ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) – More than 9,000 lightning strikes sparked wildfires that kept Sweetwater County firefighters busy over the last few days.      Sweetwater County Deputy Fire Warden Wayne Silvers said there were five fires over the weekend and four more on Monday.      All the fires were small and quickly contained by Monday night.      —      Information from: Rock Springs Rocket-Miner, http://www.rocketminer.com … Read entire article »

(CASPER)   Following a July 28 fire, Frontier Oil Corporation has fully restarted the Cheyenne Refinery crude unit at 32,000 barrels per day, 2,000 barrels per day more than previously expected. While initial reports were that the fire did not damage any major equipment, Frontier Oil Corp. said that unit repairs and fire-related downtime would add $6 million to third-quarter operating costs. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – In the wake of controversial visits by Dick Cheney and Bill Ayers, the University of Wyoming will host a forum on free speech on college campuses.      The forum will be held Sept. 13 and will feature four academics from across the country. It will come three days before Wyoming trustees could consider drafting rules to govern campus speakers.      A federal court forced the university to allow Ayers, a 1960s radical who is now a professor, to deliver a speech in April after the school barred him from speaking. Cheney visited the campus last fall to dedicate a new center for international students.      University spokeswoman Jessica Lowell said the forum was organized because of the outcry over both of those visits but isn’t intended to examine the school’s actions.      —      Information from: Casper Star-Tribune – Casper, http://www.trib.com … Read entire article »

JACKSON — Former congressional candidate Gary Trauner has been hired as chief operating officer of St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson. The hospital’s board of trustees made the decision last week. Trauner is slated to start work Sept. 7 and will make an annual salary of $210,000. He will answer to the hospital’s CEO. In announcing their decision, hospital trustees stressed the decision was not political and was based on Trauner’s experience in Jackson Hole. Trauner was selected out of a field of more than 100 applicants from across the country. Trauner unsuccessfully sought Wyoming’s U.S. House seat in 2006 and 2008. … Read entire article »

LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) – The investor saw potential in the scrubby 67 acres tucked away amid multimillion dollar homes in Longmont, Colo.: turn the land into a vast pot farm and capitalize on the booming medical marijuana industry.      But Laramie city councilman Scott Mullner infuriated his Colorado neighbors with his plan to place a huge marijuana farm in the midst of their idyllic Northern Colorado countryside.      They say the project will damage property values and attract more unwanted attention than the previous business at the location: an organic egg farm.      Boulder County commissioners will decide Tuesday whether to hold a public hearing about Mullner’s plan after receiving a flurry of e-mails and calls from residents in opposition. … Read entire article »

     CODY, Wyo. (AP) – A grizzly bear involved in killing several cattle on private ranches near Cody has been relocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.      The agency says the bear was moved to the Snake River drainage about 10 miles northwest of Moran.      The release site is located within current grizzly bear habitat and was done in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bridger-Teton National Forest.      Grizzly bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. … Read entire article »

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) – The Bim Kendall House on the University of Wyoming campus has been transformed from a 1950s prairie-style office building into a modern, sustainable facility.      The Kendall House is home to the UW Environment and Natural Resources Program that houses the Haub School, Ruckelshaus Institute and Wyoming Conservation Corps.      The building’s green attributes includes: A passive ventilation system in lieu of a traditional electrically-powered system; recycled materials such as carpet tiles made from pop bottles and the entryway flooring made from used car tires; energy efficient windows and new insulation in the original building to maximize energy efficiency. … Read entire article »