LINE CREEK VALLEY,Wyo.(AP) – Federal and state authorities are investigating an explosion that killed three workers who had been laying a fuel line at aWyomingoil storage site.      Samson Resources Co. spokesman Dennis Neill said the blast Monday near Glenrock in a remote region of easternWyomingsparked a 10-acre fire before it was brought under control. The fuel line where the blast victims had been working was intended to supply a heater treatment facility that separates oil from water as they’re pumped out of the ground.      The workers were employed by a contractor that theTulsa, Okla.-based Samson had hired to bring an oil well back into production at the site. Neill said the well wasn’t involved in the explosion and fire on the Hornbuckle Ranch, 50 miles northeast of Casper.      Authorities have not named the three workers. … Read entire article »

RAWLINS, Wyo. (AP) – About 1,700 Rawlins-area households erroneously got hospital bills from a collection agency because of a mix-up.      The Rawlins Daily Times reports (http://bit.ly/mZ7wnT ) that MemorialHospitalofCarbonCountysent a list of accounts to the collection agency about three weeks ago to ensure their records were in synch.      Gary Brodarick, the hospital’s vice president of support services, says the collection agency mistakenly thought it was a list of accounts it was expected to pursue and began sending out statements last week.      Brodarick says the hospital business office could have explained the list better. … Read entire article »

WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Vice President Dick Cheney says there’s no contradiction in advocating harsh interrogation tactics against suspectedU.S.enemies and opposing those practices when used against American citizens.      Cheney was asked about a hypothetical case in whichIranwould decide to use waterboarding on an American suspected of spying.      Cheney replies, “I think we would object on the grounds that we have obligations to our citizens.”      Cheney, who is promoting his new memoir “In My Time,” has been associated with waterboarding, considered by many to be torture. Asked on NBC’s “Today” show if he was embracing a double-standard, he said, “These are not American citizens.”      In the interview that aired Tuesday morning, Cheney also conceded he’d been a lightning rod for criticism during the Bush administration. “I’m Darth Vader,” he said. … Read entire article »

    LARAMIE,Wyo.(AP) – A University of Wyoming official says the school spent years working on a definition of “domestic partnership” before it began offering health insurance vouchers to employees who are in one.      The Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/pMQNQ2 ) that administrators began work on the definition in the mid-2000s.      Domestic partners of faculty and employees can apply for a $600-per-month voucher for an outside health insurance plan. The program started Aug. 15.      Spokesman Jim Kearns says university administrators decided the school needed to recognize domestic partners to attract top-flight faculty and administrators.      Employees must sign an affidavit stating they will notify the school if the relationship changes. Steve Kiggins, the university’s interim communications director, says the school uses the same process to police insurance benefits for employees’ spouses or children. … Read entire article »