JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says investigators have found a convicted killer pardoned by former Gov. Haley Barbour. Hood made the announcement Monday at news conference in his office. There was no warrant for Joseph Ozment’s arrest, but he was served with a court order that requires him to check in every 24 hours with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and to appear in court Friday. Hood says Ozment was in Wyoming with his girlfriend. Hood says tips led investigators to him. Ozment was among 198 people pardoned by Barbour in his final days in office. … Read entire article »

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Four people who are objecting to a $3.4 billion settlement over misspent Native American land royalties have received angry calls and letters after plaintiffs’ attorneys published their phone numbers and addresses. The attorneys have spent nearly 16 years suing the U.S. government and the objections are the latest obstacle to closing the case. The attorneys on Jan. 20 sent an open letter to the approximately 500,000 settlement beneficiaries with the four objectors’ contact information if they “want to ask them directly about their motives.” One of the objectors, Carol Eve Good Bear, says she has gotten at least 15 phone calls over the last week. She says she feels threatened and intimidated, but does not plan to drop her appeal. The first appeal is expected to be heard Feb. 16. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The number of arrests for driving under the influence in Laramie County was down last year but police are concerned that the blood-alcohol level of those who were arrested remained high. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/wCKguP ) that the Cheyenne Police Department and the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department together logged 560 DUI arrests in 2011, down from a combined 759 arrests the year before. The average blood-alcohol level of those arrested by the sheriff’s department was 0.149 percent last year, well above the 0.08 legal limit. That’s the equivalent of about eight beers in a two-hour time span for a 200-pound man. Cheyenne police don’t generally keep records on blood-alcohol levels for their arrests. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — State workplace safety officials have issued 19 citations for an explosion that killed three workers near an oil well last year. State officials say they mailed the citations Thursday. They said Monday they are not releasing additional details until the recipients confirm receipt. The explosion and fire happened Aug. 29 about 40 miles northeast of Casper at an oil well site owned by Tulsa, Okla.-based Samson Resources. The blast killed James Turner, Llewellyn Dort and Gerardo Alatorre. The three workers were installing pipe. Turner worked for Double D Welding and Fabrication in Mills. A woman at the company declined to comment Monday. Dort and Alatorre worked for Wild West Construction, a Glenrock company without a listed phone number. Samson officials did not immediately return a phone message Monday. … Read entire article »

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A dispute between a natural gas pipeline operator and a coal mine in southwestern Wyoming has landed in court. Utah-based Northwest Pipeline GP claims that operations at Chevron’s coal mine near Kemmerer shifted the earth near two interstate pipelines. The Casper Star-Tribune (http://bit.ly/wQLKNU) reported Monday that Northwest has filed a lawsuit against Chevron Mining Inc. seeking at least $20 million to pay for the pipelines to be protected and moved. The lawsuit also claims that mining activity caused U.S. Highway 30 to buckle and crack. The Wyoming Department of Transportation said there was minor damage to a 300-foot section of the road but it couldn’t be directly linked to mining. A Chevron spokeswoman said that Chevron stopped mining while work was done on the pipeline but wouldn’t comment on the suit. … Read entire article »

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — Jackson officials want to purchase 10 acres of U.S. Forest Service property in the community’s downtown area. The town of Jackson recently submitted a final application to Bridger-Teton National Forest in which the town requested a direct sale of the parcel. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports (http://bit.ly/w0aRAd) that the federal government discourages direct sales of its property because it is noncompetitive and might not result in the highest return. The town therefore must show the sale would provide “substantial public benefit,” that no other land is available and that it could pay for the purchase. The Forest Service estimates the parcel is worth $8 million to $10 million. It wants to have a deal done by November. … Read entire article »

WORLAND, Wyo. (AP) — Worland is losing one of its most familiar landmarks — the smokestack above the Wyoming Sugar Company. Workers started taking down the deteriorating tower last week. The smokestack was used in conjunction with boilers in the factory but the boilers haven’t been used in over 20 years. The company’s vice president, Vince Salzman, told the Northern Wyoming Daily News 9http://bit.ly/zKMCNc) that the tower had to be either be fixed or torn down. The tower must be taken down from the inside because the factory is built around it. The work is expected to take about a month. … Read entire article »