MEDICINE BOW, Wyo. (AP) – Residents along the Medicine Bow River in south-central Wyoming are preparing for a second year of possible flooding.      Rancher Mike McGraw learned from last year’s flooding that inundated parts of his ranch.      His cows happened to be on higher ground at the time and survived the ordeal.      McGraw says the loss of one or two cattle can make a world of financial difference to a rancher.      He tells the Rawlins Daily Times that he’s altered his cattle rotation this year so if flooding happens the livestock will be on high ground until the threat passes. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Three Cheyenne apartment residents have been hospitalized over the last two weeks for carbon monoxide poisoning connected to a faulty boiler in their building.      The sickened residents have been without heat for more than a week because of the broken boiler. Two more residents of the building on Duff Avenue in north-central Cheyenne are without heat.      The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that some of the residents without heat are disabled and that some get public housing assistance, making it difficult for them to move out quickly.      The boiler in the complex has been deemed unsafe because of carbon monoxide leaks, and a utility company shut it down twice last month. Landlord Robert Lett told the newspaper a new boiler should arrive next week. … Read entire article »

PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says winter was hard on mule deer in western Wyoming.      Preliminary counts show between 45 and 60 percent mortality among mule deer fawns in the Sublette herd and up to 75 percent mortality among fawns in the Wyoming Range herd.      Game and Fish wildlife managers say those are some of the worst losses in the Wyoming Range herd since 1990, when records started being kept.      Mortality could get worse, as some weakened deer will die even after winter ranges begin to green up.      Surveys counted more than 400 deer carcasses, the highest number recorded since the early 1990s.      Pinedale Wildlife Supervisor John Lund says hunters can expect to find fewer mule deer in the years ahead because of the losses. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Sen. John Barrasso and others have introduced a bill that would free up millions of acres of non-wilderness public land.      The Wyoming Republican says 43 million acres have been locked up for decades even though federal land agencies have recommended they are not suitable for wilderness designation.      Under current law, agencies must manage the lands under similar highly restrictive management rules that apply to actual designated wilderness.      Released lands would be managed by agency land use plans with local input.      Barrasso says it is time to end the cycle of indefinite wilderness review and allow for local land use planning to work.      A similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. House. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Older and disabled residents in Wyoming have until Aug. 31 to apply for a state program that provides tax and utility aid for low-income people.      The Tax Refund for Elderly and Disable Program is administered by the Wyoming Department of Health.      The program helps qualified applicants by providing a financial benefit intended as a refund of sales and use taxes, property taxes and utility and energy costs.      Eligibility requirements include people 65 years of age or older, disabled adults and low-income individuals and couples.      Participants must apply every year.      Eligibility is determined by the state Health Department.      Local senior centers around Wyoming have applications and details about the refund program. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming tax revenue is running into state coffers higher than expected. A new report forecasting state finances shows Wyoming could collect some $40 million more than projected.      The May report from the state’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group shows money coming into the general fund is up by 4 percent through April for fiscal year 2011, which ends June 30. If the trend holds, the state could take in about $40 million more than what was projected earlier this year.      A senior economist with the state’s Economic Analysis Division says the report shows Wyoming’s economy is seeing “continued recovery.”      The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that the gains include a 46.1 percent rebound from the mining industry compared to last year and sales-and-use tax collections that are 2.3 percent higher than projected. … Read entire article »

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) – The Ruckelshaus Institute at the University of Wyoming has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to develop a how-to guide for conserving private lands.      The initiative is called the Private Lands Conservation Toolkit and Training for Wyoming Land Managers.      It provides specific tools and strategies for innovative approaches to better conserve private lands.      The U.S. Forest Service projects that nearly 22 million acres of private, rural lands adjacent to national forest and grasslands nationwide will undergo residential development by 2030.      The American Farmland Trust estimates that more than 2.6 million acres of “prime” ranchland in Wyoming could be developed by 2020.      “Prime” ranchland is defined as quality agricultural lands that also have desirable wildlife characteristics. … Read entire article »

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming cattle producers lost an estimated 41,000 head of cattle and calves in 2010.      The cattle and calves had a total value of about $24 million.      A recent U.S. Agriculture Department report placed total cattle losses in the state at 3,900.      Weather contributed to 26 percent of the cattle and calf losses. The Gillette News Record reports that predators caused 10 percent of the losses.      The USDA report attributed about half of a total predator losses to coyotes. Wolves were second with 700 and mountain lions were third, killing an estimated 500 cattle and calves. … Read entire article »

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) – Laramie has been recognized by Money magazine as among the top places for retirement.      Compared to other retirement towns and cities, Laramie scored high in categories that included state income tax, sales tax, median property tax, median home price and state bond rating.      Tim Ernst, of the state Health Department’s Aging Division, says although services for seniors statewide are top-notch, Laramie is unique among other towns in Wyoming.      Laramie is small enough to offer a rural lifestyle for those who are moving from more populated states and has plenty of outdoors opportunities.      On the other hand, the Laramie Boomerang reports the town is close to the hustle, bustle and culture of the city life in Denver. Being a university town, Laramie also offers entertainment, diverse culture and more. … Read entire article »

PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) – A Wyoming game official says the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park region is off by about 40 percent.      The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Wyoming Game and Fish Deputy Director John Emmerich says there’s at least 1,000 grizzlies in the region, 400 more than the official grizzly bear estimate of 600.      Emmerich told a state legislative committee last week that a more detailed study is needed if state officials hope to get the bear removed from the endangered species list. Such a study would include DNA testing of hair throughout the tri-state Yellowstone ecosystem and would cost about $12.9 million.      Emmerich says a more accurate grizzly bear count may not lead to its removal from the endangered list. He says a 2009 court ruling protects the bear. … Read entire article »