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EVANSVILLE MAYOR-OFFICER-CHARGES
Evansville mayor, police officer charged in data misuse case
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Prosecutors say the mayor of a small Wyoming town and a police officer were charged this week after allegedly misusing a police database. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that Evansville Mayor Jennifer Sorenson was charged with misusing public office while officer Matt McGraw was charged with conspiracy to misuse public office and drug possession. Neither have entered pleas to the charges. Town attorney Kyle Ridgeway says McGraw was suspended without pay on Thursday. The mayor’s status has not changed. A town public meeting is scheduled Monday to discuss the situation.
YELLOWSTONE-THERMAL DAMAGE
2 women get jail time for damaging Yellowstone thermal area
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge has ordered two women from Pennsylvania to spend two days in jail for leaving a boardwalk and damaging a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park. U.S. District Magistrate Judge Mark Carman also ordered 31-year-old Tara Davoli and 30-year-old Sarah Piotrowski of Philadelphia to pay a $350 fine, about $107 each in restitution and banned them from the park for two years. Prosecutors say the women illegally left the boardwalk in the park’s Midway Geyser Basin on June 11. Prosecutors say they damaged orange bacterial mats at Opal Pool. Phone messages left for Davoli and Piotrowski were not immediately returned on Thursday.
EXCHANGE-GRIZZLY-CATTLE CONFLICTS
Judge upholds lethal removal of cattle-killing grizzlies
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — A federal judge has upheld U.S. Forest Service grazing plans that allow the lethal removal of grizzly bears that are caught killing cattle. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports the decision comes in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups seeking to ban the killing of nuisance grizzly bears in Wyoming's Upper Green River area. Thousands of cattle graze in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the summer. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife in 2019 allowed up to 72 grizzly bears to be killed as a result of conflict with livestock. Three bears were killed last summer, meaning 69 more can be killed between now and 2028.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPIKE-PUBLIC EVENT
Southwest Wyoming virus spike linked to public gathering
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A state health official says an increase in coronavirus cases in southwest Wyoming is connected to a public gathering where social distancing rules were not followed. The Casper Star-Tribune reports the addition of three cases Tuesday brings Uinta County to 80 confirmed coronavirus infections, the state’s third highest total. State health officer Dr. Alexia Harrist says the new cases appear to be connected to a gathering at a public location, which she declined to identify except to say it involved young people. Harrist says people at the gathering spread the virus to others who did not attend.
CONGRESS-PUBLIC LANDS
Senate approves $2.8B plan to boost conservation, parks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved a bipartisan bill that would spend nearly $3 billion on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands. Supporters say the measure would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century. The 73-25 vote sends the Great American Outdoors Act to the House, where approval is expected. The bill would spend about $900 million a year, about double current spending, on the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund, and $1.9 billion per year on improvements at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and range lands.
BANKERS SURVEY
Bankers say economy remains weak in rural parts of 10 states
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of bankers in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states suggests the economy remains weak in those areas as the coronavirus outbreak continues to affect the region. The overall economic index for the region more than doubled to 37.9 in June from May’s 12.5, but it remained at a weak level. Survey organizers say any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy, while a score above 50 suggests a growing economy. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said crop prices remain low, and more than one-third of the bankers survey expect that to be a significant challenge over the next year.
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