Wyoming News Briefs

WyDOT cautions drivers about winter conditions

SHERIDAN (WNE) — The Sheridan Police Department reported 38 motor vehicle accidents on city streets, not including hit and run accidents, between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15. Data for Dec. 8 was not available, so the number could be even higher.

“One of our biggest safety issues is the number of people that drive without their headlights on, especially in windy, foggy or snowy conditions in the middle of the day,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation District 4 Public Involvement Specialist Laura Dalles.

“We really are trying to figure out how to get the message out to the driving public that if your vehicle is on, your headlights should be on as well, especially during weather conditions or events and not only at nighttime but during the day as well.”

Dalles said keeping headlights on during a multitude of weather conditions aids in visibility for other drivers.

She also stressed the importance of slowing down for conditions.

“Just because you have a four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicle doesn’t mean you can travel at the posted speed limit,” Dalles said. “You still need to have reduced speeds to accommodate for the road conditions and other people traveling at slower speeds.”

Having a four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicle can be helpful during adverse road conditions, but such vehicles are not immune to accidents, Dalles said.

“If you don’t have to be on the road, don’t be on the road because it only increases your chances of something happening,” Dalles added. “Increase that distance between you and the vehicle in front of you and make sure you drive with headlights on at all times during weather conditions— fog, rain, snow or limited visibility.”

Skier survives avalanche Friday on Rendezvous Peak

JACKSON (WNE) — A skier survived a relatively large avalanche on Rendezvous Peak on Friday as his party tried to ski from Teton Pass to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

“They had done this before, they had ropes, ice axes,” said Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr, who doubles as the head of Teton County Search and Rescue and responded to the incident Friday. “In their words, they misjudged going across one of the ridgelines and got a little low, and it ripped on them.”

The slide carried the skier about 500 feet down the mountain. He was buried up to his chest with his arms and legs above the snow. His partner was able to ski down and dig him out.

But after initially calling Teton County Dispatch to report the incident, confident they would be able to ski out, the skier and his partner called back to ask for a rescue. The person who was caught had a significant leg injury, Carr said.

The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center’s morning report said the avalanche danger was “moderate” Friday, meaning naturally-triggered avalanches were unlikely but human-triggered avalanches were possible. Forecasters have been warning of a persistent weak layer on all aspects in the Tetons’ upper elevations, as well as wind slabs on certain aspects.

“This makes it obvious that there are some significant triggers still out there that can be hit by skiers,” Carr said.

Study the Avalanche Center’s forecasts before venturing into the backcountry. Forecasts can be found at BridgerTetonAvalancheCenter.org.

Public comment period on Two Rivers Wind Energy Project extended

RAWLINS (WNE) — The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have extended the public comment on an environmental assessment of the proposed Two Rivers Wind Energy Project, which would be located near Medicine Bow and Rock River in Carbon and Albany counties, Wyoming. 

The public scoping period now closes on December 23, 2022. 

The proposed project includes up to 79 wind turbines that could generate up to 420 megawatts of renewable energy through the development of two wind development phases that are geographically separate (Two Rivers Phase I-III and Phase IV). 

Associated transmission lines will connect both wind development phases to PacifiCorp’s Freezeout substation. 

The environmental assessment analyzes potential effects for the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of the commercial wind energy facility proposed on lands administered by the BLM that are interspersed with private and state lands. 

Additionally, the assessment analyzes the environmental consequences of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issuing an incidental eagle take permit for the project. 

The two agencies coordinated in the preparation of the environmental assessment and, if applicable, will issue a joint Finding of No Significant Impact. 

Other decision documents, such as permit authorizations and decision records, will be completed separately for each agency. 

Commercial operations for all wind development areas are expected in late 2024. 

The draft environmental assessment and other application materials are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning. blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2003881/510 to solicit comments until December 23, 2022. 

For more information on the Two Rivers Wind Energy Project, contact BLM Wyoming Public Affairs Specialist Azure Hall at 307-274-5591.

Yellowstone Regional Airport director attempting to get Delta service back

CODY (WNE) — Yellowstone Regional Airport Director Aaron Buck is actively pursuing the return of Delta Airlines and will be meeting with representatives of SkyWest Airlines about the issue next month.

Buck told members of the Park County Travel Council on Dec. 15 that reaching an agreement with Delta was “critical” for the operations of the airport and for Park County residents.

Delta announced it would not be returning to YRA in late 2021. At that time, the airline informed Buck that not enough business clientele traveled to YRA, and business clientele provided Delta a better margin of profit returns than the leisure travel base of customers coming to Cody.

In addition, Delta, like many airlines, continues to face pilot shortages, and has had to make difficult decisions about what flights to prioritize, Buck told the travel council. 

Buck is currently scheduled to meet with representatives of Skywest Airlines — a regional airline that partners with Delta to provide flights to YRA and other similarly sized airports — on Jan. 23.

Delta’s decision about returning to Cody will likely be contingent on a discussion happening currently in the U.S. Congress, he said.

“They’ve applied to fly planes with 30 seats or below of passengers,” Buck said. “What that does is it allows them to hire a pilot who only has 700 hours [of experience] and put them next to someone who might have 30,000 hours, rather than having to hire two guys with over 10,000 hours of experience.”

Being able to hire less-experienced pilots would help address the ongoing pilot shortage and allow Delta to expand its service back into smaller communities like Cody, he said.

Woman arrested for DUI after hitting man with truck in parking lot

GILLETTE (WNE) — A 30-year-old woman was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and hit and run after hitting a 24-year-old man with her truck.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, police found the man lying on the ground in the parking lot of Boot Hill. He said he was run over by a woman in a white Dodge truck, and that the truck left the area immediately after hitting him.

Police found the truck within seconds and stopped her at Gurley Avenue and Kluver Road. She showed multiple signs of being drunk and admitted to drinking before driving. She said she did not know she had hit anyone.

She was arrested for DUI after performing poorly on sobriety tests and also charged with hit and run involving an injury.

The man was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, Dillard said.

The police investigation revealed the truck hit him at a low speed, and that he was bumped, not run over by the truck’s tires, Dillard said.