ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Federal prosecutors in New Mexico have begun steps to seek the death penalty against two Arizona prison escapees and a woman who allegedly helped them escape.      A federal grand jury on Wednesday returned a superseding indictment against 45-year-old John Charles McCluskey, 42-year-old Tracy Allen Province and 44-year-old Casslyn Mae Welch.      They are accused in the murders of Gary and Linda Haas, of Tecumseh, Okla., whose bodies were found with their burned-out recreational trailer near Santa Rosa.      The superseding indictment incorporates the original indictment and adds a notice of special findings under a law that allows the death penalty after consideration of mitigating and aggravating factors for people found guilty of such an offense.      U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales said earlier the trio could face the death penalty if convicted. … Read entire article »

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Montana Lottery officials say a Wyoming trucker has claimed a $10,000 Powerball prize won in the Nov. 24 drawing.      R. Emory Naylor of Basin, Wyo., claimed his prize Wednesday at Lottery Headquarters in Helena. He bought his winning ticket at the Pelican Truck Plaza Casino in Laurel.      Naylor says he occasionally buys lottery tickets in states along the routes he drives and didn’t realize he had a winner until about two weeks after the drawing.      He says he plans to use the money for home improvements and to pay bills. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Gov. Dave Freudenthal is asking state lawmakers to support funding for memorial in Cody to honor veterans who have served in military conflicts since the Vietnam War.      Freudenthal on Tuesday wrote to the leaders of the House Judiciary Committee recommending that the state pay $250,000 from its General Fund to support the memorial.      Freudenthal states in his letter that total cost of the project is $300,000. He says a VFW post in Cody and the Wyoming Veterans Commission both support the request. … Read entire article »

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Montana Lottery officials say a Wyoming trucker has claimed a $10,000 Powerball prize won in the Nov. 24 drawing.      R. Emory Naylor of Basin, Wyo., claimed his prize Wednesday at Lottery Headquarters in Helena. He bought his winning ticket at the Pelican Truck Plaza Casino in Laurel.      Naylor says he occasionally buys lottery tickets in states along the routes he drives and didn’t realize he had a winner until about two weeks after the drawing.      He says he plans to use the money for home improvements and to pay bills. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Dave Freudenthal has committed up to $1.3 million in federal funds for Boys and Girls Clubs around Wyoming for major maintenance and repairs on club facilities as well as the purchase of equipment. “Boys and Girls Clubs have difficulty raising funding for their important infrastructure needs,” Freudenthal said.  It’s important that we dedicate these remaining federal stimulus funds to help meet those needs.” The $1.3 million for Boys and Girls Clubs is the available balance from State Fiscal Stabilization Fund monies which had earlier been dedicated to the construction of juvenile detention facilities in the state.  “The clubs have significant infrastructure needs but they just can’t raise the money to address them,” Freudenthal said, “so we’re dedicating federal funds to these community projects.” Jack Tarter, president of the Wyoming Alliance … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A winter storm is bringing more snow to western Wyoming and strong winds to the central part of the state.      The snow began falling overnight. By this (Wednesday) morning, the National Weather Service said that that Jackson Hole had received between 3 to 6 inches and that between 5 to 10 inches fell in the mountains.      Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are posted until midnight from Yellowstone National Park to Teton and Lincoln counties.  Fremont County is under a Winter Storm Watch, expecting as much as 10 inches to fall in the Wind River Basin.      In the Casper area, winds have been gusting to nearly 70 mph.      A cold front is expected to move into the state early Thursday and drop temperatures into the single digits by Friday. … Read entire article »

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) – The state plans to spend $9.7 million to build a series of underpasses and overpasses for pronghorn antelope, deer and big game in Sublette County.      The work will be done along the “Path of the Pronghorn”, the migration path the animals follow from the Gros Ventre mountains to Grand Teton National Park.      The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that the overpasses are similar to ones being built in Banff National Park in Canada.      The project is expected to be finished in September 2012.      Wyoming Department of Transportation engineer John Eddins said a series of six underpasses built between Kemmerer to Cokeville have helped reduce wildlife accidents. He said there were years when 300 to 400 deer were hit by vehicles but now that’s down to about 20.      —      Information from: Jackson Hole News … Read entire article »

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking another $1 million in supplemental funding to continue monitoring for aquatic invasive species.      The Powell Tribune reports the 2010 Legislature appropriated $1.5 million to implement the program through June 2012.      Bob Croft, chairman of Friends of the Big Horn Lake, says the Legislature next year needs to allocate more than $1 million.      The program seeks to keep Wyoming waters free of invasive zebra and quagga mussels, which can cause problems for native species.      State Rep. Dave Bonner, R-Powell, says the Legislature might be reluctant to spend more money on the program. He says the program might need more financial backing from state lawmakers in the future, but not in the upcoming session.      —      Information from: Powell Tribune – Powell, http://www.powelltribune.com … Read entire article »