CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Foresters say an enormous bark beetle epidemic is slowing down in Wyoming, but not because anybody has managed to bring the ravenous insects under control.      They say the beetles are running out of large, live trees to infest.      The Casper Star-Tribune reports an estimated 314,000 acres of pine trees in Wyoming died from beetle infestation last year. That’s a significant slowdown from 2008 and 2009.      Les Koch, a forest health specialist with the Wyoming State Forestry Division, says the large number of dead trees means beetles have to lay their eggs in smaller and smaller trees.      That makes it more difficult for beetles to survive the cold winter and hatch the following spring.      Beetles have killed 3.1 million acres of trees in Wyoming over the past 15 years.      —      Information from: Casper Star-Tribune – Casper, http://www.trib.com … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Gov. Matt Mead plans to take part in events around Wyoming to mark the state’s first Veterans Welcome Home Day.      Mead will attend community events in Casper, Cheyenne and Cody on Wednesday as part of the inaugural celebration.      Mead’s office says veterans and the public are welcome at the ceremonies. Veterans will walk through a welcome-home line and be thanked for their service.      The Legislature this year created the annual event so citizens can thank veterans who weren’t properly welcomed home following their military service.      The ceremony at the State Capitol in Cheyenne starts at 9 a.m. The Cody celebration is at 3 p.m. at VFW Post 2673. The Casper ceremony is 5 p.m. at the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has appointed 10 people to advise the U.S Bureau of Land Management on public land issues in Wyoming.      The 10 new members of the resource advisory councils come from a variety of backgrounds – industry, environmental groups, the general public, state government and other areas.      Salazar says the councils exemplify BLM’s collaborative approach to handling public land issues.      The new council members are Marilyn Mackey, Gary Cukjati, Paul Ulrich, Walt Gasson, Donald Hartley, Marshall Dominick, Tom Clayson, Christine Aimone, Doug Thompson and Frederick Botur.      Their next meeting is tentatively scheduled for June. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead says he believes the state is making some progress toward getting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to accept that wolves should be classified as unprotected predators in most of the state.      Mead met last week with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in Cheyenne to discuss wolf management. The state and federal government have been wrangling for years over how to end federal protections for wolves under the Endangered Species Act.      Mead said Tuesday that his office continues to negotiate with the federal government on the wolf issue, including the number of wolves Wyoming should allow.      If the state and federal government come to terms, Mead says he hopes Congress would approve the deal to prevent any further litigation over the wolf-management issue from environmental groups. … Read entire article »

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) – Plans to drill exploratory natural gas wells in the McCullough Peaks area in northern Wyoming are on hold for now.      The Bureau of Land Management has twice approved permits for the Bill Barrett Corp. to drill the wells but conservation groups have appealed them both times.      The Powell Tribune reported Tuesday that Denver-based Bill Barrett has decided to withdraw its permits. Spokesman Jim Felton said the company wants to try to reach an agreement with the BLM and environmentalists, avoiding a court fight.      The latest permits included restrictions aimed at satisfying the conservation groups. However, the groups said they weren’t strict enough.      Some have seen the drilling proposal as the first test of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s new policy ordering the BLM to protect land identified as having wilderness characteristics. … Read entire article »

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) – Police in Rock Springs are investigating a series of boat motor thefts.      The Rocket-Miner reports that someone is stealing trolling motors from boats stored for the winter. Police say most of the motors were stolen from boats stored at homes but some have also been stolen from boats at storage lots.      Some of the stolen motors had been locked up.      Police are urging residents to keep checking on their boats while the investigation continues.      —      Information from: Rock Springs Rocket-Miner, http://www.rocketminer.com … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled for a Cheyenne daily newspaper in a dispute with a local school district over access to teacher salary information.      The court on Tuesday ruled in favor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle newspaper. Laramie County School District 1 had appealed a district court judge’s earlier ruling that the paper was entitled to see records showing the names and salaries of teachers.      Tribune Eagle Executive Editor D. Reed Eckhardt says the paper is thrilled but not surprised with the court ruling.      District Superintendent Mark Stock says the district had tried to make a stand for the privacy of its employees.      Stock says the district had believed the law on the matter was unclear, but that it will now abide by the court ruling. … Read entire article »