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ANIMALS REMOVED FROM HOME
Police remove 62 animals from Wyoming home
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Casper police officials have removed 62 animals that were subjected to what authorities described as unsanitary and neglectful conditions from a Natrona County home. The Casper Star-Tribune reports animal protection officers worked for more than three hours Thursday to remove 46 dogs, 15 rabbits and a cat. The animals were being evaluated by a veterinarian and are recovering in a shelter. Police officials say they previously tried to help the home owner create a plan to take better care of the animals after a complaint in December. But they say those attempts were unsuccessful, resulting in Thursday's search warrant and seizure.
GREAT SALT LAKE-RARE FORMATIONS
Rare salt formations appear along the Great Salt Lake
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Rare salt formations are being documented for the first time on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, and they could yield insights about salt structures found on Mars before they disappear for good. They’re showing up now in part because water levels have been lowered by drought and water diversion, exposing more shoreline. That leaves more places where water can bubble up to the surface from warm, sulfate-rich springs. A mineral called mirabilite separates out when the water hits the cold winter air, eventually forming into crystal spires and terraces. The structures are expected to dissolve as the weather warms up.
WYOMING SCHOOL-OFFENSIVE FLYERS
School district, coalition talk responses to hateful flyers
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming coalition has asked a school district to make multiple changes to better protect students from racism and homophobia after hateful flyers were spread at a junior high in Cheyenne last year. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that the Wyoming Independent Citizens Coalition has asked Laramie County School District 1 to hire more minority teachers, involve community members in diversity training and change disciplinary policies against hateful actions. Officials say the coalition formed last March after hateful flyers were posted and distributed at McCormick Junior High School. Coalition members say they also shared their concerns and questions Thursday.
OLD FAITHFUL TRESPASSING-SENTENCE
2 men banned from park for years for walking on Old Faithful
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — Two men who pleaded guilty to trespassing on the cone of Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park last fall were sentenced to 10 days in jail and have been banned from the park for five years. Park employees and other witnesses saw two people on the geyser on Sept. 10 taking photos with their cellphones. At least one witness shared photos with park rangers, who cited the two defendants. Park officials said the ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin and there is scalding water just below the surface.
GRAND TETON-MOUNTAIN GOATS
Foul weather postpones helicopter goat shoot in Grand Teton
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Foul weather has postponed plans to kill nonnative mountain goats in Grand Teton National Park. Park officials closed a large area of the Teton Range to the public this week so that hunters could shoot goats by helicopter without endangering people on the ground. Park officials now say snow and poor visibility are postponing those plans. Grand Teton spokeswoman Denise Germann says another attempt could take place in late January or early February. Mountain goats aren't native to the park and biologists worry the 100 or more goats could spread disease to native bighorn sheep.
COAL CLOSURES-TRI STATE
Tri-State to close coal facilities in Colorado, New Mexico
DENVER (AP) — Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association plans to close two of its coal-fired power plants and a coal mine in Colorado and New Mexico. The utility plans to close the Escalante Station in New Mexico by the end of this year. It also plans to close two units at the Craig Station plant in Craig, Colorado, and its operation at the Colowyo Mine in northwest Colorado by 2030. The closures will affect about 600 employees. That includes more than 100 workers in a rural area of New Mexico, where state and local officials began scrambling Thursday to identify options for replacing the lost jobs.
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