GOP hopefuls plan Wyo stops

CHEYENNE - Two Republican presidential candidates will be in Cheyenne Sunday to meet voters.

Congressmen Ron Paul of Texas and Duncan Hunter of California will hold separate events at the Plains Hotel.

This will be Paul's first visit to the state. Hunter previously attended GOP presidential candidate forums in Casper and Riverton.

Paul will visit with the news media from noon to 1 p.m., followed by a rally at 1:30 p.m. and a fundraiser from 3 to 5 p.m.

Duncan will speak and visit with voters from 3 to 5 p.m.

Duncan and Paul will attend the Laramie County Republican Party fall rendezvous fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. at Little America, their spokesmen said Friday.

Other presidential hopefuls who have visited Wyoming this year, besides Hunter, include Democrat Bill Richardson and Republicans Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Sam Brownback.

Court allows women a hearing

CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Supreme Court is allowing three former school food service employees to contest their dismissals in a District Court trial.

Pam Basile, Bonnie Horton and Annette Metz held a sit-down protest during a lunch hour at McCormick Junior High School to protest what they said was poor treatment by administrators.

While Basile, Horton and Metz sat out, administrators had to help serve food. Two of the three women were fired; one was allowed to resign.

The three sued the Cheyenne school district in 2005 for wrongful termination.

They said they didn't get a hearing or written notice about their dismissals, as required by their employee agreement and by federal law. They also accused the district of breach of contract.

District Judge Edward Grant disagreed, but this week the Supreme Court reversed Grant's decision on those issues and sent the case back to District Court for a jury trial.

"The court recognized that they had a right to be heard," said the women's lawyer, Bruce Asay.

Grant sided with the district on other issues, however, dismissing the women's claims of sexual discrimination and that the district didn't act in good faith.

David Evans, an attorney for the school district, said the Supreme Court ruled that more facts would be needed for a court to determine whether the women got full due process.

"We felt that was done," Evans said.

He said he believed that the district would eventually prevail in the case.

Hospital board OKs expansion

GILLETTE - Campbell County Memorial Hospital trustees have voted to go ahead with a $95 million expansion and remodeling project.

Trustees approved the project Thursday.

The project will expand the hospital by 172,000 square feet and remodel 42,000 existing square feet. That will include 20 new beds in the obstetrics unit, 12 new intensive care beds and 36 new medical/surgery beds.

Also, a parking garage with 180 spaces will be built.