Temps below zero in many parts of Wyoming

Winds combined with frigid weather pushed temperatures way below zero in parts of Wyoming on Monday. The National Weather Service said it felt like minus 42 near Skyline in Carbon County at 6:30 a.m. In southeastern Wyoming, temperatures hovered between minus 10 and 20 early Monday. With the wind chill, it felt like 25 to 35 below zero in many areas. In western Wyoming, the mercury dropped to minus 36 near Kemmerer and Big Piney overnight. Temperatures were also in the negative-30s in and around Pinedale, Bondurant and Cokeville.

Flu Case Numbers Are High in Sweetwater County

State health officials say this is the worst flu season in three years. Jean Brunz, Public Health Nurse for Sweetwater County says that while it has not officially been called an epidemic, all across the state, the numbers are getting high and it has some health officials baffled.






Brunz highly recommends getting the flu vaccine, if you haven't yet. And keep in mind, it takes about two weeks for the flu shot to take effect.






Laramie and Cheyenne are now out of influenza vaccine and do not expect to get more. To make an appointment to get yours at either the Green River or Rock Springs Sweetwater County Community Nursing locations, call call (307) 922-5390 or (307) 872-3944.

EPA extends comment period for Pavillion study

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has once again extended the public comment period for its study of groundwater pollution in a central Wyoming gas field. The comment period for the EPA investigation in Pavillion was scheduled to end Tuesday but has been extended until Sept. 30. The comment period was extended twice last year. The EPA theorized over a year ago that hydraulic fracturing may have played a role in the pollution. The federal agency says the longer comment period will allow more time for people to weigh in on the testing. Both a landowner with contaminated groundwater and the owner of the Pavillion gas field, Encana Oil and Gas, object to extending the comment period. Both sides say they want the studies to wrap up.

Ohio candy maker recalls product sold in Wyoming

An Ohio candy maker recalled 492 bags of its product because it contains milk that is not declared on the label. Island Delights Inc. of Seville announced the recall of the bags of Coconut Haystack candy earlier this week. An audit by the Ohio Department of Agriculture found the candy contained milk that could be harmful to the health of people who are allergic to it. The company said it has gotten no reports of adverse reactions or illness from the candy. The recalled product was distributed to retail stores and through mail order in 2012 in the following states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

Firefighters meet in Riverton for training

About 500 firefighters from across the United States met in Riverton this past weekend to take part in the Mid-Winter Fire School. The school was hosted by the Wyoming State Firemen's Association and the Riverton Volunteer Fire Department.. Scott Walters, chairman for the school and captain of the Riverton Fire Department, says firefighters took basic and more advanced classes. The classes are intended to help them advance their career knowledge with important and effective training. Walters says several fire department captains, chiefs, lieutenants and firefighters from Wyoming and other states volunteered their time to teach the classes and have been doing so for more than 30 years.

Stage Stop 2013: 23 teams, 368 dogs will race

The largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states this year will feature 23 teams carried along by a total of some 368 dogs. The 2013 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race is scheduled to begin at the Jackson Town Square on Jan. 25. New for this year will be a side-by-side start. That means two teams at a time will jockey for position as they race down a street on their way out of town. The 9-day race will cover parts of 4 states - Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana - before wrapping up with an awards banquet in Evanston on Feb. 2.

Litter leads to poaching charges

Wyoming Game and Fish Department investigators have charged two men with poaching deer after linking trash found at the scene of the crime to them. The two buck deer were found on winter range near Big Sandy in southwest Wyoming last month. Pinedale warden Jordan Kraft was able to trace a discarded energy drink and chewing tobacco can to two suspects. Kraft then found missing parts of the poached deer and other evidence behind one suspect's house in Moorcroft. State Chief Game Warden Brian Nesvik says that poaching crimes on the winter range in southwest Wyoming are treated as a high priority in part because deer are in the middle of their rut, often near roads and vulnerable.