Rancher kills wolf with fed's permission

POWELL - Using a special permit issued by the federal government, a Park County rancher shot and killed a wolf after wolves killed two of his cows.

Wyoming residents are only allowed to kill wolves if they have a rarely issued permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency only issues wolf kill permits if wolves cause damage to people or property.

There have been widespread reports of wolves causing problems in Park County this winter, F&W wolf biologist Mike Jimenez said.

Multiple cows, a horse and a moose are counted among the casualties, county residents said.

The kill permit, issued to rancher Craig Griffith, is the first of its kind issued in Park County. Griffith is licensed to kill two wolves. He killed one last Friday.

F&W officials killed six wolves recently to help ease the problem, eliminating an entire pack of wolves, Jimenez said.

The federal government recently rejected Wyoming's wolf management plan, which would have classified wolves as predators in most of the state. Under the plan, Wyoming residents would have been able to kill wolves outside of protected areas.

Officials identify man in fatal I-80 crash

LARAMIE - Officials have identified a Kentucky man as the person who died when a semi rear-ended a tractor-trailer carrying ammonium nitrate on Interstate 80.

Douglas E. Woolard, 50, of Louisville, Ky., and his passenger, Metodi Temelkov, were ejected from their cab in the Monday morning wreck. Temelkov was hospitalized in critical condition.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Townsend said Ora L. Newberry, of Laramie, was hauling two trailers loaded with ammonium nitrate and was slowly coming down the mountain with his flashers on when he was rear-ended by Woolard's truck.

The crash spilled ammonium nitrate, a highly combustible fertilizer, and diesel fuel across the highway, but cleanup crews were able to prevent the substances from catching fire.

Investigators are still looking into the cause of the crash.

High winds blow over tractor-trailers

CHEYENNE - Winds gusting up to 71 mph blew over two tractor-trailer trucks along Interstate 25 south of Wheatland in Platte County on Tuesday, the Highway Patrol said.

No injuries were reported in either crash, which occurred at the same location.

The first truck hauling an empty cattle trailer was reported to have blown over at 6:15 a.m. and the second rig, which was pulling a van type trailer, blew over just before 8:00 a.m., according to the patrol.

In another wind incident, a pickup topper was reported to have blown off a vehicle and it came to rest in the median on Interstate 25 about 3 miles south of Cheyenne.

The National Weather Service reported west winds of 62 mph, with gusts to 71 mph, between Wheatland and Chugwater along I-25 Tuesday morning.

Lawmakers hear plea for home care

CHEYENNE - Lawmakers heard a plea Monday for funding a program that helps move people out of nursing homes and back into their homes.

Bev Morrow, administrator of the Aging Division of the Wyoming Department of Health, told the Joint Appropriations Committee that Project OUT has returned 68 people to their homes during the two years of its existence. Only six of them have had to return to nursing facilities.

The program is a joint effort of the division and Wyoming Independent Living Rehabilitation. It helps people who otherwise wouldn't be able to return home because of financial and medical challenges.

Because the federal grant that funded Project OUT will end Sept. 30, Morrow asked the committee to consider funding the program from Oct. 1 through June 30, 2006, at a cost of $279,624.