CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A bill aimed at bringing an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to Wyoming is gaining support at the state Capitol. House Bill 87 would create a board and set rules for the mixed martial arts fighting events. It has passed the House and got the unanimous backing of a Senate committee on Tuesday. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that Wyoming is one of five states that doesn’t have a mixed martial arts board or commission. It would cost $10,000 to start the board but bill sponsor Rep. Bryan Pedersen of Cheyenne said it would be self-funded once it was established. Pedersen says that the results of Wyoming fights aren’t recognized by other states, forcing professional fighters to travel to other states to compete. The bill now heads to the full Senate for … Read entire article »

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – A Wyoming man who allegedly shot at law officers after a vehicle chase in South Dakota has pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges including attempted murder. Forty-two-year-old James Baker of Gillette is accused of being in a shootout with officers in the Rapid City area on Jan. 10. He was wounded and hospitalized. No officers were hit. Prosecutors said in court Tuesday that they do not plan to offer Baker a plea agreement. A trial date was not immediately set. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A bill that would effectively end cost-of-living raises for state employees has advanced to the Wyoming House. The Senate passed the proposal in a 23-7 vote on Tuesday after a failed effort to keep raises intact for judges and firefighters. Senate File 59, sponsored by the Joint Appropriations Committee, would require various state retirement funds to reach a certain financial threshold before cost-of-living increases would be paid. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that none of the retirement funds have reached that point. Sen. John Hastert, a Democrat from Green River, sponsored the amendment to exempt funds that cover judges and firefighters. He said the state needs to study the issue and suggested revisiting in next year instead. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is set to auction off the right to mine more than 400 million tons of coal in the Powder River Basin. The 3,200-acre tract is adjacent to the North Antelope Rochelle Mine operated by Powder River Coal, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy. The sale was set for Wednesday at the BLM state headquarters in Cheyenne. The BLM says coal royalties in Wyoming last year totaled $590 million. The state of Wyoming and federal government shared the revenue about equally. … Read entire article »

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) – A snowmobiler from Minnesota is dead after getting caught in an avalanche near Togwotee (TOE’-guh-tee) Pass in western Wyoming. The Jackson Hole Daily reports the man was snowmobiling with a party of 10 when the avalanche overtook him Monday. Teton County officials on Tuesday identified the victim as 35-year-old Jack Loxtercamp, of Villard, (vih-LARD’) Minn. He was buried in the Dry Lake Creek area. Grand Teton National Park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs says Teton County Search and Rescue responded at about 3:30 p.m. after someone activated an emergency beacon. Sheriff’s Capt. Tripp Wilson says the man was dead when rescuers dug him out. The Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center says it was the first avalanche fatality in Teton County this season. … Read entire article »

EVANSTON, Wyo. (AP) – Authorities say a traffic stop in southwest Wyoming has led to the seizure of 115 pounds of marijuana worth more than $692,000. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says a trooper pulled over a rental car on eastbound Interstate 80 Sunday night outside Evanston on a speeding violation. A patrol dog detected drugs, and a search revealed five packages of marijuana. Authorities also seized more than $3,000 in cash. The highway patrol said Tuesday that the 35-year-old driver Shaval Green of Margate, Fla., and his 24-year-old passenger, Willie Lofton, of Cithonia, Ga., are in custody. They face felony charges of possession of a controlled substance in plant form, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, and conspiracy to deliver controlled substance. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming House of Representatives has endorsed a resolution calling on the federal government to overturn a recent Obama administration mandate requiring birth control coverage for employees of religious-affiliated hospitals, schools and other programs. The House voted 40-to-17 on Tuesday for the resolution, which now goes to the state Senate. Sponsors say it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to require facility employees to violate their religious beliefs or moral convictions. Rep. Mary Throne, a Cheyenne Democrat, spoke against the resolution, saying women have a fundamental right to decide whether to get pregnant. Seven other states and a handful of Catholic groups filed a federal lawsuit last week in Nebraska asking a judge to block the mandate. The states involved are Nebraska, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. … Read entire article »

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming native Daniel Junge won an Oscar at the 84th annual Academy Awards this past weekend. Junge won for his work co-directing the short documentary “Saving Face.” His acceptance speech Sunday was short, thanking a handful of people, including his wife, before yielding the floor to his co-director. Off stage he thanks his parents and a former Cheyenne East High School teacher. Junge tells the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since and he’s already having meetings about future projects. “Saving Face” looks at the more than 100 people attacked with acid every year in Pakistan n most of them women. The documentary examines this social problem through the eyes of two female survivors of such attacks. … Read entire article »