Rawlins City Council votes against restoring nonprofit funding
A couple of notes from last night’s Rawlins City Council meeting: Despite conversations that took place during a work session preceding the regular meeting, council ultimately opted not to take action on restoring funding to nonprofit agencies which lost their funding earlier this month. At the July 3rd meeting, council canceled fourth quarter funding to 10 of 14 social service agencies after the city manager argued that they had not completed required fourth quarter reports. Some of the nonprofits, including the Boys and Girls Club, have since demonstrated their paperwork was finished and submitted before their contracted deadlines with the city. Nothing has changed and their fourth quarter funding is still in limbo. Also last night, council voted against renewing the contract with Buxton. Bigfoot 99 will have more details tomorrow.
Encampment landfill cited for fence issues
The landfill in Encampment, which hasn’t been used in years, continues to cause problems for the Upper Platte Valley Solid Waste Disposal District, and is now also affecting the Encampment Town Council. The town has been cited a violation for removing the fence around the landfill’s perimeter. Emma Diercks reports.
Mead Testifies Before Senate on Endangered Species Act
Governor Matt Mead, speaking to the senate environment and public works committee on Capitol Hill Tuesday, told the panel that states are in a better position than Washington to implement strategies to protect and recover endangered species. Mead was speaking on behalf of amendments recently drafted by Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, who chairs the committee. Barrasso’s amendments, if passed, would be the first changes to the Endangered Species Act since 1992. The amendments emphasize giving states more control in implementing ESA recovery strategies. In his appearance yesterday, Governor Mead said he recognizes that critics of the changes distrust the ability of states to manage wildlife. Mead, who successfully battled the federal government over protected status for grey wolves and grizzly bears in the state, countered that it was never the intent of Congress to diminish the role of states when the ESA first became law.
Mead noted that Barrasso’s proposed changes to the ESA are generally consistent with recommendations made by the Western Governors Association. Mead chaired that committee and was a strong advocate modernizing federal rules concerning threatened species. In his testimony yesterday, Mead said that 30 percent of the species now listed as endangered have no associated recovery plan. As a result, litigation rather than science dictates the priorities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Senator Barrasso has touted the bi-partisan nature of the proposed amendments. However, critics say the changes would limit public participation for removing federal protections by reducing comment periods to 90 days and by making court challenges more difficult.
Watch Mead’s testimony here:
Saratoga lagoon moves closer to completion
In Saratoga, while improvements to the municipal lagoon system are almost complete, some issues need to be resolved with the operating system before the work wraps up. Emma Diercks has the latest.
Rawlins National Night Out slated for August
In Rawlins, residents are invited to join the police department for food, drinks and family-friendly fun during the 35th Annual National Night Out planned for early August. Cali O’Hare has more.
Sports: Saratoga cowboy competes at HSNFR this week
The High School National Finals Rodeo is underway in Rock Springs. Joey Saverine takes a look at how Saratoga’s Kasen York is sitting after the first two days.
UW Golf: Wyoming’s John Murdock who will be entering his senior season capped off his summer campaign with an exclamation mark.
Wyoming’s Student Athletes continue to not only get it done on the field or court, but also in the classroom.
In the NFL: Casper Wyoming Native and the 29th selection in this past Draft Taven Bryan has signed his rookie contract worth 4 years and 10.2 million dollars.
