Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation To Hold 25th Annual Banquet in Sweetwater County

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Sweetwater Chapter will hold their annual fundraising banquet this Saturday at the Sweetwater Events Complex. John Curtis says this is their 25th Annual banquet in Sweetwater County and that means they have special events planned.






The banquet not only includes speakers and a great dinner, it also incudes raffles and an auction. Doors open at 4 PM with dinner at 6 PM.

Wyo. explores oil-gas regs for groundwater testing

The Wyoming governor's office is looking into possibly requiring petroleum companies to test for groundwater pollution before they drill for oil or gas. Gov. Matt Mead's natural resources adviser, Jerimiah Rieman, said Monday the governor looks to implement a groundwater testing requirement by the end of this year. The goal would be to make it easier to pinpoint the source of any groundwater contamination that turned up during or after drilling. That could help any homeowners with contaminated well water to find out if oil or gas drilling caused their problem. Right now, some oil and gas developers do baseline groundwater testing but others do not. Rieman says the Wyoming governor's office is looking to new regulations in Colorado as a possible example for Wyoming to follow.

Board decided on national search for director

The Wyoming State Board of Education has decided to conduct a national search for a director to oversee the state Education Department. A new state law stripped state schools Superintendent Cindy Hill as administrator of the department and replaced her with a director appointed by the governor. Under the law, the Board of Education will come up with three candidates for Gov. Matt Mead to choose from. Mead addressed the board Monday and recommended the national search. The board voted to hire a search firm to help come up with the three finalists. Hill is a member of the Board of Education. But she was not present when Mead addressed it. Hill has filed a lawsuit challenging the new law.

Changes already made at Wyo. Education Dept.

The interim director of the Wyoming Department of Education has already made some changes since taking over administration of the agency last week. Jim Rose was appointed interim director of the agency by Gov. Matt Mead after a new law removed state schools Superintendent Cindy Hill as head of the department. Rose will oversee the department until a permanent director can be appointed later this year. Rose says 5 of the agency's top level administrators have left the agency and joined Hill under her new role outside the department. In addition, Rose has suspended a teacher professional development program that caused a rift between Hill and some lawmakers because it wasn't authorized by the Legislature. The Education Department has a 2-year $1.9 billion budget and about 150 employees.

Man accused of firing into pickup near Lander

Police and deputies have arrested a man accused of firing multiple shots into a pickup south of Lander. No one was injured in the shooting on Thursday. Three people were in the pickup. Authorities identified the suspect Monday as 35-year-old Jeremy Cunningham of Lander. No phone listing could be found for Cunningham. Fremont County Sheriff's Capt. David Good says a person who was in the pickup reported a man flagged the vehicle down on the Sinks Canyon Highway, then fired into the vehicle when it stopped. Cunningham was arrested Friday.

Alberta musher wins Wyoming dogsled race

Aaron Peck of Grand Prairie, Alberta, has won the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race in Wyoming. Peck and 17 other mushers crossed the finish line in Evanston on Saturday. Buddy Streeper of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, was second. Lars Lindh of Sweden was third. The race started Jan. 25 in Jackson with 21 mushers.

Treasurer's Office seeks owners of unclaimed funds

The state has released its annual "Wyoming Windfall" list, the catch name for the Unclaimed Property Division of the State Treasurer's Office. Funds that have been held by a company or by another state for a specified number of years and have not or cannot be paid to the owner are then placed in protective custody by the state treasurer. The Unclaimed Property Division safeguards and makes an effort to return the funds to the rightful owner, at no cost to the owner. The money can include uncashed money orders, oil and gas royalties, stocks, bonds and mutual funds. State Treasurer Mark Gordon says the average claim is less than $100, but some owners have claimed $100,000 or more. To check and see if you have a windfall due to you, go to wywindfall.gov.