CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – There’s plenty of snow in the headwaters of Wyoming’s rivers and streams right now – and that has increased the potential for spring flooding in some areas.      The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration says mountain snow moisture is about 120 percent of normal across Wyoming.      Last summer, spring flooding caused serious problems in Fremont County.      Already there’s enough snow in some places to create a “moderate to high” risk of spring flooding again this year. Those areas include the Shoshone River Basin in Park County, the upper Platte River Basin in Carbon County, and the Laramie River Basin in Albany County.      Spring flood risk is moderate to low elsewhere in the state. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Department of Education reports an 80.4 percent “on-time” graduation rate for the class of 2010.      The graduation rate was calculated using a new method established by the United States Department of Education called the cohort graduation rate.      The rate is based on a group of students who begin as first-time 9th graders in a particular school year and then graduate with a regular high school diploma in four or fewer years.      The formula is similar to the standards set by the National Governors Association.      The new federal methodology will ensure that state graduation rates can be compared nationally. … Read entire article »

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – Casper’s Hogadon Ski Area is closed due to problems with its high voltage power supply.      The city-owned ski area announced the closure Sunday. The resort remained closed Monday and normal operations aren’t expected to resume until Wednesday. … Read entire article »

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is offering teens ages 14-17 a camp where they can learn about wildlife and the outdoors.      The WILD about O.R.E.O. Youth Conservation Camp will be held July 31-Aug. 5 at the Game and Fish’s Whiskey Mountain Wildlife Conservation Camp southeast of Dubois.      Campers must live in Wyoming and be sponsored by a teacher or youth leader.      Organizers say the camp application process is competitive and the 40 openings fill fast.      Game and Fish will accept applications through 5 p.m. May 31. … Read entire article »

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) – An Australian company has bought three oil fields in Wyoming.      Linc Energy says it bought the Big Muddy, South Glenrock and South Cole Creek oil fields located in Converse and Natrona counties.      The company is a leader in underground coal gasification technology. It has coal leases in Australia, Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana.      The company plans to burn coal underground that is too deep to mine and to produce synthesis gas. That process will produce CO2, which the company wants to use for enhanced oil recovery.      The Gillette News-Record reports the company has more than 165,600 acres of coal leases in the Powder River Basin, much of it in Campbell County.      It is working on permitting its first underground coal gasification operation in the region.      —      Information from: Casper Star-Tribune – Casper, http://www.trib.com … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A proposed amendment to the Wyoming Constitution specifying that the state wouldn’t recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states has died in the state Legislature.      The Wyoming House adjourned Friday without taking action on a same-sex marriage bill that had already passed the state Senate. The bill failed to meet a procedural deadline that would have kept the bill alive.      Another bill that would change Wyoming law to specify that the state would only recognize marriages between one man and one woman is still pending in the legislative session that ends next week. However, that bill could be in trouble because the House and Senate haven’t agreed whether same-sex couples who enter civil unions in other states should be allowed access to Wyoming courts to resolve issues in their relationships. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Senate has voted down a bill that would have required doctors to inform women seeking an abortion that they could view an ultrasound image of their fetus before the procedure.      The bill failed Friday in the Senate on a 14-15 vote. The Wyoming House earlier had approved the bill.      Republican Rep. Bob Brechtel of Casper had sponsored the bill. He says he wants women to get the information to help them avoid being injured in the abortion process.      Brechtel says he intends to keep pushing the issue in future legislative sessions.      NARAL Pro-Choice Wyoming, the ACLU and other groups have opposed the bill. They have said it amounted to an attack on women’s right to make their own health care decisions. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The state House has passed a bill that would set up a statewide system to measure student academic progress in public schools and look at ways to help underperforming schools improve.      Senate File 70 heads back to the Senate for consideration of the House changes.      The changes the House made on Friday were significant. They include deleting sections that impose consequences for underperforming schools and changing what exams are used to measure school performance.      Some lawmakers fear the changes could jeopardize the entire bill.      The bill is one of several proposed measures to address concerns that the state’s public education system isn’t providing students with the quality education that should be expected from the state’s nearly $1.5 billion-a-year investment in its schools. … Read entire article »