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BASEMENT BODY
South Dakota teen pleads insanity in Wyoming girl's death
STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota teenager has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a girl from Wyoming whose body was found in his basement.
Also Thursday, the 17-year-old entered a not guilty plea to an alternate second-degree murder charge.
The Associated Press isn't naming the defendant because his lawyer is trying to get the case moved to juvenile court.
The boy was indicted Wednesday in the killing of 16-year-old Shayna Ritthaler of Upton, Wyoming, whose body was found Oct. 7 in the basement of the defendant's home near Sturgis, where he lived with his mother.
Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin has said Ritthaler was shot once in the head.
Investigators are trying to determine how the two met.
SAGE GROUSE-ENERGY LEASES
Judge blocks Trump attempt to ease energy rules in US West
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to ease some rules on mining, drilling and grazing across millions of acres in seven U.S. Western states.
Judge B. Lynn Winmill said changes adopted by the administration in March likely would cause further declines in populations of greater sage grouse.
The ground-dwelling bird is at the center of a bitter conflict between the administration and conservationists how much of the West's expansive public lands should be opened to development.
The judge's Wednesday restraining order means government officials must fall back on previous rules that were adopted under President Barack Obama.
It affects public land in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California and Oregon.
Grouse habitats in Montana, Washington and the Dakotas were not impacted by the Trump rule changes.
DRUG DEAL-CHILD
Wyoming man pleads not guilty to drug deal allegations
(Information from: Rawlins Times, http://www.rawlinstimes.com)
SARATOGA, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming man has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including child endangerment after bringing a baby to a suspected drug deal.
The Rawlins Daily Times reported Wednesday that 34-year-old Andrew Engle faces up to 37 years in prison and $45,000 in fines after being charged with felony possession of meth, delivery of a controlled substance and other charges.
Authorities say his 30-year-old girlfriend Kelly Sachtjen was also charged with child endangerment.
A confidential informant says the couple arrived for the deal at a retail parking lot in June with a child in the back seat.
Authorities say Sachtjen temporarily removed the child from the vehicle while the informant exchanged $900 for a meth-filled Cheetos bag.
A trial date for Engle has not yet been scheduled.
Attorneys were not mentioned.
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UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
UW board approves timeline for hiring next president
(Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com)
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees hopes to select its next permanent president by early March.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports that the board on Wednesday approved a tentative hiring timeline that board chairman Dave True says can be tweaked if necessary.
According to the timeline, the top candidate will receive an offer in the first week of March. The board has previously said it wants the new president to take office by July 1.
The school has been without a permanent president since this summer, when the trustees allowed Laurie Nichols' contract to expire for reasons that haven't been publicly explained.
Neil Theobald is serving as the school's interim president.
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BANKERS SURVEY
Bankers survey shows improved rural economy in October
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The latest survey of bankers in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states showed an improved rural economy this month, but the ongoing trade disputes continue weighing on the economy.
The Rural Mainstreet survey's overall index climbed to 51.4 for October from 50.1 in September. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says federal crop support payments and higher grain prices helped boost October's index, but noted that nearly three-quarters of bankers "reported continuing negative impacts from the trade war."
The confidence index, which reflects bankers' economic expectations six months out, slumped to a dismal 36.5 from September's already low 42.9.
Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.
POLICE SHOOTING-LAWMAKER CRITICISM
Wyoming lawmaker says man killed by police needed treatment
(Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com)
FORT WASHAKIE, Wyo. (AP) — A state lawmaker says a Wyoming man should have been hospitalized receiving help with addiction issues on the day he was killed by police.
The Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday that Republican state Rep. Lloyd Larsen addressed the death of 58-year-old Anderson Antelope during a Joint Committee on Tribal Relations Committee meeting Monday.
Antelope was a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe.
Authorities say a police officer shot Antelope Sept. 21 outside the Riverton Walmart after he stabbed an officer with a knife, which was blocked by body armor.
Larsen says Antelope spent months at the Wyoming State Hospital in Riverton and a hospital in Lander, but there was no room at public or private facilities for Antelope at the time of the shooting.
The shooting has prompted vigils and marches.
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