Wind, ice close Wyoming Blvd.

Wyoming Highway Patrol temporarily closed Wyoming Boulevard on Monday afternoon due to high winds and ice, said a patrol dispatcher. The closure was also a reaction to several accidents on the highway.

Dentist appeals WMC lawsuit

A Casper dentist who lost his federal lawsuit against the nonprofit Wyoming Medical Center Inc. in an effort to obtain privileges to admit patients filed an appeal last week to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

Dr. Jim Ripley had sued the WMC, its board of directors and several hospital employees and physicians for alleged violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act and his due process rights.

But U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson dismissed both aspects in the summary judgment phase of the case in separate rulings in late January and early February.

In 2003, Ripley obtained full temporary privileges even though he was not a medical doctor nor a doctor of osteopathy. In August 2004, the hospital invoked its bylaws requiring only physicians be allowed privileges to admit patients.

After efforts broke down in early 2006 to change the bylaws, Ripley sued. He claimed he lost numerous patients and suffered damages, and the WMC deprived the public of free and open competition.

Ripley's appeal, filed by his attorney Stephen Kline of Cheyenne, sets in motion requirements and deadlines for submitting documents, according to the circuit court.

Elk poacher appeals sentence

A man sentenced to four years federal imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm and poaching a bull elk in Gallatin County, Mont., and dragging the head to his pickup inside Yellowstone National Park filed an appeal Monday in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

Michael David Belderrain killed the animal - described as "a beautiful, wonderful elk" - on Dec. 14, 2005, was indicted in March 2007, pleaded guilty in August, and was sentenced on Feb. 26 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William Downes in Casper.

Besides the 48 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and 12 months for two game violations - all to be served concurrently - Downes ordered Belderrain to pay $6,000 in restitution to the Yellowstone National Park Service Restitution Fund, plus a $1,000 fine and a $150 special assessment.

After the sentencing hearing, public defender Daniel Blythe said he intended to file the appeal on a double-jeopardy issue because Belderrain already had pleaded guilty to the same charges in Montana.

The federal judicial district of Wyoming includes all of Yellowstone National Park, including park land in Idaho and Montana.

Arrest follows attempted auto break-in

Police arrested a Riverton man Saturday on suspicion of auto burglary after a woman said she caught him breaking into her Jeep.

Nevada Shawn Whiting, 18, was taken into custody just before 11 p.m. on the 400 block of East Collins Drive after a police officer noticed that he matched the description the woman gave of the man who broke into her Jeep, according to a police affidavit.

The woman said she saw a tall man trying to open the rear passenger side door of the Jeep, the affidavit stated. She yelled at him and he tried hiding behind the jeep. When she told the man she could see him, he jumped up and ran away.

Police seek info in gas station robbery

Investigators are asking for the public's help in solving an armed robbery at Bradley's gas station on East Second Street on Feb. 26.

The suspect is a 30- to 40-year-old Hispanic man, about 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, with a prominent mustache. He was wearing a brown jacket with a hood and a black baseball cap with red on the front, police said.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Crime Stoppers tip line at (307) 577-TIPS. Tips can also be sent online at www.crime-stoppers.com.

Tipsters can remain anonymous and may earn rewards of up to $1,000.

SourceGas success stories?

Have your SourceGas billing problems been solved? If so, how? Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com and share your success story.