Peabody names group executive

Jean Hull is Peabody Energy's new group executive for Power River Basin operations.

She will be responsible for all aspects of operations in the Powder River Basin including the North Antelope Rochelle, Caballo and Rawhide mines, a press release indicates.

Hull joined the company in May 2007 as senior vice president of engineering and technical services. Prior to that, she was chief operating officer for Kennecott Utah Copper.

{M3Business Council realigns offices

{M3The Wyoming Business Council will realign its regional offices effective July 1, according to a press release.

The realignment means the following changes:

--The Southwest Region will cover Lincoln, Sublette and Uinta counties with the office located in Kemmerer. The region used to include Sweetwater County with two offices, one in Kemmerer and one in Rock Springs.

--The South Central Region has been created to cover Sweetwater and Carbon counties with the office located in Rock Springs.

--The Southeast Region will cover Laramie, Platte, Albany and Goshen counties with the office located in Cheyenne. Carbon County used to be part of this region and Platte County used to be part of the East Central Region.

--The East Central Region will include Natrona, Converse and Niobrara counties. This region used to include Platte County.

{M3Casper airport receives grant

{M3Casper/Natrona County International Airport has been awarded an aircraft rescue fire fighting grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The grant will cover 95 percent of the $676,116 vehicle cost, while the state will pay 3 percent and the airport 2 percent, according to a press release.

The vehicle will 1,500 gallons of water and 210 gallons of foam. It is designed to perform both on-road and off-road.

KCWY wins broadcasting award

KCWY of Casper was named " 2008 Television Station of the Year" at the recent Wyoming Association of Broadcasters convention in Cody.

Station personnel received several individual awards, including four first place news and weather awards, and a fifth award for best Web site.

Colorado exports up slightly

DENVER -- New statistics show Colorado exports were up slightly through the first four months of 2008, reversing more than a year of declines.

Figures from WiserTrade and the World Trade Center Denver show the state's 2008 exports were valued at $2.55 billion through April, up 0.8 percent from the same period last year.

The gain was led by computer printers and related products, which rose 102 percent to $237 million. Molybdenum ore exports climbed 500 percent to $127 million, and beef was up 80 percent to $125 million.

Exports of semiconductors, data-storage devices and related products fell a combined 38 percent.

Exports account for about 3 percent of Colorado's gross domestic product.

Indexes include Double Eagle

Casper-based Double Eagle Petroleum Co. is set to join the broad-market Russell 2000 and 3000 indexes when Russell Investments reconstitutes its U.S. and global equity indexes on June 27.

Russell's U.S. indexes capture the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks at the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization.

Artha Resources plans exploration

Vancouver, B.C.-based Artha Resources Corp. has started phase one of a uranium exploration program in Wyoming.

The principal goal is to define in-situ recoverable resources and confirm historical resources in key districts.

Areas of interest are in the Shirley Basin, the Powder River Basin and the Wind River Basin, according to a press release.

KCWY-TV manager plans retirement

Bill Sullivan, general manager of KCWY-TV in Casper, says he will retire later this summer after 43 years in the broadcasting business.

Sullivan was hired in 2002 by Sunbelt Communications to build and operate Wyoming's newest television station, KCWY, channel 13. He has served as chairman of the CBS Affiliates Organization and has served on the Television Board of the National Association of Broadcasters.

Locally, he is involved with many community organizations including The Casper Area Economic Development Alliance, the Casper Rotary Club, Natrona County United Way, and he is a past president of the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce. Sullivan has also been a member of the Shriners Hospitals for Children-National Public Relations Advisory Council for 12 years.

Teton, Unit team up

Teton Energy Corp. has signed an exploration agreement with Unit Petroleum Co. to jointly explore and develop acreage controlled by Teton in the Big Horn Basin.

Unit Petroleum will pay for certain well costs to drill two test wells on Teton's approximate 23,000 gross acre leasehold in the Big Horn Basin in order to earn a 50 percent non-operated working interest in Teton's acreage, according to a press release. Thereafter, all costs of the two wells will be borne equally by Unit and Teton.

Calypso acquires uranium interest

Vancouver, B.C.-based Calypso Uranium Corp. has entered into an option agreement with EM International Inc. to acquire a 50 percent interest in approximately 390 unpatented lode mining mineral claims with in situ recovery potential located in Converse County.

The Sage Creek claims comprise about 6,250 acres on the Smith Ranch trend, according to a press release.

The claims surround a water well previously drilled by a coal operator that reportedly encountered two uranium roll-front gamma log signatures which were not pursued by the coal company.

North Dakota sets oil record

North Dakota is moving past Wyoming as a major oil-producing state.

Texas, Alaska, California, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico will produce more, according to a press release from Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council.

In April, North Dakota's monthly production hit a new record of 150,578 barrels a day. The previous high of 147,774 barrels per day was recorded in August 1984.

Bus ridership sets record

The Bus, operated by the Casper Area Transportation Coalition, provided 647 free rides during "Curb Your Car Day."

This was a record number of rides for one day, according to a press release.

Wyo adds two rigs

HOUSTON - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States rose by five last week to 1,906.

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Colorado gained 13 rigs, Louisiana added 10, Wyoming gained two and California and New Mexico each added one. Texas lost 13 rigs, Oklahoma lost six and Alaska lost one.

Of the rigs running nationwide, 1,514 were exploring for natural gas and 384 for oil, Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc. reported Friday. Eight were listed as miscellaneous.

A year ago, the rig count stood at 1,771.