Money raised to open Yellowstone's Wyo. entrances

Thanks to successful local community fundraising efforts, Yellowstone National Park will be open on time this spring to visitors coming through the south and east entrances in Wyoming. On Monday, the Jackson Town Council approved paying $71,000 to plow the park's South Entrance beginning April 8. Last week, the Cody Chamber of Commerce announced it had raised $100,000 to plow the East Entrance. Officials say roads passing through those entrances should be clear by the first weekend in May, assuming no major snowstorms set the plowing effort back. The National Park Service had announced that the roads would open two weeks later than usual because of federal budget cuts. The delay could have cost communities that bank on Yellowstone visitors millions of tourist dollars.