Latest Wyoming news

MINING COMPANY SHOVELS

Judge: Company can seek repossession of Wyoming coal shovels

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A bankruptcy court judge is allowing a company to try to repossess two building-sized shovels crucial to operations at two Wyoming coal mines. The judge at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia has ruled that Komatsu Mining Corp. may begin foreclosing on the shovels at Eagle Specialty Materials’ Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines in Powder River Basin. The Gillette News Record reports Komatsu claims Eagle Specialty and former owner Blackjewel owe millions of dollars on a maintenance contract for the shovels. A lawyer said the mining companies don’t dispute owing money on the shovels but the question is how much.

ROCKIES-WINTRY WEATHER

Wintry weather to make brief June comeback in Wyoming

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wintry weather is making a comeback to parts of Wyoming. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the southeastern Wyoming high country. Areas above 7,500 feet could get 3 to 6 inches of snow Monday night and Tuesday morning. Wind gusts up to 50 mph could also complicate travel in places including Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie. In western Wyoming, the Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for the upper Green River Basin, where temperatures could drop as low as 25. Forecasters expect temperatures to return to normal by the weekend.

WYOMING PLANE CRASH

Single-engine plane crashes in Wyoming lake; passenger dies

LANDER, Wyo. (AP) — A single-engine plane crashed in a Wyoming lake, killing a passenger. Fremont County sheriff’s officials say campers helped the pilot, Scott Fitzgerald, of Port Angeles, Washington, get out of Frye Lake southwest of Lander in Shoshone National Forest after the crash Sunday morning. Fitzgerald was taken to a local hospital, then to one out of state. His condition wasn’t known. The crash killed the passenger, a 33-year-old Lander man whose name wasn’t released. Witnesses said the Kitfox plane flew low and wobbled before plunging into the lake and catching fire. Search and rescue workers later removed the victim and plane from the lake.

EXCHANGE-FIRE OUTLOOK

Above-normal fire season shaping up in Northern Rockies

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Things are shaping up for an above-normal fire season in the Northern Rockies forecast area. A meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center says the long-term weather outlook for July through September is a high probability for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation. Michael DeGrosky is the fire protection bureau chief for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He says he’s already deployed resources strategically around the state to ensure a quick response to any fires. He says the goal is to douse any fires before they need additional resources that might require hundreds of firefighters to congregate while social distancing guidelines are in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

EXCHANGE-WOMEN IN WWII EXHIBIT

Gillette museum exhibit focuses on Wyoming women during WWII

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A museum in Gillette is highlighting the role women played on the U.S. home front and abroad during World War II. While many men were off fighting the Nazis, fascist Italy and the Japanese, women were changing the course of World War II by playing pivotal roles. More than 30 women from the Campbell County area served in all branches of the military. Their roles ranged from being supply clerks and pharmacist mates to yeoman and flight nurses. The museum is open under the first phase of its re-opening plan as the county and Wyoming emerge from COVID-19 restrictions.

EXCHANGE-JACKSON WOLVES

Wolf headaches persist for ranchers in elk-rich Jackson Hole

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — A large elk population continues to lure wolves to cattle ranches in Jackson Hole. Trappers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services agency targeted the local Pinnacle Peak Pack in 2016. Wolves have been a state-managed species since 2017 and predation has continued. Confirmed losses to date in 2020 are three calves and a grown cow on two ranches. The Jackson Hole news & Guide reports most of that has occurred over the last several weeks but for now the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has no plans to lethally target the culprits.