Wyoming News Briefs

Montana mussel discovery has Wyoming on high alert

CODY (WNE) — Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming Game and Fish are becoming increasingly vigilant about the dangers to waterways from zebra and quagga mussels.

The tiny invasive species, long on the organizations’ watch list, have the potential to infect and ruin fisheries and even drinking water if not repelled from water systems.

“It’s a disaster,” warned Game and Fish director Brian Nesvik in a talk in Cody last Thursday. “It’s bad stuff.”

Only two days earlier in Cody, Todd Koel, the National Park Service fisheries supervisor in Yellowstone, also addressed the threat.

The recent discovery of mussels in some bodies of water in Montana has helped raise the profile of the small mollusks that are the size of a coin.

“It heightened awareness,” Koel said. “They have been advancing west for some time.”

Mussels are native to eastern Europe, but worked their way across the continent and then to the United States. They are freshwater species that breed quickly and reconfigure ecosystems to the point other fish in lakes die off or unwelcome vegetation grows.

Zebra, and the stronger quagga mussels, invade water bodies by adhering to the bottom of boats that are transported from place to place, or by remaining in water carried in boats whose owners move them across the country. Mud, sand and animal and plant matter can conceal them.

This is a key reason why Wyoming has an elaborate watercraft inspection system for boats arriving in the state. Likewise, Yellowstone has ratcheted up its protective measures designed to prevent any invasion into the Park’s waters. 

Man arrested in mother’s death

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A woman who was found dead Friday is now considered a homicide victim, according to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department.

Carol J. Wallace, 80, was found dead Friday morning in the basement of a home in the 1100 block of Green Mountain Road, which is northwest of Cheyenne.

When deputies arrived at the home at 7:29 a.m. Friday, they found Carol Wallace dead. The reporting party was a son who came from a different address. There was also another son in the home when the reporting party arrived, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department, which will continue to investigate.

The department announced Monday morning that a second search warrant would be conducted at the home the same day.

Both sons were taken to the department for questioning. The brother who was at the home, James Brian Wallace, 48, is in custody on unrelated charges (on a warrant for failure to appear in court on charges of domestic battery, criminal entry, destruction of property and interference).

He is expected to be formally charged in connection with the homicide through the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days, according to Capt. Linda Gesell.

An autopsy on Carol Wallace has been completed, but as of Monday morning, the sheriff’s department said the cause of death would not be released pending a report from the medical examiner. There is no threat to the public, according to Gesell.

Fewer than 1700 Carbon County voters approve tax increase

RAWLINS (WNE) — They say those who show up decide the future, and in this case the saying rang true, with a 15-year increase in sales tax being decided by 1637 voters, making up less than 29 percent of the county’s registered voters. 

Special elections have historically failed to draw the crowds often seen during general and primary voting events. Though County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett said both the county and the municipalities did extensive outreach to inform voters of the upcoming election. 

Bartlett further said the work by the Carbon County Infrastructure Improvement Coalition, a political action committee formed specifically to publicize the tax’s merits, helped reach even more residents. 

“I feel like the public had ample opportunity to participate in the election,” said Bartlett.

Despite the low turnout, Tuesday’s ballot saw more than 75 percent of all ballots cast accent to increasing the county’s sales tax. 

This outpouring of support may surprise some, as some western states are often famed for their resistance to new taxes. Yet, this year’s special election for the 6th penny tax showed that not all are so dismissive of tax as is often portrayed.

“I think the county is pleased with how the election came out,” said Bartlett. 

With the success of Tuesday’s vote, the county’s sales tax will increase from 5% to 6% beginning Oct.1. The tax will remain on bills throughout the county until the $67 million required for the various projects is collected. 

Man fired multiple times at Cheyenne police in chase

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The man who was shot twice after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase through Cheyenne on May 3 allegedly told investigators he fled because he was in possession of methamphetamine and had an outstanding warrant.

According to court documents, Dominique Childers told detectives from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation he “freaked out” when a trooper from the Wyoming Highway Patrol tried to pull him over for speeding on southbound Interstate 25 near Cheyenne.

The trooper said Childers, who was allegedly driving a stolen 2016 Toyota Camry, reached a maximum speed of 115 mph while trying to avoid being pulled over on the interstate. 

It was near the governor’s residence on Central Avenue that Childers allegedly rolled down his window and fired several times at the state trooper. 

Throughout the chase, Childers fired at intervals at the trooper’s patrol car. At one point, he hit the trooper’s windshield in the upper right corner.

When Childers turned eastbound on 19th Street, a Cheyenne Police Department patrol car pulled alongside the Camry. Childers allegedly fired at the patrol car, shattering the passenger side window and spraying the officer with glass.

The CPD officer returned fire and struck Childers twice. The chase ended when the Camry struck a metal fence at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Childers currently is facing nine charges, including two counts of felony assault and battery-threatening with a weapon, one count of felony theft related to the stolen car and two counts of felony property destruction.

Jackson begins looking at child care challenges

JACKSON (WNE) — Elected officials last week took the first steps toward addressing child care challenges in Jackson, acknowledging a major stress point for parents.

Town councilors asked staff to recommend changes to regulations to make it easier for providers to operate in town and to research possibilities for promoting child care, including through public funding.

With a shortage of child care options in Teton County, waitlists have become a source of profound anxiety for many families with young children.

Planning Director Tyler Sinclair said the vast majority of aspiring providers abandon the idea after learning of the bureaucratic hurdles involved. Much of that is due to state licensing regulations, he said.

But there are likely ways the town can ease its own buildings codes, to spare providers the overwhelming costs of adapting their spaces to meet requirements for child care.

“We get a lot of people coming into our office hoping, thinking they will open a day care,” Sinclair said. “For every 10 people … maybe two of them make it.”

Councilors unanimously supported the effort to give child care a boost. Councilor Hailey Morton Levinson, who has a young child, equated early childhood education with K-12 education. But the federal government is unlikely to instate universal pre-K anytime soon, she said, leaving the responsibility at the local level.

“It’s on the municipalities and the counties and our local education system to make the difference,” she said.