Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ANONYMOUS TIPSTER APP REPORTS
Report: Wyoming app received more anonymous safety reports
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — An anonymous tipster application marketed to Wyoming students received a record number of tips last year, with suicide being the most frequently reported concern. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that the Safe2Tell program confirmed more than 1,750 tips were sent across the state in 2019, a 37% increase from the previous year. Officials say the program is designed to allow students to anonymously report safety or health concerns for themselves or their peers to Wyoming Highway Patrol and various school officials. The program launched in October 2016 in the Natrona County School District before later being introduced to the entire state.
NURSING HOME REGULATIONS
Wyoming lawmakers take up nursing-home water, nursing rules
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming lawmakers are considering a bill that would change licensing requirements for staff at nursing homes while also requiring those facilities to provide hot water to all residents. The measure cleared introduction in the state Senate on a 20-9 vote Wednesday. Sen. Charlie Scott, a Republican from Casper, says current regulations applying to water heaters in nursing homes result in cold water for some residents. Scott is co-sponsoring the bill, called “Cold Showers for Grandma." Scott says the bill is named for what legislators hope to prevent. Besides regulating water temperature, the measure would reduce licensing requirements for nurses at facilities for people with dementia.
RESERVATION BROADBAND
FCC Chairman Pai tours Wyoming reservation broadband project
ETHETE, Wyo. (AP) — A top federal official toured Wyoming's Wind River Reservation to look at efforts to improve internet access for tribal members. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes share the reservation. The Federal Communications Commission in 2019 announced a $4.1 million grant to boost broadband service to the reservation in central Wyoming. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai toured the reservation Tuesday. Pai tells the Casper Star-Tribune he's heard that more children are now able to do homework at home and more people can now work from home because of the new internet service. The money will help the Northern Arapaho Tribe connect about 850 homes to high-speed internet over the next few years.
TETON BIGHORNS
Wyoming seeks advice on protecting Teton bighorn sheep herd
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming officials plan a series of public meetings to help determine how to protect the last bighorn sheep in the Teton Range. They're seeking recommendations from the public on an issue that could lead to closing off more areas in western Wyoming to backcountry skiing. Research suggests backcountry skiing displaces sheep from some of their best habitat. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports bighorn sheep used to be abundant in the Tetons but now number only about 100. They're divided into two sub-populations that don't mingle. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking specific recommendations from the public for how help the sheep.
AP-US-OIL-PUBLIC-LANDS
Oil from federal lands tops 1B barrels as Trump eases rules
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Oil production from federally-managed lands and waters topped a record 1 billion barrels last year. That's up more than 13% from 2018 as the Trump administration eases rules on the industry and technological advances push development into new areas. Critics charge that the gains being made by energy companies come at the expense of the environment, with fewer safeguards to protect the land and wildlife from harm. Oil production royalties collected by the government totaled $7.5 billion in 2019. That's beneath record revenues in 2013, when crude prices topped $90 a barrel.
2003 LARAMIE SHOOTING-SENTENCE
Wyoming man gets up to 18 years for killing co-worker
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has sentenced a man to up to 18 years in prison after he fatally shot his former co-worker in a Wyoming parking lot in 2003. The Laramie Boomerang reported Friday that Albany County District Court Judge Tori Kricken sentenced 41-year-old Fidel Serrano to 12-18 years after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter last year. Prosecutors say the first-degree murder charge was dropped in exchange for the plea. Authorities say Serrano and Galvan-Morales were co-workers at Rocky Mountain Forest Products in Laramie. Witnesses told police that Serrano shot Galvan-Morales two days after they got into a fight at a dance in Cheyenne.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
