State posts manufacturing gains

Wyoming manufacturing employment grew 3 percent over the past year, according to the 2008 Wyoming Manufacturers Directory, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc.

The group reports that since September 2006, Wyoming gained 953 industrial jobs n the second straight year of gains.

The oil and mining industries account for 50 percent of Wyoming's manufacturing employment.

Manufacturers' News Inc. said 27.5 percent of the state's manufacturing jobs are located in Campbell County, with 136 companies employing 9,166, up 210 jobs (2.3 percent) over the past 12 months.

Natrona County is home to another 273 companies, employing 5,749 workers, up 556 (10.7 percent) from last year.

UP sets coal record

Union Pacific has set a new seven-day record of trains moving out of Wyoming's southern Powder River Basin, according to a press release.

The new record of 284 trains surpasses the previous seven-day record of 280.

The company achieved the previous 280-train record twice during seven-day period this past October and November. The new record was established between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28.

Plant to use Wyo coal

The Arkansas Public Service Commission has granted American Electric Power's Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need to construct a 600-megawatt coal-fueled power plant in Hempstead County in southwest Arkansas.

"This baseload plant will use low-sulfur coal from Wyoming, the same fuel which has helped meet SWEPCO's power generation needs affordably and reliably at plants in Arkansas and Texas for more than 25 years," said Venita McCellon-Allen, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer.

{M3

Strathmore wants 2009 production

{M3Strathmore Minerals Corp. hopes to bring its Gas Hills uranium properties into production by late 2009, according the company's Web site.

Strathmore, a Canadian based uranium exploration and development company, is currently building out its infrastructure toward producing uranium in the region.

Banking division reaccredited

The Wyoming Division of Banking has received high marks from its national accrediting organization, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

The group reaccredited the division for a five-year period, according to a press release.

The division was first accredited in 1992. It has since been reaccredited three times.

Herberger's holds 'reopening'

The Herberger's store at White Mountain Mall in Rock Springs launched a three-day "grand reopening" on Friday, a press release indicates.

The newly remodeled store has undergone a 23,000-square-foot expansion. Several departments have been expanded in size, and new lines and brands have been added.

The Herberger's store has been re-designed to feature brighter lighting, larger fitting rooms, new restrooms, elegant fixtures and marble flooring.

U.S. Energy, Crested Corp. merge

U.S. Energy Corp. of Riverton has merged with Crested Corp. As a result, Crested has ceased to exist and all outstanding shares of Crested have been converted into the right to receive U.S. Energy shares, and Crested will terminate its obligations to file further information with the SEC.

U.S. Energy will issue up to 2,876,188 shares of common stock to all former shareholders of Crested (except U.S. Energy), on an exchange ratio of one USE share for every two Crested shares.

Keith Larsen, CEO of U.S. Energy Corp., said in a press release that U.S. Energy now own all the assets previously held jointly with Crested Corp. This includes the Lucky Jack molybdenum deposit located in west central Colorado that is being developed through a venture with Kobex Resources Ltd.

Platina Energy acquires wells

Platina Energy Group of Cheyenne has acquired 50 existing wells in Kilgore, Tex., through its subsidiary, Platina Exploration Corporation.

The transaction resulted from previous mismanagement that caused the field to go unattended, according to a press release.

Well log records, along with current engineering estimates, indicate production probability of 150-200 barrels per day.

New Horizon creates logging firm

New Horizon Uranium Corp. has formed Eagle Geophysical Logging, a drill hole logging company.

New Horizon's wholly owned subsidiary, Horizon Nevada Uranium, Inc. is a 50 percent owner with BZU Holdings Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mesa Uranium Corp. of Reno, Nev.

Eagle Geophysical will be used by both companies to provide gamma and resistivity logs and drill hole surveys as part of each company's uranium drilling activities in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Wyoming.

New Horizon's projects include the Converse and Sand Creek joint ventures in Converse County.

Projects receive highway funds

Contracts totaling over $37.7 million for nine highway projects were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its November meeting in Cheyenne.

A one-mile section of WYO 59 between I-90 and the Donkey Creek Bridge in south Gillette will be rebuilt and widened under a $19.8 million contract awarded to Concrete Works of Lafayette, Colo.

Sixteen blocks of Spruce Street and three blocks of Third Street in Rawlins will be rebuilt under an $11.5 million contract awarded to Upper Plains Contracting of Aberdeen, S.D.

A one-half-mile section of Murray Street in Rawlins will be rebuilt under a nearly $2.3 million contract won by Cheyenne's Reiman Corp.

Reiman also was awarded a $1.2 million contract for bridge rehabilitation work on several structures in the Casper, Douglas and Wheatland areas, most of them on I-25.

Reiman's low bid of $639,000 won the contract to replace a bridge on Fremont Lake Road near its intersection with U.S. 191 at the eastern edge of Pinedale.

A timber bridge on Old Yellowstone Road about five miles north of its intersection with U.S. 85 north of Cheyenne will be replaced with two concrete box culverts under a $578,000 contract awarded to S&S Builders of Gillette.

A defunct steel bridge on Stage Road about 15 miles north of Lusk will be replaced with a concrete box culvert under a $394,000 contract awarded to Platte Valley Construction of Grand Island, Neb.

Deteriorating pavement on highways in Albany and Laramie counties will be patched under an $847,000 contract awarded to Star Aggregates of Cheyenne.

Natural Resource Conference set

The 2007 Natural Resource Conference, Tradeshow and WSGA Elite Bull Sale will be held Dec. 2-5 at the Parkway Plaza in Casper.

The event is hosted by the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and the Wyoming Wool Growers Association.

Among the speakers will be Bruce Knight, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan.

The conference theme is "Wyoming's Working Lands." The conference is open to the public. For more information, call 307-638-3942.