Two die when semis collide near Kemmerer

KEMMERER - Two men were killed in a collision Friday night that involved three tractor trailers on U.S. Highway 30, 34 miles east of Kemmerer in Lincoln County.

Curtis Thomason, 35, of Mossyrock, Wash., was killed when the Freightliner truck he was driving crossed the center line and collided head on with a truck driven by Frank L. McCreary, 50, of Hansen, Idaho. McCreary died at the scene.

When the trucks collided, they caught fire and the truck cab on the Thomason vehicle came off the chassis. It was struck by a Freightliner that had been following McCreary's truck.

Rose Tenney, 40, of Greenville, Tenn., was driving the following truck. She and passenger Andrew Weller, 36, also of Greenville, Tenn., were injured in the wreck. Tenney was treated and released from South Lincoln County Hospital in Kemmerer. Weller was treated and released at the scene.

All three truck tractors were pulling van-type trailers transporting general freight. U.S. Hwy. 30 was closed in both directions for around 3.5 hours while troopers investigated the crash scene and cleared the roadway of debris.

Seat belts were in use.

Explosives in trailer shut down I-80

CHEYENNE - Seven miles of eastbound Interstate 80 were closed Monday night after explosives were found in a trailer.

Two men were arrested and jailed.

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, a Dodge Durango pulling the U-Haul trailer was stopped around 5:15 p.m. Monday for driving erratically about 10 miles east of Cheyenne.

A search of the trailer found a misdemeanor amount of drugs and several explosive devices, police said.

The explosives were taken to a special bunker where they were to be examined and disarmed.

Eastbound traffic was detoured onto an outer road for about six hours.

Two men, who were not identified, were arrested on preliminary charges of possession of controlled substances and possession of deadly weapons with intent.

"They originated out of state and were just traveling through Wyoming, destination unknown," according to a WHP official. "But it was probably out of state."

Attorney's employee accused of stealing

CHEYENNE - A former employee of the Laramie County District Attorney's Office has been charged with stealing from her employer.

Jeanine A. DeHoff, 30, made her initial appearance in Circuit Judge Denise Nau's court on Feb. 9.

DeHoff is accused of taking cash payments made to the office as well as using a state-issued credit card to buy a computer, software and a digital camera, among other things. The total amount of theft is $3,800, and it allegedly was taken between June 1 and Oct. 31.

DeHoff was fired from the office Oct. 31, according to court documents, but it wasn't until December that the problem was discovered.

Prostate cancer cases expected to increase

CHEYENNE - Cases of prostate cancer are expected to rise 55 percent in Wyoming this year, but the number of deaths from the disease is expected to fall 20 percent.

Reflecting a nationwide trend, the American Cancer Society predicts over 600 new cases of prostate cancer and 80 deaths in Wyoming in 2004.

Julie Panna, spokeswoman for the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, said the figures show more men are getting tested, resulting in more cases being detected early and more deaths being prevented.

With early detection, the survival rate is over 90 percent.

Testing is done at places like the county health fairs held around the state. Copies of the blood tests are sent to the participants' physicians.