CASPER,Wyo.(AP) – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking information about the poaching of a deer nearCasper.      Game Warden Todd Kittel says the carcass of a mule deer buck was found alongPoison Spider Road, northwestofCasper, earlier this week.      Kittel says the animal was field dressed and had the head removed. He says it appears the animal had been hung for a while to cure but says no meat was removed. The game department requests that anyone with information about the poaching should contact the department.      A similar case in September resulted in a poacher being ordered to pay fines and restitution of more than $10,000. … Read entire article »

ROCK SPRINGS,Wyo.(AP) – Organizers of the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo say the event held inRock Springsappeared to be a success.     SweetwaterCountyEvents Complex Executive Director Larry Lloyd says there were a lot of people attending the three-day rodeo during the last two days on Oct. 14 and 15.      Event Coordinator Kandi Pendleton attributed part of the rodeo’s success to it being hosted in the Indoor Arena rather than outdoors.      Pendleton tells the Rock Springs Rocket-Miner that there were a lot of positive comments about the rodeo.      The Mountain States Rodeo Circuit Finals rodeo is one of 12 in theUnited Statesintended for competitors who compete on a regional level rather than on a national level. … Read entire article »

CASPER,Wyo.(AP) – Out of North America’s roughly 20 owl species, 15 reside, at one time or another, inWyoming.      Some owls move on in the winter. Others, like the snowy owl, won’t make it down until the weather farther north worsens.      The great horned owl ranks as one of the largest and most common ofWyoming’s owls. They can grow up to two feet tall with a three-to five-foot wingspan.      Some great horned owls have adapted to living in and among people, but most pick slightly less showy places to live, such as cottonwood trees.      The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/rEU9b6 ) that fall can be a good time to catch a glimpse of great horned owls because leaves have fallen off the trees. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE,Wyo.(AP) – A policy adviser to Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead says the state could lose wind energy projects if the sales tax exemption on wind energy equipment expires on schedule in January.      The Legislature’s Joint Revenue Interim Committee on Thursday voted down a bill that would have continued the sales and use tax exemption on equipment used on wind energy projects in exchange for imposing lower, one-time impact fees on them.      Shawn Reese, Mead’s policy director, said Friday that imposing sales and use taxes on wind energy projects would likely result in some never getting built.      Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, is a member of the revenue committee. He said after Thursday’s vote that he believes future wind farm construction depends more on the existence of transmission lines than the state’s tax policy. … Read entire article »

BILLINGS,Mont.(AP) – Wildlife officials in the Northern Rockieswant to sharpen their grizzly bear safety message after two hikers were fatally mauled over the summer in Yellowstone National Park.      TheYellowstoneregion’s grizzly population has expanded in recent years to about 600 bears. Those animals are pushing into new areas ofMontana,WyomingandIdaho- forcing wildlife agencies to broaden the public safety side of their “bear awareness” message.      Also growing is the size of the crowd that message needs to reach:YellowstoneNational Parklast year hosted a record 3.6 million visitors.      Chief Ranger Tim Reid says the park has done well instructing hikers who camp overnight about the dangers of traveling in bear country. He says the park has been less successful reaching day hikers such as the two mauling victims. … Read entire article »

    JACKSON,Wyo.(AP) – A famousGrand TetonNational Parkgrizzly sow followed her daughter’s lead and recently moved her cubs to good berry-picking territory between Moose andWilson.      Earlier this fall, park managers began closing the Moose-Wilson Road intermittently after grizzly 610 took three cubs into the area to pick chokecherry and hawthorn berries. On Oct. 17, grizzly 610′s mother and two more cubs moved to the area north ofTetonVillage.     Grand Tetonsenior wildlife biologist Steve Cain says it’s not surprising the two families are in the same area because the mother bear used to go to the area when her daughter was still a cub.      Cain tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide (http://bit.ly/vJz5zP ) that the seasonal movements could help explain how grizzly bears expand their territory. … Read entire article »

MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) – Rangers atGrand TetonNational Parkare investigating after a bear injured a hunter.      The unidentified 32-year-oldJacksonman encountered the bear Sunday between Blacktail Ponds and Glacier View overlooks.      Park spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles told theJackson Hole Daily that the hunter said he didn’t see the bear until it was 8 yards away. She said he had pepper spray but he didn’t think he had time to use it.      Officials said the hunter followed safety recommendations by dropping to the ground and covering his head. He didn’t fire any shots at the bear.      Authorities aren’t sure what kind of bear it was and don’t know yet whether the bear was acting defensively or as a predator.      They also said it was too early to tell the extent of the hunter’s injuries. … Read entire article »

JACKSON,Wyo.(AP) – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort plans to hire fewer new employees heading into the ski season because more workers are keeping the ski hill jobs they worked last year.      Just 166 jobs at the resort are open this season, compared with about 200 last year.      Positions span all areas: accounting, food service and child care workers, ticket agents, parking attendants, shuttle drivers and ski school instructors.      Resort human resources manager Nicola James tells theJackson Hole News & Guide that there is a high return rate this winter due to the economy.      While the number of available jobs has shrunk, the resort’s labor force will stay the same, with about 1,300 employees.      James says she doesn’t expect operational changes to increase the labor force by much. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE,Wyo.(AP) -Wyomingbusinesses now have the option of paying unemployment insurance taxes electronically.      Wendy Tyson of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services says before the new system was implemented, employers had to mail checks to the agency to pay their unemployment insurance taxes.      The electronic funds transfer option also means employers no longer need to worry that their check was lost in the mail.      Tyson says the system allows employers to schedule their payments up to 90 days in advance. … Read entire article »

A Japanese-American veteran fromCheyenneis among those receiving the Congressional Gold Medal this week for their service during World War II.      The posthumous honor for Ted Miyamoto comes decades after he served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit. Miyamoto was aCheyenneresident when the attack onPearl Harbor occurred. Shortly after war was declared, he enlisted in the Army.      After fighting inEurope, where he earned the Bronze Star, Miyamoto returned toCheyenneafter the war. He worked as a watchmaker and worked for the Wyoming Department of Transportation. He died in 2005 at age 83.      The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports (http://goo.gl/y0aVo) that Miyamoto’s daughter Terie will accept the honor Wednesday in Washington. … Read entire article »