.
Osborne managed to keep a pair of dangerous second-half chances out of the goal despite not catching them cleanly.
“We didn’t have a lot of chances, but they both did a very good job of coming in as backups,” Griess said.
A lot of East’s shots on goal came from outside the 18. Valdez wanted her team to test Laramie’s keepers.
“Some of those shots maybe weren’t the best quality, but we were trying to find ways to score,” Valdez said. “At least we were taking some shots. We haven’t always been the best about taking shots when we have the opportunity.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/laramie_high/pk-propels-east-girls-past-laramie/article_4e0630d0-a4ae-5fd2-9131-cd8a9526a749.html | 2022-05-07T13:03:09Z |
LARAMIE — The Laramie High boys soccer team proved its first loss after a 10-game winning streak stung a bit, and followed with a convincing win.
The Plainsmen, after being on the wrong end of a 1-0 at Cheyenne Central on Wednesday, didn’t waste any time righting the ship for a 6-0 win against Cheyenne East to close out the regular season Friday evening at Deti Stadium.
“The Central loss actually did us some good as far as lighting that fire again and to have the team remember what it feels like because it’s been a while,” Laramie coach Anne Moore said. “We haven’t loss since the first weekend of the season and it was a good wake-up call for us to know every game counts and every moment counts.”
Laramie ended the regular season at 13-2 overall and 11-1 in the Class 4A East Conference. The T-Birds dropped to 3-9-2 and 2-8-2.
Laramie scored four goals within the first six minutes of the game with freshman Sammy Heaney assisting on the first three. He sent sharp and crisp passes to senior Cameron Hoberg for the first two in the second and fourth minutes, and another gift to senior Christian Smith in the fifth minute.
“Sammy came out strong,” said Hoberg, who notched a three-goal hat trick in the game. “He’s a hard-working player and we just put it in the back of the next when he gave us those great passes. As a team, we were passing really well. East is a good team and we just played better against them than we usually do.”
Heaney was then rewarded with a goal in the sixth minute after an assist from junior Gage Hepworth. Hoberg’s third goal was after a nice feed from freshman Paulo Mellizo in the 21st for a 5-0 lead at the halftime break.
“There was obviously a lack of focus and a lack of intensity at the beginning of the game,” East coach Ryan Cameron said. “When you put yourself down 4-0 in less than six minutes of the game, it’s pretty tough to mentally come back from that. That’s on me as a coach to put my team in a better position to start a game than we did tonight. I have to figure out a way of making sure our team is ready to play.”
“Even with the adversity, I still thought our kids did some positive things throughout the game and had some kids who really battled. It’s easy to give in to an early result like that and not continue to battle.”
Hepworth notched the final tally in the 58th minute with an assist from sophomore Karson Busch.
In a display of sportsmanship and respect for two of Laramie’s starters on senior night, Cheyenne East casually pushed the ball for the kickoff toward senior goalkeeper Talon Luckie for one final save. East then let Luckie pass the ball to senior Landon Whisenant, who promptly kicked the ball out of bounds so they could be subbed out of the game. Luckie is out for the rest of the season after suffering a facial injury a week ago and Whisenant was not going to play because of illness.
“It meant a lot to go out there and be on the field with the guys for the last conference match for myself and Landon Whisenant,” Luckie said. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/laramie_high/plainsmen-finish-regular-season-with-win-against-east/article_a5b5446f-3e80-5026-9a42-bb0fc2be71c8.html | 2022-05-07T13:03:11Z |
University of Wyoming wrestling coach Mark Branch announced the signing of two junior college standouts on Thursday.
Garrett Ricks and Tyce Raddon are both set to join the Cowboys for the 2022-23 season.
“We are thrilled to be adding two outstanding transfers today,” assistant coach McCade Ford said. “As we went through the recruiting process it was clear that both Garrett and Tyce embody our philosophy of living Cowboy tough. I have no doubt that both these guys will come in and immediately make a big impact on our program moving forward.”
Ricks joins the program following an impressive two-year stint at Western Wyoming College, where he was a two-time NJCAA All-American. He finished third at the NJCAA National Tournament in 2021, and won the NJCAA title at 125 pounds this year. In addition to winning a junior college national championship, Ricks has put together solid results against Division I opponents — including a second-place finish at the Cowboy Open and fourth-place finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Raddon was a teammate of Ricks’ at Western Wyoming, earning NJCAA All-American honors at 184 pounds after finishing third at this year’s national tournament. He also turned in a second-place finish at the Cowboy Open last season. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/other_sports/cowboys-announce-two-junior-college-signees/article_b537c92e-8dea-5f1e-956d-8dba744e8c8e.html | 2022-05-07T13:03:17Z |
Jill Biden hears heartbreak of Ukrainian moms now in Romania
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Jill Biden on Saturday heard heartbreaking stories from Ukrainian women and children who fled Russia’s war and found safe haven across the border in Romania, and the American first lady praised the Romanian government and relief organizations for the range of humanitarian aid they are providing to refugees.
At a Romanian public school hosting refugee students, Biden saw firsthand the relief efforts to assist some of the 900,000 Ukrainians who have fled to Romania since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Most of those Ukrainians have moved on to other countries, but many — mainly women and children — have remained as the fighting rages.
“We stand with you,” Biden told mothers of some of the students after visiting classrooms where kids ages 5 to 15 attend school.
Earlier, Biden received a briefing at the U.S. Embassy on the relief effort. Her visit to Eastern Europe comes as President Joe Biden is pressing Congress to pass an additional $33 billion in security and economic assistance for Ukraine.
Jill Biden called the show of solidarity “amazing” but also “just the beginning.” She said it was inspiring for Romanians “to welcome all these refugees into their homes and offer them food and clothing and shelter and give them their hearts.”
But she also cautioned that much more needs to be done by the U.S. and allies to assist Ukraine.
“We’re all hopeful, right,” she told reporters. “We wake up every morning and think ‘this has to end’ but it still keeps going on and on.”
About 7,000 Ukrainians cross the border and arrive in Romania daily, said Pablo Zapata, the Romanian representative for the U.N. refugee agency.
U.N. and other agencies and the Romanian government are providing refugees with a range of services, including food, shelter, education, health and mental health care, and counseling, among other services.
Biden asked specifically about the provision of mental health services and whether summer school was available to help refugee students catch up on their education.
The first lady is on the second day of a four-day trip to Romania and Slovakia that is designed to showcase U.S. support for Ukrainian refugees. Slovakia also shares a border with Ukraine. Biden was scheduled to spend Sunday, Mother’s Day, there meeting with refugees and visiting a border village.
Biden met with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis over lunch at her private residence. Iohannis, who also accompanied Biden during the school visit, kept her job as an English teacher when her husband took office just like Biden kept hers teaching at a northern Virginia community college.
At her tour of the public school, Biden had an exchange with one young Ukrainian girl told her through a translator, “I want to return to my father.” Biden later told reporters the girl’s words were “heartbreaking.”
At moments, Biden appeared anguished as she listened to the stories from mothers who told her of their own difficult decisions to flee their homeland.
Svitlana Gollyak told Biden that her young daughter had difficulty adapting in the early days of the war but now seems to be turning the corner after arriving in Romania from Kharkiv, Ukraine.
“I think mothers will do anything for their children,” Biden told Gollyak and the other mothers, adding that they were “amazingly strong and resilient.”
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Follow all AP stories on global migration https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/05/07/jill-biden-hears-heartbreak-ukrainian-moms-now-romania/ | 2022-05-07T14:57:09Z |
Bring ear muffs for the final competition night of The Lincoln Theatre’s Battle of the Bands.
Metal bands will close out the series with an eclectic, skull-combusting showcase from the loudest and meanest acts across the region.
And every band has a different story to tell.
Audiences that attended the singer/songwriter installment of the Battle of the Bands will see a familiar face on stage come May 14.
PJ Dodgeson took home second place that night.
This time, he’ll be joined by musicians he’s played and practiced with since the three of them were just 14 years old. While they may have chemistry and substantial live performance experience as a collective, this will be the first time they play live together under their new name: Catalyst.
“We all went our separate ways with music, and then we came back together, so we all got better,” Dodgeson said. “At first, we just kind of played together, then we finally created a band a year ago, where we played a couple of house shows for family friends. We’ve never played any big shows.”
They’ve been practicing like it’s a normal week. Nothing is left to improvisation; it’s a very tight set to be played exactly as it was written.
They want to be innovative, and they did write new music specifically for this performance. By being unique, they hope to set themselves apart from other acts.
The reason being that metal has many different subcategories – so many so that it might be easy to succumb to confusion when trying to understand them all.
For Catalyst, there’s no direct genre to attribute their music to, but it isn’t hardcore thrash or death metal. Dodgeson would most relate their output to that of the band Primus, as well as some early death metal in terms of instrumental composition.
Entropist
One of the newer bands on the Front Range is taking an even more divisive approach.
The recently assembled band Entropist is the passion project of lead guitarist Solomon Smith, who writes and composes all of the band’s music. The rest of the group contributes to the concepts and creation process. When it comes to what they’ll be performing next Saturday, it’s all from the mind of Smith.
Without giving too much away, their set will be a peek into the bizarre storyline that Entropist wants to follow. It will be three songs, which together complete the first chapter of their untitled album.
“The ‘first chapter’ this album that people will be hearing is actually talking about a demon who’s been in hell, where all demons have a very specified role,” Smith said. “Their job is basically taking souls that find themselves in hell into some centralized area, the circle of hell they belong in, and torturing them in some specified way for eternity.
“This story focuses on one of those demons that has grown sick of the process.”
This “first chapter” is one section of an overarching story throughout the album. A concept album is no revolutionary idea, but to begin a career with such an ambitious and evangelical project is uncommon.
Since the start of their album is set in hell, and specifically exploring the heavier subjects in the greater plot structure, the audience will get a glimpse into the darker regions of Entropist’s members’ minds.
If nothing else, the performance will be different. Smith has a background as a jazz musician, and the band incorporates multiple genres when the different styles are called for.
“There’s some electronic influences here and there,” Smith said. “There’s obviously a lot of progressive metal; we’re drawing from a lot of different types of metal, as well. We’re not trying to just go for one sound and then trying to perfect it, we’re just trying to make the music that suits what we’re talking about.”
Demise of Sanity
On the opposite end of the spectrum sits Demise of Sanity, a mainstay Cheyenne metal group that has played shows as early as 2008.
“I don’t know the genre to it or whatever,” Demise of Sanity guitarist Dustin Clark said. “It’s more down to our influences. We’ve got some thrash metal influence, some progressive elements in our music.
“Our bass player sings, but he also does screams. I do vocals like a lower grumble, so we have a good range of metal singing.”
Clark is an original member of the band. Over time, they lost their founding bassist and founding vocalist, leaving the band dead in the water for a period of time. In order to keep practicing, Clark’s wife, Donna, stepped in on vocals as a placeholder.
If this was supposed to slow them down, it failed.
Last year, they released their first album in six years, titled “Eternal.” Now they’re coming in as one of the more experienced groups to perform in the Battle of the Bands.
The most important thing about the event for Clark is that it gives the local and regional metal scene a place to perform together. He can network with other bands and musicians that he wouldn’t normally interact with.
“That’s really what I’m most excited for,” he said. “Seeing where we’re at as a metal community here in town, because it’s been kind of quiet, aside from one or two shows.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/battle-of-the-bands-concludes-with-a-night-of-metal/article_ccfd2362-ca50-5ac8-b737-204ec04ea00f.html | 2022-05-07T16:05:25Z |
John Roedel doesn’t have a five-year plan.
He’s got a five-minute plan at most, and that’s on a good day.
He believes it’s best to just make it up as you go along. This principle is how Roedel, a Cheyenne poet, has been quickly working his way into the literary world.
On Wednesday, like most others days of the week, he’s leaned over his laptop in The Paramount Cafe. He’s been trying to write there more often. He likes the space well enough, but there’s something not quite right about it.
His preferred writing space is on the brink of nonexistence, as Barnes and Noble and its small cafe will soon temporarily relocate to the Frontier Mall. Ninety-nine percent of his poems were written next to old artist renditions of famous literary figures. He likes the cheap wood paneling – something about the space just sparks creativity.
That’s not to say that inspiration doesn’t strike in this new location.
In August of last year, Roedel sat at one of the two-person tables in the Paramount entryway and poured his creative guts out into one lengthy poem.
It took all of 25 minutes, and it would pay off immensely.
“I was having a little minor panic attack. I didn’t know why; it was one of those things,” he said. “It was the oppression of the whole world. It was in the throes of the pandemic, the throes of political turmoil, everything was stressful. I was not feeling great, but there wasn’t one acute thing that was causing it.
“I wrote a thing about a head and a heartbeat getting a divorce, being kind of in a separation between both of them.”
‘My brain and heart divorced’
“My brain and heart divorced” is his most successful poem. It went viral on Facebook and became the catalyst to a lineup of new opportunities – traveling around the county to speak and work with creative types on their approach to writing.
Yes, he did receive an onslaught of concern from friends and family due to the depressing tone of “my brain and heart divorced.” The majority of readers, however, connected with the poem’s sentiment. The poem was then included in his second poetry book, “Remedy,” published last November.
“I wrote those poems from ‘Remedy’ probably in the worst times in my life. I was writing those poems because I needed to read those words in order to get me through the day,” Roedel said. “It just turned out, eventually, that those connected with other people at the time. But a lot of people were like, ‘Are you OK?’”
If he stays true to his own emotions, it would resonate with strangers who just want to know that someone out there feels the exact same thing. Roedel addresses topics related to men’s mental health, which he said is still an uncomfortable subject for most readers, particularly his teenage children.
Today, he’s looking down the barrel of keynote speaking gigs and radio show interviews. These opportunities weren’t always in his sights.
He approaches life according to the core mantra of any improvisational comedian – “Yes, and.”
“Yes, and” is a simplification of the first rule of improv – never reject an idea, always say yes.
“I’m doing this now, and maybe in five years something else will come along,” Roedel said. “It is all improv. I’ll say yes, and without saying, ‘Yes, but, I’ll do this for a while’ or ‘But, I’m not going to like it,’ half-assed it. No, it’s ‘Yes, and I’ll just go with it and see where it takes me.’
“High school counselors, vocational experts or any life coach will tell you that’s probably not the best approach to life. That’s kind of how it’s unfolded for me since I was 20 years old.”
Long before his days as a poet (it’s his full-time job now), Roedel just wanted to write like author David Sedaris – and he still does. He was in school at the University of Wyoming, after which he married his high school sweetheart. When his father was diagnosed with cancer, he had to assume full-time responsibility of the family drug store, Roedel’s Drugs, which closed in 2007.
He and his wife raised a child with special needs, which presented its own set of challenges. Even when he was working as a journalist for Cap City News, he was taking things in stride, and that is the most confounding thing about Roedel.
Everything in his life has been improvised. He doesn’t see why he would do it any other way.
Roedel first started writing for his comedy troupe, the Ozymandian Theater, assembling sketch comedy scenes while aspiring to one day move to Chicago and pray for a spot in the cast of legendary comedy group Second City.
In 2015, he entered a mental and spiritual health crisis. In the throes of depression, he began to question the certainty of, well, everything.
In dark times, he got on his knees and prayed. It took years of experience to come to the realization that no higher power ever seemed respond.
So he thought he would write the response himself. It wasn’t poetry – he wouldn’t write a poem till 2018 – it was therapy. This is how “Hey God, Hey John” got its start.
“I wasn’t evangelizing, it wasn’t supposed to be anything serious,” he said. “I was just making fun of easy answers. The more I did that, the more that every now and then I would accidentally put in little bits of truth, vulnerability, that I wasn’t really intentionally doing at first.
“The very first time I admitted I had depression, I was typing it. I never even thought about it myself.”
Raised in a devout Catholic family, religion was always central to his being, though he was never completely sold on this. It’s not the concept that there’s no God that he subscribes to, but the idea that we simply have no concrete idea or evidence if there is a God.
Blame the telescope
And it’s all the Hubble Space Telescope’s fault.
“The idea that really broke me open was that I became obsessed with the Hubble telescope,” he said. “The idea that 100 neutron stars are formed every hour, not just every 10 years. It started from nothing and became something that is continuing to expand and create trillions and trillions, not just suns and stars, but galaxies within that.
“You can’t even fathom that.”
It was overwhelming, existential, and there was only one entity that had the answers.
He took to Facebook and started writing some question-and-response conversations between he and a general God figure. The conversations, meant only as a sort of personal therapy, resonated with others.
Some hundred posts later, he had gained a following – garnered enough attention to be reposted across Facebook, sharing the intricacies of his emotions and qualms with the universe to an indefinite number of people.
Many people and organizations mistook his “conversations,” which at this point were referred to as “Hey God, Hey John,” for some kind of evangelizing. He saw his posts reposted by church organizations, or simply stolen by others trying to take credit for his work.
“I was born and raised Catholic, but I don’t really know much about the Bible,” Roedel said. “I wasn’t answering things as an ‘easy answer’ thing. It was more God being like, ‘I don’t know either.’”
With the popularity, he compiled the best posts of the past several years and published “Hey God, Hey John: What Happens When God Writes Back.” Though it wasn’t distributed to national book stores, it was met with positive reviews on Amazon, where it has 4.7 out of 5 stars off of 400 reviews.
Becoming a poet
Unnoticed by him, his letters to God were taking more and more of a form. He would reread posts and see that there was more rhythm to the conversations. Each become increasingly poetic.
As they became more poetic, a sense of intimacy followed.
“I wanted to be humorous and doing fun things,” he said. “You can talk about your life, but dig into it and, you know, make people laugh. That’s what my background was being on stage. So the idea that I was having these very emotional dream journal-like poems, that was not the route.”
In 2019, he accepted the idea that he really was writing poetry.
Since then, he’s self-published two books of poetry, the most recent of which, titled “Upon Departure,” was released on April 8. It is a compilation of verse written during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes revolve mainly around grief and the catharsis of rage, guilt, nostalgia and sadness that come with the complicated emotion.
The hope is that others can find comfort through his poetry.
Rest assured, the future is bright, albeit uncertain, for Roedel.
“Isn’t this all just a cry for help?” he said. “It doesn’t always have to be dark. In hopefully three or four years, I’ll be writing about fun things.
“Maybe I’ll be writing children’s stories. Who knows?” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/cheyenne-poet-thanks-improv-comedy-for-newfound-career/article_ad5544c7-3aea-5a84-808f-e93efbc4d50f.html | 2022-05-07T16:05:31Z |
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LARAMIE – In another step in a years-long battle over the proposed Rail Tie Wind Project, some area residents are making their case to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
The Albany County District Court upheld an Albany County Commission March 30 decision to grant a permit to ConnectGen, the company leading the project.
Known as a wind energy conservation system (WECS) permit, the decision gives ConnectGen the go-ahead to move forward with its wind farm project, which is in planning and permitting stages with construction slated to begin in spring 2023.
About 45 people with interests against the wind farm have signed onto a second appeals process filed last week to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Monaghan Farms Inc. also filed its own separate appeal.
The 500-megawatt project calls for up to 149 turbines on 26,000 acres of public and private land south of Laramie near Tie Siding. It will tie into the Ault-Craig 345-kilovolt transmission line, which runs through the southern part of the project area.
Noise, light pollution and impacts to wildlife and the natural beauty of the area are among the concerns brought by opponents, many of whom own property near the proposed area for the wind farm. It would be located on private and state lands along Highway 287 near Tie Siding.
“Albany County residents felt strongly that their (county commissioners’) decision was not based on protecting county residents or Albany County’s natural resources, but were rather motivated by quick tax revenue and political motives,” said Paul Montoya, who is part of the appeals process. “We feel confident the Wyoming Supreme Court will see the errors in the county’s decision-making process and uphold our appeal.”
The WECS permit includes nine conditions that are meant to address concerns for residents surrounding the wind farm, said Amanda Flores, manager for the project for ConnectGen. These include installing fire suppression systems on the turbines; increasing the distance between turbines, residences and public roads; and installing an aircraft detection lighting system to reduce light pollution.
The project has already received necessary state permits and has completed an environmental impact statement. Final engineering and pre-construction planning will continue throughout this year. The wind farm would be fully operational by the end of 2024.
The objections
“This isn’t about ‘not in our backyard,’ it’s about respecting the safety of local residents,” said Tie Siding homeowner Andrew Grant. “We’re here, we’re paying our taxes. We expect to be looked after.”
Grant said that while he supports green energy, he has many concerns about the location of the wind project being in such close proximity to people who live nearby.
Living in the forest, Grant and other residents voiced concerns about increased fire danger and lighting strikes with the roughly 600-foot-tall turbines. While the turbines won’t be visible from many houses in the area, residents will be forced to drive past them along Cherokee Park Road, the main route in and out of the area.
“What they are trying to do is turn our trip to the grocery store into a game of Russian roulette, as far as we’re concerned,” Grant said of the risk of ice shards falling from turbines.
Modern wind turbines are equipped with an ice detection system that causes the turbines to stop spinning if ice build-up is detected on the blades, according to the ConnectGen website.
In addition to quality-of-life concerns, some residents cited concerns with what they considered to be an insufficient public input process from the Albany County Commission.
“It’s been a frustrating experience to be given three minutes to verbally address something that’s a complicated process, and then have not any questions asked back,” said Al Minier, who owns a second home some 8 miles south of Tie Siding. “Part of this fight is based on the fact that I think the scrutiny given to wind projects is really not adequate.”
Mitchell Edwards of Nicholas & Tangeman LLC is representing the opponents. He claims the county failed to follow its own regulations in gathering information on the Rail Tie project and didn’t give adequate public notice before meetings in which the project was discussed.
“I can’t think of any point in this process where anyone from the project has reached out to me and asked for my concerns,” Minier said.
The Albany County Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the appeal by press time.
“We believe the District Court correctly concluded that the Albany County Commissioners properly granted the WECS permit in accordance with the applicable regulations and hope the Wyoming Supreme Court will reach the same conclusion,” Flores said.
The court will have 120-180 days to issue a written decision on the appeal after undergoing a multi-step process of hearing arguments from both sides. Typically, the appeals process takes between a year and 18 months, Edwards said. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/turbine-turbulence-residents-continue-legal-battle-against-rail-tie-wind-project/article_7d3f6b0c-9093-5683-b798-a7020420e3b6.html | 2022-05-07T16:05:44Z |
Boeing will move its headquarters to DC area from Chicago
(AP) – Boeing Co. said Thursday it will move its headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area, where company executives would be closer to key federal government officials.
The company said it will use its campus in Arlington, Virginia, as its new headquarters, and it plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area.
“The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent,” Boeing CEO David Calhoun said.
The move marks a win for Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who campaigned last year on a promise to bring new businesses and jobs to the state.
“The decision to call Virginia home shows that the Commonwealth is the premier location for aerospace companies,” Youngkin said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Boeing to attract even more talent to Virginia especially given its reputation for engineering excellence.”
Youngkin retired in 2020 as co-CEO of private equity giant the Carlyle Group. He was personally involved in discussions about the move and had a prior business relationship with Calhoun, who also was an executive in the investment industry, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.
A spokeswoman for Virginia’s economic development agency said the project will not receive any state incentives, nor will it receive any from Arlington County, a spokeswoman there said.
Boeing is a major defense contractor, and the move will put executives close to Pentagon leaders. Rival defense contractors including General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are already based in the D.C. area.
Company executives would also be near the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies Boeing passenger and cargo planes.
Boeing’s relationship with the FAA has been strained since deadly crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, in 2018 and 2019. The FAA took nearly two years — far longer than Boeing expected — to approve design changes and allow the plane back in the air. Certification of new Boeing planes will take longer too.
The company has suffered financial setbacks in building a refueling tanker for the Air Force. And it has been hurt by the pandemic, which undercut travel and demand for new planes. Boeing lost $1.2 billion in this year’s first quarter.
Boeing’s roots are in the Seattle area, and it has assembly plants in Washington state and South Carolina. The company moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001 after an unusually public search that also considered Dallas and Denver.
Cai von Rumohr, an aerospace analyst for Cowen, said there were advantages for Boeing moving its headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area — or back to Seattle, where leaders again would be closer to the company’s important commercial operations.
“Chicago does nothing for them,” von Rumohr said.
Boeing had 142,000 employees at the end of 2021, including 12% based outside the United States, according to a regulatory filing. The filing did not say how many work in Chicago.
Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with consultant AeroDynamic Advisory, said Boeing’s Chicago work force “is minimal,” making the move easier.
Boeing said it would maintain a presence in Chicago and the surrounding region and did not say how many additional employees would begin working in Virginia.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, which investigated Boeing and the FAA after the Max crashes, criticized Boeing’s move to be closer to federal policy makers.
“Boeing should focus on making safe airplanes, not lobbying federal regulators and Congress,” he said.
Meanwhile, many of Virginia’s elected officials celebrated the news.
Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw called it “one hell of a catch.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Boeing’s decision was a testament to Virginia’s skilled workforce and strong national security community.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, also a Virginia Democrat and a former entrepreneur and investor, indicated the deal had been in the works for quite some time.
“For well over a year, I’ve been making my case to Boeing senior leadership that Virginia would be a great place for its headquarters, and late last year, I was happy to learn that my efforts were successful,” he said in a statement.
In an interview, Warner said he thought the new headquarters would reinforce Virginia’s prominence as a home for businesses but that the research and technology hub might have an even longer-term economic impact.
The company’s statement thanked both Youngkin and Warner.
Boeing will be following in the footsteps of Amazon, which decided to put a second headquarters in Arlington. Last month, local officials approved Amazon’s plans to erect a 350-foot helix-shaped building.
Boeing’s decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/boeing-will-move-its-headquarters-dc-area-chicago/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:08Z |
Clouds build in tonight; strong-to-severe storms possible Friday
Heavy rain, gusty winds, hail & rotation in storms will be possible
Tonight, cloud cover will build in ahead of an incoming cold front. With a southerly wind, temps will stay mild, in the upper 50s and low 60s. Most of the night looks dry, just muggy. We could see a few isolated showers pop up after midnight.
Friday will bring rounds of rain throughout the day, starting in the early morning and continuing into the afternoon. Thunderstorms are looking likely as well, especially during the late afternoon and early evening. Scattered strong to severe storms will be possible, especially during the 2nd half of the day tomorrow. Stay weather aware!
Severe storms could bring torrential rain, gusty winds, and hail. Of lesser threat (but not zero) is the slim chance for a few brief/isolated tornadoes.
The severe threat should gradually end into the late-night Friday night, but we’ll see lingering rain showers into Saturday for most of the day. We’ll be cooler behind this front as well; temps will drop into the upper 40s-mid 50s with areas of fog Friday night-early Saturday. Highs temps Saturday will be in the upper 50s and low 60s.
We look dry again by Mother’s Day, with sunshine and seasonable high temps in the mid to upper 60s.
Next week, we look warmer and drier for a while...
Stay tuned!
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) -
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/clouds-build-tonight-strong-to-severe-storms-possible-friday/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:15Z |
DOJ: Walmart and Kohl’s to pay collective $5.5 million in settlement for deceptive advertising
(Gray News) – Walmart and Kohl’s agreed to pay a collective $5.5 million in penalties as part of a settlement related to accusations of deceptive advertising from the companies.
The Department of Justice announced in a release Thursday that Walmart Inc. and Kohl’s Inc. paid $3 million and $2.5 million in civil penalties respectively in the settlement.
The settlement comes after complaints were filed against the two companies accusing them of violating the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and its associated rules by making deceptive claims about products that were supposedly made from bamboo.
In filed complaints, the government alleged that Walmart and Kohl’s advertised products as made of bamboo when they were actually made of rayon and did not contain any bamboo fibers.
The complaints also alleged that Walmart and Kohl’s made claims that their bamboo products were environmentally friendly, and that Kohl’s claimed these products were free of harmful chemicals. Rayon is produced using a chemical process that requires toxic chemicals and the emission of pollutants.
The Department of Justice said the companies continued doing so even though both received letters from the FTC in 2010 warning them that the improper advertising of rayon products violated the Textile Rules and FTC Act.
In addition to the penalties, Walmart and Kohl’s are also barred from making misleading or unsubstantiated claims that products are made of bamboo or have environmental benefits because they are derived from bamboo.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/doj-walmart-kohls-pay-collective-55-million-settlement-deceptive-advertising/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:23Z |
Biden taps 1st Black woman, LGBT White House press secretary
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. Incumbent Jen Psaki is set to leave the post next week.
Jean-Pierre takes on the role as the White House faces an uphill battle to help Democrats hold onto the House and Senate in this fall’s midterm elections, and as the administration struggles to address Americans’ concerns about soaring inflation and the state of the economy. She also comes into the job as Biden faces a daunting array of foreign policy challenges, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s escalating nuclear testing program. Biden is set to visit South Korea and Japan later this month and Europe in June.
Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White House last year for several months after Biden was sworn into office.
“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement praising Jean-Pierre, who has served as his principal deputy press secretary since Inauguration Day.
Psaki, who leaves the White House on May 13, praised her successor as a “partner in truth,” noting the significance of the history-making appointment.
“Representation matters and she is going to give a voice to so many and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big,” Psaki said.
Taking the lectern briefly while Psaki briefed the press Thursday, Jean-Pierre said she was “still processing” the significance of her hire, calling it “an honor and privilege to be behind this podium.”
“This is a historic moment, and it’s not lost on me,” she said. “It’s a very emotional day.”
Psaki said Biden offered the job to Jean-Pierre Thursday in the Oval Office. White House staffers were gathered after the offer and greeted Jean-Pierre with applause, an official said. Two “warm bottles” of champagne were procured for a toast in White House paper cups, the official added, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal gathering.
Jean-Pierre had occasionally took the lectern in the press briefing room instead of Psaki and more frequently held off-camera “gaggles” with reporters when Biden was traveling on Air Force One. She traveled with Biden to Europe last fall and in March instead of Psaki, who had tested positive for COVID-19 before both trips.
Before joining the Biden presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was the chief public affairs officer of the progressive group MoveOn.org and a former political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. She also worked in political affairs in the Obama White House and on his reelection campaign.
The press secretary is responsible for holding daily briefings with the news media and leading a department of more than a dozen staffers who help address queries from the press.
When she took the job, Psaki, who has two young children, said publicly she aimed to remain in the job for about a year. She is expected to join MSNBC later this year. She was expected to remain as the public face of the administration until her departure next Friday.
Biden said Psaki “has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House briefing room.”
“I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so,” Biden said. “I thank Jen for her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.”
Dunn is a partner at the Democratic consulting firm SKDK, and was a senior adviser on Biden’s 2020 campaign and previously chief strategist and communications director for President Barack Obama. The White House said she is returning to “assist in advancing the President’s policy and communications objectives.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/karine-jean-pierre-be-next-white-house-press-secretary/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:30Z |
Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program still accepting applications
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - The first thing you’re going to want to do is pull up a browser. It doesn’t have to be any specific browser, it can be Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge and go to this website: https://www.wvhdf.com/mountaineer-rental-assistance-program. From there you’re going to want to look at the eligibility requirements to make sure you are eligible.
You can see those on the website and then once you think you’re eligible you can see the documents you’ll need on the website. Once you’re ready to apply you can return to the home page and you’ll come to the very bottom and you’ll hit the big red apply now. From there you’ll have to make an account.
Once you’ve done that you’ll hit new application and using all the documents that you have and you’ll just begin filling it out. You’ll just work your way through the tabs. Some people might not have access to the internet and that’s okay because what you can do is call the United Way of Charleston and that number is 304-340-3500. You can actually ask to have a paper application mailed to you. All you have to do is fill it out and follow the return instructions to begin that process.
Virginia also offers a similar program that can be found here: https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/rmrp
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/mountaineer-rental-assistance-program-still-accepting-applications/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:37Z |
Postmaster general: Get used to ‘uncomfortable’ rate hikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans should get used to “uncomfortable” postage rate increases in coming years as the U.S. Postal Service seeks to become self-sufficient, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Thursday.
The Postal Service Board of Governors sets postage rates, but DeJoy said he’ll advocate for raising prices until “we have accomplished our objective of projecting a trajectory that shows us being self-sustaining.”
“I believe we have been severely damaged by at least 10 years of a defective pricing model which cannot be satisfied by one or two annual price increases, especially in this inflationary environment,” he added.
DeJoy made the remarks at a Board of Governors meeting in which the Postal Service reported a loss of about $1.7 billion for the latest quarter.
A sweeping overhaul meant to shore up the Postal Service’s financial future will be reflected in the next quarter’s results. The long-delayed law also ensures six-day-a-week mail delivery.
The bill was signed by President Joe Biden on the same day the Postal Service announced plans for the latest rate increase.
If the increase wins final approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, then the cost of a first-class “forever” stamp will grow by 2 cents to 60 cents, effective July 10.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/postmaster-general-get-used-uncomfortable-rate-hikes/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:43Z |
Senate confirms key ambassador slots, including Kennedy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has voted to confirm Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia, and Philip Goldberg to serve as ambassador to South Korea.
Kennedy served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2013-17 during Barack Obama’s presidency. Goldberg is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has been serving as U.S. ambassador to Colombia.
The Senate approved the nominations Thursday as President Joe Biden’s administration looks to fill out its diplomatic team with key allies in Asia. Kennedy has extensive experience in the region and and had thrown her support behind Biden relatively early in the crowded 2020 Democratic primary process.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said shortly before the Senate action that it was critical for the U.S. to have Goldberg in Seoul, citing North Korea’s launch Wednesday of a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.
“South Korea is one of our most important trading partners. South Korea is one of our most important security partners,” Ossoff said. “We need a U.S. ambassador to lead our mission in South Korea.”
The Senate also confirmed Mark Nathanson to be ambassador to Norway, MaryKay Loss Carlson to be ambassador to the Philippines, and John Nkengasong to coordinate U.S. efforts to combat HIV-AIDS globally.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/senate-confirms-key-ambassador-slots-including-kennedy/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:50Z |
Senate to vote next week on protecting abortion rights
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate will vote next week on legislation that would codify abortion rights into federal law as Democrats mount their response to the Supreme Court’s leaked draft decision that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
The procedural vote, scheduled for Wednesday, will mostly be symbolic and once again show the limits of the Democratic majority in the 50-50 Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., does not have the necessary 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster and move ahead with the bill, which means the effort is certain to fail. But he said members of both parties need to go on record about where they stand.
“Next week’s vote will be one of the most important we ever take,” Schumer said Thursday. “Because it deals with one of the most personal and difficult decisions a woman ever has to make in her life.”
He insisted that bringing a bill to the Senate floor, after a similar measure failed in February, is “not an abstract exercise.” The House passed legislation protecting abortion rights in September.
The Democratic leader is hoping to put every single member of his conference, as well as Republicans, on record on abortion rights as both parties deal with the political fallout from the leaked draft opinion that would overturn the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. A final ruling, in a case from Mississippi, is expected this summer.
Democratic leaders, lacking the support needed to change Senate rules and pass an abortion bill on a majority vote, have signaled they intend to take the fight to voters during the campaign leading to the November election. Schumer noted that Republicans have been working for decades to bring about the end of Roe v. Wade.
“Come next week, Senate Republicans will have to answer for everything they’ve done over the years to embolden the hard right’s hostility against a woman’s choice,” Schumer said. “The vote will tell next week, America will be watching.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who joined pro-abortion activists in protest on the Supreme Court steps Tuesday, reiterated how crucial it was — not just for her colleagues across the aisle, but for those in her party — to face voters on whichever decision they choose to make next week.
“It’s about pressing everyone at every level of government, federal, state and local, to acknowledge what it will mean if women have to resort to back-alley abortions or to taking off days off work that they can’t afford to get access to a medical procedure that has been guaranteed as a matter of constitutional right for nearly half a century,” Warren said Thursday.
Republican lawmakers have long been laser-focused on the high court, installing conservative justices intent on revisiting abortion and other social issues, including three ushered to confirmation by Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky during Donald Trump’s presidency to build the court’s solid 6-3 majority.
GOP lawmakers have focused their ire on the rare leak of the draft opinion, calling it a brazen attempt to pressure the justices into changing the ruling.
Urging the justices to stick to their process, McConnell promised that senators would “have their backs, no matter what.”
On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was supportive of Democratic efforts to codify a right to abortion into federal law, but was pessimistic about its chances in the current Congress.
“He did not feel we had the votes at this point in time,” Psaki said. “But certainly providing a moment for people to voice their view and voice their strong opposition to overturning Roe v. Wade is something we support Leader Schumer doing.”
___
This story has been corrected to reflect that a measure to protect voting rights, similar to one scheduled to be voted on next week in the Senate, failed in February, not in March.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/senate-vote-next-week-protecting-abortion-rights/ | 2022-05-07T16:36:57Z |
‘This is really exciting!’: 3 couples welcome twins at same hospital within hours
BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC/Gray News) - It’s something you don’t see every day, even at a hospital, and that’s three couples having three sets of twins, all born within hours of each other.
Hospital officials at the UnityPoint-Trinity’s Bettendorf BirthPlace said the six babies were born between 6:20 a.m. and 6:46 p.m. on May 2. One set of twins were boys, another set were girls and the other was a boy and a girl.
KWQC reports labor, delivery nurses and doctors had their hands full, but the team was prepared.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for our team to have three sets of twins born on the same day,” said Kelli Sieverding, nurse manager. “They all were well and newborn admissions.”
Braelyn and Brooklyn were the first set of twins born.
“I like that we’re a part of being the three sets of twins. I’m jealous of the two boys, but it’s really cool to be part of this,” said Kaitlin Connard, Braelyn and Brooklyn’s mother.
In the afternoon, Violet and Asher made their appearance.
Parents Stacy and Jacob Smith said they knew there was at least one more set of multiples earlier that day.
“I was like, ‘Oh, this is really exciting!’ And then we found out there was somebody else here to deliver twins. Three sets of twins in one shift, that’s pretty cool,” Stacy Smith said.
Rounding out the day shift, Ezra and Cian arrived.
All of the parents said they were grateful for the chance to meet up and for everyone getting to go home healthy.
Copyright 2022 KWQC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/this-is-really-exciting-3-couples-welcome-twins-same-hospital-within-hours/ | 2022-05-07T16:37:04Z |
Tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma; more storms in forecast
SEMINOLE, Okla. (AP) — A storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma, causing damage to a school, a marijuana farm and other structures.
There were no reports of serious injuries following the Wednesday night tornadoes, but the system caused flooding in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas, and more stormy weather took place Thursday.
Significant damage was reported in the Oklahoma city of Seminole, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City, where Gov. Kevin Stitt said damage assessments were underway after he toured the area Thursday.
“(We’re) getting all the resources and supplies that the city wants and needs,” including generators, Stitt said. “Thank the Lord that nobody was hurt” and no deaths have been reported.
The National Weather Service said it found damage in Seminole from an EF2 tornado, which has winds speeds of up to 135 mph (217 kph).
More than 2,900 customers remained without power in Seminole late Thursday afternoon, according to Oklahoma Gas & Electric, more than 63% of the utility customers in the city.
The Academy of Seminole took a direct hit but no one was injured, the school said on Facebook.
Video footage from Oklahoma TV station KOCO showed a tornado hit a marijuana farm in the nearby town of Maud.
Several roads and highways were closed Thursday morning in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas because of flash flooding.
In Bixby, Oklahoma, located south of Tulsa, officials opened a temporary shelter at a church after thunderstorms flooded some homes and streets in one neighborhood.
In East Texas, a tornado on Thursday damaged several campers and buildings at an RV park in Rusk County, Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez told KTRE-TV. The Rusk County Office of Emergency Management reported one person was injured after being hit by a tree.
On Wednesday, a “large and dangerous tornado” was spotted in the rural community of Lockett, about 170 miles (275 kilometers) northwest of Dallas, said the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma.
The weather service said it found damage near Lockett from an EF3 tornado, which has winds speeds of up to 165 mph (265 kph).
There were no significant injuries or deaths to residents in Wilbarger County, where Lockett is located, Sheriff Brian Fritze told KAUZ-TV. He said several homes and barns appeared to sustain extensive damage.
In Washington County in northwest Arkansas, officials performed more than 30 water rescues as heavy rainfall flooded homes and streets in the cities of Fayetteville and Johnson, KHBS/KHOG-TV reported.
The storms on Wednesday and Thursday were the latest in several rounds of severe weather in the central United States. Last week, a tornado damaged more than 1,000 buildings in the Wichita suburb of Andover, Kansas. Three University of Oklahoma meteorology students died in a car crash while returning from storm chasing.
The storms, which were moving east into other southern U.S. states, could bring more tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds, and the threat of severe weather will continue Friday in parts of the South and over the weekend in the central Plains and Midwest, the weather service said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/tornadoes-strike-texas-oklahoma-more-storms-forecast/ | 2022-05-07T16:37:10Z |
Mariupol steel mill battle rages as Ukraine repels attacks
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian fighters in the tunnels underneath Mariupol’s pulverized steel plant held out against Russian troops Thursday in an increasingly desperate and perhaps doomed effort to deny Moscow what would be its biggest success of the war yet: the complete capture of the strategic port city.
The bloody battle came amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a battlefield triumph — or announce an escalation of the war — in time for Victory Day on Monday. Victory Day is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany.
Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia’s most recent estimate, were holed up at Mariupol’s sprawling Azovstal steelworks, the last pocket of resistance in a city largely reduced to rubble over the past two months. A few hundred civilians were also believed trapped there.
The defenders will “stand till the end. They only hope for a miracle,” Kateryna Prokopenko said after speaking by phone to her husband, a leader of the steel plant defenders. “They won’t surrender.”
GRAPHIC WARNING: Videos may contain disturbing content.
She said her husband, Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko, told her he would love her forever.
“I am going mad from this. It seemed like words of goodbye,” she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was preventing the evacuation of civilians remaining in the plant’s underground bunkers.
“Just imagine this hell! And there are children there,” he said late Thursday in his nightly video address. “More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.”
The Russians managed to get inside with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry.
“He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory,” Gerashchenko said in a video posted late Wednesday. “Yesterday, the Russians started storming these tunnels, using the information they received from the betrayer.”
The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant.
The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.
Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, pleaded on Ukrainian TV for the evacuation of civilians and wounded fighters from the steelworks, saying soldiers were “dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.”
The Kremlin has demanded the troops surrender. They have refused. Russia has also accused them of preventing the civilians from leaving.
The head of the United Nations said another attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol and the plant was underway. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes.”
More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend. But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.
Meanwhile, 10 weeks into the devastating war, Ukraine’s military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putin’s ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only “plodding” progress in the Donbas.
The head of Britain’s armed forces, Chief of the Defense Staff Adm. Tony Radakin, said Putin is “trying to rush to a tactical victory” before Victory Day. But he said Russian forces are struggling to gain momentum.
Radakin told British broadcaster Talk TV that Russia is using missiles and weapons at such a rate that it is in a “logistics war” to keep supplied. “This is going to be a hard slog,” he said.
On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow’s highest-profile failures in the war.
The U.S. has provided “a range of intelligence” that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.
Fearful of new attacks surrounding Victory Day, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged residents to leave for the countryside over the long weekend and warned them not to gather in public places.
And the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a key transit point for evacuees from Mariupol, announced a curfew from Sunday evening through Tuesday morning.
In other developments, Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in an interview with The Associated Press but said he didn’t expect the conflict to “drag on this way.”
Lukashenko, whose country was used by the Russians as a launch pad for the invasion, said Moscow had to act because Kyiv was “provoking” Russia.
But he also created some distance between himself and the Kremlin, repeatedly calling for an end to the conflict and referring to it as a “war” — a term Moscow refuses to use. It insists on calling the fighting a “special military operation.”
Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, has come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The siege of the city has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat.
As the battle raged there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian bombardment Thursday hit dozens of Ukrainian military targets, including troop concentrations in the east, an artillery battery near the eastern settlement of Zarozhne, and rocket launchers near the southern city of Mykolaiv.
Five people were killed and dozens injured in shelling of cities in the Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said, with shells hitting schools, apartments and a medical facility.
Ukrainian forces said they made some gains on the border of the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv and repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces “have largely stalled Russian advances in eastern Ukraine,” and intensified Russian airstrikes on transportation infrastructure in the western part of the country have failed to stop Western aid shipments to Ukraine.
But the war has devastated the country’s medical infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in a video link to a charity event in the U.K., with nearly 400 healthcare facilities damaged or destroyed.
“There is simply a catastrophic situation regarding access to medical services and medicines,” in areas occupied by Russian forces, he said. “Even the simplest drugs are lacking.”
With the challenge of mine-clearing and rebuilding after the war in mind, Zelenskyy announced the launch of a global fundraising platform called United24.
At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raised $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid. The gathering was attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from many European countries, as well as representatives of nations farther afield and some businesses.
In addition, a Ukrainian cabinet body began to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan, while Zelenskyy also urged Western allies to put forward a program similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan plan to help Ukraine rebuild.
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Anna reported from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/ukraine-repels-some-attacks-combat-rages-steel-mill/ | 2022-05-07T16:37:17Z |
FDA restricts J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Thursday strictly limited who can receive Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine due to the ongoing risk of rare but serious blood clots.
The Food and Drug Administration said the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&J’s vaccine. U.S. authorities for months have recommended that Americans get Pfizer or Moderna shots instead of J&J’s vaccine.
FDA’s vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said the agency decided to restrict the vaccine after taking another look at the data on the risks of life-threatening blood clots and concluding that they are limited to J&J’s vaccine.
“If there’s an alternative that appears to be equally effective in preventing severe outcomes from COVID-19, we’d rather see people opting for that,” Marks said. “But we’ve been careful to say that-- compared to no vaccine-- this is still a better option.”
The problem occurs in the first two weeks after vaccination, he added: “So if you had the vaccine six months ago you can sleep soundly tonight knowing this isn’t an issue.”
The FDA authorized J&J’s shot in February last year for adults 18 and up.
The vaccine was initially considered an important tool in fighting the pandemic because it required only one shot. But the single-dose option proved less effective than two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Moderna and Pfizer shots over J&J’s because of its safety issues.
As of mid-March, federal scientists had identified 60 cases of the side effect, including nine that were fatal. That amounts to 3.23 blood clot cases per 1 million J&J shots. The problem is more common in women under 50, where the death rate was roughly 1 per million shots, according to Marks.
Marks said the FDA spent extra time analyzing the problem to be sure it wasn’t connected to a separate issue, such as women taking birth control medications that raise their risk of clotting.
The J&J vaccine will carry a starker warning about potential “long-term and debilitating health consequences” of the side effect.
Under the new FDA instructions, J&J’s vaccine could still be given to people who had a severe allergic reaction to one of the other vaccines and can’t receive an additional dose. J&J’s shot could also be an option for people who refuse to receive the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and therefore would otherwise remain unvaccinated, the agency said.
A J&J spokesman said in an emailed statement: “Data continue to support a favorable benefit-risk profile for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in adults, when compared with no vaccine.”
The clotting problems first came up last spring, with the J&J shot in the U.S. and with a similar vaccine made by AstraZeneca that is used in other countries. At that time, U.S. regulators decided the benefits of J&J’s one-and-done vaccine outweighed what was considered a very rare ri sk — as long as recipients were warned.
COVID-19 causes deadly blood clots, too. But the vaccine-linked kind is different, believed to form because of a rogue immune reaction to the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines because of how they’re made. Clots form in unusual places, such as veins that drain blood from the brain, and in patients who also develop abnormally low levels of the platelets that form clots. Symptoms of the unusual clots include severe headaches a week or two after the J&J vaccination — not right away — as well as abdominal pain and nausea.
The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company announced last month that it didn’t expect a profit from the vaccine this year and was suspending sales projections.
The rollout of the company’s vaccine was hurt by a series of troubles, including manufacturing problems at a Baltimore factory that forced J&J to import millions of doses from overseas.
Additionally, regulators added warnings about the blood clots and a rare neurological reaction called Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Pfizer and Moderna have provided the vast majority of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. More than 200 million Americans have been fully vaccinated with the companies’ two-dose shots while less than 17 million Americans got the J&J shot.
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This version corrects the rate of blood clots reported with J&J’s vaccine. It is 3.23 cases per 1 million vaccinations.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/05/05/us-limiting-jj-covid-19-vaccine-those-who-cannot-receive-other-shots/ | 2022-05-07T16:37:26Z |
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