Hey Answer Girl -

What's with all the cars parked on the sidewalks in Casper. Is that even legal? I see it all the time.

-Jim in Casper

Parking on the sidewalk in Casper does seem to happen quite a bit. Two of my neighbors park on the sidewalk (which I don't really understand since they have driveways, but that's a different topic).

And no, it's not legal. In fact, it's not even legal to have your wheels up on the curb when you parallel park on the street. That, too, is a ticketable offense.

Peter Meyers, administrative analyst for the city, said Casper police conducted a big parked-on-the-sidewalk sting operation about a year ago. In a concerted effort to stop vehicular pedestrian blockage, officers were specifically assigned to issue tickets to those parked on or partially parked on the sidewalk.

"The sidewalks have to be open for pedestrians," Meyers said.

If you're annoyed by on-the-sidewalk parkers and vengeance is your game, call non-emergency dispatch at 235-8278. The parker will be ticketed.

Hey Answer Girl -

Among the universal questions such as origins of life and ultimate destiny, I have long wondered why the tiny bedroom communities of Lander and Fort Washakie are both represented by the Trib's weather map, while the major metropolitan center of Riverton is not. Lander and Fort Washakie are separated by only 15 miles, lay within the same trough in the foothills, and have nearly identical weather, while Riverton, 25 miles from Lander, often has very different weather. I know that space considerations probably preclude having all three, but why those two? Why not, say, Riverton and Lander, or Riverton and Dubois? Is this a conspiracy by Day Weather? Do we only get one question per email?

- Weather wonderer

OK, first let me congratulate you on the longest question I've ever received. This question is longer than most of my answers, and is surely longer than its own answer.

Day Weather does not, in my experience, conspire against Star-Tribune readers.

But you may have to continue waiting for a definitive answer about the Ft. Washakie/Riverton issue on the "Today's Forecast Map" section of the weather page.

Mark Heuer, meteorologist and newspaper service manager for Day Weather, said decisions about that map were made so long ago, no one really knows why those were the places chosen for the forecast map.

However, he added, Riverton is in the Wyoming forecast listing, while Fort Washakie is not.

On the regional map, he said, there isn't room for all three dots - the cities are too close together. And there isn't room in the regional cities list for all three either.

"If we had put Lander and Riverton on both, then Ft. Washakie wouldn't have been in either," Heuer said. "It's a matter of space, and we are trying to supply a forecast for as many locations as possible."

And as for your last question - no! You may ask as many questions as you'd like. Clearly.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com

Ask Answer Girl

Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0589.