CPD Logo Contest Winners (Amy Richards/TSM)

The winners of the Cheyenne Police Department’s were announced Wednesday. The contest was to design a “logo” that sends the message of zero tolerance for graffiti in the community. Over 150 qualifying entries were submitted from Cheyenne Junior and Senior High School students. The winner selected by a panel of judges was Drew Snow. The winner selected by the community was designed by 15 year old Tyler Landy.One of the two winning logos will be placed on T-shirts, banners, websites and other highly visible locations.  The Cheyenne Police Department partnered with Verizon Wireless to put on the logo contest.

Pathfinder Reservoir (Wyoming Travel and Tourism)

Despite A Natural Resources Conservation Service report that says the water tables in most of the west are at or slightly above average, a U.S.D.A. official says the reservoir levels may still pose a problem. The Wyoming High School Activities Association has taken on the issue of social media. Doug Randall has the details. Click past the jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

MONTROSE, Colo. (AP) — Forest managers are asking for greater flexibility to deal with a bark beetle epidemic that has ravaged forests.

According to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, witnesses told a congressional hearing on Monday that the epidemic poses a serious to local communities and firefighters.

They told the panel it can take up to a year and a half to get permission to take action and by that time, it is often too late.

An aerial survey last year showed about 4.6 million acres in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota have been affected since the first signs of the outbreak in 1996. That’s up from about 4.3 million acres in 2010.

Gov. Mead with EMS personnel (Amy Richards/TSM)

Governor Matt Mead declared May 20th-May 26th Emergency Medical Services Week in Wyoming.  Gov. Mead says Wyoming residents can take comfort in knowing that well trained, caring men and women are only a phone call away. He says emergency medical technicians (emts), paramedics, and first responders, many of them volunteers, devote countless hours to keeping their communities, including very rural areas safe.

Mario Tama, Getty Images

The separation of church and state doesn’t mean religious leaders can’t express political opinions. And in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage there has been talk that some houses of worship may encourage their flock not to vote for the president in 2012 to protest his reversal on the issue.

However, the majority of Americans would rather that churches and other religious institution keep out of politics altogether. According to a Pew Research Center Poll of 1,503 adults, 54 percent said that churches should keep out of political matters, whereas 40 percent think churches should express views on political questions.

In 1996, these percentages were just about reversed, with 54 percent in favor of churches being involved in politics and 43 percent opposed.

[Pew Research Center]

(Courtesy Amber Ash)

Amber Ash, who has represented Ward 1 on the Cheyenne City Council for the past four years, says she is running for the open four  year seat on the Laramie County Commission as a Republican. Ash, who is 28, says one of her priorities if elected would be to improve the relationship between the commission and the Cheyenne City Council, which she says has became more adversarial over recent years.

Ash says the time and money currently spent on litigation and confrontation could be better spent if the two entities had a better relationship. Ash says she also would like to work on infrastructure issues in the county, including the deterioration of some rural roads. Ash says other important issues facing the commission over the next few years include what is likely to be a tight budget over the next few years, and dealing with issues related to the Niobrara Oil Play.

(Courtesy: Wyoming Highway Patrol)

An 84 year old Chadron, Nebraska woman was killed in a single vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near Elk Mountain on Sunday afternoon, according to Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Steve Townsend.

He says Christina Kochenash was eastbound on the interstate about 11 miles west of Elk Mountain when she apparently lost control of her 2001 Volkswagon Jetta, which swerved onto the left shoulder, then back onto the roadway briefly before going off the road in a broadside slide into the median. The vehicle then rolled 2 complete times before coming to rest in the westbound lane of the interstate.

Kochenash was first transported to Carbon County Hospital in Rawlins, then later transported to Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, where she  later died of her injuries. Kochenash was not wearing a seat belt. Townsend says the crash remains under investigation.

Federal Courthouse Cheyenne (www.wyd.uscourts.gov)

Lawyers for a neurosurgeon who practices in Wyoming and Montana have informed a federal judge they believe their client engaged in criminal or fraudulent conduct. Doug Randall has the details. A Saturday event at the Casper Events Center is aimed at recognizing the states female veterans, according to Veterans Administration Spokeswoman Jackie Van Mark. Click past the jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is presenting a Senior Health Fair June 9 in the Physical Education Building at Laramie County Community College, according to Diane Hogerty, Community Resource Manager for the Office of Community Health at CRMC. She says a wide number of displays and booths will be available for topics ranging from entertainment to health programs for seniors to bereavement support.

Blood chemistry profiles will also be available to participants who have their blood drawn ahead of time. More information on the blood draws is available by calling  773-1326. The health fair is scheduled for 9am ti 1 pm on June 9th.

Anderson Elementary School (Courtesy of LCSD#1)

During Tuesday evening’s “Bullying Hurts” webinar on KGAB, Todd Burns, principal of Bain Elementary School and Olweus Bullying Prevention Program coordinator for Laramie County School District #1, said he believes the entire community needs to be involved in changing the culture of bullying.

Burns said earlier this year a bullying prevention committee from each of the districts elementary and junior high schools were trained in the Olweus program. He says on May 25th each committee will train their building’s entire staff. He said the goal is to eventually get the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program training to all  Junior High and Elementary  school employees.

Clay Brownell/Facebook

Two of the workers injured in a fire at the Sinclair Oil Refinery have been released,  while a third has been  transferred to a Salt Lake City hospital. Amy Richards has a report. A former Natrona County High School student is dead after being involved in a single vehicle crash in Casper Tuesday. Kevin Koile has more on that story. Click past jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.

Watchdog on Wall Street Chris Markowski

7:07AM MDT:  Chris Markowski. The Watchdog on Wall Street is back to make sense of the markets and the economy.

7:37 AM MDT: Alieta Eck, MD. will discuss The Demise of Employer-Based Insurance

8:07 AM MDT:  VIJAY PRASHAD shares his thoughts on   NATO Above the Law?

9:37AM MDT:  Bailey Evans wit the Boys and Girls Club will be with us to update on the new activities and progress on the new facility

U.S Fish and Wildlife Service

Get out onto the land and see areas of rare beauty in the company of those who know them best.

This year’s free offerings from the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance take you into Wyoming’s back country with expert guides who believe there are certain areas in the state that deserve to be prioritized for conservation.

“When you take a visitor who’s never been out to the Red Desert, out to somewhere like Adobe Town and you put them on the edge of  Skull Creek Rim looking out across that spectacular landscape of badlands and pinnacles its instantly obvious why they need to be protected.”

BCA Director and Wildlife Biologist Eric Molvar leads a three-day auto safari through the Red Desert,  May 26th to the 28th.

Duane Short is BCA’s wildlife species program director and he’ll lead a Thunderbasin Grasslands Prairie Dog Tour June 2nd and 3rd.

Follow this link to information on these tours and others, http://www.voiceforthewild.org/general/alerts/a1May12.html

Webinar participants include Marvin Nash of Bullying Hurts, Laramie County Coroner Marty Luna and Bain Elementary Principal Todd Burns. Moderated by Dave Chaffin.

Please be sure to thank our event sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible.

Live video by Ustream

Bullying Hurts is grateful to the following sponsors for their support of this webinar:

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Halliday Motors

Ben Bennett for LCSD#1 Board of Trustees

Blackjack Pizza

Cheyenne Cares for Kids

Joe Svec of #1 Properties

Liberty’s Torch

NAPA Auto Parts

Schrader Funeral Home

Simon Contractors

Tyrrell Doyle Auto Centers

Bison Cow (Courtesy of National Park Service)

A federal judge has blocked Montana officials from using a helicopter to drive bison back into Yellowstone National Park. Doug Randall reports. A Union Pacific worker’s efforts to improve safety at a Wyoming rail yard is being recognized. Business Reporter Sharon Fain has the details. Click past the jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.

Wyoming Capitol Building (Amy Richards/TSM)

The Wyoming State Capitol Building in Cheyenne is one of the state’s most iconic buildings, but it is in need of some costly renovations.

State Construction Manager Rich Cathcart says while the building is structurally sound, the building’s steam-heating system is outdated, the air conditioning is nearly nonexistent, and its electrical wiring and water pipes require constant repair. In addition, a lack of a fire-suppression sprinkler system leaves the building vulnerable to disaster.

The Wyoming Legislature’s Select Committee on Legislative Facilities received an update Monday on the condition of the historic Capitol Building as well as a new state office building project that is still in the design stage.

Cathcart told lawmakers that he received an estimate of $50 million dollars for renovation work at the capitol, but says he believes it can be done for less money than that.  The building’s last major renovation was completed in 1980.

Cathcart says the renovations would take about two years to complete and the Legislature and other state officials who work year-round in the Capitol would need to move elsewhere.

To accommodate the move, the Wyoming Legislature is proceeding with the design plans to build a new state office building at the state-acquired property at the former Safeway grocery store on Pioneer Avenue. That building  could serve as a temporary place for officials and legislators during the renovation. Once the work is done, the office building would be used to house various agencies that currently are renting office space throughout Cheyenne.

Luke Martinez (Courtesy of U.W. Athletics)

University of Wyoming men’s basketball student-athlete Luke Martinez has been invited by the Northern Arapaho Tribal Education Department to speak at two schools on the Wind River Reservation this weekend.

Martinez will address the 23 graduating seniors at Wyoming Indian High School’s commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 20th, before visiting St. Stephens Indian School on Monday, May 21st. 

A native of Bismarck, North Dakota, Martinez is enrolled as a member of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians, which is located in the north central part of North Dakota.

(Information Courtesy of University of Wyoming Athletics)

Gov Mead reads to 1st Graders (Amy Richards/TSM)

About 1,250 first graders from Laramie County Schools participated in the 7th annual “Wyoming Reads” event Tuesday at the Laramie County Library. Governor Matt Mead read to first graders from St. Mary’s School. The Governor read “Even Monsters Need Haircuts” and “The Pout Pout Fish in the Big Big Dark.”  Governor Mead says “Wyoming Reads” is an important event because it highlights to kids the benefit of reading.

About 81 teachers and 33 schools participated in the event locally.The “Wyoming Reads” program began in Casper in 1999 as “Casper Cares, Casper Reads.” The Casper event was renamed “Wyoming Reads” when it expanded to a statewide celebration in 2006.

Thinkstock

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill says the state needs to do a better job of updating it’s curriculum standards than has been the case in recent years. Hill also says the state’s current curriculum standards are still not what they should be, adding that “if we’re going to be number one in this country, we need to have the number one standards”.

Hill calls the fact that the state until recently had not updated it’s curriculum standards since 2003  “irresponsible”. As for the Federal Core Curriculum Standards recently adopted by the State Board of Education, Hill says they should serve as ”a floor and not a ceiling” for Wyoming schools.

State Superintendent Cindy Hill

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill says she was pleased to see  ‘sub groups’ of Wyoming students who generally do not do well on science tests exceed national averages on the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress  (NAEP) science test. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wyoming says most of the complaints it receives from inmates in state jails and prisons deal with their medical and mental health care. Doug Randall reports. Click past the jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.