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DEATH PENALTY-REPUBLICANS
GOP death-penalty opponents look to new effort in 2020
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Republicans in states including Wyoming, Utah and Ohio plan to keep pushing for death-penalty repeal even as U.S. officials move toward resuming executions.
A national group, Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, released a statement Monday saying the death penalty is costly and prone to error.
Over 250 people signed including Republican Rep. Jared Olsen, of Cheyenne, who promised in a news conference to try again with death-penalty repeal legislation in Wyoming in 2020.
The Wyoming Legislature last winter came the closest it has in recent memory to abolishing capital punishment.
The measure cleared the Wyoming House but failed 18-12 in the Senate. Repeal opponents argued in part that capital punishment encourages criminals to cooperate with investigators.
U.S. officials announced in July federal executions would resume after a 16-year informal moratorium.
MISSING HUNTER-SEARCH SUSPENDED
Wyoming authorities suspend search for missing hunter
(Information from: KTWO-AM, http://www.k2radio.com/)
RAWLINS, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming authorities have suspended the search for a Wyoming man missing for more than a week.
KTWO-AM reports that the Carbon County sheriff's office spent a week searching for 44-year-old Mark Strittmater after he did not return from a solo hunting trip Oct. 19.
Authorities say Strittmater went into the Medicine Bow National Forest alone and was reported missing Oct. 20.
Authorities say they used air patrol and search dogs in efforts to find him before spending the search at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Strittmater is white; 5 feet, 8 inches tall (173 centimeters) and weighs 130 pounds (59 kilograms). He has brown hair and blue eyes.
He was last seen Oct. 19 wearing a light-colored camouflage long-sleeved shirt with gray or green pants, boots and an orange hunting cap.
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HUNTER SHOOTS GRIZZLY
Montana hunter reports shooting grizzly bear in self-defense
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — State wildlife officials are investigating after a hunter reported shooting a grizzly bear in self-defense in southwestern Montana.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the shooting happened Saturday in the Eureka Basin south Gravelly Mountains. Four hunters were attacked by grizzly bears during a 10-day period in September in the Gravelly Mountains, including one in the Eureka Basin area.
State and federal wildlife managers said Monday they are also investigating two other human-caused grizzly bear deaths that happened in the last week in the West Yellowstone area. Officials haven't released any further information about those deaths.
WYOMING RESERVOIRS
Wyoming could get new reservoir, expansion of another
(Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com)
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Bureau of Land Management has approved the creation of a new reservoir and the expansion of another on the western flank of the Bighorn Mountains in northern Wyoming.
The Billings Gazette reports the proposal to build the Alkali Creek Reservoir and expand the Leavitt Reservoir still have other regulatory hurdles to clear, but officials hope to start construction on both projects in 2021 with completion and filling by 2023.
The projects are both located on tributaries to the Bighorn River.
Alkali Creek Reservoir would be built near the community of Hyattville. The reservoir would cover 294 acres (119 hectares).
Leavitt Reservoir is located north of the community of Shell. It's now about 45 surface acres (18.2 hectares), and the plan is to expand it to 203 acres (82 hectares).
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ROCKIES WEATHER
Snow, cold grip Montana, Wyoming, Colorado
CHEYNNE, Wyo. (AP) — The new week is bringing more snow and cold to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.
Snow fell throughout the region from a system that swept through over the weekend and continued to bring snow, mainly in Colorado on Monday.
The National Weather Service says another round of snowfall and bitter cold will sweep through the region, starting Monday in Montana and spreading into Wyoming and Colorado Monday night and Tuesday.
Hazardous travel conditions exist in all three states from the first system.
Interstate 80 in southern Wyoming between Laramie and Rawlins was closed Sunday afternoon and reopened Monday morning.
The snow also delayed and cancelled some flights at Denver International Airport.
WYOMING ASSISTANT RESIGNS
Assistant Wyoming football coach Garza resigns after DUI
(Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com)
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Assistant University of Wyoming football coach Willie Mack Garza has resigned after being charged with drunken driving.
The safeties coach was cited Oct. 17 and coach Craig Bohl suspended him Oct. 18. Bohl announced Garza's resignation Monday.
Bohl said defensive coordinator Dickert will go back to coaching safeties while Bohl's son, graduate assistant Aaron Bohl, will coach linebackers.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports Garza pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor DUI and speeding. Garza didn't have a listed number and couldn't be reached for comment Monday.
Garza resigned as Southern California's secondary coach in 2011 after an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations while he was an assistant at Tennessee in 2009.
Garza was an assistant to Bohl at North Dakota State from 2005-08 and hired at Wyoming in May.
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