The Star Valley Independent is part of the Wyoming News Exchange (WNE). These stories are from the WNE.

Campbell County boy killed in explosion of homemade cannon

GILLETTE (WNE) — A 14-year-old boy died last week after a cannon he was building exploded, Sheriff Scott Matheny said.

Archie Pearce was making the cannon in an abandoned lot on Bitter Creek Road in Recluse and was showing the device to a 12-year-old friend, Kaidyn Sletten, about 6:30 p.m Thursday when it misfired, Matheny said.

Sletten was evaluated by emergency medical services at the scene, and his parents took him to Campbell County Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor flash burns.

“The intention was to experiment,” Matheny said, adding that the boys didn’t have any malicious intent. “It was just extremely unfortunate.”

Pearce, a Twin Spruce Junior High student, had used a 2-inch steel pipe, cloth and gun powder or firework powder to build the cannon, but he packed too much powder into the device, said Lt. Kevin Theis. Because the pipe was packed too tightly, the projectile inside became stuck, causing an explosion that destroyed the pipe.

“They were in over their heads, trying to do something they shouldn’t have been doing,” Matheny said.

Pearce was learning how to make the cannon based on YouTube videos.

“It takes a lot more knowledge and skills that aren’t shown in the video, and it leaves people in danger of doing things like this,” Theis said.

The Sheriff’s Office bomb technicians, which Theis supervises, responded to the scene, found no other dangerous devices and determined that no crime was associated with the incident.

Officers have finished investigating and are working with the Campbell County School District on an additional response to the accident, Matheny said.

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First bears of season appear in Jackson area

JACKSON (WNE) — Jackson Hole’s first bear out of the den this year was confirmed late last week by a Grand Teton National Park ranger.

Photos of a bruin snapped by a visitor March 29 in the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway were likely that of a grizzly bear, although the ranger who reviewed the images was new to the area and couldn’t say with certainty.

“I bet you it was grizzly, but we can’t say for sure,” said Teton Park bear management specialist Kate Wilmot, who got the report from a colleague. “We usually get a bear sighting up that way this time of year.”

The bear was observed near the base of Huckleberry Mountain in the parkway, she said.

Other reports so far have been of bear tracks, not of actual animals. They’ve been spotted in places like the west shore of Jackson Lake as early as mid-March, Wilmot said.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department staffers in the Jackson area have not yet verified a bear out of the den within the agency’s jurisdiction outside of the national park.

“It’s just about the right time,” Game and Fish bear biologist Mike Boyce said. “I expect something any day.”

Yellowstone National Park notched its first grizzly bear sighting an entire month ago, when a ranger observed an 11-year-old male grizzly that wore a tracking collar. Male grizzlies typically emerge from their dens first, followed by independent females. Sows with cubs are the latecomers, sometimes not emerging until early May.

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UW Trustees elect new president

LARAMIE (WNE) — The University of Wyoming’s governing board will see a shift in leadership during the next regular Board of Trustees meeting in May, following officer elections during the trustees’ March meeting.

Current Vice President Dave True of Casper will replace President John MacPherson of Saratoga as the board’s chief officer.

True said board presidents have an important set of responsibilities, which all the presidents he has worked with took seriously.

“Each individual brings their own personality to any kind of a position, whether its president or something else,” True said. “And I’m sure that will play out over the next year or so.”

The university is in the process of implementing a new financial reporting system and planning, by the end of 2018, to break ground on the Science Initiative Building — a new state-of-the-art research facility supported mainly by state funding. Coming off the 2017-2018 biennium — in which $42 million was cut from its state block grant — UW is looking to boost enrollment and begin the process of improving student housing options.

True said he and the board would work diligently to implement the “tremendous amount of positive things going on at the university.”

“It’s a state university, and that’s how I see it — how can we benefit the state and especially the students who are there?” he said. “As far as going forward, I don’t imagine a dramatic change of pace. The board last summer approved a strategic plan called ‘Breakin’ Through.’ I think that’s a very positive step forward toward real goals (with) some metrics to track those goals.”

The 12 members who make up the board are appointed by the governor to staggered, six-year terms. Officers — including president, vice president, secretary and treasurer — are elected annually to a one-year term.

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ANSAC names ship in honor of Green River

GREEN RIVER (WNE) — American Natural Soda Ash Corp. dedicated its new shipping vessel to the employees in Sweetwater County who work to produce soda ash.

The ship was christened and launched April 4 in Kochi, Japan.

ANSAC is a joint venture company that markets, exports sales and runs logistics for trona mining companies Genesis Alkali, Tata Chemicals (Soda Ash) Partners and Ciner Resources Corporation.

According to the company Vice President Gregory Oehley, the exports of 2017 contributed over $1 billion benefit to the United States trade balance.

Green River soda ash producers contributed to the stock of over 5 million tons of product transported by ANSAC last year.

“This record level of exports is a credit to the dedication and commitment of the more than 2,000 local employees who produce the world’s highest quality soda ash,” Oehley said.

ANSAC boasts a fleet of vessels  that are able to transport 36,000 tons of soda ash.

They serve markets in Asia, Latin America, North Africa, Oceania and the Middle East with Wyoming produced soda ash.

The Green River Basin is home to the world’s largest naturally occurring deposits of trona ore, around 100 billion tons, which is processed into soda ash and sent to producers world wide. Soda ash is commonly used in everyday products like glass and detergents.

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Arson suspect changes plea

LARAMIE (WNE) — Lonny Dumesnil pleaded no contest in Albany County District Court on Friday on two charges related to multiple incidents in June that Laramie Police Department investigated.

Because Dumesnil has two court cases related to the events, he changed his plea for both cases during the hearing.

Dumesnil is charged with felony arson in the third degree, felony burglary, felony attempt to commit burglary and felony possession of burglar’s tools in one case.

In the other case, he is charged with felony wrongful taking or disposing of property.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, at about 7:50 p.m. June 20, LPD officers and Laramie firefighters responded to a report of a construction excavator on fire in the area of Third and Harney streets. First responders extinguished the blaze, and officers initially presumed an electrical problem caused it.

LPD and Laramie Fire Department investigators returned to the scene and found indicators the fire was started intentionally and the burn patterns show an oxygen bottle was placed on the floor of the cab with a chemical soaked rag around it and was lit on fire.

Court documents state an LPD officer obtained video surveillance of the area. Upon reviewing the footage, the officer saw an individual carrying a yellow torch bottle was revealed beneath his jacket.

The footage then showed the subject open the door to the excavator and stand by the door for a few seconds. The individual appeared to be tampering with something inside the cab. He then closed the door and began walking south, away from the equipment, according to court documents.

Court documents states a few seconds after he walked away, flames became visible in the security footage.