Red Cross seeks

more money

GILLETTE - Eight months after a tornado killed two people and damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes in Wright, the American Red Cross of Wyoming's northeastern branch asked city of Gillette and Campbell County officials for more money for training, employees and services.

"We know what we do. We just don't have the resources to do it," said branch chairman Michael Von Flatern, who also is a Republican state senator.

The Red Cross helped dozens of families get back on their feet after the Aug. 12 tornado, and Von Flatern said his and other social service agencies are being stretched by local population growth.

Von Flatern said volunteers from throughout the state and across the country came to help after the tornado, but that communities can't always count on that sort of response.

Girl pleads no contest

in Marine's death

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) - A high school student pleaded no contest to a count of homicide by vehicle in connection with a traffic accident last summer that killed a U.S. Marine.

Megan Ober, who was 16 at the time of the accident last August, entered the plea Tuesday to a count of homicide by vehicle.

Powell native Michael Scott McNulty died when Ober's vehicle ran a stop sign and struck his vehicle at an intersection. McNulty, a 2004 Powell High School graduate, had just completed basic training in the Marine Corps and was on leave at the time of the accident.

Judge Bruce Waters sentenced Ober to 180 days in jail and suspended the sentence. He placed her on one year of unsupervised probation with the condition that she may only operate a vehicle from school and work and may not have any passengers in the vehicle with the exception of her parents and sister.

The judge said that any type of traffic violation could lead to Ober's probation being revoked and the jail sentence imposed.

Gov. Freudenthal calls for

more federal AIDS funding

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Thursday expressed support for the reauthorization of a federal law intended to help address the health care needs of patients with HIV/AIDS, but encouraged the federal government not to discriminate against rural states.

In a letter to Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Freudenthal said he supports the reauthorization of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Energy (CARE) Act. Enzi is leading the effort to reauthorize the act.

The act provides money to help pay for health care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Freudenthal told Enzi that the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to make inroads into rural America at the same time Wyoming is seeing increased drug abuse, which will likely bring more disease diagnoses.