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CHEYENNE, Wyo. - An American Indian who shot a bald eagle for use in a tribal religious ceremony must stand trial, a federal appeals court has ruled. A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Thursday reversed a 2006 lower court ruling that dismissed a criminal charge against Winslow Friday, a Northern Arapaho Indian who has acknowledged shooting a bald eagle in 2005 during the tribe's Sun Dance. In dismissing the charge, U.S. District Judge William Downes of Wyoming said the federal government has shown "callous indifference" to American Indian religious beliefs. Eagle feathers are...

Battle That Gained Texas Independence Observed Today Today is San Jacinto Day, a state holiday observing the April 21, 1836, battle near Houston in which a Texas army led by Gen. Sam Houston defeated Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Historians cite it as the decisive battle in Texas gaining independence from Mexico. Sam Houston's approximately 900 men, infuriated by the deaths of about 550 comrades at the Alamo and the Goliad massacre, took just 18 minutes to win a battle that left 630 Mexican soldiers dead and another 730 in captivity, according to historical accounts. Santa Anna agreed...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a former Clinton administration appointee, announced Wednesday that he will support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Freudenthal said he was impressed by the large, enthusiastic crowds that turned out to see Obama when he visited Wyoming ahead of last month's caucuses. "They paid attention and were riveted and reactivated, and trying to be part of an America that's bigger than just their own self- interest," Freudenthal told The Associated Press. "And you hope that can work. Because something has got to dig us out of this morass that...

A booming energy industry has helped Wyoming's average income double over the past decade. In 1996, the average Wyomingite earned $21,875 a year and the state ranked 33rd for average income. Last year, Wyoming's average income was $43,226 and the state ranked sixth... No other state's personal income increased as much over the same period. Wyoming is an anomaly in the region. The top five states for personal income in 2007 -- Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York and Maryland -- are on the East Coast. Colorado, at 10th, is the only other Rocky Mountain state in the top 10....

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming.

Pentagon admits mistaken arms shipment 6 minutes ago The Pentagon has announced that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming. It said the items have been returned to the United States. At a news conference, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said Tuesday that the misshipped items were four nose cone assemblies for ballistic missiles. He also said it was sent instead of helicopter batteries that had been ordered by Taiwan, he said. Wynne said the matter is under investigation.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney, starting a visit on Saturday to try to push forward Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, said Washington would never pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its security. Palestinians accuse Israel of undermining the U.S.-sponsored peace talks by expanding Jewish settlements, refusing to remove West Bank roadblocks and mounting offensives against militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip who fire cross-border rockets into the Jewish state. "America's commitment to Israel's security is enduring and unshakable, as is Israel's right to protect itself always against terrorism, rocket attacks and other attacks from forces dedicated to Israel's destruction,"...

Montana’s wolf population increased 34 percent over the past year, to an estimated 422 wolves in 73 packs... The wolves are nearly equally distributed between northern and southern Montana...although the bulk of the population growth was in northwestern and far western Montana... Wolves are still listed under the Endangered Species Act. Delisting was set for late March, but lawsuits are expected to delay that. As for conflicts with ranchers, the FWP reported an increase in the number of confirmed cattle deaths due to wolves, from 32 to 75, and an increase in the number of sheep deaths, from four to...

CHEYENNE -- Declaring that Wyoming residents have a right to defend their homes, Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed a bill Thursday that spells out in statute that citizens may use deadly force on intruders. Freudenthal said he supported a last-minute change to House Bill 137 that narrowed the scope of the bill to only cover intrusions inside the home. "I was troubled as it came out of the House because it went outside the castle," said Freudenthal, referring to the bill's common title, the "castle doctrine," which is said to have originated from a concept in English common law that a...

WASHINGTON - Borrowing a theme from the presidential contest, Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that the possibility of a 3 a.m. emergency call to the White House is all the more reason for the next commander in chief to follow through on President Bush's plans for a national missile defense. "It's plain to see that the world around us gives ample reason to continue working on missile defense," Cheney told the conservative Heritage Foundation at a dinner recognizing the 25th anniversary of President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, a proposed network of rockets capable of shooting down incoming intercontinental ballistic...

Hillary Clinton's campaign is casting her not-entirely-disastrous showing in the Wyoming caucuses as a victory. Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "We are thrilled with this near split in delegates and are grateful to the people of Wyoming for their support. Although the Obama campaign predicted victory in Wyoming weeks ago, we worked hard to present Senator Clinton’s vision to the caucus-goers and we thank them for turning out today." Waitasec... I thought victories in red states, small-population states and caucus states were irrelevant...? I guess losses there somehow rock the house?

<p>With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had 59 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent. Both candidates campaigned in the state ahead of the caucuses, but the onus was on Obama to regain his momentum after Clinton disrupted his winning streak Tuesday, scoring wins in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island.</p>

CASPER, Wyo. - Barack Obama was the projected winner in Wyoming's Democratic caucuses on Saturday, clenching a majority of the 12 delegates, NBC News declared.

CHEYENNE -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday signed into law a bill that prohibits government officials from confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens. Sponsor Allen Jaggi, R-Lyman, has said House Bill 57 was prompted by the confiscation of guns by police in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Freudenthal said afterward that he was pleased to sign the bill, although he didn't think it addressed any real problem. But Freudenthal, an avid hunter who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association in his re-election campaign in 2006, said he can understand why supporters want the bill enacted here. "It's not understandable on...

CHEYENNE, Wyoming (Reuters) - With a long history of firsts in women's rights, Wyoming would seem to be a state primed to put its stamp on the presidential aims of Sen. Hillary Clinton, but experts say that doesn't seem likely. They are predicting the western state of just 59,000 registered Democrats will back Clinton's rival, Sen. Barack Obama, in Saturday's presidential nominating caucuses. It has backed Republicans in the past 10 presidential elections. "While Wyoming has had some remarkable 'firsts' including the right to vote for women and some of the first elected female officials in the nation, our status...

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. - This small Western hamlet, best known for a bloody race riot involving white and Chinese coal miners in 1885, might not be the first place one would expect to find the former leader of the free world. But here was Bill Clinton in southwest Wyoming, two days before Saturday's Democratic caucuses, telling about 1,000 people how his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would establish 10 clean-coal technology projects if elected president in November. "Some environmentalists don't think we ought to be doing anything with coal, but they're wrong," he said. "Think about it, you could become, maybe,...

“Since the early 1980s, oil shale was not on the U.S. energy policy agenda, and very little attention was directed at technology or energy market developments that might change the commercial prospects for oil shale.” That is a near quote from the RAND corporation in a 2005 report entitled: “Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment.” An additional quote states: “The largest known oil shale deposits in the world are in the Green River Formation, which covers portions of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Estimates of oil resources now in place within the Green River Formation range from 1.5 to 1.8 trillion barrels. Not...

The criminal killing of an elk underscores the need to restrict the use of loaded guns in national parks, Chief U.S. District Judge William Downes said Tuesday. "You took a magnificent bull elk in a United States park, then engaged in acts to cover up your crime," Downes said before sentencing Michael David Belderrain to four years in prison. "Your case represents a classic public policy answer to the question: 'Why do we not want to have people with indiscriminate access to firearms in a national park?' "And your crime answers that question," he said. "We don't." Downes' comment at...

The Popo Agie Ranch, just four miles south of town, has a 70-acre hay meadow which rises from an aspen- and cottonwood-sheltered river basin, rolling east and empty into the foot of Table Mountain. The meadow, and the adjacent 4,000-acre pasture, was once used for a modest but profitable cow-calf operation. Today, if visitors roll over the wooden platform bridge across the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River, they'll notice a few corralled llamas, a handful of horses, but no cows. When wolves moved into the area, rancher Dave Vaughan got out of the cow-calf business... "As soon as...

A jackrabbit found throughout much of the West has disappeared from the Yellowstone area, although the reason why remains a mystery, a new study concludes. Whatever the cause, the study suggests the white-tailed jackrabbit's disappearance has wrought major changes to Yellowstone's food chain. Coyotes and wolves, which could have depended on the rabbit as a significant food source, apparently turned their attention instead to larger prey including young elk, pronghorn antelope -- even domestic livestock. However, because the rabbit's decline went relatively unnoticed until now, quantifying that shift is virtually impossible, said the study's lead author, Joel Berger with the...

Associated Press CHEYENNE - The House restored a critical provision to a self-defense bill Thursday, specifying that citizens have no duty to retreat before using deadly force. The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday had stripped the "no-retreat" language from the bill. But a motion to restore the language from sponsor Rep. Lorraine Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, passed Thursday in the House by a vote of 29-22. The House then gave preliminary approval to the entire bill, House Bill 137. It needs to pass twice more in the House before heading to the Senate. Quarberg and other supporters have said that Wyoming needs...

For the benefit of our country, I hope and pray respect for the office of the president returns with the new president in 2009. The abuse the presidency of George Bush was forced to tolerate has been nothing short of obscene. Just last week, someone referred to the president as "that bastard Bush." The former first lady, senator and presidential candidate gently nodded her head in approval and answered the foul mouth with, "Well, there is a lot of truth in that." For years now Mr. Bush has been called a liar, betrayer, dummy, bastard, fear monger, murderer … just...

Interior Department Removes Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves from Endangered Species List Contacts Ed Bangs (406) 449-5225, x 204 Joan Jewett (503) 231-6211 Sharon Rose (303) 236-4580 Joshua Winchell (703) 358-2279 The gray wolf population in the Northern Rocky Mountains is thriving and no longer requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett announced today. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will remove the species from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. "The wolf population in the Northern Rockies has far exceeded its recovery goal and continues to expand...

**EXCERPT** CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A bill that sought to make it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants in Wyoming died Tuesday when it failed to receive the required two-thirds vote for introduction in the House of Representatives.

Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The memory of Louisiana police confiscating guns from waterlogged citizens in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a few years ago has some Wyoming legislators anxious to make sure nothing similar ever happens here. A proposed Wyoming bill would change the state's Homeland Security laws. It would spell out that the governor and other officials don't have authority to confiscate guns from law-abiding citizens in the event of natural disasters or terrorist attacks. The National Rifle Association has pushed similar legislation around the country following Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the surrounding area...

Good Neighbor Forum is proud to announce Mr. Lyle Laverty, US Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, will speak at the: 2nd Annual Good Neighbor Forum Topic: Food in the 21st Century How policies including conservation easements, ESA, Water, Roadless, EU, precautionary principles and trade will impact your food supply. March 15, 2008 9:00 am - 4:00 pm For more information contact: Roni 970-284-6874 Featured Speakers include Mr. Lawrence Kogan, Esq. - N.J. Will address Precautionary Principle, European Union and more. Dr. Corey Ciochhetti - CO Will address Ethics and Essence of being a...

Police in Laramie, Wyo., Cite Teen Girls Who Threw French Fries for 'Hurling Missiles' Friday, February 01, 2008 LARAMIE, Wyo. — Three 13-year-old girls accused of throwing french fries during lunchtime at their school were cited for "hurling missiles," an adult infraction covered by city ordinances. The principal of Laramie Junior High and a police officer had warned students during an assembly the day before the french fries' launch that if they threw food, they had to suffer the consequences, Police Chief Bob Deutsch said. The warning came after school officials had heard rumors of an impending food fight. "They...

The results of Republican nonbinding straw polls in some Wyoming counties Saturday don't jibe with the statewide delegate selection results in favor of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. In Johnson County, for example, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee came in first in the straw poll, while Romney was in fourth place. Johnson County Republican precinct voters chose as an alternate delegate Bob Snowdon, who is uncommitted and was the only person nominated to attend the national GOP convention, said Jerry Eastwood, chairman of the Johnson County Republican Party. Johnson County Republicans who contacted the Star-Tribune Monday, including Ruth...

CHEYENNE -- The results of Republican nonbinding straw polls in some Wyoming counties Saturday don't jibe with the statewide delegate selection results in favor of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. In Johnson County, for example, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee came in first in the straw poll, while Romney was in fourth place. Johnson County Republican precinct voters chose as an alternate delegate Bob Snowdon, who is uncommitted and was the only person nominated to attend the national GOP convention, said Jerry Eastwood, chairman of the Johnson County Republican Party. Johnson County Republicans who contacted the Star-Tribune Monday,...

Sorry, Rudy: If an immigration reform bill allows illegal aliens to stay in the country and become citizens, it's amnesty, even if they have to pay a financial penalty. Fred Thompson spells it out in last night's WMUR-Facebook-ABC debate: (Here's a transcript of the ABC Democrat debate. Here's a transcript of the ABC Republican debate.) Earlier today on NBC's Today Show, Thompson responded to yet another stupid "when ya gonna drop out" question by refocusing on his key issues -- addressing the threat of terrorism and the looming entitlement crisis. When reporter Lester Holt pressed, Thompson took a shot at...

Romney Wins Wyoming Caucuses By MEAD GRUVER – 7 hours ago CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Mitt Romney captured his first win of the Republican presidential race, gaining most of Wyoming's delegates at stake in GOP caucuses on Saturday. The former Massachusetts governor won seven delegates, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson got two and California Rep. Duncan Hunter won one, meaning no other candidate could beat Romney. Caucuses were still being held to decide all 12 delegates at stake. The win was a boost for Romney, coming two days after his loss to Mike Huckabee in the Iowa caucuses and three...

The big news, however, is that the labeled ‘dark horse’ candidate Duncan Hunter placed third in the caucus, achieving 1 delegate and 1 alternate delegate for the upcoming national convention....

CODY, Wyoming (Reuters) - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Wyoming Republican presidential caucus on Saturday, taking seven of the state's 12 delegates with nearly all precincts reporting, according to a state party official. Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee won two delegates and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California won one, said Amy Larimer, executive director of the Wyoming Republican Party. Larimer said two delegates remained undecided while officials counted all the votes. A final tally was expected later in the day. The victory gives Romney supporters something to tout as the focus of the U.S. presidential election shifts...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will win the Wyoming Republican caucuses, CNN projects. Mitt Romney will win the Wyoming Republican caucuses, CNN projects. With 91 percent of precincts reporting, Romney has won eight of Wyoming's 12 delegates. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has won two, and California Rep. Duncan Hunter has won one. Wyoming's Republican contest comes two days after the Iowa caucuses and three days before the New Hampshire primary. The early date of the Wyoming GOP county conventions was intended to draw candidates' attention to the state, but has had only modest results. Republican hopefuls Romney, Hunter, Fred...

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Mitt Romney captured his first win of the Republican presidential race, gaining most of Wyoming's delegates at stake in GOP caucuses on Saturday. The former Massachusetts governor won six of the first eight delegates to be selected. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and California Rep. Duncan Hunter won one apiece, meaning no other candidate could beat Romney. Caucuses were still being held to decide all 12 delegates at stake. The win was a boost for Romney, coming two days after his loss to Mike Huckabee in the Iowa caucuses and three days before the first-in-the- nation...

CASPER, Wyoming: Mitt Romney's attention to Wyoming paid off Saturday as he won most of the 12 presidential delegates at stake in the state's Republican county conventions. The former Massachusetts governor won six of the first eight to be selected Saturday. Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator and actor, and California Rep. Duncan Hunter, who both also visited Wyoming, won one apiece, meaning no other candidate could beat Romney. Caucuses were still meeting.

CASPER, Wyo. — Mitt Romney won the first delegate elected to the Republican National Convention Saturday when Albany County chose Tammy Johnson as its representative to the convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul next September. She defeated a Fred Thompson supporter and an uncommitted candidate at the county convention in Laramie. Eleven more delegates were to be elected throughout the day in other counties. Wyoming, never before even a whistle-stop in a Republican nominating campaign because its conventions came late and were overshadowed by primaries in bigger states, chose the first 12 delegates of 2008 at 12 separate county conventions. Iowa Republicans,...

CASPER, Wyo. — Mitt Romney grabbed the early lead in Wyoming’s Republican caucuses Saturday as the state had its brief moment in the political spotlight sandwiched between attention-getting contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. The former Massachusetts governor gained the first four delegates while California Rep. Duncan Hunter won a fifth. Romney easily led the overall vote with more than 50 percent. Hunter was second with 21 percent and Fred Thompson, who hadn’t won any delegates, was third with 17 percent. Results were expected throughout the day.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The executive director of the Wyoming Republican Party says she's disappointed that presidential candidates focused on the Iowa caucuses and jetted off to New Hampshire without swinging out to Wyoming in between. Amy Larimer says Wyoming has been a bit overlooked. Because the Iowa caucuses are a straw poll - no delegates actually are chosen until later - Wyoming's Republicans will choose the first 12 national convention delegates today. No candidate has been to Wyoming, however, since Duncan Hunter visited a month ago.

  Click Here onJanuary 5, 2008 for LIVE results from each County Convention

Fresh off of disappointing finishes in Iowa, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson are hoping to rebound on Saturday when Wyoming Republicans gather in county conventions across the state Both candidates shelled out $10,000 each for a precious list of party members who are eligible to participate in the 23 county conventions, and it would appear from press reports that they have been the most active in contacting potential delegates. Fred Thompson, on the other hand, has worked the state hard. He visited Wyoming back in September and has a network of supporters throughout the state who have been touting his...

CHEYENNE - Wyoming Republicans gather today at county conventions to help select their party's presidential nominee. Will anybody care? While Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee generated lots of attention from victories at Thursday's Iowa caucuses, the same is not likely to happen for the winner in Wyoming. Wyoming has barely cracked the consciousness of national news reporters and pundits who have talked ceaselessly about Iowa and already are focused on Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. Mitt Romney, who finished second in Iowa as a Republican, briefly mentioned Wyoming on cable TV Friday morning. Some national newspapers, including the Washington...

Did you know there’s another caucus before the New Hampshire primary? Yes, it’s Wyoming, and it’s Saturday, January 5. Though it’s raised the ire of the RNC, Wyoming is moving forward with its primary anyway in the hopes of playing an important, if less than decisive role, in selecting the GOP nominee. To add to the mystery, no major media operation is covering the race, nor have they bothered to poll Wyomingites, so we are left to wonder who, if anyone, will win, and whether it will matter. The buzz in Wyoming centers around two candidates - Fred Thompson and...

"We're proud to endorse Senator Thompson for president because he has a long track record of supporting pro-life principles," stated Steven Ertelt, President of Right to Life of Wyoming. "Senator Thompson had a 100% pro-life voting record during his tenure in Congress. Today, he supports overturning the Roe v Wade decision which allowed for unlimited abortions, he opposes euthanasia, and he opposes forcing taxpayers to fund scientific research that requires the destruction of human life." Right to Life of Wyoming (RTLW) is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee which has endorsed Senator Thompson for President, along...

CHEYENNE - Wyoming's early county conventions haven't generated the profile of Iowa's caucuses, but they have resulted in the state's first-ever serious look by presidential candidates. "I've got to tell you, it's exciting," said Bill Cubin, Natrona County GOP chairman. "We really are making a difference here." Candidates have reached out in a variety of ways. Most candidates have targeted state party members with e-mails, phone calls, direct mailing, personal visits and calls to local radio talk shows. Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson spent $10,000 each to acquire a list of the names and contact information for party...

Why settle, when we have a full-fledged, tough and experienced conservative to turn to? It’s been fun, as it always is, to watch the horserace that is the presidential primary season. The media loves it. Political junkies love it. And even the candidates seem to enjoy their moments in the spotlight. At the end of the day, however, it is probably the candidate who has least enjoyed it who is best suited to be the next president. In my view, that person is Senator Fred Thompson. I know there are those who claim he has run a lackluster campaign. Perhaps,...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Don’t forget about Wyoming. It’s been overlooked in the hoopla surrounding Thursday’s Iowa caucuses and next week’s New Hampshire primary, but Wyoming Republicans will caucus Saturday and choose delegates to the national convention in September. Candidates have paid little attention to the state, though. Only Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter have passed through since September. “Yes, there have been some appearances by the candidates in this state that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred this early in the process,� said Jim King, who teaches political science at the University of Wyoming. “But candidates are where the media...

John Kerr wasn't dreaming of palm trees and balmy winters when he retired from WGBH, the Boston public TV station known for producing such hits as "Antiques Roadshow." His thoughts had gone West. The 69-year-old put on a green uniform and Smokey Bear hat and became a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone National Park, where snow can fall every month of the year, including July. "That's why they have wood stoves and furnaces," Kerr said. "Warm weather isn't the issue for me. It's keeping vital and interested and involved." Demographers say thousands of people like Kerr are heading to the Rocky...

BOISE - If the saying is true, that only the strong survive, some fear the Canadian Grey Wolf, will be the only one left standing in Idaho's backcountry. "We're headed for the worst wildlife disaster in the history of this state," says Ron Gillette. He's been an outfitter near Stanley for 34 years. Since wolves were reintroduced in Idaho in the mid 90's, Gillette believes the environment has changed. "Once you put these Canadian Grey Wolves into an Eco-system, they kill everything. They kill the prey first, then they kill the other predators, and when they get down to wolves...

confirmed killed by wolves... the confirmed kills varied from the reported animal deaths and values, which came to 40 animals valued at roughly $40,000. He cautioned people not to draw conclusions about the confirmed numbers, because unconfirmed kills are often those in which the livestock is discovered too late to actually identify, by tracks, tooth marks or other means, the actual cause of death. Their agency is part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, though they often are mistaken for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the...