MORAN, Wyo. (AP) – Severe winter conditions and the possibility that elk might wander onto private land in search of food has prompted Wyoming game officials to begin feeding hay to elk near Moran and Afton.      The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports that feeding has begun for 200 elk in Buffalo Valley north of Moran, and about 60 elk in Star Valley north of Afton in western Wyoming.      Tim Fuchs of the Jackson region of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says personnel will monitor conditions and discontinue feeding when elk feeding range opens up.      Emergency feeding under similar conditions last occurred in those areas in 2008. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A Cheyenne councilwoman says the city needs a tougher law to prevent underage drinking at parties.      Councilwoman Georgia Broyles is proposing an ordinance to prosecute anybody age 18 and older who hosts a party with underage drinking.      The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that right now, the party host has to be at least 21 years old to be charged for hosting such a party.      Supporters of the change include Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak, who says party hosts 18 years of age and older need to be held accountable.      The proposed penalty under the law would be a fine up to $750 and up to six months in jail. The ordinance passed the first of three readings last week.      —      Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne, http://www.wyomingnews.com … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Legislation that would have allowed civil unions in Wyoming has failed by one vote.      The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that the House Judiciary Committee voted 5-4 Friday against a bill that would have expanded the rights and protections of marriage to civil unions. Supporters said it was a practical solution for a state that doesn’t recognize common-law marriages.      But opponents argued it would be a step toward legitimizing same-sex marriages.      Another bill that would have allowed same-sex marriages in Wyoming failed.      Rep. Cathy Connolly, a Democrat from Laramie, sponsored both bills. She says they were attempts to update Wyoming laws to reflect changing times.      —      Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne, http://www.wyomingnews.com … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Petroleum giant Chevron Corp. has put a coal mine in western Wyoming up for sale and plans to get out of the coal industry altogether.      Chevron Mining spokeswoman Margaret Lejuste (le-JUST) says new coal technologies are too far off to make staying in coal a good strategy.      Lejuste tells The Associated Press that Chevron began seeking a buyer for its open pit mine outside Kemmerer last week.      Chevron is close to closing a deal with Tampa, Fla.-based Walter Energy to sell its North River underground mine in western Alabama. And Lejuste says Chevron may look to sell reclaimed land from a New Mexico surface coal that has been closed since 2009.      The three mines produced nearly 10 million tons of coal in 2009. … Read entire article »

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is putting out hay for elk north of Jackson and near Afton in the Star Valley because of the deep snow and concerns the wildlife will eat feed put out for livestock.      Game and Fish officials say they want to minimize problems from elk and cattle comingling.      About 200 elk are using the area north of Jackson and from 50 to 60 elk are being fed north of Afton in western Wyoming.      Wyoming Game and Fish Commission policy allows temporary feeding operations during emergencies. State officials say they’ll monitor the conditions and stop the feeding when more range opens up. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The state House of Representatives has approved a bill that would lessen restrictions on efforts to start a public charter school.      But proponents of charter schools say changes made on the House floor watered down House Bill 52 too much.      The House’s handling of the bill could portend difficulty for efforts this session to make Wyoming schools more accountable for educating the state’s youth.      The House approved the legislation on a 50-6 vote Friday, and the measure now goes to the Senate for debate.      Advocates for charter schools in Wyoming say they promote more innovative teaching and learning and would improve the quality of state schools.      But some House members argued the quality of Wyoming’s public school system isn’t as bad as certain statistics and test scores indicate. … Read entire article »

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – A federal judge is asking if gray wolves should lose their experimental designation across much of the Northern Rockies – a move that could mean new restrictions on when the animals can be killed.      Friday’s order from U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula came after environmentalists sued over a government rule that made it easier to kill wolves that prey on big game herds.      Wolves across most of the Northern Rockies were reintroduced in the 1990s as an “experimental, nonessential” population. That gave the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service more flexibility in managing the species.      But Molloy said that special status may no longer be deserved because of interbreeding with Canadian wolves.      The judge set a Feb. 22 deadline for parties in the environmentalists’ lawsuit to respond. … Read entire article »

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) – The state of Wyoming and others are appealing a ruling that blocked them from suing the federal government over snowmobile limits in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.      Wyoming and Park County commissioners object to temporary rules enacted by the National Park Service to temporarily slash the number of commercially guided snowmobile trips allowed in the parks while it works on a long-term winter use park plan.      Wyoming and Park County had argued the limits would hurt their tax bases and tourism efforts.      A federal judge ruled in September that they didn’t have legal standing to sue.      The Powell Tribune reports Wyoming and the county filed their appeal in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. … Read entire article »

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – The nonprofit Casper Youth Crisis Center Inc. is hoping to expand with federal stimulus money and help from Natrona County.      The center provides emergency housing for troubled youth. Center director Dick Dresang says the center wants to build a wing with 12 more beds that could be used to house youth referred to them by courts.      Dresang says the expansion would cost between $850,000 and $980,000.      The Casper Star-Tribune reports the center has asked county commissioners to amend an agreement with the state that is funneling up to $8 million of stimulus money toward building a juvenile detention center in the county, so the center doesn’t have to apply anew for stimulus funds.      —      Information from: Casper Star-Tribune – Casper, http://www.trib.com … Read entire article »