Massive chunk of Wyoming's Teton Pass crumbles; unclear how quickly the road can be rebuilt
A massive chunk of the meandering Teton Pass has collapsed, leaving a gaping dirt gash along the mountain pass that is a critical link between small eastern Idaho towns and the tourist destination of Jackson, Wyoming.
A judge is considering Wyoming abortion laws, including the first explicit US ban on abortion pills
Attorneys for both sides in a challenge to Wyoming abortion restrictions that include the nationโs first explicit ban on medication to end pregnancy have urged a judge to uphold or strike down the new laws without holding a trial.
A woman pleads guilty to fire that kept a Wyoming abortion clinic from opening for a year
An abortion opponent has pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge after telling investigators that anxiety and nightmares about Wyomingโs first full-service abortion clinic in years led her to break into and burn the planned facility.
Yellowstone flooding forces 10,000 to leave national park
Yellowstone National Park officials say more than 10,000 visitors have been ordered out of the nationโs oldest national park after unprecedented flooding tore through its northern half, washing out bridges and roads and sweeping an employee bunkhouse miles downstream.
![Scientists: Grizzlies expand turf but still need protection](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/Cn72U9MVQq9E67N_Cni23quZjsE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/EMMX2WM5SRC75NPMKMNUIQHSNM.jpg)
Scientists: Grizzlies expand turf but still need protection
Fish and Wildlife Service is a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. Grizzly bears are slowly expanding in the northern Rocky Mountains but scientists say they need continued protections and have concluded no other areas of the country would be suitable for the fearsome animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday released its first assessment in almost a decade about the status of grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. Conservationists and some university scientists have pushed to return bears to areas including Coloradoโs San Juan Mountains and Californiaโs Sierra Nevada. Grizzly bears have been protected as a threatened species in the contiguous U.S. since 1975, allowing a slow recovery in a handful of areas.
![Wyoming election changes pushed by Donald Trump Jr. fail](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/NxvYGHRymTmzARcWG16BRIGeJEk=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/WBAT3EYNYNDG7GY42CU6GQQWRI.jpg)
Wyoming election changes pushed by Donald Trump Jr. fail
FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2021, file photo, Donald Trump Jr. waits by Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. โ Wyoming lawmakers rejected a measure that would have required candidates to win a majority of votes in primary elections to avoid runoffs โ a change endorsed by Donald Trump Jr. in his campaign to undermine Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. Trump Jr. called for Cheneyโs defeat after she voted to impeach President Donald Trump over the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters. But for the most part, Wyomingโs Republican elected officials have continued to support her. AdTwo Republican state legislators โ- Sen. Anthony Bouchard, of Cheyenne, and Rep. Chuck Gray, of Casper โ already have announced they are running against Cheney, Wyomingโs lone congresswoman.
![Texas oil company agrees to pay $115K for spilling nearly 20,000 gallons of wastewater, crude in Wyoming](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/wa-taoV9F4THkC8wRwI3LkNK4Mo=/640x360/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RLRKWGXOFRCD3JWDMOFPTAZIX4.jpg)
Texas oil company agrees to pay $115K for spilling nearly 20,000 gallons of wastewater, crude in Wyoming
โ A Texas oil company has agreed to pay a $115,000 fine after spilling almost 20,000 gallons (73,000 liters) of wastewater and crude in western Wyoming, federal officials said Wednesday. The 2018 spill by Merit Energy Company came after a pipeline broke at a battery of oil tanks northwest of Thermopolis, Wyoming, according to the settlement. Some of the spilled water and oil reached Grass Creek, a tributary of the Big Horn River. An Environmental Protection Agency Investigation found that the Dallas-based company did not have an adequate emergency response plan in place as required under the federal Clean Water Act. The company has since submitted a new response plan and completed a cleanup of the site.
![Denver's airport reopens after powerful winter storm](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/mR8MEGhEP37Ofd2gvsP7uVL9McY=/1600x871/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/46SLJIKIZNFQRG5HHHZB7UIJ4U.jpg)
Denver's airport reopens after powerful winter storm
The storm system, fueled by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, had moved out of the region and into northeastern Nebraska by Monday, said Evan Direnzo, a meteorologist for the weather service in Boulder. Denver's airport runways were closed just before noon on Sunday due to blowing snow and poor visibilities and some stranded passengers spent the night at the airport. AdIn Wyoming, the National Weather Service warned that driving would remain dangerous for the next several days there because of slick and snow covered roads. Classes were also called off at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and the University of Coloradoโs main campus in Boulder. In the Denver metro area, all bus routes were suspended but limited train service was operating, including from downtownโs Union Station to the airport.
![Winter storm closes roads in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/DEoV29FsFXTptut8RkSLThy5QaM=/1600x871/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YR273TNTTNFQ7GHV4KFS3OIOYI.jpg)
Winter storm closes roads in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains on Sunday with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a โhistoric and cripplingโ winter storm that would cause extremely dangerous to impossible travel conditions through at least early Monday. Farther south, a record of over 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow had fallen just outside Cheyenne by noon Sunday, the weather service reported. More than 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow had fallen at the airport by 11 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said. AdAn avalanche blocked Colorado Highway 14 in north-central Colorado on Sunday, the Department of Transportation said.
![Investigation of Wyoming toddler found dead continues](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/Rsjh1Wg43EogWx6iZmMZtM4Qi-4=/1600x1200/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/C75GRQ33XBHGXDPEFDEYH5TV7U.jpg)
Investigation of Wyoming toddler found dead continues
Stuffed animals and notes of condolences are seen attached to a fence Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, around a dumpster at a Cheyenne, Wyo., apartment complex where a 2-year-old boy was found dead. โ Police in Wyoming continued Monday to investigate the death of a 2-year-old boy whose body was found in a dumpster at an apartment complex. Orona didn't return a Facebook message seeking comment and didn't have a listed phone number. AdPolice and firefighters conducted an extensive search Friday after hearing of the missing toddler. They used a reverse 911 call to tell people within a half-mile (1 kilometer) of the Lexington Hills apartment complex to be on the lookout for him.
![McCarthy meets with Rep. Greene; GOP faces Cheney decision](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/FB3np1_8j9VF2EHTbR1kKlZ3ZW8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RORBVDDPXNDTHGDFK4IJKCBAZ4.jpg)
McCarthy meets with Rep. Greene; GOP faces Cheney decision
House Republicans are effectively deciding whether to prioritize the former presidentโs norm-shattering behavior and conspiracy theories and retain the loyalty of his voters over more establishment conservative values. AdThe House GOP Steering Committee, a leadership-dominated body that makes committee assignments for the party, also met late Tuesday but no decision was announced. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and others have boosted pressure this week on McCarthy and the House GOP to act. McConnell praised Cheney, R-Wyo., as โa leader with deep convictions and courage,โ but House GOP lawmakers planned to meet privately Wednesday to decide her political fate. AdThe looming decisions over Cheney and Greene represent a moment of reckoning for a party struggling with its future.
![Grizzly, 34, confirmed as Yellowstone region's known oldest](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/3qRS1d-uQS22dKSKcR7cKJqY8UM=/1600x1320/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/FSBQV3EGPZEG7I3KE2L2Y7MVUE.jpg)
Grizzly, 34, confirmed as Yellowstone region's known oldest
This 2020 photo provided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department shows the worn, mostly toothless jaw of Grizzly 168. โ A 34-year-old grizzly bear captured in southwestern Wyoming has been confirmed as the oldest on record in the Yellowstone region, Wyoming wildlife officials said. Grizzly bear 168 was captured last summer after it preyed on calves in the Upper Green River Basin area. Biologists could tell grizzly 168 was responsible after examining the calves. Grizzly 168 has outlived all females documented within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by four years, and female grizzly bears tend to live longer, officials said.
![US government approves routes for Wyoming CO2 pipelines](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/Zar4uFsDqGWF13alk8qwnlsw7N4=/1600x1067/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/MYTIXTJBLVFDBLYZIARCHOSBWU.jpg)
US government approves routes for Wyoming CO2 pipelines
The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed. โ The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed. In all, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management designated 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) of federal land for pipeline development through the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Energy markets drive development of carbon capture projects for oil development, said Matt Fry, state of Wyoming project manager for the pipeline initiative. Sage grouse numbers have dwindled substantially over the past century and much of their habitat in Wyoming carries development restrictions.
![Effort in Arkansas to enact hate crimes law in jeopardy](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/g1Ceoxp4dp4YD9K1e3eIt5iDo88=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IDBDE6QUQBH3TDVFRFIOYFJJAE.jpg)
Effort in Arkansas to enact hate crimes law in jeopardy
Hutchinson is advocating for a hate crimes bill in the upcoming legislative session, but the measure faces some obstacles. Georgia in June became the latest to enact a bill, leaving Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming as the remaining outliers. Asa Hutchinson, who as a U.S. attorney prosecuted racist militia members but without a hate crimes law's specific penalties. The potential for hate crimes laws getting approved is mixed in the other remaining states. Bentonville-based Walmart and Springdale-based Tyson Foods have also said they support enacting a hate crimes law.
![Utah man pleads guilty in Yellowstone dig seeking treasure](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/XD_Fgi9UOoq8eBQrIr33EEwOPC0=/1600x1067/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TMFXBJ2XY5EWZJWRTTECKSDF3Y.jpg)
Utah man pleads guilty in Yellowstone dig seeking treasure
This undated photo provided by the National Park Service shows Fort Yellowstone Cemetery, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. A Utah man has pleaded guilty after authorities said he was caught digging in a Yellowstone National Park cemetery in search of hidden treasure. โ A Utah man has pleaded guilty after authorities said he was caught digging in a Yellowstone National Park cemetery in search of hidden treasure. Craythorn caused more than $1,000 in damage by digging in the Fort Yellowstone Cemetery between Oct. 1, 2019, and May 24, 2020, prosecutors alleged. Several people seeking the treasure had to be rescued from precarious situations and as many as six died.
![Texas oilmanโs Ansel Adams photo gets $988,000 at auction](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/FAVv8hzjUgw0N8MF0GwBM0Kdfbw=/1600x1196/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/KSGHKQQYURAD3KZNQZ7MAACV3Y.jpg)
Texas oilmanโs Ansel Adams photo gets $988,000 at auction
This 1942 Ansel Adams photo provided by Sotheby's and The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust shows, a West Texas oilman's mural-sized print of Ansel Adams' photo, "The Grand Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming." Sotheby's New York, the auction house, said Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, that the print sold for $988,000, a record price for Adams at auction. (Ansel Adams/The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust/Sotheby's via AP)DALLAS โ A West Texas oilmanโs mural-sized print of an Ansel Adams photo has sold for nearly $1 million at an auction. Sotheby's New York, the auction house, said Tuesday that โThe Grand Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyomingโ sold for $988,000, a record price for Adams at auction. The photo was among 115 works by Adams, including single prints and portfolios, that sold at auction Monday for $6.4 million, Sothebyโs said.
![$2K reward offered in Wyoming grizzly bear killing case](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/etBjV0d1aXH26yHtTY3pAXPtkis=/1600x1104/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/DFKISYLKGVBOLG5RIXPCJRUZF4.jpg)
$2K reward offered in Wyoming grizzly bear killing case
FILE - In this July 6, 2011, file photo, a grizzly bear roams near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Wildlife managers are offering an up to $2,000 reward for information about the illegal killing of a grizzly bear in central Wyoming. Grizzlies in the Yellowstone region are federally protected as a threatened species. โ Wildlife managers in Wyoming are offering an up to $2,000 reward for information about the illegal killing of a grizzly bear. Grizzlies in the Yellowstone region are federally protected as a threatened species.
![New migration maps serve as tools to help big game in West](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/uBqoTiYCNAGKvp1-QKdwaiMrVUA=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OBWVPKTO4VEKHA6RC4DBFF6DQM.jpg)
New migration maps serve as tools to help big game in West
They watch as big game animals in the West chase emerging spring greenery to ever-higher elevations, then return to lowlands to avoid the worst of winter's cold and snow. Roads, such as Interstate 80 from Wyoming to California, also hold up and kill migrating big game animals. Reintroduced populations of Western big game animals need decades to rediscover migration routes, research suggests. Mark Gordon in February designated three mule deer migration corridors with plans for others where state officials would encourage but not force help from landowners. And we now have a whole toolbox full of tools that we can use to maintain these migration corridors,โ Kauffman said.
![Austin man on bucket list trip involved in horrific hot air balloon crash in Wyoming](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/GeghL3R02qxrJ7ADSMwZLeFhTmM=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/08-04-2020/t_65138ed4e0314f0abac88b3ae5544608_name_image.jpg)
Austin man on bucket list trip involved in horrific hot air balloon crash in Wyoming
A Texas man and his family had their dream vacation turn into a nightmare when a hot air balloon they were riding in crashed at a popular Wyoming tourist destination. I couldnt believe how beautiful everything was, Phillips told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. The family saw the other two balloons crash first. While we were so busy looking at that, we didnt realize that we were coming down, Phillips told ABC News. It was horrific.All three balloons belonged to the Wyoming Balloon Co., Carr said.
![Kanye West Names His VP Running Mate: Here's What We Know About Michelle Tidball](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/4NT2Zm3QksP52upw99xWhaoOAZ8=/1280x720/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/SMABL5BBRNGK3OW6LF5GDYZKVA.jpg)
Kanye West Names His VP Running Mate: Here's What We Know About Michelle Tidball
In a new interview with Forbes, West names Michelle Tidball, whom the publication refers to as "an obscure preacher from Wyoming," as his vice presidential pick. Tidball runs the website Yarash, which is a Hebrew word meaning "to seize or to inherit," and offers biblical life coaching and weekly teleconferences. Her individual life coaching is available for a suggested donation of $65 per 50-minute session. I worked as a mental health therapist for ten years and then shifted into life coaching. Forbes states that Tidball is 57, and that during a recent teleconference, she claimed she did not "watch news."
![House moves to approve DC statehood; Senate GOP opposes](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/JR77ikb7nmJycmT9LEs00AoNNOY=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LBSFK4EA2FE7RPDJWFDABVF3R4.jpg)
House moves to approve DC statehood; Senate GOP opposes
will hold a vote on D.C. statehood on July 26. Or Congress can live up to this nations promise and ideals, end taxation without representation and pass the statehood bill. The House vote would mark the first time a chamber of Congress has passed a D.C. statehood bill, but the legislation faces insurmountable opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate. In a Senate speech, he dismissed Washington, D.C., as a city with little more to offer than lobbyists and federal workers. In other words, Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state.Cotton also criticized Democrats for prioritizing the D.C. statehood vote while there is mob violence in the streets.
![San Antonio man charged with kidnapping after taking runaway teen to Wyoming, police say](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/V8MgbcsVthez2c1ud4aJYZ8uzxA=/1280x720/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/JOJZWQGGSFC2NDXWG5HXQXDT3Y.jpg)
San Antonio man charged with kidnapping after taking runaway teen to Wyoming, police say
SAN ANTONIO A San Antonio man was charged with kidnapping after surveillance images captured him and a runaway teenager at a store in Wyoming. Andres Hernandez, 28, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of kidnapping, Bexar County Jail records show. They believed she was with Hernandez, according to the arrest affidavit. Investigators obtained surveillance video from a retail store in Evanston, Wyoming, which allegedly captured the couple there. Hernandezs bail was set at $35,000, jail records showed.
![Rescuers relieved after legendary $2M treasure found](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/37VPtqmcAuQkNDdCnYjeyJgP2Cs=/1600x1200/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/N3FLFHOYNZBYPOGZURD3RKADQI.jpg)
Rescuers relieved after legendary $2M treasure found
Treasure hunters have run into trouble there a couple times every year, Johnson said. Not far away, two treasure hunters using snowmobiles needed rescue twice this past February and March. In January, treasure hunter David Christensen, of Winamac, Indiana, needed rescue after rappelling deep into Yellowstone National Parks Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. A photo not made public confirmed the chase was over, Fenn told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The statement especially the canopy of stars part has settled little for avid Fenn treasure hunters in online forums: They want to know the solution.
![Wyoming patrol: Texas man dies after jumping from vehicle](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/xKaNrYO5c3LzR8Yh67F9T9BlBXA=/640x360/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-gmg.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IRNQKDOWAJG4PIGH6VAGK7ZDKM.jpg)
Wyoming patrol: Texas man dies after jumping from vehicle
โ A Texas man suspected of drunken driving died after jumping out of his speeding vehicle while being chased by a Wyoming state trooper on Friday, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said. Marshall R. Acker, 43, of Tyler, Texas climbed out of his vehicle through his sunroof and jumped onto Interstate 90 near Sheridan as his vehicle traveled at around 80 mph (129 kph), the patrol said. His vehicle then crashed into the median cable divider. The approximately 5-mile (1.6 km) pursuit of Acker started after troopers were notified of a suspected drunken driver and spotted his vehicle, which matched the description in the report. Acker was initially spotted driving at 97 mph (156 kph) in a 75 mph (121 kph) zone and failed to stop for a trooper who turned on his emergency lights and sirens.