DN_2012_11_18

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Volume 6 Issue 10 Proud Member of the Associated Press

Wyoming Wildhorse RoundUp Continues

Father Son Duo Caught Poaching Elk in Area

Misty Pritchard-TBC With all the chaos and pondering prior to the November 6 General Election of 2012, it all came to an end with a new face in particular, to serve Glenrock’s community.

Rhonda Zeller- TBC On the morning of October 31, 2012 Troy Tillard of Tillard Ranches witnessed two men shoot an elk on the Tillard Ranch land off of Cow Creek Road in Northeastern Converse County.

The area in which the elk was shot is not a general hunt area and was closed for elk hunting.

The men then trespassed on a neighboring rancher's land to retrieve the elk.

The two Gillette, Wyoming residents, a 51 year old man and his 33 year old son are the alleged hunters, both of whom are being cited with numerous charges.

At this time the exact charge or charges against the duo is unknown. Wyoming Game and Fish is currently handling this investigation.

Bureau of Land Management crews gathered hundreds of wildhorses in Fremont County. Photo Bureau of Land Management. The horses are adopted out and according to BLM officials the cost of doing so ranges from 300 to 800 dollars to remove and process each horse for adoption. 400 horses are collected go to a holding facility in Rock Springs. The horses are then readied to be adopted in the coming year. Approximately 800 horses were gathered during the Wildhorse Complex Gather.

Photo courtesy Cynthia Wertz of Bureau of Land Management

USS ENTERPRISE MAKES FINAL VOYAGE

A poacher charged with their first incident of poaching is charged with a misdemeanor, that carries a one year person sentence and up to $10,000 in fines, loss of hunting and fishing privileges for up to five years, and forfeiture of anything used during the incident.

Search for Oil and Gas Supervisor Continues Anyone interested in applying for the position should contact Interim Supervisor Bob King at (307) 234-7147 or Bob.King@ wyo.gov.

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission continues to seek applicants for the State Oil and Gas Supervisor position.

The initial search did not generate a successful candidate.

While the Commission extends its search for a permanent Supervisor, Bob King has agreed to continue his service as Interim Director.

“The other Commissioners and I are extremely grateful to Bob for his willingness to stay on board for a while longer,” Governor Mead said.

Sue Dills, Glenrock’s newly elected Mayor, will be appointed as Mayor at the first council meeting in January 2013.

Sue Dills will be appointed Mayor of Glenrock in January after being elected as Mayor in the General Election on November 6, 2012.

“I’m coming in with an open mind” says Sue Dills. “I have no agenda or plans to make across the board changes. I will however make infrastructure repair and replacement a top priority and be proactive as much as possible, rather than reactive. I look forward to working together and being productive as your new Mayor of Glenrock.”

Dills plans on getting together with the City of Glenrock's department’s leaders, to address their immediate needs along with what resources each department has to offer the city.

Tillard Ranches wishes to thank Converse County Sheriff Becker and his deputies for their diligent patrol in the area, to help reduce the number of poachers and trespassers on a regular basis. Tillard Ranches also wishes to thank the WGFD officers in their professional handling of this incident.

If you happen to find yourself out for a drive in the Wyoming Outdoors and witness a poaching, please report the incident. The “STOP POACHING” Hotline phone number is 1-877-WGFDTIP (1-877943-3847) or 1-307-777-4330 for out of state call “STOP POACHING” calls.

The People Have Spoken New Mayor for Glenrock Elected

“I want to get with Glenrock’s Police Chief Tom Sweet to discuss patrol scheduling, and if there are enough police officers available for 24 hour coverage” Glenrock’s current Mayor, Linda Care, has offered her personal time in getting Sue Dills up to speed by helping her in any way she can.

The USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, with some 5,500 sailors and Marines aboard, returns to Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, as the 51-year-old ship completes its 25th and final deployment. The Enterprise began shutting down its eight nuclear reactors almost as soon as it arrived at its pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, where thousands of cheering family members and friends welcomed the ship home from its 25th and final deployment after nearly eight months at sea. (AP Photo/ The Virginian-Pilot, Steve Earley)

Amanda Smith (TBC) (LFM) The USS Enterprise, aka “The Big E” made history on November 4th, when it pulled into her home port of Norfolk, VA the worlds largest Navy base.

This was to be the last time the famed United States Navy ship would enter her home port, or any port thereafter.

Carrying approximately 5,500 Sailors and Marines, the USS Enterprise is the Navy’s 1st Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, commissioned on November 25th, 1961.

During her 51 years of service, she participated in every major conflict since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. On December 2nd., 1965 during the Vietnam War, she became the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat, when she launched aircraft against the Viet Cong near Bien Hoa. She was the first nuclear-powered carrier to transit through the Suez Canal in 1986 and the first carrier to respond following the September 11 attacks in New York.

She is the longest naval vessel

ever put to sea and has served longer than any other US aircraft carrier.

On 20 February 1962, the USS Enterprise acted as a tracking and measuring station for the flight of Friendship 7, the Project Mercury space capsule in which Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr. made the first American orbital spaceflight.

During the ship’s last journey, the Enterprise cruised nearly 81,000 miles while on her seven and a half month deployment to the Persian Gulf, and her aircraft flew more than 2,000 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The USS Enterprise is scheduled for inactivation on December 1, 2012 during a public decommissioning ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station, in Norfolk, Virginia.

She will be the first nuclearpowered aircraft carrier to be decommissioned.

The dismantling of the USS Enterprise will begin in the first half of 2013 where her spent fuel

will be removed at Norfolk naval base. She will then be towed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton in Washington state, and her nuclear reactors will be cut out of the ship and barged to the Hanford nuclear reservation. The entire dismantling is expected to be completed in 2015 at which time, she will be scrapped.

Although many are petitioning the Enterprise to be converted into a museum, the effort is thought to be too expensive and after removal of the nuclear reactors causing virtually everything two decks below the hangar bay to be cut apart, there will be very little left to turn into a museum.

What remains of the USS Enterprise following 2015 is currently scheduled to be taken to Washington state for scrapping, bringing an end to her physical presence, but certainly not her spiritual presence, as the world’s first nuclear aircraft carrier, that once offered up and protected our shorelines.

Like her predecessors, the legend of the USS Enterprise will live on.

pointed Mayor on December 12, 2011 during the city council meeting, acquiring the duties of Michael L. McQueary upon his resignation due to a rapidly developing illness. McQueary passed away within days of his resignation.

"I have been on the town council for nine years and have served for one year as your Mayor of Glenrock," said Glenrock’s current Mayor Linda Care. "I won't be continuing on the town council when my term is up.” Care's term on the Town Council will end when her term as Mayor ends.

Dills also looks forward to working with Glenrock’s Town council members, newly elected members and current members.

Dills is the current Post Master for the United States post Office in Glenrock.

Mayor Linda Care was ap-

Medicare Premiums Going Up $5 A Month For 2013 RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says Medicare premiums are going up $5 a month for 2013. That's less than expected, but it'll still eat up nearly one-fourth of the typical cost-of-living raise for retirees.

Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner says the monthly premium for 2013 will be $104.90 a month.

Also known as the Part B premium, it covers outpatient care

such as office visits and medical supplies. Taxpayers pay 75 percent of the cost for Part B benefits, and the monthly premium covers the remaining 25 percent.

High-income beneficiaries face bigger increases, from $42 to $230.80 a month. Most lowincome beneficiaries have their premiums paid by Medicaid.

Initially, premiums for 2013 were forecast to go up as much as $9 a month, but health care inflation has remained modest.

Community Message Board

Wrestling in With Fire Season in the Great Cowboy Glenrock is State Coming to An End, a Recap on the Underway State’s Worst Fire Season on Record Rhonda Zeller (TBC)

Tammy Taylor (TBC)

The Town of Rolling Hills - Where the deer and Antelope really do play! If you haven’t done so already, check out the Town of Rolling Hills great website. Chock full of information so be sure and check it out: www.rollinghillswy.org

Meetings in Glenrock Where: The Senior Center East Door (thrift store entrance.)

When: Monday nights from 7pm - 8pm

American Legion Jessie Martin Post # 9

American Legion Jessie Martin Post # 9 is a non-profit organization in Glenrock. They can be reached at #307-436-4908 or m1f1w111@ yahoo.com

American Red Cross

American Red Cross has a local office located in Casper WY. They are located at 318 West “B” Street and can be reached at #307-2378436, Fax#307-265-0324, or emailed to wilkinsonh@usa.redcross. org. Their web page is www.wyomingredcross.org. Like them on Facebook.

Glenrock Library News Shalom!! Hello in Hebrew from the library! Visit our Mango Foreign Language database on line. There are over 80 languages to choose from. Learn from the comfort of your own home. This database comes to us courtesy of the state library and it’s free!!

Come in and find out how to get connected.

Thank you Converse County residents!! You made it happen! We can finally say that both libraries are going to be expanded! Great libraries have always looked to both the future and the past.

(Laura Shapiro. From: Newsweek, 10-21-96, p. 86). We do have a great public library because the people who enter this building make the library what it is!!

Our library in Glenrock dates back to 1939 while Douglas’ library dates back to 1905.

It’s a great feeling to know that both libraries will be able to meet the needs of genera-

tions to come. Truly, this is a great legacy to be proud of.

A deep heart filled THANK YOU from all of us that are connected in one way or another to the Converse County Library System!!

For Read Me A Story: November 17-- November 24:10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston. Pick up the phone and dial 436-2353 to listen to a great story!!

We’re on the web at http:wyldweb.state.wy.us/ glen or at www.conversecountylibrary.org. Our phone number is 436-2573. Fax number is 436-8525. Be sure to “friend” us on Facebook!! Just look up Glenrock Library. Check out the 3m Cloud audio library with your library card!

Head coach, Nic Dillon is excited about this years’ turnout.

“We have over 40 middle school kids and 22 high school wrestlers, so I am pleased.” Dillon, who wrestled for Kelly Walsh, has been coaching since he was 15 and has been doing serious coaching for about seven years now. He began in Glenrock in 2010 as the assistant high school and middle school wrestling coach, and took over as the head coach last year.

The middle school season began with practice on October 15th with their first tournament on October 27th in Gillette.

Glenrock had five wrestlers take first place including Isak Elisson, Ian Arnold, Joseph Taylor, Garrett Schwindt, and Kayla Likes. Second place winners were Aftin Matthews, Conner Lewis, Branden Goodman, Chris Raines, Cody Pinkerton, Garrett Stellpflug and Kai Sexson.

Three wrestlers took third-place honors including Tate Stoddard, Charles Kidd and Myelz Jensen.

The middle school wrestled in the Douglas tournament along with 15 other teams on November 10th. Wrestling tough in this extremely competitive tournament, the herders had five placers: Tate Stoddard (3rd), Aftin Matthews (1st), Joseph Taylor (2nd),Garrett Schwindt (1st), and Chris Raines (1st). On November 13th, the herders traveled to Wheatland for a dual and won 20 of 24 matches, dominating the Bulldogs.

Many of the high school wrestlers attended various camps over the summer and also worked hard at open mats.

Practice began this week. Glenrock lost several tough wrestlers to graduation last year, but according to Dillon, there is a strong group stepping up.

The team consists of five seniors, but the younger wrestlers bring a lot of wrestling experience to the team as well.

The Herders will open their season when the varsity travels to Torrington and JV to Yoder on December 1st.

Good luck Herders!

2012 has proven to be the worst fire year on record for the state of Wyoming. The Bird Central Newspaper covered several of these fires, the following is a recap of the fires we provided coverage for.

On June 3rd, lightning ignited a fire 20 miles NE of Wheatland.

The fire was named the Cow Camp Fire burning 8,492 acres.

The Cow Camp Fire is completely extinguished and listed as inactive.

Six days later, on June 9th a fire started in Guernsey State Park area dubbed as the Kelly Park Fire. This fire was human caused by a boyfriend and girlfriend starting a campfire. Thomas D. Pierson (36) and Stephenie A. Schultz (36) are charged in connection with the fire that burned 2,681 acres and is completely extinguished.

Thomas and Stephenie are Torrington, Wyoming residents.

Thomas D. Pierson has been charged and is currently awaiting further court proceedings.

Stephenie A Schultz has been charged, plead not guilty after more charges were added and are currently awaiting a trial.

At the time this duo started the campfire, to cook a ham steak, there was a fire ban in effect, no open fires were permitted. We will continue to follow up on court proceedings.

Father’s day of 2012, June 17th, sparked up three fires. Two fires ignited off of I25 at mp 142 and near mp 144, between Douglas and Glenrock, from what is believed to have been a discarded cigarette, became one very large fire that quickly and rapidly moved in a northeast manner across the land, jumping Highway 93 and onto areas along WY59. This fire was attacked hard by aggressive firefighters, including Rural firefighters and ranchers, to prevent it from consuming homes and keeping it from reaching the city of Douglas.

The second Father’s day fire named the Russel’s Camp Fire, located 32 miles SW of Douglas burned 5,466 acres. The cause of the fire is listed as under investigation and is inactive.

Oil Creek Fire that was located NW of Newcastle, Wyoming started on June 29th burning

A fire whirl occurs on Casper Mountain during the Sheep Herder Fire, Photo © The Glenrock Bird Central - Misty Pritchard

62,318 acres. This fire was another fast moving fire. Cause of the fire is listed under investigation, along with being inactive.

Southwest of Laramie on June 30th the Squirrel Creek Fire burned 10,921 acres. The Squirrel Creek Fire is 100% contained but still active until interior unburned fuel pockets are burned out or until that area sees a lot of moisture. This fire is believed to be human caused and is under investigation.

A training exercise held by the Colorado National Guard NW of Guernsey proved to spark another fire on July 14th. The Sawmill Canyon fire burned a total of 14,185 acres, and threatened parts of Glendo State Park.

July 21st lightning sparked a fire 30 miles NE of Rawlins at Seminoe Dam, burning 3,682 acres. This fire was named the Seminoe Fire and is listed as an inactive fire.

The Ferris Fire started six days later on July 27th 35 miles NE of Rawlins. It burned 8,797 acres and was started from a lightning strike. This fire is 100% contained but listed as still active.

Lightning was the cause of Wyoming’s largest wildfire in 2012.

The Arapaho Fire started on July 27th, shortly after the Ferris Fire.

The Arapaho Fire started 28 miles NW of Wheatland, moved quickly over Laramie Peak and into the surrounding areas.

The fire burned 98,155 acres, destroyed several structures in-

cluding the Camp Grace Bible Camp buildings. Arapaho Fire is 100% contained but still active in the unburned pockets of fuel.

On the evening of August 10th lightning sparked a fire 10 miles south of Glenrock along I25. The Little Boxelder fire forced evacuations for campers at Natural Bridge Park and the evacuation of a gas plant. The fire burned 6,501 acres. Little Boxelder Fire is listed as inactive and 100% contained.

Our last area fire was the Sheep Herder Hill Fire that started on September 9th. This fire was up in the area of Casper Mountain and is under investigation. The fire is believed to have originated off of an ATV Trail located on Casper Mountain. The Sheep Herder Hill Fire took out numerous homes and outbuildings in its path of destruction, burning a total of 15,556 acres. Sheep Herder Hill Fire is 100% contained although still a possibility of activity in the unburned fuels.

An approximate total of 13001400 total fires burned throughout the state during fire season this year, totaling over 600,000 acres burned and an astonishing bill for the state totalling an estimate of over $40 million. Completely wiping out fire funds for the state allotted for a two year period.

Community Baptist Church, 301 S 2nd St, Glenrock, Regular Information: Worship service 10:30 AM Sundays, nursery provided. Sunday School 9:00 AM. Every month: open communion first Sunday, potluck last Sunday at noon. Info: 436-9091.

Church of Christ, acappella, 420 S 2nd St - worship service communion 10:00, sermon 10:15 Sundays; Bible study Wed, 6 PM. Assembly of God, 201 N 3rd St - 10:00 Sundays.

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 939 W Birch St Regular Info: worship service with communion 8:30 AM Sundays, children's Sunday School after service; Bible study Mon 7 PM, 10 AM Wed. Church of the Resurrection, 506 W Birch St - worship service 8:30 AM Sundays.

St. Louis Catholic Church, 601 S 5th St: Regular Information: Mass Sat 5:30 PM, Sunday 9 AM and 7 PM. For more information, call 436-9529 Glenrock Baptist Church, a Bible-believing New Testament Church, 125 N 7th St - Sunday Bible study 9:45 AM, Sunday morning service 11 AM, Sunday potluck 12:30 PM, Sunday afternoon service 2 PM, Wed evening service 7 PM. Les Potter, 3153218.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 219 Lookout Dr, 4362217. Sacrament meeting, Sunday, 9:00 AM. Visitors welcome.

Sunday School, 10:10.

Glenrock First Southern Baptist Chapel, 485 E Birch St, 2516688. Sunday services 10:45 AM and 6:00 PM; Sunday School 9:30 AM; youth at Boys and Girls Club 5:30 PM. Tuesday Men's Bible Study at Rec Center 6:30 PM. Wed service 7:00 PM. Christ Episcopal Church, 415 W Cedar St, 436-8804; Summer schedule: Sunday worship service with communion, 10:45; NO Bible study or Sunday School. Sunday Service for Christ Episcopal Church 9:30 AM with Sunday School convening at the same time. Confirmation classes are being held after the service.

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An ExtEnsion of CArE from mEmoriAl HospitAl of ConvErsE County

525 E. Birch St. • Glenrock, Wyoming • 307-436-8838

Coming Soon to OTRHC: Nas Keyl, PA-C Further details to come!

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 2

Town of Rolling Hills Seeks Grant to Build New Community Center Misty Pritchard- TBC The Town of Rolling Hills is exercising the possibility of building a community center in the Town of Rolling Hills that even the Town of Glenrock residents can utilize. The Town currently owns 26 acres of undeveloped land.

The new development of theland would be accomplished through a grant with the Wyoming Business Council. The grant issuance is 90% for up to $250,000 and 85% up to a 1 million dollars.

The Town has decided that this is a project that would be a good cause for the community and is a true need. The Town of Rolling Hills would like to form a Planning committee for the project that would involve community members to participate and bring up some fresh ideas for the project.

Once the grant is written and accepted by the Wyoming Business Council, there is a second process of the grant that takes place in December 2013. If the second phase is accepted, the project will then begin construction.

The deadline for this particular grant application is December

1st of each year. Due to the size and planning of the community center, and extensive discussion with Engineers, Town Clerk/ Treasurer Teresa Montgomery requested council wait one more year so that the proper plans could be prepared and residents can be notified. The Town of Rolling Hills could apply for a Planning Grant in June 2013 that can help cover the design cost. A Planning Grant helps support the early stages of all project development.

The community center was requested in the latest planning survey that was given to residents of Rolling Hills. The community center is a place where citizens of the area can hold events including, meetings, reunions and birthday parties. In applying for the grant the town will inquire about expanding the Town Shop, which houses the Town Truck along with equipment that the Town uses for upkeep and maintenance of the community throughout the year. The current building is not large enough to house current equipment etc.

Douglas High School Banishes Valedictorian and Salutatorian Titles

Rhonda Zeller - The Glenrock Bird Central Wyoming News During the November 13, 2012 CCSD#1 school board meeting, five board members voted against having a Valedictorian or a Salutatorian for the 2013 graduating class of Douglas High School. The three that voted in favor of honoring a Valedictorian and a Salutatorian were Brad Reese, Kim Hiser and Nita Werner. CCSD#1 board member Teri Griffin was not in attendance.

This year a few parents voiced their interest in naming a Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the graduating class. DHS principal, Dan Edwards assembled a committee to canvas the pros and cons of picking out the top kids to achieve these titles. The committee consisted of 14 people; 2 school board members, 2 outside parents, 3 students, 6 teachers and Mr. Edwards.

Mr. Edwards explained to the school board that at the beginning of the meeting most were in favor of naming a Valedictorian and Salutatorian. By the end of the meeting those on the committee were unsure or not in favor.

Mr. Edwards talked with four seniors carrying a 4.0 GPA; these four were in favor of naming a Valedictorian and Salutatorian and said it wouldn’t change anything between the four of them working together.

Edwards also brought this discussion to the class of 2014.

There are 15 students that are holding a 4.0 GPA. Out of these 15 students, they voted 13 to 2 for the naming of a Valedictorian and a Salutatorian. The students were excited about working towards one of them earning the honor.

16 Sophomores currently hold a 4.0 GPA. When Mr. Edwards

brought this matter to their attention they voted 12 to 4 against naming a Valedictorian and a Salutatorian.

Everyone that Mr. Edwards conversed with talked about how they would issue the titles.

When would those titles be issued? Would they base them off of ACT scores? What would the tie breaker be?

“I don’t feel it is right to give a child the valedictorian title because he takes calculus and carries a 4.0 GPA. Then I have a child who is in mechanics and welding carrying a 4.0 GPA, but don’t qualify for the title because he’s not in calculus.

Those are two different areas of intelligence,” said Mr. Edwards.

Mr. Edwards said, “Since I’ve been principal we haven’t named a Valedictorian and a Salutatorian. I spoke with Mr. Weigel, the principal before me and while he was principal at DHS there was never one named, either.”

This takes us back then to the 1990’s that DHS has not named a Valedictorian or a Salutatorian. DHS honors the top 5%, or all that have a 4.0 of the graduating class at graduation. These students then have the opportunity to speak for two minutes, which many are satisfied with.

Mr. Edwards stated that when he started researching this matter for the good and bad, he found a myriad of negativity than anything positive on it. There are lawsuits over the naming of a Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Contrary to popular belief, a student being named Valedictorian or Salutatorian does not help them get accepted into college. College acceptance is gauged by class rank, GPA, and ACT scores along with extra-curricular activities.

Casper Gives to Glenrock See Story at Right

The Maker Of Twinkies, Ho Ho's And Ding Dongs Is Going Out Of Busines Edited Amanda Smith Twinkie maker Hostess reaches the end of the line CANDICE CHOI, Associated Press TOM MURPHY, Associated Press (AP) — Twinkies may not last forever after all.

Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of iconic childhood treats including Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread and Drakes, is winding down its operations after struggling to keep up with rising labor costs and the ever-changing tastes of Americans, who have grown accustomed to a dizzying array of new snacks flooding supermarket aisles every year.

The company, whose roster of brands date as far back as 1888, filed a motion to liquidate Friday with U.S. Bankruptcy Court after striking workers across the country crippled its ability to maintain production.

Hostess CEO Greg Rayburn said in an interview that there was no buyer waiting in the wings to rescue the company. But without giving details, he said that there has been interest in some of its 30 brands, which include Dolly Madison and Nature's Pride snacks. Experts agreed that it was likely the biggest brands would survive.

Hostess, based in Irving, Texas, filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, its second trip through bankruptcy court in less than three years. Unlike many of its competitors, Hostess had been saddled with high pension, wage and medical costs related to its unionized workforce. The company also faced intensifying competition from larger companies such as Mondelez International, the former snack unit of Kraft Foods that makes Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Nabisco.

The shuttering of Hostess means the loss of about 18,500 jobs.

Hostess said employees at its 33 factories were sent home and operations suspended Friday. Its roughly 500 bakery outlet stores will stay open for several days to sell remaining products.

The move to liquidate comes after a long battle with its unions.

Thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike last week after rejecting a contract offer that slashed wages and benefits. The bakers union represents about 30 percent of

A representative for the bakers union did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Although many workers decided to cross picket lines this week, Hostess said it wasn't enough to keep operations at normal levels; three plants were closed earlier this week. Rayburn said Hostess was already operating on thin margins and that the strike was a final blow.

"The strike impacted us in terms of cash flow. The plants were operating well below 50 percent capacity and customers were not getting products," Rayburn said.

The company had reached a contract agreement with its largest union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which this week urged the bakery union to hold a secret ballot on whether to continue striking.

Ken Hall, general secretary-treasurer for the Teamsters, said his union members decided to make concessions after hiring consultants who found the company's financials were in a dire situation.

"We believed there was a pathway for this company to return to profitability," Hall said, noting that the liquidation could've been prevented if the bakery union had agreed some concessions as well.

Although Hall agreed that it was unlikely anyone would buy the entire company, he said "people are going to look for some fire sale prices" for some of the brands. For now, he expects Hostess products will be on shelves for another week or so.

"Frankly it's tragic, particularly at this this time of year with the holidays around the corner," Hall said, noting that his 6,700 members at Hostess were now out of a job.

Kenneth McGregor, a shipper for Hostess in East Windsor, Conn., arrived at the plant Friday morning and said he was told he was laid off immediately.

He blamed the bakery workers union for rejecting a proposed contract.

"They screwed us big time," he said.

In a statement on the company website, CEO Rayburn said there would be "severe limits" on the assistance the company could offer workers because of

the bankruptcy. The liquidation hearing will go before a bankruptcy judge Monday afternoon; Rayburn said he's confident the judge will approve the motion.

"There's no other alternative," he said.

The company's demise stoked nostalgia among customers as well.

Adil Ahmed, whose family still eats Hostess treats during the holidays, said he rushed to the supermarket Friday morning after hearing the news. Growing up in New Jersey, he said his Southeast Asian family bought Wonder Bread to dip in curries and loaded up on sweets from a nearby warehouse for the holidays.

"I have nephews and nieces — we have to pass on the tradition to the next generation," said Ahmed, a 25-year-old union worker in Baltimore. He bought four boxes of Twinkies and other snacks for a family get together this weekend.

Samantha Caldwell of Chicago also took a quick detour on her way to work Friday morning after she heard the news on NPR. The 41-year-old attorney stopped at a CVS store.

She got a package of two Twinkies to have with her morning tea, and another for her 4-year-old son, who has never had one.

"This way he can say, 'I had one of those,'" she said.

Adil Ahmed, whose family still eats Hostess treats during the holidays, said he rushed to the supermarket Friday morning after hearing the news. Growing up in New Jersey, he said his Southeast Asian family bought Wonder Bread to dip in curries and loaded up on sweets from a nearby warehouse for the holidays.

"I have nephews and nieces — we have to pass on the tradition to the next generation," said Ahmed, a 25-year-old union worker in Baltimore. He bought four boxes of Twinkies and other snacks for a family get together this weekend.

People as far away as Wyoming gave testimony to the all time famed snack, rushing to grocery stores and convenience stores to stock up on what may very well be, the end of an era.

Glenrock Boys and Girls Club Receives Donations from Casper Motorcycle Club

Casper Chapter HOG motorcylists showed up on Sunday November 4th at the Glenrock Boys and Girls Club to deliver a check to the club. Photo courtesy HOG - Casper Chapter.

Tammy Taylor (TBC) On Sunday, November 4th, the Harley Owners Group (HOG), Casper chapter, visited the Boys and Girls Club of Glenrock and presented a check for $250.00 to director Kay Taylor. They also voiced an interest in helping the club in the future.

Sean Devore, a member of HOG and past Glenrock resident, heard through the grapevine that the Boys and Girls Club in Glenrock needed some help. At a Halloween party on October 27th at Deluxe Harley in Casper, one of the HOG members won the 50/50 raffle and decided to donate the winnings of $250 to the Glenrock Boys and Girls Club.

Hog Motorcyclists en-route to deliver a check to Boys and Girls Club in Glenrock.

Photo courtesy HOG - Casper Chapter.

the company's workforce.

The group presented the check to Taylor on November 4th and

was given a grand tour of the facility. They were impressed with her dedication to the club's kids. The group listened to Taylor talk about the large number of kids who show up at night to the teen center for dinner, and her struggle with funding in order to feed them, as well as to keep the Glenrock chapter free to the local children.

The Glenrock chapter is the only Wyoming Chapter that is free to members, but it means Taylor must keep the budget lean. She occasionally tries to urge donations by parents of toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, etc. so she does not have to pull money for supplies out of her budget.

With a desire to do something to help, the HOG board members brainstormed about possible

future fundraisers, and Chuck “Deluxe”, owner of Deluxe Harley Davidson in Casper, who is also involved with HOG, decided to make a donation to Glenrock Boys and Girls Club in the name of Deluxe Harley Davidson. Taylor expressed her gratitude. "It really helps to take some of the pressure off my shoulders and it is so nice to see immediate benefits to the local kids."

The Boys and Girls Club will be putting on its annual Christmas Carnival on the evening of December 8th at the Glenrock Rec Center. There will be a Christmas store to do Christmas shopping as well. All proceeds go to local families in need this Christmas. Contact Kay Taylor at the Boys and Girls Club for any questions.

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 3

Douglas Fisherman Breaks Wyoming Gizzard Shad Record (AP) — A fisherman from Douglas has broken the state record for Wyoming's biggest gizzard shad.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says Jeff Kirk caught the fish while jigging with an artificial lure in Glendo Reservoir.

Kirk says he thought the fish was a freshwater drum at first.

He says he realized it was a gizzard shad after he got the fish home.

even 2 pounds and was 17 inches long.

Gizzard shad are periodically stocked in Glendo as food fish for other species including walleye.

The world record gizzard shad weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces, and was caught in South Dakota in 2006.

The gizzard shad weighed an

Barrasso Opposes Obama Plan to Lock Up Oil Shale in the West U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) spoke out against the Obama Administration’s decision to move forward with a final plan to vastly reduce the acreage available for oil shale development in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

“After promising repeatedly during the campaign to support all of the above energy development, the Obama Administration has just done the exact opposite.

“This plan will discour-

age job creation and lock up American energy in the West.

“The Obama Administration should cancel this plan and work with Congress and Governors on solutions that will create jobs and strengthen our energy security.”

Terry Hlibichuk is Mrs. Casper 2013 Rhonda Zeller-TBC In July, Mrs. Terry Hlibichuk was selected to represent Casper in the 2013 Mrs. Wyoming Pageant. She will be representing Casper on June 1, 2013 at Central Auditorium in the 37th annual Mrs. Wyoming pageant. If, Mrs. Hlibichuk wins the 2013 Mrs. Wyoming title, she will receive a prize package valued at over at $8000 and will then compete in the 2013 Mrs. America pageant.

Mrs. Casper 2013, Terry Hlibichuk is currently a weight loss consultant at Ideal You Weight Loss and Wellness, as a coach for Beachbody®™ products. At the age of 49, Terry feels she is in the best physical shape of her life, due to long hard work. She has gone back to school, completely changed her lifestyle and became a Certified Personal Trainer in March of this year. Terry worked hard to achieve her certification from the International Sports Science Association. Mrs. Terry Hlibichuk says, “Daily I work with women of all ages, especially middle age.

Many feel they are old, undesirable and their future looks bleak. My job is to help them turn these feelings around We are beginning the best time of our lives.”

Mrs. Hlibichuk is volunteering her time for Central Wyoming Hospice and Transitions. Her immense passion for volunteering comes from having her mother and grandmother, pass on while in the care of hospice.

“They truly were incredible to all of us and I want to give back to them for the amazing work that they do,” said Mrs. Terry Hlibichuk.

When Terry, is chosen as Mrs. Wyoming 2013 her plans are to visit every hospice in state to personally thank them for the amazing care they provide, not only to patients but families as well.

Mrs. Terry Hlibichuk wishes to thank her current sponsors: Casper Family Chiropractic and Ideal You Weight Loss and Wellness, Nickerson Investments, Super Suds Car Wash, Butch's Bar, Joanne Schumann, The Blue Marble Project Band, B.J. Largent with Send Out Cards, Kim's Closet for clothing donation and discounts, Sunsation's tanning salon for tans before the pageant.

The Mrs. Wyoming pageant is extolled as a rewarding and exciting competition that recognizes Wyoming’s married women. Mrs. Wyoming pageant is the only official state preliminary pageant to the Mrs. America

Terry Hlibichuk Miss Casper 2013 - Photo courtesy Terry Hlibichuk

pageant, the only premier national televised pageant honoring married women.

Mrs. Terry Hlibichuk is extremely proud to be announced as Mrs. Casper 2013. Mrs. Terry Hlibichuk says with great enthusiasm, “I will compete against

many beautiful and intelligent women, and I’m totally prepared.”

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 4

Environmental Groups Sue Over Wyoming Wolves BEN NEARY,Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service never should have accepted a wolf-management plan that allows the state of Wyoming to classify the animals as predators that may be shot on sight, environmental groups said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington, D.C. A coalition of groups asked a federal judge to force the Fish and Wildlife Service to rescind its transfer of wolf management authority to Wyoming and protect them once again under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service turned over wolf management to Wyoming on Oct. 1 after signing off on a state plan that declares wolves as predators that may be shot on sight in more than 80 percent of the state.

The state plan also allows trophy game hunting of wolves in a flexible zone around Yellowstone. As of Tuesday, licensed hunters in Wyoming had killed at least 33 of the maximum 52 wolves the state is allowing them to kill this year in the trophy area.

Wyoming has committed to maintaining at least 10 breeding pairs of wolves and at least 100 individual animals outside of Yellowstone and the Wind River Indian Reservation, in the central part of the state. Wildlife managers estimated there were roughly 300 wolves outside of Yellowstone, where no hunting is allowed, when the state took over.

"What the (Fish and Wildlife) Service does, in setting the benchmark for delisting of wolves is an important precedent for its treatment of species all across the country, said Tim Preso, a Montana lawyer who represents the coalition. The groups in the lawsuit are the Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity.

"Wolves get a lot of attention; people care a lot about wolves.

The service is under the microscope when it comes to dealing with wolves. And if it's good enough with respect to wolves to say that a free-fire zone in 85 percent of the state is OK, I think we're very concerned that sets a terrible precedent for other species," Preso said.

While some Wyoming sportsmen and ranchers say they're concerned that wolves take an unacceptable toll on wildlife and livestock, environmental groups long have protested that a series of proposed state wolf management plans have failed to offer adequate protection to ensure the species' long-term survival.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said Tuesday that the groups suing the federal government apparently have decided to go to court regardless of what's happening on the ground in the state.

Mead worked with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to come to agreement on delisting wolves in the state. Mead has emphasized that the state is committed to making sure that it maintains the wolf population and doesn't risk having the federal government take over management again.

"Rather than looking at Wyoming's successful efforts, these groups are suing based on what they wanted," Mead said. "Wyoming's wolf management plan is working well."

Mead said hunters are turning over samples that allow the state to track the genetic diversity of the population. "Wyoming set up a conservative hunt and will easily maintain the necessary wolf population and effectively manage the wolves as agreed upon with the federal government," he said.

The lawsuit is the latest in a seemingly endless stream of litigation over Wyoming's efforts to exert control over a population of gray wolves that has been expanding in the state since the federal government reintroduced the species in Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s.

The Fish and Wildlife Service had accepted a similar delisting plan from Wyoming in 2007 but later repudiated it after a federal judge in Montana criticized it in response to an earlier legal challenge from environmental groups. The federal agency in recent years had delisted wolves in both Montana and Idaho but had kept authority over them in Wyoming.

Preso said the current Wyoming plan is "the kissing cousin" of the plan the Fish and Wildlife Service previously rejected.

"The changes that were made since the Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the plan essentially amount to new window dressing on a plan that still calls for wolf eradication across the majority of the state and does not provide guarantees that the Yellowstone wolf population will be connected to other wolves and won't end up as an isolated, island population," Preso said.

BP to Pay $4.5 Billion in Oil Spill Settlement Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP said Thursday that it will pay $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S. government over the disastrous 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and plead guilty to criminal charges related to the deaths of 11 workers and lying to Congress.

The day of reckoning comes more than two years after the nation's worst offshore oil spill.

The figure includes nearly $1.3 billion in criminal fines — the biggest criminal penalty in U.S. history — along with payments to certain government entities.

A person familiar with the settlement said two BP employees will also face manslaughter charges over the deaths of 11 people in the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that triggered the spill. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter on the record and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Up to now, the only person charged in the disaster was a former BP engineer who was arrested in April on obstruction of justice charges. He was accused of deleting text messages about the company's response to the spill, not what happened before the explosion.

"We believe this resolution is in the best interest of BP and its shareholders," said Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP chairman. "It removes two significant legal risks and allows us to vigorously defend the company against the remaining civil claims."

The settlement, which is subject to approval by a federal judge, includes payments of nearly $2.4 billion to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $350 million to the National Academy of Sciences and about $500 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

London-based BP PLC said in a statement that the settlement would not cover any civil penalties the U.S. government might seek under the Clean Water Act and other laws. Nor does it cover billions of dollars in claims brought by states, businesses

and individuals, including fishermen, restaurants and property owners. A federal judge in New Orleans is weighing a separate, proposed $7.8 billion settlement between BP and more than 100,000 businesses and individuals harmed by the spill.

The charges BP will plead guilty to are 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect of a ship's officers, one felony count of obstruction of Congress and one misdemeanor count each under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Clean Water Act. The workers' deaths were prosecuted under a provision of the Seaman's Manslaughter Act. The obstruction charge is for lying to Congress about how much oil was spewing from the ruptured well.

Attorney General Eric Holder was scheduled to discuss the settlement at an afternoon news conference in New Orleans.

The penalty will be paid over five years. BP made a profit of $5.5 billion in the most recent quarter.

The largest previous corporate criminal penalty assessed by the U.S. Justice Department was a $1.2 billion fine imposed on drug maker Pfizer in 2009.

The Deepwater Horizon rig, 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, sank after the April 20, 2010, explosion that was later blamed on time-saving, cost-cutting decisions made by BP and its drilling partners. The well on the sea floor spewed an estimated 206 million gallons of crude, fouling marshes and beaches, killing wildlife and shutting vast areas of the Gulf to commercial fishing.

After several failed attempts that introduced the American public to such industry terms as "top kill" and "junk shot," BP finally capped the well on July 15, 2010, halting the flow of oil after more than 85 days and putting a stop to what became one of the most closely watched shows on TV and the Internet: the live spill-camera image of the gushing well.

Nelda Winslette's grandson Adam Weise of Yorktown, Texas, was killed in the blast. She

said somebody needs to be held accountable.

"It just bothers me so bad when I see the commercials on TV and they brag about how the Gulf is back, but they never say anything about the 11 lives that were lost. They want us to forget about it, but they don't know what they've done to the families that lost someone," she said.

The spill exposed lax government oversight and led to a temporary ban on deepwater drilling while officials and the oil industry studied the risks, worked to make it safer and developed better disaster plans. BP's environmentally-friendly image was tarnished, and BP CEO Tony Hayward stepped down after the company's repeated gaffes, including his statement at the height of the crisis: "I'd like my life back."

The cost of BP's spill far surpassed the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. Exxon ultimately settled with the U.S. government for $1 billion, which would be about $1.8 billion today.

The government and plaintiffs' attorneys also sued Transocean Ltd., the rig's owner, and cement contractor Halliburton, but a string of pretrial rulings by a federal judge undermined BP's legal strategy to pin blame on them.

U.S. District Carl Barbier in New Orleans will have the final say over the settlement. He is also the judge who is deciding whether to give final approval to the $7.8 billion settlement involving claims brought by Gulf Coast shrimpers, commercial fishermen, charter captains, property owners, environmental groups, restaurants, hotels and others who claim they suffered economic losses.

Relatives of workers killed in the blast have also sued. And there are still other claims against BP from financial institutions, casinos and racetracks, insurance companies and local governments. ___ Associated Press writer Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this story.

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 5

Groups Seek Expansion Of Wyo. Coal Mining Lawsuit M E A D GRUVER,Associated Press (AP) — Environmental groups asked a judge Thursday to expand the scope of a lawsuit they've filed against the U.S. Forest Service over plans to mine coal in northeast Wyoming.

U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson heard the groups' arguments, and the Forest Service's objections to the request, and said he would rule on the motion in a day or two. He didn't hint which way he might decide.

The lawsuit is one of several that environmentalists have filed recently to contest Wyoming coal mining on grounds that include climate change.

WildEarth Guardians, Sierra Club and Powder River Basin Resource Council filed suit last December over a proposal to sell 402 million tons of coal reserves next to St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp.'s North Antelope Rochelle Mine in the southern Powder River Basin.

The basin is the top coal-producing region in the U.S. and the surface coal mine is one of the world's largest mines.

In May, Peabody subsidiary BTU Western Resources Inc., successfully bid more than $446 million with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to mine the contested South Porcupine tract, helping to ensure that the mine can be expanded and remain viable for years to come.

The three groups also object to a separate plan to mine more than 721 million tons of coal from another tract next to the mine. BTU Western Resources successfully bid more than $793 million for the coal in the North Porcupine tract in June.

Much of the coal in the two tracts underlies the Thunder Basin National Grassland.

National grasslands fall under Forest Service purview.

The Forest Service leaned heavily on BLM analysis in approving both leases, but the analyses were flawed in part because BLM didn't adequately address how burning the coal in power plants would contribute to carbon dioxide emissions and climate change, the groups say.

Now, the groups want to add their concerns about the bigger North Porcupine tract to their lawsuit over the South Porcupine tract. Their concerns about the Forest Service's approval of the North Porcupine tract are essentially identical to those they harbor about the South Porcupine tract, third-year law student Jon Lavallee argued for the groups.

"The decisions are quite hard to tell apart," Lavallee told the judge.

The Forest Service argued that the concerns over the separate tracts warrant separate complaints.

"There are differences that, when we get to the nittygritty, will matter," attorney Marissa Ann Piropato, representing the Forest Service, told the court.

She said combining the groups' concerns about the

two tracts under the same lawsuit wouldn't necessarily be more efficient for the system.

The lawsuit was originally filed in U.S. District Court in Denver. A Colorado judge granted a Forest Service request to transfer the case to Wyoming in April.

Intervenors in the case on the side of the Forest Service include the state of Wyoming, Wyoming Mining Association, National Mining Association and BTU Western Resources.

Three other lawsuits WildEarth Guardians has filed against the BLM to contest Wyoming coal leases are pending before federal judges in Washington, D.C.

Game And Fish: No Trouble Monitoring Wyo. Wolves

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has had no difficulty taking over monitoring wolves outside Yellowstone National Park since the federal government removed Wyoming's wolves from endangered species protection last summer, according to the biologist now in charge of keeping an eye on the state's population.

Wyoming must report annually on the status of its wolf population under its agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that got the animals delisted.

As a result, Wyoming has begun tracking about 40 radio-collared wolves in some 20 packs east and south of Yellowstone, a job that previously fell to Fish and Wildlife in that area.

Meanwhile, Wyoming's first wolf hunt since delisting in August also has been providing data for the state agency. State biologists have been able to examine and take genetic samples from wolves killed by hunters this fall, said Mark Bruscino, large carnivore section supervisor for Game and Fish.

"By and large, hunters have acted ethically. They're working with us, reporting harvests immediately," Bruscino, who is based in Cody, said Tuesday.

The trophy hunting season for the area surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in northwest Wyoming began Oct. 1. As of Wednesday, at least 34 wolves had been killed toward the 52-wolf season limit.

The wolf hunt will continue until the limit is reached or the season ends Dec. 31. A third possibility: The judge in a lawsuit environmentalists filed Tuesday to contest Wyoming's wolf management plan could issue an injunction halting the wolf hunt, which is what happened after Idaho and Montana's wolves were delisted in 2009.

Outside Wyoming's trophy game zone for wolves, wolves can be killed on sight without a license. Since August, about 15 wolves have been killed outside the trophy game area and as far away from Yellowstone as the Red Desert north of Rock Springs, Bruscino said.

Wyoming was home to about 300 wolves outside Yellowstone before delisting. The state has committed to maintaining at least 100 wolves and at least 10 breeding pairs outside Yellowstone and the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming.

Tracking wolves has been no problem because Game and Fish biologists already have extensive experience monitoring other animals including bears and mountain lions, Bruscino said.

"We will build off of the existing body of knowledge and research on Yellowstone area wolves. But I think more of our focus will be on whether wolves are or aren't impacting specific ungulate populations, and to what degree they may be impacting," he said.

The information will help Game and Fish determine hunt limits for wolves as well as for ungulates, namely moose and elk.

"In some situations, wolves do have a measurable impact on ungulate population. And then, in some circumstances, they do

not. So we want to get a better handle on what herds may be impacted and to what extent," Bruscino said.

Game and Fish has added radio collars to five wolves since August. Radio collars could be added to more wolves after the hunting season, with the goal of having radio collars on at least two wolves in each reproducing pack.

Tracking radio-collared wolves involves flying over the region at least a couple times a month to pick up signals and, if possible, spot and count wolves on the ground.

"I would call this a transition period from the research standpoint. We're working with the research partners to finish up pending research, and we'll look at other proposals with our research partners or internally as it comes up," Bruscino said.

Game and Fish will coordinate with Yellowstone to release annual reports on Wyoming's wolf population. Last year, Yellowstone's wolf count was at least 100 animals.

The report on Wyoming's 2012 wolf population will be released by mid-March.

MeMorial Hospital of Converse County

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Dr. Skuza is a Board Certified Pediatrician from New Jersey and is new to the Memorial Hospital family. She is a graduate of Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey and of the Warsaw Medical School in Warsaw, Poland. She completed her Pediatric Residency and Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and has spent the last 20 years as an attending pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital and University Hospitals of New Jersey.

Dr. Skuza is excited to be part of Memorial Hospital and enjoys being much closer to her family and grandchildren in Rapid City, SD.

111 South 5th Street ~ Douglas, Wyoming

307-358-2122

www.ConverseHospital.com Memorial Hospital of Converse County is an equal opportunity provider.

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 6

Department of Health Budget Reduction Plans Available

A report containing both planned and potential future Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) budget reductions of nearly $132 million, as required by legislative action, is now available online.

get reductions is always challenging,” said “We hope for a brighter state revenue picture in the next biennium so the potential general fund reductions we’ve described for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 may not all occur. However, it was important for our department to prepare what the legislature requested.”

During its most recent session, the Wyoming Legislature directed the WDH to reduce state general fund spending by 4 percent (more than $19 million) for state fiscal year 2014, which begins on July 1, 2013. “This 4 percent general fund reduction was included in the final state budget.

What we are doing now is reporting on the areas within our budget where those reductions will occur,” said Tom Forslund, Wyoming Department of Health director.

“With the Wyoming Department of Health, it is important to note that roughly 90 percent of our budget goes to direct patient care,” Forslund said. “This includes Medicaid, our five state healthcare facilities and funding for mental health and substance abuse services across the state.

As a result, our opportunities to reduce budgets in ways that don’t directly affect Wyoming patients and clients are limited.”

WDH was also required to prepare for additional 8 percent reductions (more than $74 million) for the department’s future 2015-16 biennium budget. Descriptions of these possible future reductions are also included in the report.

Forslund continued, “Another challenge is that with Medicaid, our most expensive and complex program, for every state-funded dollar that we cut we lose an additional dollar in federal matching funds.” If all planned and potential future budget reductions in the report are implemented, an additional $31 million in federal matching

“While closely reviewing programs and spending is certainly valuable, going ahead with bud-

funds will be lost.

“Our department’s staff and leadership carefully considered what should be recommended,” Forslund said. “We looked at everything and evaluated our choices based on key priorities.” These priorities included minimizing impact on safety net health programs, core services, programs that serve a broader population and economically vulnerable provider groups.

WDH also looked to reduce administrative costs, funding for programs that experienced large budget growth in recent years and reimbursements to out-ofstate providers.

“At this time, due to attrition opportunities, we do not anticipate any WDH employees will lose their jobs as a result of the planned budget reductions,” Forslund said.

The report includes descriptions of the largest WDH programs along with details about the planned and potential future budget reductions. To read the report, visit www.health.wyo. gov.

“Overhead Overhead power lines think.” are closer than you think.

Collared Wolves From Yellowstone Killed MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Seven gray wolves originally from Yellowstone National Park and wearing collars for research purposes have been shot by hunters in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in recent weeks, a park scientist said Thursday.

There has been no indication any of the wolves were taken illegally, said state officials and Dave Hallac, chief of Yellowstone's Center for Resources.

Two of the animals were from packs that no longer spend most of their time in the park, but the remainder lived and denned primarily in Yellowstone, Hallac said. Four of the seven were shot in Montana, two in Wyoming and one in Idaho.

Wildlife advocates said Thursday the killings underscore the need for a buffer zone around Yellowstone, with strict limits on wolf hunting and trapping.

They warned the number of dead park wolves could quickly climb once Montana's trapping season begins next month.

Gray wolves were removed from the endangered species list last year by Congress under pressure from hunting and livestock groups.

Hallac said the number of park wolves killed so far does not threaten Yellowstone's population of 85-100 wolves.

A more immediate worry, he said, is retrieving the research

collars used to track the animals' movements. Several of the hunters who shot collared wolves already have offered to return the devices, Hallac said.

"Which is great for us because we have a lot of data on those collars," he said. "We've been able to get some of the collars back and we hope to get all the collars back."

Four collared wolves were killed during prior hunts: two in 2009, when the animals were off the endangered list only temporarily, and two last year, Hallac said.

Montana this year joined Idaho in lifting its quotas on wolves across most of the state, meaning there is no longer any limit on how many can be harvested except in certain areas.

One of those areas abuts the park's northern boundary; the other is around Glacier National Park.

Only three wolves can be killed annually in the special management zone outside Yellowstone, which was established after hunters killed nine wolves there in the span of a few weeks in 2009.

Two wolves have died in the quota area so far this year. It was uncertain if that included any of the collared wolves that were shot.

"That buffer zone is a minimum buffer and this is absolutely not enough," said Kim Bean with the advocacy group Wolves of the Rockies. "These animals

travel and they go in and out of the park. They don't go far, but they go far enough."

Generally, any wolf that crosses the park's boundary during hunting and trapping season is considered fair game, said Andrea Jones with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

"The park boundary does not have a fence around it. Animals that have collars on them and are in Montana are considered Montana animals once they cross the border, regardless" Jones said.

Hunters, she added, are allowed to call for wolves to draw them close enough for a shot.

Electronic calls are prohibited in the state, but hunters can use verbal calls just like they can when hunting other species such as elk.

Hunters have killed at least 61 wolves in Montana, 96 in Idaho and 34 in Wyoming this hunting season.

That's a combined 191 wolves out a region-wide population of at least 1,774 animals at the end of 2011.

Government biologists say there are more than enough animals to sustain the species, but wildlife advocates and conservation groups have warned state-sanctioned hunts could again imperil the animals.

“

Look up before you go up.

© 2012 Rocky Mountain Power

Most accidents involving electricity happen by coming in contact with overhead power lines. Any time you’re working outside on your roof or with long or tall objects such as ladders, gutters, pool skimmers, or irrigation pipes, be aware of what’s above you. Even momentary contact with an overhead line can prove instantly fatal. For more safety information, visit rockymountainpower.net.

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 7

CCSD#1 Looks to Implement Drug Testing Rhonda Zeller –TBC After drugs were found during a recent inspection of the premises of Douglas High School, Dr. Dan Espeland, Superintendent for CCSD #1, has brought forth an inquiry on drug testing for students in extra-curricular activities.

The drug testing issue was brought before the school board on November 13, 2012 during their regular meeting. The board members along with school employees’ present, conversed in a very professional manner about the drug testing.

Espeland stated that he has been receiving a lot of questions in regards to who will pay for the testing. "One option would be to hold a Drug Education Class, which the parent and student can attend. If they attend this class then the district would pay for the testing. If they wish to not attend the class, then at that time the parent and student would pay for the testing.”

Espeland would like to see the initial drug test consist of a hair sample. The follow-up testing for the next 12 months would consist of a urinalysis. The testing would include but not limited to Marijuana, prescription drugs, Ecstasy, Methamphetamine and PCP. CCSD#1 Attorney Scott Peasley said, “My recommendation would be that the district pay for the testing. It would need to be a random testing; only testing the individuals suspected. First and foremost there needs to be a specific need to test. Implement a good policy to identify those individuals using the drugs.”

Josh Goodrich DHS Activities Director stated that there will be a parent forum that will be open for discussion on this matter at the DHS Auditorium on Tuesday, November 20th at 6:30pm.

This is an open meeting for all parents.

ent forum, before implementing the drug testing policy. He asked that all working on this issue work together in preparing a handbook that outlines guidelines for this policy which will be presented at the December School Board meeting.

Board Member Nita Werner made a motion to table the implementing of the drug testing policy, until the December CCSD#1 School Board meeting. All board members present were in favor of tabling the motion. Board member Teri Griffin was not present for this meeting.

A second story will follow with more information after the parent forum on November 20, 2012 at DHS Auditorium at 6:30pm.

Espeland agreed to hold a par-

With Pot Legal in Some States, Police Worry About Road Safety Edited Amanda Smith (TBC) Gene Johnson Associated Press Kristen Wyatt, Associated Press (AP) — It's settled. Pot, at least certain amounts of it, will soon be legal under state laws in Washington and Colorado.

Now, officials in both states are trying to figure out how to keep stoned drivers off the road.

Colorado's measure doesn't make any changes to the state's driving-under-the-influence laws, leaving lawmakers and police to worry about its effect on road safety.

"We're going to have more impaired drivers," warned John Jackson, police chief in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village.

Washington's law does change DUI provisions by setting a new blood-test limit for marijuana — a limit police are training to enforce, and which some lawyers are already gearing up to challenge.

"We've had decades of studies and experience with alcohol," said Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon. "Marijuana is new, so it's going to take some time to figure out how the courts and prosecutors are going to handle it. But the key is impairment: We will arrest drivers who drive impaired, whether it be drugs or alcohol."

Drugged driving is illegal, and nothing in the measures that Washington and Colorado voters passed this month to tax and regulate the sale of pot for recreational use by adults over 21 changes that. But law enforcement officials wonder about whether the ability to buy or possess marijuana legally will bring about an increase of marijuana users on the roads.

Statistics gathered for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that in 2009, a third of fatally injured drivers with known drug test results were positive for drugs other than alcohol. Among randomly stopped weekend nighttime drivers in 2007, more than 16 percent were positive for drugs.

Marijuana can cause dizziness and slowed reaction time, and drivers are more likely to drift and swerve while they're high.

Marijuana legalization activists agree people shouldn't smoke and drive. But setting a standard comparable to bloodalcohol limits has sparked intense disagreement, said Betty

Aldworth, outreach director for Colorado's Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.

Most convictions for drugged driving currently are based on police observations, followed later by a blood test.

"There is not yet a consensus about the standard rate for THC impairment," Aldworth said, referring to the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

Unlike portable breath tests for alcohol, there's no easily available way to determine whether someone is impaired from recent pot use.

There are different types of tests for marijuana. Many workplaces test for an inactive THC metabolite that can be stored in body fat and remain detectable weeks after use.

But tests for current impairment measure for active THC in the blood, and those levels typically drop within hours.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, peak THC concentrations are reached during the act of smoking, and within three hours, they generally fall to less than 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood — the same standard in Washington's law, one supporters describe as roughly equivalent to the .08 limit for alcohol.

Two other states — Ohio and the medical marijuana state of Nevada — have a limit of 2 nanograms of THC per milliliter. Pennsylvania's health department has a 5-nanogram guideline that can be introduced in driving violation cases, and a dozen states, including Illinois, Arizona, and Rhode Island, have zero-tolerance policies.

In Washington, police still have to observe signs of impaired driving before pulling someone over, Coon said. The blood would be drawn by a medical professional, and tests above 5 nanograms would automatically subject the driver to a DUI conviction.

Supporters of Washington's measure said they included the standard to allay fears that legalization could prompt a drugged-driving epidemic, but critics call it arbitrarily strict.

They insist that medical patients who regularly use cannabis would likely fail even if they weren't impaired.

They also worry about the law's zero-tolerance policy for those under 21. College students who wind up convicted even if they weren't impaired could lose college loans, they argue.

Jon Fox, a Seattle-area DUI attorney, said he's interested in challenging Washington's new standard as unconstitutional.

Under due process principles, he said, people are entitled to know what activity is prohibited. If scientists can't tell someone how much marijuana it will take for him or her to test over the threshold, how is the average pot user supposed to know?

By contrast, he noted, the science on alcohol is well established. Some states publish charts estimating how many drinks it will take a person of a certain weight over a certain time to reach .08.

But such a challenge to Nevada's marijuana DUI limit failed in 2002, when the state Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature has broad authority to set driving standards. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review that case, said Las Vegas DUI attorney Michael Becker.

Booze Calories Nearly Equal Soda's For U.S. Adults Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Americans get too many calories from soda. But what about alcohol?

It turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a government study found.

Soda and other sweetened drinks — the focus of obesity-fighting public health campaigns — are the source of about 6 percent of the calories adults consume, on average. Alcoholic beverages account for about 5 percent, the new study found.

"We've been focusing on sugarsweetened beverages. This is something new," said Cynthia Ogden, one of the study's authors. She's an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which released its findings Thursday.

The government researchers say the findings deserve attention because, like soda, alcohol contains few nutrients but plenty of calories.

But a liquor trade association said the findings indicate there's no big problem.

"This research shows that the overwhelming majority of adults drink moderately," Lisa Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council, said in a statement.

The CDC study is based on interviews with more than 11,000 U.S. adults from 2007 through 2010. Participants were asked extensive questions about what they ate and drank over the previous 24 hours.

The study found: —On any given day, about onethird of men and one-fifth of women consumed calories from beer, wine or liquor.

—Averaged out to all adults, the

average guy drinks 150 calories from alcohol each day, or the equivalent of a can of Budweiser.

—The average woman drinks about 50 calories, or roughly half a glass of wine.

—Men drink mostly beer. For women, there was no clear favorite among alcoholic beverages.

—There was no racial or ethnic difference in average calories consumed from alcoholic beverages. But there was an age difference, with younger adults putting more of it away.

For reference, a 12-ounce can of regular Coca-Cola has 140 calories, slightly less than a samesized can of regular Bud. A 5-ounce glass of wine is around 100 calories.

In September, New York City approved an unprecedented measure cracking down on giant sodas, those bigger than 16 ounces, or half a liter. It will take effect in March and bans sales of drinks that large at restaurants, cafeterias and concession stands.

Should New York officials now start cracking down on tall-boy beers and monster margaritas?

There are no plans for that, city health department officials said, adding in a statement that while studies show that sugary drinks are "a key driver of the obesity epidemic," alcohol is not.

Health officials should think about enacting policies to limit alcoholic intake, but New York's focus on sodas is appropriate, said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a public health advocacy group.

Soda and sweetened beverages are the bigger problem, especially when it comes to kids — the No. 1 source of calories in the U.S. diet, she said.

"In New York City, it was smart to start with sugary drinks. Let's see how it goes and then think about next steps," she said.

However, she lamented that the Obama administration is planning to exempt alcoholic beverages from proposed federal regulations requiring calorie labeling on restaurant menus.

It could set up a confusing scenario in which, say, a raspberry iced tea may have a calorie count listed, while an alcoholladen Long Island Iced Tea — with more than four times as many calories — doesn't. "It could give people the wrong idea," she said.

"Marijuana affects everyone differently," Becker said. "The prevailing opinion of forensic toxicologists is that a 2-nanograms standard, such as exists in Nevada, absolutely results in convictions where individuals are not actually under the influence. But the 5-nanograms standard more closely approaches the mean threshold of prevailing opinion."

Colorado's legalization measure didn't set a driving standard — an intentional omission by the activists who wrote it because the issue has proven divisive. Lawmakers in Colorado, which has an established medical marijuana industry, have tried but failed three times to set a THC driving limit.

Drugged driving cases in Colorado were up even before the legalization vote. In 2009, the state toxicology lab obtained 791 THC-positive samples from suspected impaired drivers. Last year, it had 2,030 THC-positive samples.

Colorado lawmakers are preparing to take up driving standards yet again when they convene next year.

"I believe a 5-nanogram limit will save lives," said Colorado Republican state Sen. Steve King, sponsor of previous driving-high bills.

According to Wyoming Patrol, measures will be taken to ensure that the laws in Wyoming are upheld, making sure driveres entering the state from Colorado are held accountable for any of the illegal substance brought across state lines.

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 8

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Is it Food? Or is it Football?

Is it food – or is it football?

Celebrating Thanksgiving is more about the previous holidays than the one at hand. We do our best to bring our former happy holidays into the current time. We tend to build our upcoming holiday based upon the memories of days gone by.

In my family, we all tell the story Mom shared with us of her first Thanksgiving with Dad – baking the turkey without removing the extra parts from the inside. This story evidently was not told enough times growing up, since one of my sisters repeated the process after she was married. Of course, we never teased her about this.

When my children were growing up, there were many times that our holiday table was visited by friends and family alike.

We had an 'open door' policy – anyone who had no family nearby and wanted to join us was welcome. There were times that the meal was eaten in several rooms because the group was too large to host in one area of the house. Fortunately, we have had homes with two living areas over the years, so it was easy to spread out.

Everyone has a memory that is specific to their own household. My mom always remembered the cranberry sauce just as dinner was coming to a close. I never understood cranberry sauce, myself. After all, if no one missed it, did it even matter?

For my children, there was the battle of the dressings. My wife learned to make the dressing in the bird, while I grew up eating my mom's pan dressing. (Hence, my mom not realizing that she needed to pull parts out of the bird.) The solution was simple, my wife made hers and I made mine. I think the kids only tried some of mine to be nice, it certainly seemed like I was making my dressing only for me. But, as far as I was concerned, that was ok too.

Then, there was the ambrosia salad, or what we called ambrosia salad. My mother-in-law made this classic using the standard ingredients which included sour cream. But, in our household, the sour cream was replaced with whipped cream and has been a hit ever since.

There was the year that two of our kids played parts in a Thanksgiving skit. A group of teenagers seated around a table – when one asked another to pass a roll, the roll became airborne across the table – the congregation responded with raucous laughter. Hardly a Thanksgiving went by when that scene was not repeated at our own holiday table. Between flying rolls and black olives attached to fingertips – a tradition begun by my mother-in-law – we enjoyed our Thanksgiving meals.

It is more than the food and football, though some would surely argue the point.

It is about family, connection, remembering and relating to the past – taking a moment to go around the table, one-by-one and mentioning one thing for which we are thankful. This is a tradition that is repeated by many families as well as our own. No easy outs here, either. Everyone participates – everyone from the youngest to the oldest has to mention something.

It is about the relaxation, a long time just sitting and sharing our lives – trials and triumphs, job changes and relocations, life's transitions and life's stabilities. This is the time we remember and miss those who have already gone to be with the Lord.

Thanksgiving. Yes, it is more than food and football.

In our case, food might be considered the football.

I drew back my arm as I heard: "Would someone please pass the rolls?"

Must have been a new guy.

Be True To Yerself You know... this old world is changin’, just like I reckon it’s suppose to.

We can’t dwell on the past, but we can, still be like we are suppose to be, have manners respect, integrity, pride and honesty.

TJ Casey is a singer/ songwriter, storyteller, composer and entertainer. He was raised up on ranches in Wyoming and Montana and now teaches the "Code of the West" and poetry to students all across America.

Check him out at: www.tjcasey.net.

Have respect for your neighbors, respect your fellow man.

Take care of this here country, be good stewards of the land.

Always have good manners, say yes sir and no ma’am.

Have pride in what you do, don’t fall and hurt your can.

Always have integrity, do what you say you’ll do.

Honesty is always best and that my friends is true.

Don’t follow someone else’s track, make a trail just for you.

If you follow these here rules; you’ll never make yerself blue.

To Trick or Treat or not to Trick or Treat Sassy, I am a single father (do you get many questions from single dads)? with two children, I won't go into the reasons why my wife is no longer in the picture but my children are young teenagers now and I did not allow them to go out on Halloween this year. I feel that at 12 Dear Michael from Casper, Hi Michael I commend you for being able to stop two teenage girls from doing anything they want to do. I think it is a personal preference as to when kids should not trick or treat. At my home when I get kids over 15yrs old, I always ask them to do a trick of some kind before they get a treat. No trick, no treat. Halloween does seem

and 16 they are old enough to know now, that halloween is for the younger kids. I now have two very upset teenage girls at me but as a single dad, I have to draw the lines somewhere like with Santa. I had them stay home with me and pass out candy and I "think" they had an alright time even though they tried their best not to have a good time with good ole Dad. Michael from Casper to be a night when kids tend to get in to a little bit of trouble, often times kids get to roam the streets without adult supervision and good choices sometime get compromised. Good for you Dad, for making your girls stay home and spend some time with the ‘ole man, that time flies by, so embrace it. Thanks for your question.

Sassy

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 9

Barrasso: EPA Ruling Will Increase Food Costs for Americans Without RFS Waiver, Americans Will Continue to Face Higher Food Prices WASHINGTON, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) spoke out against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to deny petitions by a bipartisan group of Governors requesting a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): “The EPA has once again issued a decision that will make it more expensive for all Americans to put food on their tables and care for their families. It makes no sense to mandate the production of ethanol from corn because it creates higher feed costs for livestock producers. Under today’s ruling, American families will face higher prices for turkey, ham, beef, milk, eggs, cheese and other essential basics on their grocery lists. With a record number of Americans on food stamps, the Obama Admin-

istration shouldn’t take steps to make food more expensive.”

Background: In 2005, Congress established and later expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which mandates that increasing amounts of ethanol be blended into the nation’s fuel supplies.

Under the law, the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to waive requirements under the RFS if they would severely harm the economy.

A bipartisan group of eight Governors, nearly 200 members of Congress, numerous poultry and livestock producers, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, among others, urged the Obama Administration to waive the RFS following this year’s summer droughts.

Salazar Announces Onshore, Offshore Wind Energy Milestones 3,000 megawatt Wyoming wind energy project and Rhode Island, Massachusetts Wind Energy Area take key steps forward As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to developing the nation’s vast renewable energy resources, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that two major wind energy initiatives have completed important environmental reviews, clearing the way for public comment and final review.

Onshore, Salazar announced the release of final environmental impact statements for a proposed wind power complex in Wyoming that would generate up to 3,000 megawatts of power, making it the largest wind farm facility in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world.

Offshore, Salazar announced the publication of an environmental assessment for commercial wind leases and site assessment activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Today’s step puts Interior in position to offer this area as one of nation’s first offshore competitive lease sales before the end of the year.

“When it comes to wind energy, we’re making significant progress both onshore and offshore to diversify our nation’s domestic energy portfolio and stand up a clean energy economy,” Salazar said.

“Today, as we take the next steps toward realizing what could be the largest wind energy project in the world and holding a competitive offshore wind lease sale, we are really at forefront of a renewable energy revolution.”

The proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Farm would contain up to 1,000 turbines and generate enough power for up to 1 million American homes. The project would be built on public, private and state land in Carbon County, Wyoming. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reviewing the proposed wind project, as well as a proposed amendment to the Rawlins Resource Management Plan to accommodate the facility. For more information on the proposed project, click here and for a map, click here.

“Wyoming has incredible wind resources and this proposed wind energy project has potential to generate jobs and bring a record amount of clean power to market throughout the West,” said Acting BLM Director Mike Pool. “We look forward to hearing from the public as we work to ensure that this proposal, if approved, would be built in the right way and in the right place to minimize environmental impacts.”

The proposed wind energy project is under consideration as part of Interior’s initiative to advance smart

development of renewable energy on public lands. Since 2009, Interior has approved 31 utility-scale wind, solar, and geothermal projects that, if built by the companies, will provide approximately 7,200 megawatts of power to communities across the West, or enough to power nearly 2.5 million homes.

These achievements build on the historic expansion of renewable energy under President Obama, with energy from sources like wind and solar doubling since the President took office.

The environmental assessment for the Rhode Island/Massachusetts Wind Energy Area will be used by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to inform future leasing decisions as part of the Administration’s “Smart from the Start” offshore wind energy initiative. The Wind Energy Area (WEA) comprises approximately 164,750 acres within the area of mutual interest identified by the two states. BOEM leadership will host public information sessions on July 16 and 17 to further engage stakeholders and consider public comments on the environmental assessment in determining whether to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact, or conduct additional analysis under NEPA in order to hold a lease sale for commercial offshore wind development. For more information, click here.

“This environmental assessment is the first of its kind in the northeast and is based on thorough scientific and technical analysis and substantial stakeholder input to identify the most suitable location for commercial wind energy activities in this area offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” said BOEM Director Tommy Beaudreau. “We will continue to seek public participation in our process, including comments on this environmental assessment as we move forward with an innovative, targeted leasing approach to offshore wind.”

In November 2010, Salazar launched the “Smart from the Start” wind energy initiative for the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf to facilitate the siting, leasing and construction of new projects.

A critical piece of the strategy includes the identification of Wind Energy Areas, done in consultation with BOEM’s intergovernmental renewable energy task forces and other federal agencies, and the development of the environmental assessment to simplify the leasing process.

Salazar launched the competitive leasing process for the Rhode Island/Massachusetts Wind Energy Area with a Call for Information and Nominations in August 2011 that invited developers to identify locations within the area of mutual interest in which they seek commercial leases for wind projects.

Governor Expresses Frustration with Health and Human Services CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Matt Mead sent a third letter to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) today. The letter indicating his frustration with the lack of cooperation and information needed for Wyoming to make critical decisions, such as whether to establish a state-run health insurance exchange. Wyoming will not meet the original November 16, 2012 deadline to let HHS know whether or not we will establish a state-run health insurance exchange because the federal agency has not provided necessary information.

In his letter, Governor Mead noted that HHS has not completed the formal rulemaking process related to exchanges, nor have they answered substantive questions needed to make a reasoned decision. Some of the unanswered questions include: how much a federally-run exchange will cost the citizens of Wyoming, how a federally run exchange will affect the insurance market outside the exchange, how much a state-run exchange will have to pay for interfaces with federal data systems, and how user fees will be allocated

between state and federal governments in a partnership exchange.

“The decisions required by states are not ones we asked for, but instead were placed upon us. It would seem that if this is a high priority for our federal government they would do all they can to get us information,” Governor Mead said.

Mead also noted, “The U.S. Supreme Court has made a decision and the Legislature and my office need to move forward. In order to do so, we need HHS to engage with us to provide answers to questions that affect patients, providers, hospitals and taxpayers.”

Yesterday, HHS announced that the November 16 deadline had been extended and that states now have until December 14, 2012 to submit a “blueprint” for a state-run exchange.

At least 25 states will not meet the original November 16 deadline to submit a declaration letter and blueprint for a state run exchange.

Barrasso Re-elected to Serve as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee

Amanda Smith (TBC) On Wednesday, November 14, 2012, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement after he was reelected to serve as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee: “I am grateful that my colleagues have given me the opportunity to continue to serve as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Decisions we make in Washington will have a tremendous impact on the future of our country.

Now more than ever, Republicans must show that we have the right policy solutions that will benefit every American. I look forward to working with my colleagues on policies that create jobs, reform government, and keep America safe.”

Laura Mengelkamp, Press Secretary for Senator Barrasso advised the Bird that as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC) Senator Barrasso is responsible for providing his colleagues with credible, reliable, accurate, and timely policy information.

The committee advances Republican policies by providing positions on legislation, floor debate, and votes. RPC also provides in-depth analysis on specific issues, policy solutions and alternatives, and strategic guidance.

In the tradition of past chairmen, the RPC provides a forum for Republican Senators for policy discussions. This is principally carried out through the weekly policy lunch. RPC also hosts Republican Staff Directors and Legislative Directors to discuss the Senate committees and floor agenda.

For more information on the responsibilities of the RPC, you can check out their website at: http://www.rpc.senate.gov Senator Barrasso, who was recently reelected on November 6 as United States Senator for Wyoming, has served as Policy Chairman since January 2012.

Prior to this, he served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.

SKIPPING THANKSGIVING One of John Grisham’s best selling, “Skipping Christmas”, is a compelling short story about a couple who decided, for a variety of reasons, that they would “skip Christmas this year”. It was a screen adaptation of his novel starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, “Christmas With the Kranks.”

It was both a comical and poignant portrayal of what occurs when two people, Luther and Nora Krank, forgot those things that really matter, in an attempt to avoid the frenzy traditionally associated with the holidays.

Of course, none of us would think of “skipping Thanksgiving”! Would we? No, of course most of us wouldn’t. At least, not outwardly. It all starts inward. It is a matter of the heart.

One could conceivably go through the motions of turkey dinner, pumpkin pie, and “all the trimmings”,; invite family and friends, and at the end of the day, the attitude of gratitude may be non-existent.

What if you were to make a list of all the things for which you are thankful, and then before the feast of the day commences, with those gathered around the table, invite them to mention that for which they are thankful? What do you think would happen? Of course, you wouldn’t want the food to get cold, so you’d have to rush through the exercise. Perhaps your family is one of the few who have actually attempted such a thing in the past. How did it go?

meal?” The old man, without looking at the scoffer, simply nodded his head in the affirmative. The large man who dwarfed the diminutive older man, glanced at his hearty t-bone stake, and bellowed aloud, “Well not me, I dive right into my food, and none of that giving thanks nonsense for me.” Those within earshot of the two at the counter were taken back by the comments of the scoffer. After a brief interlude of silence, the old man glanced at his adversary, and with a twinkle in his eye adroitly replied, “I know, so does my dog!”

Doubtless, there’s a myriad of things for which to be thankful, or enumerate as blessings.

Personally, I prefer to divide those things into two categories, First, the “horizontal things”. That is all that we gather around us; they are primarily tangible, and in most cases will rust, fall apart or deteriorate, sooner or later. Everything from houses and cars to the clothes in our closets. Earthly things. Second, are the “vertical things”. Heavenly things, or those things that ultimately can be attributed to a personal, infinite God, Who delights in giving us reason to be thankful. Those ethereal things such as mercy, forgiveness, family, children, friends, security and true love, to mention a few.

Unfortunately, when our focus is solely on the “horizontal”, the “vertical” fade and become more obscure, or worse, forgotten.

So, in reality we may find that at day‘s end on Thanksgiving, when our girth has expanded from our over-indulgence, yet our gratitude has shrunk.

And sadly, we have “skipped Thanksgiving” again this year.

Perhaps without thinking about it. Think about it. And, Happy Thanksgiving.

The story is told of a disheveled old man who was seated at the counter of a bustling truck stop, and seated next to him was a rather large, burley younger man, with a chiseled looking face, and a stern exterior. The older gentleman had ordered a rather meager meal of barley soup, and crackers, while his stool mate had ordered a large t-bone steak with all the trimmings. Once served the older man paused, bowed his head and then began to partake of his meager fare. The big burley man watched as the old man bowed his head,, then he asked the old man in a rude tone, “What are you doing old man?

Giving thanks for that pitiful

Governors Call For Renewing Wind Energy Tax Credit

Jeff Barnard,Associated Press Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press The fate of a tax credit that advocates say is needed to maintain tens of thousands of wind energy jobs will be decided during high-stakes, last-minute negotiations between President Obama and House Republicans over fiscal issues, officials said Tuesday.

The wind energy production tax credit is due to expire at the end of the year. Its extension stalled in Congress this summer amid fierce opposition from some conservative House Republicans. The last chance to extend the measure is in the budget deal that will be cut between Obama and Republicans in the lame duck session of Congress.

Backers of the credit tried to ramp up pressure to extend the $12 billion break Tuesday with a teleconference featuring several governors, who noted that uncertainty over its fate has led to thousands of job losses across the country. A study by a wind energy group found that 37,000 jobs would be lost if the credit expires.

The credit's supporters say the government has subsidized fossil fuels like oil for more than a century. Opponents argue it distorts the energy marketplace and leads to higher prices.

The credit was first signed by President George H.W. Bush and backed by a num-

ber of prominent Republicans. But some conservative House Republicans objected to the extension of the latest form of the credit this summer, arguing it is wasteful spending. Their cause was taken up by the party's presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who argued the credit should expire. Elimination of the break was written into the GOP party platform in August.

Still, Republicans governors Terry Branstad of Iowa and Sam Brownback of Kansas joined Democratic governors on Tuesday's call urging the credit's extension. They said they represented a bipartisan group of 28 governors who back the tax break.

"It is time to turn the page on the recent election and work together to get Americans back to work," Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, said in a statement

see a single race in which consumers were demanding higher electricity bills," Pompeo said. He added his opponent had attacked his stance on the credit, but Pompeo ended up winning the race by more votes than during his first campaign in 2010.

Wind energy companies already have started shrinking their workforces in the face of the gridlock.

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has reduced its U.S. workforce by 20 percent. The company announced last week it plans to cut its global workforce by another 3,000 by the end of next year due to uncertainty over the tax credit.

Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., who helped organize opposition to the wind tax credits, said the election results have emboldened him and other opponents to stand firm.

"There was a discussion in a lot of races around the country, and I didn't

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 10

Two University of Wyoming Players Have No High School Experience ROBERT GAGLIARDI, (AP) — One is unusual. But two is almost unheard of.

At least it is for University of Wyoming men's basketball coach Larry Shyatt.

Entering the second year of his second stint as Cowboys coach, Shyatt has two players on his roster who never played high school basketball.

He never has seen that in his 39 years in the profession.

Sophomore forward Derek Cooke Jr. and sophomore center Matt Sellers come from different parts of the country and different backgrounds. But Shyatt and his staff signed them because they saw in them that infamous word: potential.

"That's why we thought they could become a fit in the program because the naivety and being a piece of clay we could mold," Shyatt said.

Cooke is from Washington, D.C.; Sellers is from Champlin Park, Minn. Both played prep football, and both put in one year of junior-college basketball before ending up at UW. But that's where the similarities end.

Cooke was a 6-foot-2 receiver at Friendly High and thought he would play college football. He didn't get as much playing time as a senior as he expected, and there wasn't much interest from colleges.

He took a year off after graduation and a growth spurt hit. All of a sudden he was 6-9.

"People thought I should try hoops. I said 'I guess I could try it,'" he tells the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (http://bit.ly/Wb0hQK).

He ended up at Cloud County

(Kan.) Community College.

He redshirted his first year, but in 2011-12 he averaged a teamhigh 8.4 rebounds to go along with six points and 1.7 blocked shots.

The biggest transformation for Sellers since arriving at UW has been his body. He has lost 40 pounds and is down to about 240.

A 6-10 center, Sellers played football as a sophomore in high school, but basketball was his sport. But he transferred to four different schools, and it took him five years to finish high school because of all the moves.

"I couldn't even finish a practice when I first got here because they were so tough and I wasn't in good enough physical condition," he said. "It has been tough, but it's been good. That's why I'm here. I was told it was going to be a long process."

Despite no high school hoops experience, he played on two AAU teams in Minnesota and trained with former NBA player and current WNBA assistant coach Jim Petersen. He also played in two junior-college all-star games in the summer of 2011.

Sellers said Mark Madsen, who played six years with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, is a family friend. Madsen told Utah Valley coach Dick Hunsaker about Sellers. Coaches watched Sellers work out at home, and he went to Utah and visited Utah Valley, Brigham Young and Weber State.

Cooke and Sellers go against each other in practice, but how much they will play this season remains to be seen.

Shyatt says all six of his newcomers will have to adjust to roles in which they may play 10-15 minutes one game and zero the next.

In UW's season-opening 62-42 win against Division II Western State last Saturday, Cooke played 18 minutes and finished with one point and four rebounds. Sellers was in for four minutes with zero points, one rebound and two fouls.

He also checked out Salt Lake Community College and Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs.

The disadvantages of having players with no prep experience are obvious. But Shyatt sees some advantages.

That was because he and his family thought he wouldn't be academically eligible to play at a four-year school since he took five years in high school.

"A lot of our better players in the country — although a lot of coaches don't want to speak to this — are poisoned by the process," he said.

Sellers said he signed with Weber State but was told he wasn't eligible academically. So he went to Western Wyoming. But he and his family later found out he was eligible. He stayed at Western Wyoming and averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 2010-11.

"Now you have a couple of guys that haven't been too poisoned.

You can work them and tell them what in fact impacts winning.

Shyatt and his staff found out about Sellers and convinced him to join UW in December of last year.

Sailors Joins Basketball Hall Of Fame LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — The former Wyoming player who is credited by some with inventing the modern jump shot is about to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

ducted in a ceremony Sunday, November 18. He's among 10 people who will receive the honor in Kansas City, Mo.

Kenny Sailors is set to be in-

He was named most outstand-

Sailors led Wyoming to the 1943 NCAA Championship.

ing player of that year's NCAA Tournament and the 1943 National Player of the Year.

Sailors is 91 years old.

Proposed Hunting, Fishing Fee Hikes Advance CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A legislative committee has voted to sponsor legislation that would raise fees for dozens of hunting and fishing licenses for both residents and non-residents.

The amounts depend on the license type, with many going up about 22 percent and others

more than doubling their current price.

The fee hike proposal is designed to help cover an $8 million to $10 million annual revenue shortfall that the state Game and Fish Department faces.

The Joint Travel, Recreation,

Wildlife and Cultural Resources Interim Committee voted 8-6 to advance the bill during its meeting in Lander last week.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/RHeeRK) that the bill will be considered by the full Legislature when it meets in January.

UW Cowgirls Land Two Basketball Recruits (AP) — Guard Hailey Ligocki of Sheridan is among the latest recruits for the Wyoming Cowgirls.

fall of 2013.

Coach Joe Legerski announced he had signed the 5-foot-8 Ligocki and 6-4 center Kaylie Rader of Thornton, Colo.

Ligocki is three-time All-Conference selection at Sheridan High School. During her junior year, she was named First Team All-State and was the 4A East Conference Co-Player of the Year.

The two will joined UW in the

Ligocki averaged 14 points, 3.5

rebounds and 2.8 assists. She helped lead Sheridan to a 20-7 record last season.

Legerski says Ligocki can play either guard spot.

Rader averaged 15.2 points and 10.1 rebounds last season.

"Hard work impacts winning.

Doing things the right way impacts winning. Learning about defense and team work, and talking on the court. A lot of these youngsters aren't being told that."

Sunday November 18, 2012 The Glenrock Bird Page 11

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