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SPARKLERS-WORLD RECORD FAIL
Technicality extinguishes sparkler record attempt in Wyoming
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — An attempt in Wyoming to break a world record for the most sparklers lit simultaneously has failed on a technicality. The Gillette News Record reports Guinness World Records officials have ruled each participant was required to light his or her own sparkler during the August attempt in Gillette. The event had an apparatus for lighting multiple sparklers that was built by students and instructors at Gillette College. Volunteers lit 2,500 sparklers and distributed them to more than 1,700 people who attended the kickoff event for the Pyrotechnics Guild International convention. The current sparkler record is 1,713.
DOCTOR-DRUG DISTRIBUTION
Wyoming doctor reaches plea agreement in opioid prescribing
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming doctor who has been charged with illegally prescribing opioids and other controlled substances has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. KTWO-AM reports David Ray Cesko of Rawlins is scheduled to plead guilty during a federal court hearing in Cheyenne on Feb. 26. Court records did not indicate to what charges he would plead guilty. Cesko faced a 32-count indictment alleging he improperly prescribed anti-anxiety drugs, stimulants and painkilling opioids from 2014 to 2017. Cesko's medical license was suspended in 2017 and he relinquished it in 2018.
COLORADO AVALANCHE-DEATHS
Searchers recover bodies of 2 killed in Colorado avalanche
VAIL, Colo. (AP) — Searchers have recovered the bodies of two Colorado men who died in a weekend avalanche in Colorado. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says three men were riding snowbikes late Saturday afternoon when they were caught in the slide about 10 miles north of Vail. One man was able to dig himself out and call for help. The other men were carried into a gully at the bottom of a drainage area, avalanche debris piled up deeply and they were fully buried. The avalanche center reports the bodies were recovered on Sunday. The victims were identified as 28-year-old Dillon Block and 30-year-old Cesar Almanza-Hernandez, both of Gypsum.
CAR STRIKES OFFICER
Billings police officer injured, intentionally struck by car
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Billings police officer was injured and a 14-year-old boy faces an attempted deliberate homicide charge after the teen reportedly struck the officer with a vehicle during a traffic stop. Police said an officer was giving commands to the occupants of a stopped vehicle early Saturday when the driver accelerated and drove straight at officers. The vehicle struck a 35-year-old officer, causing serious injuries that required surgery. The vehicle crashed nearby and all six occupants fled on foot, but were apprehended. The investigation continues.
MEDICAID EXPANSION-REJECTION
Wyoming lawmakers reject Medicaid expansion effort
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming lawmakers have rejected the second effort to expand Medicaid in five days. The Casper Star-Tribune reported Friday that the Republican state Rep. Pat Sweeney filed a bill Wednesday to amend the state constitution, but it did not receive two-thirds of the House and Senate vote. The House voted 40-16 against the proposal to expand Medicaid and include those making 138% of the federal poverty line, or about $36,000 a year. Officials say the bill's rejection follows the House vote to kill a separate bill that would have allowed Gov. Mark Gordon to study expansion and then decide whether to move forward with it.
WINTER WEATHER-WYOMING
Winter weather shuts down Wyoming highways
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Officials have closed portions of Interstate 80 and other highways in southern Wyoming due to winter conditions. Wyoming Department of Transportation officials say I-80 between Laramie and Rawlins was shut down Saturday morning and was expected to remain closed between nine and 11 hours. The interstate is also closed between Cheyenne and Otto Road due to a rolling closure. Other closures included U.S. Highway 191 south of Rock Springs to the Utah state line. Stretches of southern Wyoming are under a winter storm warning and most of the state is under a high-wind warning.
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