Rig count continues dive

HOUSTON - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States dropped by 44 last week to 1,126, as weak energy demand continues to hamper oilfield activity.

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Texas lost 24 rigs, Oklahoma and North Dakota each lost five, Louisiana and Wyoming each lost three, Arkansas and Colorado each lost two and California lost one. New Mexico picked up one, and Alaska was unchanged.

Of the rigs running nationwide, 884 were exploring for natural gas and 228 for oil, Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc. reported Friday. A total of 14 were listed as miscellaneous.

A year ago, the rig count stood at 1,792. The U.S. count is down more than 40 percent since the end of August. Oil prices peaked near $150 a barrel in July before plunging. Light, sweet crude for April delivery fell 42 cents to $46.61 in trading Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Baker Hughes has tracked rig counts since 1944. The tally peaked at 4,530 in 1981, during the height of the oil boom. The industry posted several record lows in 1999, bottoming out at 488.

SkyWest plans changes

SALT LAKE CITY - About 300 SkyWest Airlines employees will be affected when Delta Air Lines takes over much of SkyWest's ground and baggage handling operations at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow says the employees will either shift to part-time positions or be laid off. The change, though, means that Delta will hire 50 employees to take over the work of SkyWest.

The change, which happens on May 15, is part of an effort to cut costs. Brett Rydalch, Delta's director of customer service at the airport, says the ground handling of 34 Delta Connection flights will shift from SkyWest to Delta.

SkyWest has a Delta connection between Salt Lake City and Casper.

WCDA will host training

The Wyoming Community Development Authority will host two EPA-approved lead-based paint certification training, according to a press release.

HUD requires the use of certified abatement contractors to perform federally funded rehabilitation work. As a result, all contractors, supervisors, workers or subcontractors interested in bidding on future WCDA projects that will be funded by the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program will be required to have this certification.

The training will be held in Casper March 23 to 27, and Cheyenne March 30 to April 3.

For more information, contact the WCDA at (307) 265-0603.

Health center names CEO

Kay Welling Garcia has been named CEO and administrator of Weston County Health Services in Newcastle. She will assume her new duties April 13.

Before coming to Newcastle, Garcia served as the CEO for Gordon Memorial Health Services in Gordon, Neb.

Garcia also brings extensive experience in hospital "turn-arounds and start-ups," according to a press release.

Weston County Health Services includes a 22-bed critical access hospital and a 51-bed long-term care facility. It is a managed facility of the Regional Health Network, based in Rapid City, S.D.

X-ray aims at bee fungus

POWELL - Call it a "B-Ray" machine.

Thanks to more than $90,000 in state funding, a new X-ray machine will check for fungus on bees in northern Wyoming's Big Horn Basin.

Basin farmers who grow alfalfa seed use leaf-cutter bees to pollinate their crops.

Wyoming law says no more than 10 percent of bees in a colony can have a fungus called chalk brood. The fungus won't kill off a bee colony, but can weaken it.

X-rays can detect the fungus when leaf-cutter bees are in pupae form and still in cocoons.

The $135,000 bee X-ray will be set up at a University of Wyoming extension office. The Wyoming Alfalfa Seed Growers organization will contribute $45,000.

Bee inspector Kim Decker says the new X-ray will be an improvement over her 25-year-old machine.