The Billings Gazette from Billings, Montana • 5

Billings Gazette WYOMING Section Wednesday, April 2, 2003 The Source Former Representative tive Roncalio dies at 87 ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) Teno Roncalio, Wyoming's first fiveterm U.S. representative, died from congestive heart failure? at LifeCare Center in Cheyenne. He was 87. Roncalio, often called a lion of Wyoming's Democratic Party, appeared to be ailing in recent years and 1 was too ill to attend the dedication of the Rock Springs Post Office Building in his name late last year.

He died on Sunday. In a written statement, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Roncalio was a public servant known for his commitment to both state and country. "Teno Roncalio was a man who served the people of Wyoming and the United States his entire life, whether distinguishing himself in the military or working to make things a little bet ter through his time in Congress," Freudenthal said. "He was among the best of what Wyoming has to offer, and he will be sorely missed." Rock Springs native The eighth of nine children of Italian immigrant parents, Roncalio was born March 23, 1916, in Rock Springs.

Roncalio's political career began when he was elected student body president of the University of Wyoming as a freshman. He had come a long way from his first job as a bootjack in Rock Springs, said Kathleen Karpan, a former Wyoming secretary of state and former Democratic candidate for governor. He then went to Washington D.C., where he worked during the day and attended college at night, Karpan's said. He joined the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor and earned a Silver Star for gallantry in action during the Normandy invasion. He fought at Omaha Beach.

After the war ended, Roncalio earned a law degree from the University of Wyoming in 1947, became chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party in 1957, married Cecilia Waters Domenico in 1962 and won his first bid for the House in 1964. He gave up the seat in a failed bid for the U.S. Senate, but regained it in 1970. He won re-election in 1972, 1974 and 1976, and was a delegate to four Democratic national conventions. He also served two years as a national Democratic committeeman.

PROTEST OF A SNOWMOBILE KIND I WANT TO OFF TRAIL SNOWMOBILE WHEN I GROW UP! HELP ME DO THAT! Laramie Borer, 2, of Centennial, sits on a snowmobile Tuesday in Laramie with a poster opposing a proposed Forest Service the Medicine Bow National Forest. Gillette mine cited for alleged violations GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors have issued between 50 and 60 citations to the Arch Coal Inc. Black Thunder coal mine in Campbell County. A MSHA spokesman, Bill Denning, said the number of citations issued in March had not been finalized.

Black Thunder produces about 67 million tons of coals a year and employs nearly 600 people. The mine received the prestigious Sentinels of Safety award for its 2001 safety record. Arch Coal spokesman Greg Key land acquired in Grand Teton National Park MOOSE The National Park Service bought 35 acres of land at the southwest boundary of Grand Teton National Park to protect critical wildlife habitat and preserve views of the Teton Range. The land was bought for $6.5 million from three Snake River Ranch families. It is just west of the Granite Canyon entrance station on Moose-Wilson Road, spokeswoman Joan Anzelmo said Tuesday.

An old gravel pit on the site will be eliminated and restored for public access. It includes more than a quarter mile of Granite Creek, a popular fishing stream that provides critical habitat for Snake River cutthroat trout. The land was bought with help from The Conservation Fund and is the second large scale the private past 18 acreage months. bought by Lambert named market research center manager LARAMIE Michael H. Lambert was named manager Tuesday of the new Wyoming Market Research Center based at the University of Wyoming.

The center will provide market analysis and research at no or low cost for Wyoming-based businesses beginning this summer. During the 1960 election, Roncalio rallied support for presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Mining money While in the U.S. House, Roncalio championed the idea that the environment and economic development could co-exist.

He and Gov. Cliff Hansen got Wyoming more money for minerals mined on federal land in the state. The congressman and the governor boosted the state's share of mineral royalties from 37 percent to 50 percent, bringing in millions of dollars for Wyoming's schoolchildren. Roncalio also led the fight to kill Project Wagon Wheel, an effort to find peacetime uses for atomic weapons. During one term, Roncalio saw pas- Daily Boomerang plan to limit biannual "full" inspection and not triggered by any particular incident.

"It wasn't anything special. Black Thunder is a big mine and so we sent three inspectors," he said. He said the agency performs a full inspection at each mine twice a year, once during the first six months of the MSHA fiscal year and once in the second six-month period. Two miners have been killed at the mine over the span of 12 months. On Feb.

20, Rick Richardson fell through a platform and died of a massive head injury several days later. On Feb. 20, 2002, Allen Greger died when a highwall collapsed. dismiss Nyberg, but then-Gov. Jim Geringer did not ask that the National Guard reinstate or otherwise make amends with Nyberg.

Freudenthal names Simons planning boss CHEYENNE Gov. Dave Freudenthal has named Lynn Simons, a former threeterm state superintendent of public instruction, to be state planning coordinator. Also Monday, Kathy Emmons, director of the state Department of Workforce Services, announced her appointment of Jim McIntosh to lead the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. McIntosh will replace Gary Child, who has been named administrator of the Department of Employment Workers' Safety and Compensation Division. Simons is a Democrat who has served as regional representative for the U.S.

Department of Education. The state planning coordinator has a broad range of authority across state government to research and develop policy. The coordinator also cooperates with other states, the federal government and the private sector to coordinate planning. Duties include monitoring federal agencies to be sure the state is included in early planning stages of various federal land use management decisions. Please see Digest, 7B NEWS? CALL 657-1251 OR sage of the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, Medicaid and Medicare, along with several anti-poverty programs He sponsored bills to designate Flaming Gorge and Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Areas, Fossil Butte National Monument and Washakie Wilderness Area.

Survivors include David Domenico of Denver, Carol Dill of Boulder, Joan Jackson of Abilene, Texas, and Louis A. Domenico Jr. of Denver; his sons, Frank Roncalio of Cheyenne and John Roncalio of Denver; two sons-inlaw; a daughter-in-law; and six granddaughters. Roncalio's wife preceded him in death in 1997. A burial Mass will be 10:30 a.m.

Saturday at St. Mary's Cathedral. Decorated vet holds out hope for son PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) A decorated Vietnam veteran, who was missing in action himself more than once in that conflict, says he holds out hope that his Marine sergeant son will turn up in Iraq. Brian Reiss learned Monday that Marine Sgt.

Brendon C. Reiss, 23, of Casper, was missing after Iraqi soldiers ambushed his unit near a Euphrates River bridge. "I know what he's facing," said Brian Reiss, who earned two Purple Hearts during his tour in Vietnam, where his battle experience included the Tet REISS offensive in 1968. "With my prior experience in the military, I am concerned that with him being a sergeant, he's a prime candidate for torture or someone they'd like to extract information from." Brendon Reiss, who shipped out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., in January, was trying to secure a bridge over the Euphrates River near Nasiriyah, Iraq, when his 12-member unit came under fire from nearby buildings, his father said. The Marines told the elder Reiss that his son's unit was forced to abandon its vehicles to seek cover, while medical evacuation units retreated under attack.

"That was the last time he was seen," Reiss said. "It appears that all 12 are Reiss retired to Port Angeles about two years ago and was interviewed by the Peninsula Daily News. His ex-wife, Angela, still lives in Wyoming and was interviewed by the Casper Star Tribune. The younger Reiss is among 16 service members now listed as missing, according to U.S. Central Command.

Sandstorms and continued fighting in the area have prevented a search for the missing troops, Brian Reiss said. "They don't know if they headed south or Please see Son, 7B Cortney access in Schaefer said the mine has already remedied many of the violations and is in the process of appealing others. "We'll have a chance to have an informal hearing to determine whether there is truly a violation or not," Schaefer said. "The fact that there's a whole bunch of (citations) out there doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to stick." Some 14 mines in the Powder River Basin produce more than 30 percent of the nation's coal and it is not uncommon for a large surface mine to get 10 to 20 MSHA citations in a year. Asked whether Black Thunder's high number of citations indicates safety problems at the mine, Schaefer said he thinks MSHA has been getting tougher on several mines in the basin.

"I've heard from other mines in the basin that we're not unique," Schaefer said. "There are three brand new MSHA inspectors that came in from out of state that haven't been here before. But I can't speculate on what the motive is." Schaefer said it is the most citations the mine has ever received from a single inspection. Denning, who is based in Denver, said the inspection was a regular, Lambert was the international marketing manager for Water Pik Technologies Inc. in Fort Collins, and has an extensive background in international marketing and product management.

A Colorado Springs native, Lambert is a 1979 graduate of Hastings College in Nebraska. He received his master's degree from the University of Wyoming in 1989. Lambert said he was glad to be back in the Cowboy State and excited to head the new research center. "By following a model of 'economic Wyoming will continue to foster an environment where businesses can expand and where innovation will help us diversify the state's economy," he said. Meeting scheduled on State Trails Plan Wyoming digest digest which will include a question-and-answer session.

A meeting in Saratoga on March 18 that was canceled is expected to be rescheduled. Wyoming Supreme Court upholds case dismissal Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a Wyoming Air National Guard member who claims he was wrongfully terminated. Roger Nyberg was dismissed for allegedly having an improper relationship with another officer, Vivian Penak. The ruling released Monday also supports the dismissal of Penak. Both filed lawsuits and because the cases were similar, it was agreed that what happened in the Nyberg case would apply to the Penak case.

Nyberg first made his claims in 1997. At issue in the case was how Nyberg failed to file a challenge to his dismissal within 30 days. Nyberg followed federal guidelines and not the state rules the Wyoming Air National Guard claimed he should have. Justice Larry Lehman described the National Guard as a hybrid organization that serves both state and federal needs in his 12-page decision. He agreed that procedural rules were not properly followed.

A report by the Air Force found the National Guard erred in its decision to CHEYENNE The Wyoming Supreme CONCERNING GAZETTE Insurance costs force hiring freeze SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP) Mayor Jim Wilson announced a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures following reports the city's health insurance costs would go up by "at least" 76 percent this next fiscal year. The hiring freeze includes the part-time summer help Sheridan officials normally hire at this time of year. A freeze on salaries and nonessential purchases, travel and training was also enacted. "This couldn't have come at a worse time with all the stuff we've got to get done this summer," Wilson said.

Sales tax revenues are down in Sheridan and the city is facing another year of tight finances, he said. Sheridan currently pays $1.3 million per year for health insurance from Pacific Mutual. A minimum 76 percent increase would add $988,000 to that figure. Wilson said Pacific Mutual cited "some exceptional claims this year" as the reason behind the increase. The hiring freeze, which is in effect until further notice, also included any job classification changes for existing staff members.

Those changes also result in changes to salaries. Wilson said he also expected to ask City Council members in a work session this week that no additional staff members be included in this year's budget requests. Council members were scheduled to discuss what projects to fund with a continued capital facilities tax at the workshop. A resolution requesting the 1 percent tax be renewed will go before voters Aug. 19.

"It's even more essential that we have the cap tax," Wilson said. The City Council initially asked for $21.5 million but reduced that figure to just under $18.3 million in a meeting last week. CHEYENNE A public meeting has been scheduled on upcoming changes to the Wyoming State Trails Plan. Issues to be discussed at the Laramie County library at 6:30 p.m. April 10 include registration and user fees for snowmobiles and off-road vehicles, nonmotorized use of trails, and education and safety programs, according to the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Trail designations and mapping issues will also be discussed at the meeting, QUESTIONS OR "We'll live with that $18 million," Wilson said. "We all agreed to that." 1-800-543-2505.