Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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Couple pleads not guilty to attempted murder, child abuse CHEYENNE (WNE) — At separate hearings with separate judges Monday, both of the defendants charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the alleged abuse of a two-year-old boy pleaded not guilty. Hannah Wingert, the 20-year-old mother of the child, and Joshua Moody, her 21-year-old boyfriend, were arrested for attempted first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse on Aug. 25. Law enforcement contacted them after Wingert’s stepmother called police to perform a wel...
As part of its commitment to help reduce suicide deaths across the state, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is sharing key information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and its operations in Wyoming. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential and always available. The system involves a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Two call centers within Wyoming are part of the lifeline network. “We believe it’s a benefi...
Wyoming has long had an adversarial relationship with smokable or edible intoxicants, and that may continue with delta-8 – colloquially known as "weed light" and "diet weed." Members of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee will consider a draft bill Tuesday in Casper that would effectively ban that substance and any other with "similar chemical structure and pharmacological activity." The discussion comes at a time when stores selling the substance are proliferating in Wyoming, national l...
Wyoming senators join effort to ban federal mask mandates CHEYENNE (WNE) — U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyo., joined U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, in introducing legislation to prevent the government from imposing new federal mask mandates for domestic air travel, public transit systems and in schools. The Freedom to Breathe Act would also prevent air carriers, public transit authorities and all educational institutions from refusing service to those who choose not to wear face masks. On Thursday, Senate Democrats b...
CHEYENNE — Wyoming state legislators criticized an initiative to reduce property taxation for homeowners by 50%, arguing the bill’s passage would ultimately strip state funding for public schools. The proposed initiative, formally dubbed the “People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner’s Property Exemption,” was conditionally certified by Secretary of State Chuck Gray at the end of last month. Spearheaded by Brent Bien, a former Wyoming governor candidate, alongside committee applicants Cheryl Aguiar and Richard...
Backed by the promise of billions in federal dollars, energy companies are lining up to accept an invitation by Wyoming officials to collect industrial sources of carbon dioxide and pump it deep underground. Essentially, the vision is to build a new low-carbon energy industry that scrubs the planet-warming gas from fossil fuels, keeping those fuels in the energy mix and simultaneously helping to address the climate crisis in a way that pays dividends to developers and the state. Wyoming, accordi...
Baby stroller allegedly used to steal drone CODY (WNE) — The Cody man charged in July with endangering his daughter by allowing her to be in the presence of meth was recently charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary after he and another Cody man allegedly used a baby stroller to steal a drone from Walmart on Aug. 2. Jeremy Johnstone, 25, is accused of partnering with Brad L. Corbin to steal the drone. They face the same charges. Cody Police Officer Steven Bassett was dispatched to Walmart at around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 t...
CASPER — The number of new business filings in Wyoming surged dramatically this year compared to last, bringing in a whopping 25% increase in revenue from filings. The Secretary of State’s Office has processed roughly 590,000 business filings for fiscal year 2023 — more than a 27% increase compared to last year, Colin Crossman, business division director for the Secretary of State’s Office, told lawmakers last week. “That’s massive,” Crossman said. “That eclipses all of the other years that I tracked here.” As a result of these filings, the Sec...
Wyoming decides to leave National School Board Association POWELL (WNE) — The Wyoming School Board Association, which includes Park County School District 1, is no longer a member of the National School Board Association (NSBA). Kim Dillivan, PCSD1 board chairman, said he does not anticipate a change to the school board’s professional development as a result of Wyoming’s exit. Individual school boards can still be a member of the NSBA, but Dillivan does not see a difference between membership to the NSBA or the Consortium of State School Board...
CHEYENNE — Officials from the Wyoming Military Department advised legislators against restarting the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy until sufficient staffing for the residential program for at-risk youth is secured. Maj. Gen. Greg Porter, the state’s adjutant general, stressed to the Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee that a restart of the program isn’t possible until the staffing issue is resolved. “What I would offer — and I would tell the governor of Wyoming the same thing — until we are able to solve the s...
Driver booked for assault after hitting pedestrian with car CHEYENNE (WNE) — A male pedestrian was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Thursday evening after a driver struck him with his vehicle. The victim is in custody, and the driver has been booked into the Laramie County jail on an assault charge. Koby Rodriguez, 25, was arrested on the charge of aggravated assault with injury after an altercation at 5:40 p.m. Thursday. Rodriguez told police that, after exiting Interstate 80, waiting at a light to turn onto North Greeley H...
11-acre fire south of Wright sparked by mine blast GILLETTE (WNE) — The Campbell County Fire Department fought its biggest fire of the season Sunday caused by a blast at Black Thunder Mine. At 2:15 p.m., firefighters responded to the Hilight Road area, south of Highway 450, for a reported grass fire. The fire was contained at 1370 acres and was caused by a blast from Black Thunder mine, said Battalion Chief Bryan Borgialli. The fire department had 17 firefighters and two chiefs working the fire, which was contained by 6 p.m. Sunday. The U...
Streaming service airs episode on missing Gillette woman GILLETTE (WNE) — The story of missing Gillette woman Irene Gakwa recently aired on a nationwide streaming service. The 25-minute episode titled “American Dream, American Nightmare” follows Gakwa’s journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Gillette where she disappeared in early 2022. The episode is part of Paramount Plus’ “Never Seen Again” series, which documents families sharing the stories of lost loved ones. Featured on the show are Gakwa’s brothers, Kennedy Wainaina and Chris Gakwa and Chris...
Driver kills mountain lion on Moose-Wilson Road JACKSON (WNE) — A vehicle hit and killed a mountain lion Thursday evening on the Moose-Wilson Road, a fatal strike that follows a series of other deadly encounters between cars and animals in Jackson Hole. A motorist struck the roughly two-year-old female cat at about 6:30 p.m., said Mark Gocke, a spokesman with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Mountain lions are intelligent, social carnivores that occasionally make public appearances in Jackson Hole. This spring, for example, a young cat w...
LANDER — Last weekend’s grizzly bear attack just outside Yellowstone Park near the Montana-Idaho border was a stark reminder of the dangers posed by bears in the region and the need to consider safety measures when venturing into the wilderness. The victim, 48-year old ultramarathon runner Amie Adamson, was attacked during a jog near Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone, and officials say she was not found to be in possession of bear spray. To ensure you’re well prepared for a bear encounter, experts offer some advice about being safe...
Minnesota man placed on probation for high-speed chase outside Cody POWELL (WNE) – A Minnesota man who recently led police on a high-speed chase on the North Fork Highway has been released on probation after spending two-and-a-half weeks in jail. On July 24 in Park County District Court, Kirk D. Raymond, 53, pleaded guilty to a felony count of interference with a peace officer; it relates to Raymond trying to injure a pursuing Park County Sheriff’s deputy. Raymond’s guilty plea came as part of a deal with prosecutors that involved three other...
GILLETTE — Inflation and staffing shortages have hit the Wyoming Department of Transportation hard, and nowhere else is feeling the crunch harder than in northeast Wyoming. WYDOT has 1,734 employees around the state, and there are 313 vacancies. In District 4, which is northeast Wyoming, WYDOT employs 170 people, and it has about 40 vacancies, the highest of any district, said WYDOT District 4 Engineer Scott Taylor during a presentation to Campbell County Commissioners last week. It’s down mechanics, resident engineers, maintainers and str...
Nine school districts to participate in RIDE pilot CASPER (WNE) — Some Wyoming school districts will soon see the first fruits of a statewide effort to rethink the public K-12 education system. Gov. Mark Gordon’s office announced Wednesday that nine Wyoming school districts will participate in a pilot program beginning later this summer that aims to focus on more competency-based and student-centered learning. This initial pilot emerged from recommendations that came out of Gordon’s Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) Ad...
Tiny the cat chomps down on Park County 4-H Educator Mary Louise Wood's thumb during the Park County Fair cat show on Wednesday of last week....
New Cheyenne park shooting defendants plead not guilty CHEYENNE (WNE) — Brothers Jalen and Santana Trujillo, who are facing charges of misdemeanor accessory after the fact to first-degree murder (not a relative), pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing Monday morning. Their case is set for a jury trial, with a scheduling conference scheduled to take place in November. The brothers, 19, are co-defendants with Johnny Munoz, 17, and Julian Espinoza, 16. The four of them, along with Jeremy Lackey, 18, were allegedly in a black SUV, driven by E...
Wendy Volk thought long and hard about filing an ethics complaint against a Laramie County senator after she said the lawmaker effectively sent a social media mob her way in August 2021. The incident began when the lawmaker posted to her professional social media page, questioning her status as a longtime Republican and asking why the Republican Party hadn’t done something sooner to take her out, Volk recounted. In the lawmaker’s online attack, Volk said, he referenced her many years of testifying at the Legislature. Soon, Volk said, the pos...
CASPER — The University of Wyoming continues to struggle with falling enrollment and retention rates as fewer students seek out and stay in Laramie for their college education. UW Provost Kevin Carman addressed ongoing enrollment concerns at Wyoming’s only four-year university in an email last week to university staff and announced a schoolwide effort to solve what he described as the school’s “enrollment challenges.” Forecasts suggest the school’s total enrollment at the start of the fall semester will be down 5% from 2022, while the school...
Colorado man dies, bus driver airlifted in Sunday morning crash GILLETTE (WNE) — A 25-year-old Colorado man died and a bus driver was airlifted for treatment after a head-on crash Sunday morning south of Wright. Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem said Nicholas Finnian Mahoney, of Littleton, Colorado, died instantly at the scene. Sheriff Scott Matheny said the Sheriff’s Office began receiving “numerous” 911 calls at about 7:30 a.m. for a pickup versus passenger bus accident on Highway 59 south of Cosner Road. He said Mahoney was driving...
Strike-down of affirmative action will not impact admissions at UW or CSU CHEYENNE (WNE) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday will not impact the admissions processes at either the University of Wyoming or nearby Colorado State University. Though the court declared race can no longer be a factor in admission, neither university anticipates changes in their own admissions. “The university does not see any direct impact from this,” UW associate vice president of institutional comm...
North Antelope Rochelle Mine workers injured in tornado released from hospital GILLETTE (WNE) — All mine workers hospitalized after a tornado carrying up to 130 mph gusts struck North Antelope Rochelle Mine early Friday night have been released and the large open-pit coal mine is gradually resuming its operations. The tornado touched down at about 6 p.m. Friday while shift change was underway, knocking over at least 12 empty train cars, flipping multiple buses there to transport workers and sparking a search and rescue operation that drew n...
