CHEYENNE,Wyo.(AP) – Snow is expected to continue falling in the westernWyomingmountains but snowfall has turned out to be light at lower elevations.      The National Weather Service says between 10 and 20 inches are expected in the Teton through this (Thursday) afternoon. Up to 12 inches could fall in the Gros Ventre (groh-VAWNT’) mountains.      In southeasternWyoming, a high wind warning remains in effect until 9 p.m. Gusts up to 70 mph are possible.      Light, high-profile vehicle are barred from Interstate 25 from theColoradoline to Wheatland because of the risk of rollovers. … Read entire article »

JACKSON,Wyo.(AP) – Heavy snow and strong wind have raised the risk of avalanches throughout the high country of westernWyoming.      TheBridger-TetonAvalancheCenterhas issued an avalanche warning through midnight Friday. The center advises against venturing into avalanche terrain in westernWyomingover the next couple days.      The center says avalanches could reach the highways over Teton Pass and through the Hoback andSnake Rivercanyons.      Snow has been falling throughout the westernWyomingmountains, including as much as a foot in theTeton Range. The Tetons are forecast to get another 4-6 inches of snow.      The avalanche center rates the avalanche risk throughout the mountains of westernWyomingas high. That means natural avalanches are likely and human-triggered avalanches are very likely to occur. … Read entire article »

GILLETTE,Wyo.(AP) – A Gillette physician says contaminated methamphetamine may have killed two people who were hospitalized over the past three weeks.      Two other meth users also were admitted toCampbellCounty MemorialHospitalrecently with respiratory failure.      Dr. Robert Neuwirth says the four ranged in age from their early 20s to early 50s. He says the two patients who did not die made full recoveries after a day or two on respirators.      The Gillette News-Record reports (http://bit.ly/tyUF1Q) all four were previous drug users who smoked, injected or swallowed the meth.      Neuwirth says he contacted theCampbellCountypublic health officer. State health officials say they’re not sure if similar cases have occurred elsewhere inWyomingrecently. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE,Wyo.(AP) -Wyominglawmakers must decide whether to increase funding for a health care pilot program that supporters say could offer the state a cheaper alternative to Medicaid.      Casper Republican Sen. Charles Scott has championed the “Healthy Frontiers” program, which serves about 85 low-income residents, mainly inCheyenneandCasper.      Medical care for participants emphasizes early detection and prevention of serious illnesses. The state puts $500 into a health savings account for each person to cover expenses, but caps the state’s total share at $50,000 each.      Scott says he’s seeking $24.3 million to expand the program up to 2,000 participants. Its current funding runs out in mid-2012.      Gov. Matt Mead isn’t recommending more funding. He says costs so far have been high while participation has been low. … Read entire article »

FORT COLLINS,Colo.(AP) – The driver of a van that rolled off Interstate 25 in northernColorado, injuring seven people, has been charged with reckless vehicular assault.      Thirty-year-old Jennifer Lamblin ofCheyenne,Wyo.is scheduled to appear in court inFort Collinson Thursday on the felony charge.      Five children and two adults were injured in the Dec. 10 crash.      The Colorado State Patrol said two of the children were in improperly installed child restraints. The others were in booster seats or wearing seat belts.      The Coloradoan (http://noconow.co/v4s5P2) reported that Lamblin pleaded guilty to speeding inLarimerCountyin April. She was speeding 25 to 39 mph over the 75 mph speed limit and was fined $200. … Read entire article »

BILLINGS,Mont.(AP) – Two teenagers were injured when the double chair they were on fell off a lift atRedLodgeMountainski resort in southernMontana.      Resort spokesman Jeff Carroll says the boys were about halfway up the Willow Creek lift when the chair separated from the haul line at about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. The teens were in stable condition at a Red Lodge hospital Wednesday night.      No one else was injured, and the lift has been shut down.      The lift was installed in 1968, and the chair towers rise 35 feet above the ground.      It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the chair to fall, and Carroll says all of the mountain’s lifts are inspected each fall by an engineer and receive ongoing safety checks, testing and maintenance. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A judge has sentenced a Pine Bluffs man to four to six years in prison for a crash that killed a woman in Cheyennelast year.      Prosecutors say 19-year-old Kerry Lamb had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12 percent and was driving on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.      Lamb’s car collided with a pickup truck. The crash killed 25-year-old Heather Morrow.      The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports District Judge Peter Arnold sentenced Lamb on Wednesday.Arnoldrecommended placement at the minimum-security Wyoming Honor Farm.      Lamb apologized to Morrow’s family in a statement read by his attorney.      Lamb pleaded guilty in September to aggravated vehicular homicide, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – TheWyomingDemocratic Party has hired a new executive director.      Robin Van Ausdall comes fromColorado. She is a veteran of Democratic political campaigns inColoradoand was the Democratic National Committee field officer for northeastColoradofrom 2005 through 2008.      The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/rw7XK6) state Democratic officials haven’t decided yet when Van Ausdall will begin her new job.      She replaces Bill Luckett, who resigned in October and moved to Oregon. … Read entire article »

Cheyenne—The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s newest TV series—Wyoming’s Call of the Wild—will premiere on the Sportsman Channel on Saturday (December 31). This 13-episode series focuses on getting kids and their families intoWyoming’s great outdoors.   “Across the nation, we have been experiencing a decline in the number of people participating in hunting and fishing,” said WGFD Public Information Officer Eric Keszler. “This show is one way we’re working to get people excited about getting outdoors and enjoyingWyoming’s wildlife. People who hunt and fish contribute more to conservation and management of wildlife than anyone else. So getting people off the couch and into the outdoors is vitally important for our outdoor heritage and for the future of our wildlife resources.”   Each episode ofWyoming’s Call of the Wild features a different youth hunter or … Read entire article »