Wyoming News Briefs

Wyoming Department of Health: state saw 98 abortions in ’21

CODY (WNE) —Nearly 100 women were reported as having received abortions in Wyoming in 2021, according to a recently released report by the Wyoming Department of Health.

The 2021 Wyoming Abortion Report was released soon after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, triggering a bill sponsored by a Cody representative to ban nearly all abortions in the state.

The report is required to be released by June 30. It records that the Wyoming Department of Health Vital Statistics Services received 98 reports from physicians licensed to practice in Wyoming. That was seven more procedures than had been performed in the state in 2020.

All of the procedures were done as medical abortions as opposed to surgical abortions, with 67 of the women residents and 31 nonresidents.

For 2021, 49% of the patients requesting the procedure were between the ages of 25-34 years, and 74% percent of the women reported the procedure as their first.

The majority of procedures were done when the woman was six weeks or less pregnant, and no abortions were performed on women more than 11 weeks pregnant.

For most of the women, it was their first abortion, while 19 had reported one previous procedure, five two and one three or more.

Most of the women had not given birth when they had the procedure, although 16 had already had one birth and 20 had had two or more prior to getting an abortion.

No patient complications were noted on any of the reports for 2021.

Suicide lifeline service expanded to full-time, Wyoming-based coverage

CHEYENNE (WNE) – The state’s suicide lifeline services have been expanded and improved to offer full-time, Wyoming-based coverage 24 hours a day, every day, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday.

“Wyoming citizens experiencing a mental health crisis and potentially suicidal thoughts can now be confident that on the other end of the line, they’re talking to someone who – as a fellow state resident – is familiar with our state and cares about our people,” Gordon said in a statement.

While the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has been available via phone (1-800-273-TALK) for many years, calls from state residents before 2020 were answered by people outside the state.

Wyoming-based services hours were limited due to funding availability. Full-time, all-day, every-day Wyoming-based coverage began last week.

The governor asked the Legislature to fund the service and expand its availability during the 2022 legislative session and said now he appreciates their support for this initiative.

“We are confident that the personal connection and the ability to make localized referrals for help will be improved when Wyoming folks can speak to an understanding person in their own state,” Gordon added. “This critical and free service for those who need it is something I have emphasized for quite some time.”

Stefan Johansson, Wyoming Department of Health director, encouraged people in distress and concerned about suicidal thoughts they may be having to call the lifeline for help.

Downtown sees expensive condo boom

CODY (WNE) — New condo units are popping up around the downtown Cody area.

In 2018, developer Josh Allison received approval to begin work on 12th Street condos that are now occupied. He also got approval for two two-story condos on Rumsey that are nearly finished. They are off the market now, but had been listed for $995,000 apiece.

They’ve been followed by a complex developed by Erynne and Ryan Selk going up on 12th Street with condos going for more than $800,000.

In all those instances, the projects were located on lightly used pieces of commercial property.

Other condo developments have gone into older buildings as a nationwide trend of returning to downtowns starts to be seen locally.

While it’s not a big amount of new housing and not an affordable housing solution, Cody Mayor Matt Hall said it’s a benefit to the area.

“I think it’s nice for the downtown,” he said. “It’s in areas where nothing was there, areas that didn’t have much of a use anymore.

“It can be for people who don’t want a lawn, it’s walking distance to downtown, nice for professionals,” said Hall. “I think it’s positive.”

Man shot by deputy bound over on 5 felonies

GILLETTE (WNE) — The man shot by a Campbell County Sheriff’s deputy and accused of pointing a sawed-off shotgun at three deputies was charged with five felonies stemming from the incident.

Andrew Crenshaw, 25, was bound over to District Court July 1 on three felony counts of aggravated assault and battery, along with felony counts of possession of meth with intent to deliver and possession of meth.

Crenshaw was hospitalized after the June 28 incident to be treated for the single gunshot wound to his arm. He is currently in the Campbell County jail, said Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds.

On June 28, sheriff’s deputies were called to the 1500 block of Palomino Road in Gillette when a woman called in reporting that her son, Crenshaw, was refusing to leave the property.

Three deputies — Tyler Cox, Carson Cale and Jeff Sanders — arrived and saw the mother and son in the driveway. Soon after deputies arrived, Crenshaw allegedly grabbed a sawed-off shotgun from beneath a sweater on top of a dumpster, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Deputies reportedly gave multiple commands for Crenshaw to drop the gun, which he refused, before then raising the shotgun toward deputies “several times” throughout the incident.

Crenshaw paced back and forth near the front of a Dodge pickup truck, which Cox was positioned behind. Crenshaw continued to refuse orders and allegedly raised the shotgun directly at Cox, according to the affidavit. Cox responded by firing two shots with his service pistol, hitting Crenshaw in the upper part of his right arm.

Crenshaw was treated for the gunshot wound and arrested, according to the affidavit.

A Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigation is ongoing.

Cox remains on administrative leave, Reynolds said.

Johnson County school district working on public curriculum website

BUFFALO (WNE) – Parents in Johnson County could soon have an inside look into some curriculum materials being used in their children's classrooms, thanks to a curriculum library website currently being built by Johnson County School District No. 1.

“It’s that transparency piece that we’ve been talking about,” said Steve Miller, district director of curriculum and learning. “We shouldn't be ashamed of what we're teaching. [There] should be an open-door policy, without apologies, that [says], ‘Hey, this is what we're teaching, with fidelity, and this is what we're doing.’”

Miller said the district is still in the process of collecting curriculum materials from teachers, which includes, for example, curriculum maps, proficiency scales – tools used to assess student progress – and priority standards - the academic level that students are expected to be at by the end of a school year.

The curriculum library will be housed online, he said, and the website is currently under construction. The end product that will eventually be available to parents will allow them to look at the broader curriculum materials that give an overview of what is being taught in classrooms around the county.

More specific materials such as assessments, however, won’t be available for public viewing.

Miller said the district is creating the public-facing portion of the website with the hope that allowing parents and other community stakeholders easy access to curriculum materials can help build trusting partnerships between parents and teachers.

But he said he wants to take care that having the materials online doesn’t turn into micromanagement of teachers.

“There should be partnerships, but not in a way where the parents are micromanaging the teachers, because the teachers are the expert[s],” Miller said.

WDH temporarily expands WIC to support ongoing infant formula shortage

TORRINGTON (WNE) — The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has announced it updated income guidelines in hopes of helping more families become eligible for the Wyoming Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

A relatively new — but key — feature of the WIC program is it now gives participants benefits cards that participants can use at local grocery stores to save money buying program approved nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. Additionally, some WIC participants can qualify for infant formula benefits.

“While supply challenges continue to affect formula availability, especially for the specialty formulas certain babies need for health issues, we are seeing an improving situation,” WIC Program Manager Tina Fearneyhough said in a press release. “Our program has added temporary flexibility to help Wyoming WIC families meet their formula needs until things get back to normal.”

Qualifying yearly income guidelines for WIC in Wyoming for the next year includes: $25,142 for a family of one (or $2,096 a month); $33,874 for a family of two (or $2,823 a month); $42,606 for a family of three (or $3,551 a month); $51,338 for a family of four (or $4,279 a month); and $60,070 for a family of five (or $5,006 a month).

“Families already using SNAP, TANF or Wyoming Medicaid benefits also qualify for WIC,” wrote WDH Public Information Officer Kim Deti. “All caregivers are welcome to receive help from the program, including dads, foster parents, guardians, grandparents and step-parents. There is no established limit to the number of eligible participants WIC can serve.”

Wyomingites who may be eligible may apply for WIC by visiting http://www.health.wyo.gov and locating the nearest WIC clinic using the locator tool or by calling 1-888-996-9378.

Nonprofit fundraising blitz returns

CASPER (WNE) —WyoGives, the state’s annual 24- hour online fundraising campaign, returns Wednesday.

The Wyoming Nonprofit Network launched WyoGives in 2019 as a way to help publicize and raise money for Wyoming nonprofits in one centralized, accessible location. This time around, over 250 nonprofits are participating.

Each group gets a page on WyoGives’s website, wyogives.org, where it can post information about its mission and goals.

Buttons on the pages enable visitors to donate or sign up to become fundraisers.

Visitors can search through participating organizations by keyword, by county and by 26 different causes. They can search for organizations for seniors in Park County, for example, or emergency response services in Lincoln County or arts and culture groups in Laramie County.

Some of WyoGives’ sponsors will be matching donations.

The Hughes Charitable Foundation, based in Jackson, will add $2 for every $1 added to Albany, Washakie, Platte, Carbon, Weston, Big Horn, Niobrara, Goshen, Fremont and Hot Springs counties. They’ll meet one-to-one donations made to Natrona, Laramie, Sublette, Lincoln, Campbell, Crook, Sweetwater, Converse, Park, Uinta, Johnson and Sheridan counties.

Wells Fargo, one of WyoGives’ sponsors, set aside additional money aside for nonprofits that focus on addressing housing issues and homelessness.

WyoGives is expected to give nonprofits an extra boost this year — especially at a time where demand for many of their services is high.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans have found it harder to stay afloat on their own — putting increased pressure on the nonprofit sector.

New industrial park in Laramie gets thumbs-up from council

LARAMIE (WNE) – Laramie may become home to diverse new businesses with the development of a new industrial park.

Laramie City Council approved a preliminary plat for Knife River Business Park this week, a project that plans to develop 36 acres into five industrial lots near the city’s southern border. The new industrial park borders the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Huron Street and the Union Pacific Railroad line near Timberline Business Park and 307 Meat Company.

Knife River Business Park, owned by Knife River Corp. of Wyoming, touts its potential for Laramie workers and customers.

As an I2-zoned business park, the area could become home to supply stores, plant nurseries, commercial bakeries and a variety of other businesses. The industrial zoning also means there would be no additional housing developments in the area.

What makes the project attractive for city officials is its potential to expand an area of the local economy.

“There are currently no developable industrial lots within the city of Laramie,” said Coffey Engineering and Surveying engineer Collin Fossen. “This opens up an opportunity for industrial development to take place within the city of Laramie, which can spur our economy and be a positive benefit.”

Following construction, the report says the business park would have other “smaller business-ready lots.”

Lot 2 would be less than 2 acres, while the remaining three lots would be 2.76 acres each. These “business-ready” lots would be ready for new businesses to move in following construction.

West Nile virus detected in Teton mosquitos

JACKSON (WNE) — The Teton County Weed and Pest District detected West Nile virus in mosquitoes — the first such detection in 2022 — during routine surveillance on Friday.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The endemic disease shows up each year as mosquito populations bloom across Wyoming. But an early July detection is sooner than usual, Teton County Weed and Pest said.

“We’re not seeing it on a wide scale, yet, we’re just kind of seeing a little blip,” said Weed and Pest entomologist Mikenna Smith.

The Wyoming Health Department shared tips earlier this year on how to avoid bug encounters that can lead to serious disease. The “5 Ds” of mosquito-bite prevention are:

1) DAWN and 2) DUSK — Mosquitoes prefer to feed at dawn or dusk, so avoid going outside during these times.

3) DRESS — Wear shoes, socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt outdoors. Clothing should be light-colored and made of tightly woven materials.

4) DRAIN — Mosquitoes breed in shallow, stagnant water. Reduce the amount of standing water by draining or removing it. Empty pet water bowls, kiddie pools and troughs, for example.

5) DEET — Use an insect repellent containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). Picaridin (KBR 3023) or oil of lemon eucalyptus also can be effective.

Human cases of West Nile virus are rare and typically mild. West Nile virus numbers for humans have been relatively low the last few years in Wyoming, the Health Department said Friday.

Most people infected with the virus don’t have symptoms. Among those who become ill, symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes.