Wyoming News Briefs

Florida man gets 15 years for fatal crash

GILLETTE (WNE) — A truck driver from Florida who was found with beer cans in his cab after crashing into and killing another driver north of Gillette has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

Nicholas L. Alvarez, 39, on Aug. 15 received an imposed 8.5- to 15-year sentence for aggravated vehicular homicide, according to court documents. Alvarez pleaded guilty to the charge in May.

In addition to imposing prison time, District Judge Stuart S. Healy III also ordered Alvarez to pay $11,196.08 in restitution to the parents of the man killed and $8,373.20 to the Division of Victim Services.

The conviction stems from a crash in which 33-year-old Aaron Foster, a Casper man originally from Hendersonville, Texas, was killed.

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded to the fatal crash Nov. 9, 2022, on Highway 59 north of Gillette. There were dry, light snow flurries at the time.

On the scene, they saw a box truck with heavy front damage on the shoulder of the southbound lane and a pickup in a ditch by the northbound lane, according to court documents. 

Once Alvarez was extricated from the truck, troopers could smell alcohol coming from inside. 

Several cans of beer were found in the truck, according to court documents, and a witness who stopped to help Alvarez told officers that Alvarez asked him to hide the alcohol.

Evidence at the scene showed Alvarez had crossed the center line and was driving south in the northbound lane when he collided with Foster’s pickup. Alvarez was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.

At the hospital, Alvarez said he had one beer to calm his nerves because he’d never driven in snow before, according to court documents. 

Two days after the accident, while doing a post-crash investigation of Alvarez’s truck, a trooper found three marijuana joints weighing 2.6 grams.

Motion to vacate trial filed for Louisiana man facing multiple charges

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Michael Barabin, who faces charges of forgery, driving with a suspended license, consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages while driving and failure to maintain liability coverage in Sheridan County, will not proceed with trial this week.

Barabin is a Louisiana native and was scheduled for trial Aug. 26 in 4th Judicial District Court. A motion to vacate the trial was submitted Aug. 22.

Barabin is currently jailed in the Parish of Iberia, Louisiana and is being held on a $100,000 bond for allegations of domestic abuse, strangulation and violation of order of protection. 

He was not able to secure his release before the trial scheduled for Aug. 26.

Barabin was facing several charges related to alleged crimes in Sheridan County.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Feb. 24, Barabin crashed his vehicle on Interstate 90. The black sedan was reported to be seen traveling eastbound when it lost the front driver side tire and slid into the ditch.

Barabin was found with a Louisiana driver’s license and had a non-extraditable warrant for his arrest out of Louisiana for unpaid traffic violations. His driving privileges had been suspended.

Upon searching the vehicle, the arresting officer found 11 pieces of paper, and each one had a tampered forged copy of the original Iowa temporary registration printed on it. 

In Wyoming, forgery is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than two years, a fine of not more than $5000 or both. 

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Barabin admitted he was drinking a beer while driving the vehicle. Barabin also did not have proof of insurance.

The court has not yet scheduled another hearing for Barabin.

Arch merges to form larger coal company

GILLETTE (WNE) — Arch Resources, owners of Black Thunder and Coal Creek coal mines in the Powder River Basin, has merged with CONSOL Energy to form a new company, Core Natural Resources.

The merger of thermal and metallurgical coal operations — used for generating power and making steel, respectively — gives the new company a combined 11 coal mines in six states and a market cap of $5.2 billion, according to a news release.

The two companies combined to sell 101 million tons of coal in 2023 used for steelmaking, industrial and power-generation, according to the news release.

For Arch, the deal brings a stronger foothold in thermal coal sales overseas through CONSOL’s connections in that realm, and the latter stands to benefit from Arch’s place in the global market for metallurgical coal, which the company has strongly pivoted toward in recent years.

The deal figures to save the new combined company $110 million to $140 million each year in cost efficiencies, such as logistical improvements, within six to 18 months of the merger finalizing.

Stockholders will receive 1.326 shares of CONSOL stock for each of shares of Arch, and will collectively hold 45% of the new company, with CONSOL shareholders owning the other 55%, according to the news release.

The deal is expected to close by the end of March, with approval from shareholders and regulators.

The company’s headquarters will be in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, due to its proximity to the majority of the company’s mines, while maintaining a presence in St. Louis, Missouri, where Arch is currently based.

WyoLotto celebrates ten years serving Wyoming

CHEYENNE (WNE) — On Saturday, WyoLotto celebrated a decade of serving Wyoming.

“We are Wyoming grown, and we love this state. It is truly a great place to call home,” said Jon Clontz, WyoLotto CEO, in a news release. Clontz has been with WyoLotto since the founding of the company when the WyoLotto Board of Directors hired him in 2013 to open the lottery in Wyoming.

“We started from nothing, no state funding. Everything we have done was achieved thanks to an excellent Board of Directors and a small staff of ten employees,” Clontz said.

When WyoLotto launched, it introduced Wyoming to two games, Powerball and Mega Millions. The first ticket was sold in Sheridan on Aug. 24, 2014, and a lot has happened since then, including the following:

• Cowboy Draw, Wyoming’s own game, launched in March 2015.

• Lucky for Life was added to the portfolio in 2016.

• WyoLotto’s own raffle game ran in 2018, Ragtime Raffle.

• 2by2 launched in 2021.

• KENO was added in 2022. 

“Each new game we have introduced has added to the entertainment value for Wyoming, while also allowing us to expand our portfolio to maximize how much we can give back to the state,” Clontz said.

Sheridan County declares state of emergency amid fires

SHERIDAN (WNE) — With a fire raging in northeastern Sheridan County, county commissioners declared a state of emergency at an emergency meeting Friday evening.

The Remington fire has burned 185,000 acres since Wednesday, of which 30,000 has been in Wyoming; the remaining 155,000 acres have burned in Montana. The fire started around 3 p.m. Wednesday, and the acreage burned skyrocketed from about 7500 acres Thursday. The fire is 0% contained as of Friday evening.

Every community is suffering from a lack of resources to combat fires, Sheridan County Emergency Management Coordinator Jesse Ludikhuize said.

The emergency declaration — approved unanimously by commissioners — will allow Sheridan County to have access to funding sources not otherwise available. 

When the fires are contained and damage is assessed, the county can pursue state and federal assistance.

The Remington fire, Ludikhuize said, has already caused extensive damage to farmland, livestock areas, fences and other private property. The fire has also created some damage on several miles of county roads due to heavy traffic.

Burn scars, he explained, have lasting impacts; they can make the land more prone to flooding and soil recovery could take years.

Sheridan County Fairgrounds facilities are open for livestock and evacuees. Ludikhuize added the county is offering assistance for people who need to move livestock away from danger, though many residents have already reached out to neighbors for assistance.

While the Remington Fire remains a concern, Sheridan County has rescinded a voluntary evacuation notice in the Arvada and Clearmont areas for the House Draw fire still burning in Johnson County. 

“While the House Draw Fire is not fully contained, please understand wind speed and direction can have a direct effect on how the fire activity will progress. If fire conditions change…notices will be issued and updates will be given regularly,” Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez wrote in a statement Friday.

Firefighters make progress on large wildfires in Campbell County

GILLETTE (WNE) — Firefighters are making progress on the wildfires that have burned in northeast Wyoming the last several days.

Sunday morning, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team No. 5 took over management of the Flat Rock and Constitution fires, as well as the Remington Fire in Sheridan County and the House Draw Fire in Johnson County. The Campbell County Fire Department reported the Constitution Fire was estimated at 24,000 acres, while the Flat Rock Fire was estimated at 52,000 acres.

Brandon Glenn, who works in planning operations for Southwest Area Incident Management Team No. 5, said that with the Flat Rock Fire, which is west of Gillette, most of the heat is in the northern part of the fire, and firefighters have worked to secure the fire along Echeta Road and doing direct and indirect work on the southwest side of the fire, Glenn said.

The fire is nearing the county boundaries with Sheridan and Johnson counties. Glenn said this fire has “a lot of horsepower,” and that they’re really working to keep the fire from spreading farther north.

The Constitution Fire, north of town, is looking “really good” on the south and west sides, Glenn said, but the northeast part of the fire remains active. Crews did a burnout to bring the fire out to a dozer line, and the goal is “lock in” that northeast corner, Glenn said.

Gordon responds to BLM’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday publicly released its proposed Resource Management Plan and final environmental impact statement for the Rock Springs Field Office. The plan outlines how the BLM will manage 3.6 million acres of federal land in southwest Wyoming.

Gov. Mark Gordon issued the following statement on the RMP: “Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the FEIS for the proposed Rock Springs RMP does not meet Wyoming’s expectations of durable, multiple use of public lands. One quarter of the Field Office remains slated for area of critical environmental concern designation. State agencies and I are still sifting through the details and looking at specific maps, management actions and stipulations.

“Thank you to everyone in southwestern Wyoming who participated in the comment process and the Governor’s Task Force. Your comments and recommendations helped claw this document away from the BLM’s preferred, absolutely unworkable, Alternative B.

“A cursory review makes it clear where the BLM considered local and cooperative input, and where the agency chose to force through national agendas. It is important to compare this document to the current status on the ground, and not by how much it has shifted away from the BLM’s worst-case scenario. Much work is left to ensure the BLM is staying within the bounds of state and county policies, as well as federal law.

“I will examine the FEIS closely, but make no mistake, the State of Wyoming will be filing protests where our comments were disregarded. I will continue to identify any management decisions that are inconsistent with Wyoming law and policy in my upcoming consistency review.”

When the FEIS is published in the Federal Register, the 30-day protest period and the concurrent 60-day Governor’s Consistency Review will commence. 

Further information on the Rock Springs RMP can be found at the BLM’s project website at eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/ 13853/510.

Average gas prices in Wyoming down by nearly a nickel a gallon

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have fallen 4.8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.31 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 1.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand 60.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.89, while the highest was $4.19, a difference of $1.30 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 6.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.30 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 20.7 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands 49.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.