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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COAL
Amid pandemic, US coal industry seeks lower taxes, royalties
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The lobbying arm of the U.S. coal industry is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty relief, tax cuts and other breaks to help companies ride out the financial crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. National Mining Association President Rich Nolan made the request in a letter sent this week to the White House and the leaders of the House and Senate. Even before the current economic upheaval, the coal mining industry was in sharp decline as utilities across the nation switch to cleaner-burning natural gas and renewable energy sources.
HIGHWAY CLOSED
Series of collisions closes stretch of I-80 in Wyoming
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A series of wrecks involving over two dozen vehicles in icy weather has closed part of Interstate 80 in southeast Wyoming and injured an unknown number of people. The 50-mile (80-kilometer) stretch of I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie remained closed Friday evening after the collisions Friday morning. The Wyoming Department of Transportation didn't expect the highway to reopen for several more hours. The wrecks happened when a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was checking on a commercial truck stopped in the roadway and another vehicle crashed into the back of the truck. Patrol officials say several more collisions involving 27 vehicles followed.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WYOMING
Doctors: Testing restraints limit Wyoming COVID-19 detection
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Doctors say a shortage of testing capacity is making it harder for health officials in Wyoming to determine how many people have been infected with coronavirus. The Casper Star-Tribune reports state guidelines limit testing to high-risk cases including the elderly, health care workers and those in contact with people who've been infected. People with milder cases making up over 80 percent of those with the COVID-19 illness are largely not being tested. Wyoming Medical Center chief of staff Dr. Andy Dunn says that makes it hard to determine the extent of the virus. Twenty people in Wyoming have tested positive for coronavirus so far.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WYOMING
Wyoming governor, health officer, order coronavirus closures
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming's governor and state health officer have ordered a two-week closure of a wide range of public places amid the spread of the coronavirus. Thursday's order by Gov. Mark Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist applies through April 3 to all schools, and daycare centers except those serving essential personnel, that haven't already closed on an earlier state recommendation. All theaters, gyms, conference rooms, museums, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops and employee cafeterias will need to close. The order also prohibits all dine-in restaurant service, self-serve buffets, salad bars and unpackaged self-serve food services. Restaurant curbside take out and drive-through service may continue.
MINE LAYOFFS
Buckskin Mining Company lays off 60 coal workers in Wyoming
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A coal mining company in northeast Wyoming has laid off 60 workers in response to lower production and a deteriorating market. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that Buckskin Mining Company workers were notified of the layoffs Wednesday and are expected to receive pay through April 2. The announcement comes a week after the company made the decision to reduce the workforce in the coming weeks as nationwide demand for coal plummeted in the last year, and as utilities transition toward renewable energy sources. The mine laid off more than 80 workers in 2016 when the coal market crashed and caused hundreds of layoffs across the region.
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NATIONAL-PARKS
National parks are free, but some oppose that amid the virus
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Most national parks are open as a refuge for Americans tired of being stuck at home because of the coronavirus. Entry fees have been eliminated, but many parks are closing visitor centers, shuttles and lodges to fight the spread of the virus. Parks are trying to keep up with ever-changing rules and recommendations from government officials who are urging people to avoid gathering in large groups but allowing them to get outside for fresh air as long as they keep their distance from others. Not everyone is on board with people coming to parks to escape the virus. Gateway towns fear they couldn't handle a local outbreak.
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