The Star Valley Independent is part of the Wyoming News Exchange. These stories come courtesy of the WNE.

Houses damaged in Sunday tornado

CHEYENNE (WNE) -– Eight properties northwest of Cheyenne sustained damage following a tornado Sunday afternoon.

Jeanine West, director of the Cheyenne/Laramie County Emergency Management Agency, confirmed Sunday evening the damages caused by a tornado that touched down between 3 and 4 p.m. near Federal. She said reports came in of an additional two tornadoes in the area that came and went without causing any damage.

“There were no injuries to anybody with the tornado. All humans and animals – nobody got hurt,” West said.

She added that American Red Cross volunteers found shelter for all displaced families, and Laramie County Sheriff’s Department deputies will stay at the damaged properties overnight to keep them secure.

Laramie County Fire Districts 2 and 8, as well as firefighters from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, helped families and officials at the damaged homes, as well, West said.

Andrew Lyons, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, confirmed several reports of hail up to tennis ball size – 2 inches in diameter – from various parts of Laramie County and nearby counties.

“We did get reports from east of Laramie all the way to about south to Chugwater, and a few in Nebraska panhandle near Sydney,” he said.

Lyons said the National Weather Service received a couple reports that the large hail had damaged some buildings near Buford, but he couldn’t confirm the extend of any damage around Laramie County until the damage assessment team had reviewed the area.

North and central Laramie County remained under a tornado warning until 5:30 p.m. and a flash flood warning until 7:45 p.m. Sunday, he said.

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Cloud Peak to close Gillette office

GILLETTE (WNE) — In a cost-saving measure, Cloud Peak Energy Corp. announced Friday morning it will close its Gillette office and move operations to the Cordero Rojo mine about 25 miles south of Gillette.

The announcement comes on the heels of the company’s 2018 first quarter financial performance report that showed the company lost $7.7 million in the first three months of the year.

Overall, coal shipments were down about 12 percent for the quarter, driven by lower demand from Cloud Peak’s Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines in Campbell County. That was partially offset by increased sales from its Spring Creek mine in Montana to meet higher export demand.

The move does not include layoffs, Cloud Peak President and CEO Colin Marshall said in a press release.

“As the next step in our ongoing work to reduce our operating costs, we are evaluating some changes that will impact many of us,” he said. “I wanted to make sure you are aware of the most significant of these.”

Along with closing the Gillette office, the company also continues to reduce its administrative overhead at its office in Broomfield, Colorado, through attrition, Marshall said.

“As you are aware, the coal industry continues to be very challenging with reduced domestic demand, overcapacity and associated low prices, making it hard to make a decent financial return,” he said.

The Gillette administrative move will coincide with an effort to consolidate operations of the Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines, Marshall said.

“The Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines will increasingly be run as one operation with many support staff covering both mines,” he said. “Spring Creek (mine in Montana) will also be supported by resources throughout the organization as appropriate.”

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Laramie County rabies cases continue to rise

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Laramie County health officials are warning pet owners, ranchers and cattle producers of a continued spike in rabies cases since January. 

“We have had one horse and one cow identified with animal rabies this spring,” said Gary Hick-man, deputy director of the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department. “Be aware of your animal’s health, and speak to your veterinarian if you notice any unusual animal activity.”

Several people also received post-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as rabies shots, due to contact with the rabid livestock. 

“When a cow is sick, ranchers do not always assume it has rabies,” Hickman said. “So, they are really close to the animal while administering medications and are then exposed themselves.”

People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. Exposure is also possible if infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, makes its way into the eyes, nose, mouth or a wound. 

As of this week, there have been a total of 17 confirmed rabies cases in the county, 15 of which were found in skunks. This is almost double what the county experienced total in 2017. 

“What we are looking at is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Gus Lopez, City-County Health director. “It is going to get progressively worse. Veterinarians in the community need to be aware as well.”

According to local veterinarians, rabies symptoms in cows and other livestock include sudden changes in behavior, abrupt cessation of lactation in dairy animals, hypersensitivity and alertness, abnormal bellowing, paralysis of the throat and drooling.

Lopez said he believes this year’s spike is coming from northern Colorado, which has issued similar warnings to property owners and ranchers.

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Campbell Co. school officials work to stop athlete transfers

GILLETTE (WNE) — Campbell County School District trustees have given approval on first reading of proposed policy changes that could ensure the end of athletes moving from one high school in Gillette to another and “decimating teams” in the process.

It’s taken three or four tries for trustees to get to this point of the process. They’ve come up with proposals for activity eligibility and boundary area change requests as three trustees formed a committee, along with two activities directors, to hammer out the language revisions.

Their focus was to ultimately come up with proposals that center on decisions made at the junior high level — specifically eighth grade — to keep the feeder schools and boundary system intact.

“We obviously had to do something,” said Trustee David Foreman, who praised the work of the committee. “Because what happened with the decimated Camel football program, the decimated Camel wrestling program, swimming and golf. We can’t let happen again.”

The problem of students moving to different schools for activities and sports became amplified this past school year with the opening of Thunder Basin High School, when juniors and seniors could select which high school they wanted to attend.

The problem, trustees said, seemed to start at the junior high level, which is where the new proposals take aim.

Under the activities eligibility proposal, students who attend their first practice or first day of school at the eighth-grade level at a junior high in the Campbell County School District will establish eligibility for high school activities.

If a child or parent want the student to attend a different secondary school, they have to complete an attendance area change request. And that request, if approved by the junior high and high school principals involved, applies for grades 8-12.

A change request is also needed to transfer out of a student’s attendance area.

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Bridger-Teton mudslide strands campers

JACKSON (WNE) — Bridger-Teton National Forest crews came to the rescue of stranded campers Friday after a 2-foot-deep mudslide blocked the exit to the dead-end Little Greys River Road.

The region is geologically unstable, according to Greys River District Ranger Justin Laycock. Heavy rain, plus seismic activity that set off the much larger Porcupine Landslide several months ago, has created ideal conditions for landslides. Laycock cautioned Memorial Day weekend campers to be aware of the potential for more slides in the forest with heavy rain in the forecast.

“We experience landslides frequently,” Laycock said. “We could experience landslides in any one of those drainages.”

The slide occurred near Squirrel Creek, about 2 miles east of the junction with the Greys River Road. Laycock’s office got calls late Thursday night and early Friday morning about the slide. The campers “weren’t trapped by the slide, they just couldn’t get back out because the slide had come across the road,” he said. “We don’t know exactly how many people are camped up there.

“We immediately made a plan to get some people up there to look at the slide,” he said.

The Forest Service dispatched a forest engineer and engine captain — both are also members of Star Valley Search and Rescue — to assess the situation. There were no medical emergencies or other reasons the campers needed to leave the area quickly, he said.

The Forest Service mobilized quickly thanks to heavy equipment already staged nearby to deal with the much bigger Porcupine Landslide, which started this winter and has closed a portion of the Greys River Road. The Forest Service sent a backhoe and grader to the Squirrel Creek mudslide to punch through the mud, debris, sticks and boulders, Laycock said.

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Former Wyoming PBS manager confirmed to national board

RIVERTON (WNE) — Former Wyoming Public Broadcasting Service general manager Ruby Calvert has been confirmed to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting national board of directors.

The CPB oversees the government’s investment in public broadcasting, which supports the operations of nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide.

The president of the United States appoints each member, who, after Senate confirmation, serves a six-year term.

President Donald Trump nominated Calvert in early April to fill the remainder of a six-year term expiring Jan. 1, 2022. The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved her appointment April 25.

Wyoming’s federal delegation sent letters to the administration recommending Calvert, who worked for Wyoming PBS in Riverton for more than 30 years, including 10 years as general manager of the station and president of the Wyoming PBS Foundation. Calvert also served two terms on the national PBS Board.

The delegates released a statement Thursday congratulating her for her appointment.

“I applaud the Senate for approving Ruby’s nomination,”U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said. “I have known her for many years and she has the experience and the passion to serve Wyoming and the nation well. She is a great addition to the CPB board.”

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Calvert has “dedicated her entire career to public media that informs, educates, and enriches the public.”

“She’s shown she can successfully balance challenges that rural public television stations face while being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars,” he said. “The CPB is fortunate to have a qualified and experienced leader like Ruby serving in this important role.”