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From the KKTY Newsroom...

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(Fri 2/3/12/) - They were freezin' for a reason... Jackalope Jump divers braved the cold in Douglas Friday afternoon to take a quick dip in the icy Wyoming water to raise funds for Special Olympics Wyoming, a year-round organization devoted to sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Over $7500 dollars was raised at this year's Third Annual Douglas Jackalope Jump, the first of 11 jumps around Wyoming. All money raised at the Jackalope Jump stays in-state to help fund the Wyoming Special Olympics program.

 

(Fri 2/3/12) - A big ticket for a Glenrock construction company... Wyoming workplace safety regulators are seeking $13,500 in fines against a Glenrock company for an oil facility explosion that killed three workers northeast of Casper. The Wyoming Workers' Safety and Compensation Division released the citations Thursday. They allege seven violations by Wild West Construction in Glenrock, including that the company failed to adequately instruct employees how to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions. The explosion happened Aug. 29. The citations say flammable substances flowed from an oil storage tank through a pipe being connected by the workers. Tulsa, Okla.-based Samson Resources and Double D Welding and Fabrication in Mills also have received safety citations for the explosion. Proposed fines against all three companies exceed $48,000.

 

(Tue 1/31/12) - Glenrock business owners see their proximity to Casper and Douglas as both a blessing and a curse. That was one of the responses reported last night as Community Builders, Incorporated presented the results of a recently-conducted Glenrock business survey. More than 20 percent of the businesses responding said the nearness of the two larger communities was an obstical, while another 40 percent said it was an asset. Glenrock Community Development director Kathy Patceg says the survey was commissioned by a couple of local groups... audio here

Patceg says the results of the survey will help the Glenrock business community move ahead... audio here

The CBI survey provided a couple of sets of data... first, a listing of downtown businesses, buildings and owners, as well as their views of the current and future business climate. Last night's presentation also provided current in-depth economic data for Glenrock and Converse County. Patceg says the Glenrock Business Survey is just a first step... audio here

About 50 people filled the Glenrock Town Council Chambers for Monday night's presentation.

 

(Mon 1/30/12) - The Northern Laramie Range Alliance says they're heading for the supreme court. In a ruling last Thursday, District Judge Keith Kautz of the Eighth Judicial District Court ruled against the appeals filed by the NLRA challenging the permits granted to Wasatch Wind to build its Pioneer Park wind farm on the mountains south of Glenrock. The NLRA has been fighting the construction of the 62-turbine, 100-megawatt wind farm. Converse County Commissioners approved county wind permits in May, and the State Industrial Siting Council approved a conditional permit in June. Wasatch Wind says they hope to begin road construction and turbine installation this spring. The NLRA says they'll appeal last week's district court ruling to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

 

(Mon 1/30/12) - State workplace safety officials have issued 19 citations for an explosion that killed three workers near a Converse County oil well last year. State officials say they mailed the citations Thursday. They said Monday they are not releasing additional details until the recipients confirm receipt. The explosion and fire happened Aug. 29 about 23 miles north of Glenrock at an oil well site owned by Tulsa, Okla.-based Samson Resources. The blast killed James Turner, Llewellyn Dort and Gerardo Alatorre. The three workers were installing pipe. Turner worked for Double D Welding and Fabrication in Mills. Dort and Alatorre worked for Wild West Construction of Glenrock.

 

(Mon 1/23/12) - Energy is still a bright spot in Wyoming's business picture, according to the latest report released last Thursday from the state's economic analysts. The latest MACRO Report from the state's economic analysis division shows economic indicators through Dec. 31. Among items of note in the report, crude oil interest has shifted from southeast Wyoming to Converse County where wells are more productive. 57 rigs were working in the state in December -- four better than previous year. Conventional rig count rose by nine from Dec. 2012, but coal-bed methane rigs fell by five. And oil and gas jobs reached 18,200 in November, 1,800 better than a year prior.

 

(Mon 1/16/12) - New hope for a hidden piece of Douglas history... Preservationists hope to win state historic recognition for the officers club at a former prisoner-of-war camp in Douglas to help maintain 16 Western murals painted on its walls by Italian POWs during World War II. The building is owned by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and isn't open to the public on a regular basis. The Douglas Historic Preservation Commission has worked with the Odd Fellows since the 1990s to protect and maintain the building. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sherri Mullinnix, a longtime advocate for the camp, says the Odd Fellows have agreed to turn the building over to state management so it can be opened to the public if the Legislature declares it a state historic site.

 

(Mon 1/16/12) - Rockin' the Rails... The number of Union Pacific Railroad trains that shipped coal from the southern Powder River Basin in December increased from a year before. The Omaha, Neb.-based company says 1,085 trains were loaded with coal in the southern Basin in December, up from 984 in December 2010. Preliminary figures show that in 2011, 12,254 UP trains took coal from the basin. That's up from 11,723 trains in 2010.

 

(Fri 1/13/12) - A Douglas veteran will receive one of the nations highest honors. Joe Shinmori will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal this Monday morning.

During World War Two, Joe served in the 442 Regimental Combat Team, 3rd. Platoon, Company L. During the Italian Campaign in 1945 Joes Company, along with Company I, were the spearhead companies of the offensive.

The 442nd was a segregated Nisei unit made up of second-generation Japanese Americans whose Soldiers fought with exceptional patriotism and valor as many of their family members were held in internment camps at home. The 442nd Regimental became the most decorated unit in United States military history for its size and length of service. The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, received 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier's Medals, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts, among numerous additional distinctions.

As a member of the 442nd, Douglas's Joe Shinmori will receive the The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award awarded by the United States Congress. The cermony will be held at the American Legion Post#8 on Monday Jan. 16 at 830am. Joe would like to invite friends and community members to attend.

 

(Wed 1/4/12) - Converse County's first baby of 2012 joined us bright and early Monday morning. Memorial Hospital of Converse County's First Baby of 2012 was born at 7:19 AM on January 2, 2012. Layla Antonia John Saul weighed in at 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19 inches long. Her parents, Charmaine Dollins and Jacob Saul recently moved to Jacob's hometown of Glenrock from San Diego, CA as they looked for a better place to raise children. Layla will be welcomed home by three sisters, Maclaya, 8, Lyric, 7, and Isis 3. Proud grandparents include Greg and Terri Saul of Glenrock, WY and Tony and Donna Furh of San Diego, CA. Each year area businesses donate gifts to the New Year's Baby. MHCC collects the items and presents them to the family before they go home. According to hospital Marketing Manager Karl Hertz, this year' s gift package was worth more than $700.00 and included everything from restaurant gift certificates and diapers to a car seat and baby blankets.

 

(Tue 1/3/12) - The North Platte River reservoir system in Wyoming is storing 38 percent more water than normal at this time of year. The man who recently retired from managing the system for the past 22 years says federal water managers should guard against flooding by releasing water early again this year. Former Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming Area Manager John Lawson says that he thinks water should be released downstream about two months ahead of schedule in late February or early March. Lawson retired Dec. 31. Bureau officials have not yet selected his successor. The bureau released water earlier than normal last year. Lawson credits the early released with helping to minimize flooding caused by runoff from the heavy snowpack last winter.

 

(Mon 1/2/12) - Slick roads, snow and wind and a truck load of hay were a bad combination on Saturday morning. Shortly before 11 Saturday morning, a truck loaded with hay lost its load on I-25 about 6 miles west of Douglas. The accident happened just past the crest of a hill, and cars simply piled into each other as they came over the ridge. More than a dozen vehicles were involved in the crash, forcing the Wyoming highway Patrol to shut down I-25 north and southbound between Douglas and Casper. Southbound reopened Saturday afternoon about 1:30, and northbound was cleared to traffic by about 2pm. No fatalities in the incident.

 

(Mon 1/2/12) - A pretty quiet New Years Eve for Douglas Police Depatment. DPD repsonded to a couple of fireworks complaints shortly after midnight, one hit-and-run report, one DUI, and a couple of domestic disputes... all in all, a pretty quiet transition Saturday night into the the year.

 

(Mon 1/2/12) - Southeast Wyoming kids will learn more about sage grouse and the land they live on, thanks to a program sponsored by the Wyoming Audibon Society. $10,000 was allocated to Wyoming Audubon to increase education about sage grouse and sagebrush ecosystems. The money will help pay for development of a traveling education trunk which will contain materials about sage grouse and sagebrush ecosystems and will be aligned to state educational standards and guidelines. Education programs will be focused in Converse, Natrona, Niobrara, Carbon, Albany, and Laramie counties. The money will also help fund salaries for three community naturalists who will work to deliver these education programs. The funding for the program is trickling down from state monies allocated by the 2010 State Legislature, which approved the governor\rquote s budget request for $1.2 million to support local sage grouse working groups and fund conservation projects benefiting sage grouse and their habitat. This money was divided among the eight local sage grouse working groups in the state, and the Bates Hole/Shirley Basin Local Sage Grouse Working Group passed the $10 thousand dollars on to the Audibon Society to develop the program.

 

(Wed 12/14/11) - Glenrock's mayor has died. 63 year old Michael McQueary resigned on Thursday, and lost his battle with skin cancer on Saturday. McQueary was elected mayor last November. The Glenrock Town Council selected long-time council member Linda Care to serve as mayor through the next general election in November 2012. The winner of that election will begin their term in January 2013. Memorial services for Michael McQueary will be held Friday, December 30th at 2pm at the Glenrock Middle School Auditorium.

 

(Mon 12/12/11) - Four Douglas residents were honored Saturday afternoon with the "Bill Daniels Neighborhood Hero Award" for their actions in attempting to rescue a distraught teen girl and Converse County Sheriff's Deputy Bryan Gross from the swollen North Platte River in late July. Lane Morgan, Keith Thompson, Dustin Eubanks and Lawrence McPhearson were recognized by Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, and Converse County Sheriff Clint Becker. Sheriff Becker presented memorial plaques to the four and issued a proclamation in their honor. Childears said the Daniels Foundation Neighborhood Hero Award is named for Bill Daniels, a cable television pioneer who launched his first systems in Casper and Rawlins in the early 1950s. A highly decorated aircraft carrier-based fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean conflict, Daniels made it a point to honor those who accept the great personal risk often required by their dedicated service to others. The Daniels Fund presented $500 dollar checks to each of the four men being honored for their bravery in assisting in the rescue attempt.

 

(Thu 12/8/11) - A Glenrock man who died in a fire early Tuesday morning has been identified. Authorities say 66-year-old Jackie Lee Beals died in a trailer fire. Glenrock Police Chief Tom Sweet says crews responded to the scene early Tuesday morning after a volunteer firefighter spotted the fire while he was on his way to work. The firefighter entered the trailer and pulled Beals out of the home. Despite resuscitation efforts, the man was pronounced dead. Authorities say a preliminary investigation indicates that electrical problems may have caused the fire. Beals' two dogs also died in the blaze.

 

(Mon 12/5/11) - A new agreement signed between two uranium producers will mean more business for a Converse County operation. The processing agreement between Uranerz Energy and Cameco means uranium mined at Uranerz's recently licensed Nichols Ranch in-situ operation in Campbell County will be processed into uranium concentrate at Cameco's central processing plant at the Smith Ranch-Highland Project northwest of Douglas. Smith Ranch-Highland is America's largest uranium operation and has the licensed capacity to mill four million pounds of yellowcake uranium concentrate per year. Recent production has been just under two million pounds per year. Cameco Resources' President Paul Goranson says the addition of up to 800,000 pounds a year from Uranerz will still allow full growth from Cameco's own new sites that they're working to bring into production. Uranerz is hiring additional personnel to work at its site during construction and operation, and announced it is focused on achieving commercial production as soon as practical.