Man gets jail for assault

A judge on Monday sentenced a 31-year-old man to 30 days in jail and one year of probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault.

Scott Daniel Hovde must also complete an anger management program as part of his sentence.

A visibly bruised Hovde told Natrona County Circuit Judge Stephen Brown that he had hit both his girlfriend and her 16-year-old son during a fight at their residence Sunday.

According to a police affidavit, Hovde told officers he and his girlfriend fight regularly because she is "Mexican" and "you know, they're feisty."

Man fined, loses hunting rights

A Casper man has been ordered to pay $30,000 and has lost his hunting and trapping privileges for the next 10 years after poaching two mule deer near Lusk in 2008.

The state Game and Fish Department said in a news release that Timothy Alme also forfeited a rifle, which he used to poach the two mule deer, and cannot accompany any individual on any hunting venture to 10 years.

The release said Alme was charged with the illegal killing of antlered big game animals without a license and during a closed season. He was also charged with shooting a big game animal from a vehicle and for hunting, shooting and killing wildlife from a highway.

Muddy Mountain Road closes

Effective Monday, the Bureau of Land Management's Casper Field Office has closed Muddy Mountain Road for the winter.

The road is the primary access route to the Muddy Mountain Environmental Education Area, two campgrounds and numerous trails. Due to mud and snow, the road is unsafe in the winter for vehicular traffic, the agency said in a media release.

However, the Muddy Mountain area is open for snowmobile use on designated state trails.

The road is closed annually based on weather and road conditions and will be open again around June 1, 2010.

NCHS speech team takes first

The Natrona County High School speech and debate team placed first last weekend at the Green River Speech Meet, according to a district news release.

The team competed with 13 other high school teams from Wyoming and Colorado.

The following students placed at the Green River meet:

* Varsity duet: first place, Thomas Shriver and Jens Boril; fourth place, Shalom Marcelli and Frankie Israel.

* Varsity domestic extemporaneous speaking: first place, Maddie Orcutt; second place, Sarah Saulsbury; third place, Jim Meyer; fourth place, Brandon Rosty.

* Novice domestic extemporaneous speaking: second place, Taylor Yates; third place, Jake Powell; fourth place, Jordan Coleman.

* Novice international extemporaneous speaking: first place, Margaret Born; second place, Taylor Cool; third place, Kip DeCastro.

* Varsity international extemporaneous speaking: first place, Brian Jackson; third place, Micah Scaling.

* Novice poetry: second place, Faith Marcelli; fourth place, Shayne Braun.

* Varsity policy debate: tied for third place, Micah Scaling and Margaret Born, and the team of Taylor Yates and Abbey Engen.

* Varsity public forum debate: third place, Clayton Dexter and Sunny Pedadda.

* Novice public forum debate: second place, Rachel Bryant and Shayne Braun.

* Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate: tied for first place, Jim Meyer and Maddie Orcutt.

The NCHS speech and debate team is coached by Mary Hoard and Matt Sharpnack.