DENVER (AP) – Researchers at the University of Colorado have discovered a 10,000-year-old hunting weapon they say had been preserved in ice before being melted out by rising temperatures.      The spearlike dart was discovered in 2007 near Yellowstone National Park and dated in 2008 but CU only announced the find Tuesday. Research associate Craig Lee says he wanted to try to get the findings published in a scientific journal first and avoid attracting amateur archaeologists.      Lee says increased global temperatures are melting ice fields, releasing artifacts as well as plant material and animal carcasses, in Alaska, Canada and Europe.      Later this summer, Lee plans to visit Montana’s Glacier National Park to work with Indian tribes there to find and protect artifacts that may have been freed from melting ice. … Read entire article »

(Wyoming)  A new state law goes into effect Thursday making it illegal for motorists to write, send or read text messages. Violators will face a $75 fine. The state Legislature passed the law this past session as a way to reduce distracted driving crashes. “Distracted driving has been shown to create problems while operating a motor vehicle,” said Col. Jess Oyler, of the Highway Patrol. “Crashes often occur because of inattention. Texting causes a motorist to divert concentration away from driving, as looking at the keyboard to compose messages takes eyes off the road, and is a distraction that can too easily contribute to causing a crash.” The new law makes texting a primary offense, which means that law enforcement can pull over a vehicle if a driver is texting.  It applies to … Read entire article »

     CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – Sentencing is scheduled for a man who pleaded guilty in the rape of a Casper woman that was arranged using the Internet.      Ty Oliver McDowell, of Bar Nunn, is due in district court Tuesday. He has pleaded guilty to felony charges in the case.      Prosecutors say the 27-year-old McDowell responded to an ad on the Internet site Craiglist seeking a man to carry out a “rape fantasy” for the victim. Prosecutors say McDowell attacked the woman as she was entering her home in December.      McDowell is the second man to be sentenced in the case.      On Monday, 28-year-old Jebidiah James Stipe, of Twentynine Palms, Calif., was sentenced to serve 60 years to life for his role in the case. Prosecutors say Stipe posted the Craigslist ad that solicited the assault. … Read entire article »

     CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A judge has acquitted a Cheyenne tattoo and piercing shop owner of felony voyeurism.      Steven J. Martinez had been charged with four counts of voyeurism for secretly videotaping women while he pierced their genitalia.      Laramie County District Judge Thomas Campbell ruled Monday that prosecutors didn’t prove both elements of Wyoming’s voyeurism statute.      The law defines felony voyeurism as when the perpetrator looks into a private area and secretly records or photographs unknowing parties without their consent.      Campbell agreed that the women were unaware that Martinez was videotaping them, but each had allowed Martinez into the room for the piercing procedure.      Martinez, who lost his city license during the case, asked the court to require the state to pay his court fees.      —      Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne, http://www.wyomingnews.com … Read entire article »

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – A repeat offender sentenced to two consecutive life terms in Wyoming will get his sentence reduced.      The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in the case of Richard Bloomer Monday. He was sentenced for a series of felony convictions, including a 2002 holdup of two fast-food restaurant employees in Cody.      State law requires that habitual criminals be sentenced to life in prison. However, the court said Bloomer didn’t qualify for a life sentence because two of his felony charges stemmed from one conviction.      At the time of the hold up, Bloomer was facing two felony drug charges in Park County. He then fled to Montana, where he was convicted of felony forgery.      The court said Bloomer can be sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison instead.      —      Information from: Casper Star-Tribune – Casper, http://www.trib.com … Read entire article »

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) – A hit-and-run driver has killed another bear in Yellowstone National Park.      The body of the 147-pound female black bear was found in a roadside ditch halfway between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower Junction.      Park officials say the bear’s injuries indicate that it darted out of the forest onto the road. No witnesses have come forward and no one has reported hitting a bear to park rangers.      A young male grizzly was found dead along U.S. 191 earlier this month.      Yellowstone officials say vehicles kill about 100 large animals in the park every year. Most collisions happen after dark or in bad weather and they often involve speeding vehicles. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming’s congressional delegation is praising the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live.      The court said Monday that the Second Amendment right “applies equally to the federal government and the states.”      The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by gun rights proponents who challenged gun control laws in Chicago and its suburb of Oak Park, Ill.      Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, and Rep. Cynthia Lummis - Wyoming’s all-Republican delegation – released a statement cheering the court’s decision.      The three had signed a brief in November urging the court to rule against Chicago. … Read entire article »

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) – The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting death of a Rock Springs woman.      A Sheriff’s Office news release says deputies responded to a house Thursday night after receiving a report of a woman being held against her will.      Responding officers found the body of a 42-year-old woman, who had been shot in the face. She was pronounced dead at the scene.      The officers also found the woman’s husband, who had been seriously injured by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.      Detective Dick Blust, Jr., said Monday the case is being investigated as a murder and attempted suicide. Blust says no charges had been filed in the case. … Read entire article »

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) – Construction will begin in mid-July on a $2.75 million addition to the indoor tennis facility at the University of Wyoming.      UW announced Monday that it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility on Wednesday.      The tennis facility addition will be located next to the existing indoor court building on the east side of campus.      The addition will expand the current indoor tennis courts from two courts to six. There will also be space for locker rooms, restrooms and storage.      The project is expected to be completed by February. … Read entire article »

     ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) – The Rock Springs City Council has approved two malt beverage permits for alcohol to be served at the city’s annual International Day festival.      The council last week approved alcohol permits for July 9, the night before the event, and July 10.      Rock Springs city councilman and International Day Committee member David Tate says the July 9 permit is for a barbecue for the performers the night before the event.      At an earlier meeting, the council voted against requiring training for alcohol servers. The International Day Committee said such training could hurt volunteer turnout.      This year’s festival includes performances by bands playing Irish, Scottish, Slovenian, Brazilian and Polynesian music.      —      Information from: Rock Springs Rocket-Miner, http://www.rocketminer.com … Read entire article »