Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 11

star Wyoming Bl Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1 983 Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo. i IS'' WCDA meeting will take up audit Board may discuss 'firing people' 71----1 a a IWfs the WCDA board, Attorney General Joe Meyer and the WCDA's own attorneys, including state Sen. Al Wiederspahn, D-Laramie, are expected to attend, Curran said. One of the major conclusions of the audit, based on a legal opinion by Meyer, was that WCDA lacked legal authority to set up its subsidiary economic development company, the Wyoming Financial Corp.

But WCDA, citing an opinion given it by Montana lawyer John Oitzinger, maintains that it acted properly in setting up the separate company. Oitzinger is Wiederspahn's law partner. 7- ff-f 2'F BW i i Jib i By MATT WINTERS Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE Gov. Mike Sullivan and other Wyoming Community Development Authority Board members today may discuss "firing people" or litigation in connection with last month's highly critical audit of the WCDA, the governor's spokesman said Tuesday. Gov.

Mike Sullivan announced last week that he would meet with the board to discuss the state examiner's office audit of the WCDA. The audit and other topics will be discussed at the regularly scheduled WCDA board meeting today at 3 p.m. at the Hitching Post, the governor's spokesman Dennis Curran said. While the meeting will be public, Curran said the board may go into executive session since its discussions of the audit "may involve litigation or personnel such as firing people." WCDA Executive Director George Axlund said Tuesday that because of a promise he made to the governor, he could not publicly comment in advance on either the audit itself or on today's meeting. State Examiner Stan Hunt, whose office prepared the audit following an order by the governor last October, said he would have "absolutely no comment" until after the meeting.

Besides Sullivan, Axlund and Star-TribuneZbigniew Bzdak Early morning sunlight highlights the frosted landscape at the base of Casper Mountain Tuesday. Morning light Alp A i Lehman appointed as district judge; county judge spot vacant CHEYENNE Gov. Mike Sullivan appointed Uinta County Judge Larry Lee Lehman of Evanston as district judge in the Second Judicial District. Lehman will fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge Robert Hill of Rawlins Nov. 29.

Lehman, 42, was appointed Uinta County Judge by former Gov. Ed Herschler in March 1985. He served as Uinta County Attorney from Jan. 1979 to Jan. 1983 and was a partner in the Evanston law firm of Vehar, Lehman, Beppler and Jacobson from 1977 to 1985.

The second judicial district consists of Carbon and Albany Coun Cheyenne post offices to end Saturday window hours CHEYENNE (AP) In a move to cut costs the three Cheyenne post offices will eliminate their Saturday window hours, according to Postmaster Charlie Dickey. Dickey, who said the closures will begin Feb. 13, said federal cost-cutting measures are prompting many post offices across the country to eliminate their Saturday office hours. Saturday mail delivery will not be affected, he said. How the state's other post offices react to the requested 10 percent cut in costs will be up to the individual postmasters, said Dickey.

While a Saturday closure of the Cheyenne post offices on Jan. 2 brought some complaints, the postmaster said he expects most customers will accept the future closures. "I get the feeling that maybe people are ready for some sensible belt-tightening," he said. That one-day closure saved the Cheyenne post office $4,000, according to Dickey, who projects that closing all window services in the capital on Saturdays will produce $200,000 in savings annually. The federal government hopes to reduce its postal budget by $1.24 billion over a 21-month period.

BCR to submit proposal on letting unlicensed workers give medication Official says nursing board has 'struggled' with issue nz3 Lander 'Lil predicts spring on the way LANDER (AP)-Punx-sutawney Phil may be good at forecasting Eastern weather, but when it comes to the West you have to rely on a prairie dog's intuition, and Lander 'Lil says spring is on the way. "Lander 'Lil did not see her shadow this morning and that means there will be spring weather shortly around the corner," said Alan O'Hashi Tuesday. Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog with a knack for weather forecasting, also predicted Tuesday that an early spring is on the way but with Wyoming's often unpredictable weather patterns the state's residents prefer to rely on a rodent closer to home. Lander 'Lil has been making long-range forecasts from this town just east of the Continental Divide since 1983, and for the most part she's been on the mark, according to O'Hashi. Lander 'Lil lives in a prairie dog colony near Lander.

PSC to decide on merger EVANSTON The Wyoming Public Service Commission will decide on the merger of Pacific Power and Light Corp. and Utah Power and Light Co. during an open meeting Thursday. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the city council chambers of the city hall at Evanston, a PSC spokesman said.

Big Horn's Hinckley reappointed to Senate CHEYENNE Gov. Mike Sullivan said Tuesday he is looking forward to working again with Democratic Sen. Frank Hinckley of Big Horn County when the budget session convenes Feb. 15. The Big Horn County commissioners Jan.

27 appointed Hinckley to his old seat to replace Sen. Jim Whaley who resigned last month because of ill health. HINCKLEY Whaley had been appointed to Hinckley's seat when Hinckley became ill and resigned. The health of the 74-year-old Hinckley later improved. Rock Springs mayor names AML panel ROCK SPRINGS Mayor George Osselton said Tuesday he will appoint a committee to seek funds from the state's Abandoned Mine Lands program to help with the city's subsidence problems.

The 12 men expected to be appointed by the mayor at Tuesday night's city council are: Coun-cilmen John Beatty and Paul Oblock, Frank Prevedel, Fred Radosevich, Wayne Johnson, Steve Shea, John Allen, John An-selmi, Marino Pierantoni, Charles Love and Dudley Gardner. Sullivan forms task force on rules reform CHEYENNE (AP) A task force to recommend ways the state can streamline its business permitting process has been formed. by Gov. Mike Sullivan, he has announced. Sullivan, in a news release Monday, said the 16-member Task Force on Regulatory Reform will address the permitting process for minerals and small businesses.

"We want to send people a message that Wyoming is a good state for doing business while insuring that new companies meet all our regulations and requirements," Sullivan said. The Democrat said the group, including private business and regulatory agency representatives, iwill recommend changes in state law and administrative rules as necessary. it 1 Oft the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston. The couple has two children, Jason, 17, and Lauren, 10. Lehman's name was one of three submitted to the governor by the state's Judicial Nominating Commission Jan.

22. Sullivan praised Lehman's record in all aspects of law. "Larry Lehman brings extensive experience to the District Court, having served as a county judge and prosecuting attorney and as both a plaintiff's attorney and defense attorney in private practice," Sullivan said in a prepared statement. said. "It seems to me we have to be terribly careful." Deputy Attorney General John Renneisen said the Legislature and the institutions must work out language in the bill to determine the types of drugs the unlicensed personnel can administer.

Joan Bouchard, executive director of the state Board of Nursing, said the board has "struggled" with the issue. "We're trying to look at the best interests and the safety of the public," Bouchard said. what was needed to implement the program, which would be in place by May. Money would not have to be provided by government entities until after the summer's budget sessions, Hodge said. Hodge said sheriffs from all five counties to be served by the task force will meet in Thermopolis prior to a Feb.

18 meeting in Cheyenne held in conjunction with the upcoming legislative session. The regional task force will be high on the list of topics at the meetings, according to the sheriff. DAN HODGE A definite need for the team CHEYENNE The Wyoming Board of Charities and Reform Monday voted to submit a proposal to the Legislature to allow unlicensed personnel, such as nurse's aides, to give medications to patients at the state institutions. The bill would allow exceptions to the Wyoming Nursing Practices Act which authorizes only registered and licensed practical nurses to administer medications Because of the nursing shortage, some state institutions have been forced to allow unlicensed per Sheridan council may close workshop sessions ties. Lehman will sit in Rawlins.

The other judge in the district is Judge Arthur Hanscum of Laramie. The governor now will have to fill the vacancy in the Uinta County court created by Lehman's district court appointment. A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Lehman is a 1976 University of Wyoming Law School graduate, He was a court specialist with the Governor's Planning Committee on Criminal Administration in Cheyenne from 1967 until 1977 when he went into private practice in Evanston. His wife, Julie Lehman, is supervisor of the Forensics Unit at sonnel to give medications to patients. Secretary of State Kathy Karpan said the state needs "umbrella" legislation as protection under the circumstances.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lynn Simons said the differences between the bill as written and the position of the Wyoming Board of Nursing must be ironed out by the Legislature or the proposal is doomed. "We're talking about second best medical practice," Simons "We do have a drug problem, there's no doubt about it. It's an ongoing thing," Hodge told the commissioners during their regular meeting. Hodge said that if the program, initially funded for one year and expected to be extended a second year, should fail, vehicles would become the property of whichever entity bought them. In addition, Hodge said, there is the possibility of local law enforcement agencies recovering vehicles and other personal property seized in drug arrests.

The federal government has allocated $818,000 to Wyoming for implementation of the regional task force approach to drug enforcement, the sheriff said. An additional amount of about $600,000 has been set aside for the second year of the program, but "after that, we don't know," according to the sheriff. He said the $7,730 cost to the county, to be shared by the three towns in the county, could be divided by population. That would give Park County a 42 percent share, Cody 34 percent, Powell 22 percent and Meeteetse 2 percent, according to Hodge. Powell Mayor Ralph Borcher, who attended Tuesday's commission meeting, said his council Monday night approved spending MIKE SULLIVAN Meeting with WCDA board against the workshop motion, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Councilman John Lansing said he favors the work session idea, but has mixed feelings about whether the sessions should be closed. But Councilman Frank Lobach supports holding the informal work sessions in private so that the councilmen can "just exchange views with themselves." But he said the sessions should not "go over every item on the agenda." Debolt favors closing the work sessions. But he said he would agree to having the local media "monitor" the meetings to ensure the sessions were not in violation of state open meetings laws so long as they do not report what is discussed. Debolt also criticized local media coverage of the council motion, and claimed The Sheridan Press' account of the motion was wrong. "Everything is coming out 'council votes for closed Debolt said.

"No. You can go back and look at the records, you can listen to the tape (of the council session). The motion was to have working sessions." Sheridan Press reporter Bruce Moats disputed Debolt's contention. "It was asked if the sessions would be open to the public. The mayor responded that they would not be open to the public and they would be closed to the press," Moats said.

According to City Clerk David Oedekoven, the council work session motion does not stipulate that the sessions must be held in private. Park Co. agrees to join five-county regional drug enforcement team By JIMNEWSOM Star-Tribune correspondent SHERIDAN The Sheridan City Council voted Monday night to hold a number of city business workshop sessions that probably will be closed to the public, Mayor Max Debolt said Tuesday. Debolt said the work sessions will be held to discuss a variety of city issues such as reductions in force and departmental goals and objectives. City Attorney Harry Schwartz said that closing the meetings will not violate state open meetings laws because no formal council business will be transacted.

"The plan was just that the council would get together and sweat these things out instead of taking up the public's time, my time, the press' time and everybody DEBOLT else's Schwartz said Tuesday. City administrators and council members contacted Tuesday generally agreed that the work sessions are needed to shorten the council's meetings and to provide councilmen an opportunity to informally discuss city issues. But not all agree that the sessions should be closed, to the public. Councilmen Nancy Drummond and Garey Ketcham favor open work sessions. "I don't have any problem with them being opened to the public.

None whatsoever," Drummond said. Councilman Dan Kowalski, who cast the sole opposing vote By CAROLE LEGG Star- Tribune correspondent CODY A five-county undercover Northwest Wyoming Drug Enforcement Team which will cost Park County, Cody and Powell a shared $7,730 for one year, was approved by Park County commissioners Tuesday. Commissioners agreed to divide the tab according to population, with the county paying the largest share, followed by the City of Cody. Commissioners agreed to divide the tab according to population, with the county paying the largest share, followed by the City of Cody. Park County Sheriff Dan Hodge said there is a definite need for the team, which would fill in gaps left by budget shortfalls in Park, Big Horn, Washakie, Hot Springs and Fremont counties.

Each county would pay the $7,730, but Park, Fremont and Hot Springs counties would each hire one person for the team. Funding for a fourth person has been approved by the state, and Hodge said it is hoped that a fifth person may be funded during the upcoming legislative session. The Division of Criminal Investigation would supply about $275,256 toward the program under the option selected by commissioners, Hodge said..