BLM uses alternative method to remove wild horses

Federal land managers are stepping up their use of an alternative method to remove "excess" wild horses from the range in Nevada and other western states. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the first time will resort to the widespread use of "bait trapping," which involves setting up panels and using food, water and salt to lure mustangs to traps. The move comes after animal rights advocates' growing criticism of the traditional use of helicopters to drive the animals to corrals. Activists call the practice inhumane because some horses are traumatized, injured or killed as they are driven for miles across rough terrain to corrals. BLM officials say bait trapping will allow them to gather horses more effectively in certain areas, while minimizing the impact to the animals.

Wyoming Democrats

JoAnn Dayton, the Sweetwater County Democratic Party Chairman announced that local Democrats will hold their 2012 Convention on Saturday, April 14. The event begins at 10 AM and will take place at WWCC, Green River in the John Wesley Powell room. Dayton said, “This is a great year to be a Democrat in Wyoming and our county convention will an inspiring way to kick off our campaign for Wyoming’s families”. The county convention is the first step in the process of electing Wyoming’s delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention. On April 14, local Democrats will vote for their preferred presidential candidate and elect delegates to the state convention. Anyone who was registered to vote as a Democrat no later than March 30, 2012 is eligible to vote at the convention and to seek election as a delegate to the state convention. Democrats from across Wyoming will gather in Laramie on May 25 and 26, 2012 to elect delegates to the national convention. The national convention convenes on September 4, 2012 in Charlotte, NC and will draw to a close on September 6 when Democrats nominate President Barack Obama for a second term. More information about these events can be found online at www.wyomingdemocrats.com.

Ethete woman pleads guilty in fatal rollover crash

A 32-year-old Ethete woman who was involved in a fatal rollover crash southwest of Riverton has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Michelle Crispin was set to go to trial last week but entered a plea agreement instead. Prosecutors say Crispin was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the Jan. 2nd crash west of Arapahoe that killed 27-year-old Mitchell James C'Hair Jr., also of Ethete. Crispin's sentencing is scheduled for May 30th.

Top BIA official resigns to take LDS Church post

The top official for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs is resigning to accept a full-time leadership position with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Larry Echo Hawk, assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, is being appointed to the Quorum of the Seventy, which is the Mormon Church's third-highest governing body. The announcement from the church came Saturday during its semi-annual general conference in Salt Lake City. The 63-year-old Echo Hawk has overseen the BIA since 2009. He was elected Idaho attorney general in 1990, the first Native American to be elected to the position in any state. He ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat in 1994 for Idaho governor. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement that he would work with Echo Hawk to ensure a smooth transition with his departure.

Cheyenne man killed in Poudre Canyon crash

The Colorado State Patrol says a Wyoming motorcyclist was killed when an SUV crossed the center line in Poudre Canyon. Trooper Nate Reid identified the victim as 47-year-old Scott Brelsford. The Coloradoan reported that Brelsford was wearing a helmet when he was struck Saturday near Poudre Park. No information was available on possible charges against the driver of the sports utility vehicle, Collin Claussen of Minnesota. The Coloradoan said Reid was a senior project manager for Loveland-based Alliance Construction Solutions in Cheyenne.

Wyo. tribe blasts bald eagle permit

The Wyoming tribe that earlier this month received the nation's first permit allowing members to kill bald eagles for religious purposes has renewed its legal challenge against the federal government over permit language that prohibits killing the birds on the tribe's reservation. The Northern Arapaho Tribe filed an amended federal complaint Friday against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal agency on March 9 granted the Northern Arapaho a permit allowing members to kill two eagles only outside the Wind River Indian Reservation, which the Arapaho share with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. In the new complaint, the Arapaho Tribe calls the new permit a "sham." The tribe notes that the state of Wyoming prohibits killing eagles off the reservation and that the federal permit requires adherence to state law.

Busy Month at the Sweetwater Events Complex

If you are looking for something to do this month, you will not have to go very far. Sweetwater Events Complex Marketing Director Chad Banks says there are a lot of events to choose from in April.






Banks says the Spring Barrel Racing series will be featured the weekend of the 14th.






Then, on the weekend of the 21st, the Local High School Rodeo will be held as well as the Home and Garden Show. For more information, go to sweetwaterevents.com.