Enzi calls for drought disaster designations

WASHINGTON - Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., wants the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate five Wyoming counties - Johnson, Converse, Platte, Niobrara and Big Horn - as drought disaster areas.

The designation would make farmers and ranchers in those counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.

It would also designate bordering counties as secondary disaster areas where farmers and ranchers could also apply for loans.

"Many counties are plagued by drought and it is a great concern to me and to many of the agriculture producers in our state," Enzi said.

The region has been in a drought for more than five years.

Ladd announces 'captain' network

Congressional candidate Ted Ladd has unveiled a list of more than 30 prominent community leaders across Wyoming who have signed on as "county captains" in his campaign for the state's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ladd, a Wilson-based small-business consultant, said the willingness of citizens across the state to volunteer their time, money and hard work in support of his campaign shows that his bid for Congress is gathering momentum throughout Wyoming.

"I'm delighted to have the full public support of these outstanding community leaders," Ladd declared. "Their desire to work for meaningful change and a return to responsible leadership in Wyoming - and in Washington - tells me that our campaign has struck a chord among voters throughout the state."

His county captains, Ladd said, have agreed to serve as community points of contact for other voters and as local campaign coordinators. A complete list of the campaign's county captains can be found at Ladd's Web site (www.LaddforWyoming.com). The list will be updated as additional captains volunteer, he said.

Thomas calls for less government

WASHINGTON - Holding a 1,700-page notebook listing government programs, Sen. Craig Thomas implored his colleagues to reduce the size of the federal government.

"It is getting exceedingly difficult to keep track of the number of programs funded by the federal government," Thomas, R-Wyo., said on the Senate floor this week.

"Programs that may have received federal support 10 or 15 years ago may no longer be appropriate to fund. It is getting increasingly difficult to do anything about revising or eliminating some of the existing programs-programs that perpetuate themselves."

He said the recent death of President Reagan makes this a good time to remember how he believed in smaller, rather than bigger, government.

"We need to evaluate each of these programs, see if they are current, and determine if they are still doing the job they were designed to do. We should examine if they need to continue to be funded by the federal government, and if so, what can be done to make federal programs more efficient," he said.

Case hires Neal as press secretary

LANDER - Republican Congressional candidate Cale Case has added a press secretary to his campaign staff.

Emily Neal, daughter of Case campaign strategist and former Star-Tribune editor Dan Neal, will fill the communications job and travel with the candidate.

"I'm pleased to bring Emily aboard our campaign ship," Case said Tuesday. "She's bright, articulate and an excellent writer. She's a great addition."

Neal grew up in Utah and Wyoming. She comes to the campaign from Northeastern University in Boston where she is a Ph.D. student in the political science department. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental studies.

New York man injured in fall at Grand Teton

MOOSE - A New York City man suffered multiple injuries when he fell and tumbled down a snow field in Grand Teton National Park.

Bill Mulligan, 35, tumbled about 150 to 200 feet over snow and rock Saturday morning, suffering cuts to his head and injuries to his right shoulder, abdomen, ribs and left ankle, rangers said Sunday.

The mishap occurred near the Middle Teton at the 10,100-foot level, about 20 miles north of Jackson.

Mulligan was west of Spalding Falls and part of a guided party that was descending from the guide service's high camp.

Five rangers were flown by helicopter to the victim. He was stabilized, then lowered manually on an evacuation litter, using a series of snow anchors, to Garnet Meadows. He was taken to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson.

It was the third major search and rescue in the park this year.