Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 9

ll I liilm ii id ii ii ii uim miwiiMli mini In i muni ii wiimniMiliilii 11 mil uMIIm ill mniii laiiiWiiiiifB iiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiMiiiiiiiMiliiiiiMiMMiHiiiifciMiiMMiMlwiiWilmTiii nut rf i iiimrtrtrrfmi i mimmi'i -mebw f.a -iri 't iawlins to decide government form Ballot asks: Manager or mayor-council Jeff GearinoStar-Tribune side the community in response to ads Filaccd when there is a vacancy and often eave once they no longer have the job; Brodsho said. A mayor, on the other hand, is more likely to be a permanent resident, he said, explaining that a mayor is "a part of the community. They have a vested interest in the town." Former Mayor Vivion has strongly endorsed the current city manager position. "This is the only appropriate thing to do," she said. Vivion served as mayor and acting city manager for five months between the terms of two former city managers.

"That if hothing else convinced me nobody could manage the business of this city on a part-time basis," she By CANDY MOULTON Star- Tribune correspondent RAWLINS Residents will vote today on whether to retain the current city manager form of government or return to a mayor-council governmental organization. More than 800 residents signed petitions earlier this year to put the initiative on the ballot. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Center and at Pershing School, City Attorney Dave Clark said.

Groups on both sides of the question have campaigned to promote their side. Vern Brodsho said the effort to sway voters to return to a mayor-council form of government has been somewhat limited because "we're working on a limited budget." Meanwhile, former Mayor Delia Vivion said she and other residents have pitched in to promote the current city manager arrangement, using newspaper and radio advertisements. Brodsho believes the administrative change is needed to provide better accountability. "We elect people here in office and then they hire someone to do theiwork. We really have a mess here.

As I see it, nobody's in charge." He also said he's concerned with the "idea somebody has to occupy city hall and shuffle paperwork." Similar-sized communities operate effectively with a mayor-council government, Brodsho said. He cited Rock Springs with its part-time mayor as an example. A debate last week on the issue drew a limited audience and few people spoke in favor of the switch to a mayor-council government. Brodsho said. While he thinks people support the concept, he said "there's many people in the town that do business with the city" who fear they could lose business if they speak out." City managers generally come from out BORDER.

TO BORDER Without the constant attention to details by a city manager, "we would not be competitive," as a municipality, Vivion said. Snake span Democrats diwy up Bebout positions CASPER Rep. Bill Bensel, HD30, D-Sheridan, has been named by his party leadership to replace Rep. Eli Bebout on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, the party announced Monday. Putting another Democrat on Appropriations became necessary when Bebout, HD55, R-Riverton, switched from the Democratic to the Republican party last month.

Rep. Wayne Morrow, HD 1 9, D-Evanston, will replace Bebout as House Democratic Whip the third leading Democrat in the House leadership. And Rep. Ross Diercks, HD2, D-Lusk, will be proposed to re-' place Bebout on the Legislative Management Council, House Minority Leader Rep. Louise Ryckman, HD60, D-Green River, said in a prepared statement.

Rep. Wende Barker, HD45, D-Laramie will replace Bensel on the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, and Rep. Sherri Wooldridge, HDI2, D-Larainie, will take Bensel's seat on the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee. -3 GOPs oppose nuclear storage plan CHEYENNE (AP) Three GOP gubernatorial candidates said Monday they don't favor going ahead with a private nuclear waste site proposed for central Wyoming. Former Sen.

John Perry of Buffalo, and current Sens. Jim Geringer of Wheatland and Charles Scott of Casper fielded questions at a forum sponsored by the Campbell County Republican Women's Club. The other announced GOP candidate, Cheyenne businessman Mike Ray, backed out at the last minute citing an emergency. Perry, Geringer and Scott all said they have real concerns and reservations about a temporary nuclear waste site being looked in- to by New which includes two lawmakers on its board of directors. Gov.

Mike Sullivan, a Democrat, vetoed a public waste site two ago but has no such veto power over a private facility. Scott said he feels there "is a significant risk that the state may not be able to say 'No' to the project" and "that federal agencies will wind up controlling it." Geringer said the issue boils down to "one of when should government become involved and regulate private initiative." And Perry said his "heart" tells him "it's not appropriate for Wyoming." Perry likened the waste site to the "Tar Baby. Once you wind up with it you may not be able to let it go." Babbitt visits Yellowstone Park today To discuss housing, geothermal issues By MEREDITH COHN States News Service WASHINGTON Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt will be in Yellowstone National Park today and Wednesday. Babbitt will tour the park's housing facilities Tuesday night to highlight a housing crisis. He also plans to have dinner with the park's staff.

Wednesday, Babbitt will hike around Old Faithful and discuss the geothermal issue. A bill that would amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1 970, has passed the House, but faces opposition in the Senate. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Pat Williams, is known as the "Old Faithful Protection Act" and is designed to protect the geyser system of the Yellowstone National Park by barring geothermal development within 15 miles of the park. Wyoming Republican Sen.

Malcolm Wallop, among other western conservatives, has said the bill would undermine state water rights. Babbitt will also address the staff on issues such as development of land near the park; partnerships between the park and the private sector; and interagency cooperation among park and forest employees in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. On Thursday, Babbitt will travel to Casper to meet with Gov. Mike Sullivan, ranchers and environmentalists to discuss grazing reform. When he released the final draft of the land reform proposal, Babbitt promised to visit the states that would be affected, his spokeswoman said.

Paul NgStar-Tribune correspondent The waters of the Snake River run under a bridge at Hoback Junction, south of Jackson in Teton County. 2 inmates face trial in prison slaying Board: Uphold Torrington police firings TORRINGTON (AP) An appeals board has recommended that the Torrington mayor and town council uphold the firing of two police officers who officials said staged a prank armed robbery at a local convenience store. The board was formed to hear the appeals from former Torrington officers Tony Fisher and Mike Reeve and take testimony. Reeve and Fisher were fired after entering a 7-EIeven store Feb. 1 8 and staging a phony armed robbery of store clerk Douglas Haines.

the hearing last week that another inmate revealed incriminating evidence against Johnson and Lang-ley. Ruettgers said the inmate, Jim Ellidge, told him that Johnson had said he and Langley were both responsible for the slaying. The associate warden said Ellidge told him that Johnson said he and Langley had been drinking "homebrew" on the night of the incident. Johnson had said their original target was a different inmate, but that person convinced them that Blackcrow was a "rat and a punk," Ruettgers-testified. Ellidge also directed Ruettgers to a homemade knife that was lat RAWLINS (AP) Two inmates have been bound over for trial in a March 17 slaying at the Wyoming State Penitentiary.

Arthur George Johnson, 22, and Ronnie 24, face first-degree murder charges in the fatal stabbing of fellow inmate Austin Blackcrow. The incident occurred in the prison's maximum-security unit. Carbon County Judge Ken Stebner ruled Friday that there was probable cause to send the case to state district court. No arraignment date has been set. Ron Ruettgers, the prison's associate warden, testified during er found in Johnson's cell, the associate warden said.

Sheriff Deputy Jerry Rakoczy said five different inmates have said they saw Johnson and Langley leave Blackcrow's cell after the assault. And bloody footprints were found leading to Langley's cell, he testified. Defense attorneys argued that because no one saw Langley or Johnson enter Blackcrow's cell, it isn't possible to determine how long they were inside. Johnson's attorney tried to pin the blame on other inmates who entered Blackcrow's cell after the two defendants were seen leaving the area. DOE director lauds private nuclear storage efforts Haines has filed a civil lawsuit against the officers and other city officials.

Authorities are considering possible criminal charges against Fisher and Reeve. The mayor and council don't have to accept the board's recommendation. The hearing by the disciplinary board was the first step in the appeals process, said town attorney Jim Eddington. The board was made up of one member appointed by Mayor Ed Jolovich, one member selected by the former officers and one chosen by the other two members. Write-in candidate is new Yoder mayor YODER Yoder's new mayor Ross Jepson, who was a write-in candidate in last week's election, received 37 votes to win the two-year term.

He defeated Jerry Simonsen who received 1 1 votes and Thomas Brown who got 6 votes. In the town's council race, write-in candidate Lori Wyrich, gathered 45 votes and incumbent Elsie Gray received 37 votes to Win the two, four-year terms. 1 Program may have hurt swan numbers LIMA, Mont. (AP) A program to expand the range of the Rocky Mountain trumpeter swan population is creating concerns among biologists and conservation groups. In fall 1993, the swan population was 301, down from the average of 480, the National Wildlife Federation recently told the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service. Part of the reason for the drop in numbers is due to changes at the Red Rock Refuge in southwest Montana, including the dropping of a winter feeding program to encourage the birds to move to more natural winter habitat. In the summer of 1992, about 80 birds were trapped at the refuge and relocated to Oregon and Wyoming. BORDER PHOTO: 1992 swan release, at the Seedskedee National Wildlife Refuge used to allow the federal government to take storage of nuclear waste by 1998, as required under federal law. DOE officials could not be reached to comment late Monday afternoon to elaborate on O'Leary's reported remarks.

Prior to becoming Energy Secretary, O'Leary was an executive with Northern States Power. In recent years, Minnesota courts have prohibited NSP from storing any more nuclear waste in that state from the utility's Prairie Island plant. If NSP can't find a place to store its waste, it may have to stop generating power at Prairie Island by the end of the decade, and NSP has become an industry leader in the effort to build a temporary storage site. By HUGH JACKSON Star- Tribune staff writer CASPER Private efforts to build temporary storage sites for high level radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear power plants should be applauded. Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary said Monday.

In a speech before the Nuclear Energy Institute, O'Leary said that the U.S. Department of Energy is keeping a close eye on efforts to build private nuclear waste storage sites, according to an NE1 statement. The NEI is the chief lobbying and public relations arm of the nuclear power industry. A Fremont County firm. New has proposed to build a private facility to temporary store spent fuel rods from the nation's nuclear power plant reactors.

In New Mexico, a joint venture between several nuclear power utilities and the Mescalero Apache tribe is also attempting to site a non-DOE nuclear waste site. Those efforts outside the scope of federal ownership come on the heels of a congressional decision earlier this year to cut off funding for the Nuclear Waste Negotiator's office, which was established to find a state, county or Indian tribe to volunteer to accept the waste at a site owned and operated by the DOE. Although the New Corp. and its political supporters have identified a proposed private facility as a monitored retrievable storage site, or MRS, that is a legal term which applies only to sites owned and operated by the DOE. Under federal laws, a privately operated site is referred to as an independent spent fuel storage installation, or ISFSI.

DOE officials have in previous interviews said that the department had yet to determine what role, if any, it would play in the siting of an ISFSI in Wyoming, New Mexico or elsewhere. But in her speech to the NEI Monday, O'Leary reportedly said the government would likely become involved if such a project got to the point that money from the Nuclear Waste Fund was requested. The Nuclear Waste Fund was established by Congress to collect money from ratepayers who receive their electricity from nuclear power plants. The fund is to be Residents block roads to disputed Story subdivision; deputies dismantle fences By MICHAEL RILEY Northern Wyoming bureau STORY Controversy over a proposed new subdivision in Story heated up over the weekend when residents erected two fences blocking access roads to the development. Early Monday, Sheridan County sheriffs deputies arrived to remove the fences on trie roads, which lead to the Centennial Ranch subdivision.

j.VJheridan County Commission Chair man Ken Kerns said although the roads pass through an existing subdivision called Piney South, the right-of-ways were "dedicated" to public use on Piney South's original plat. That gives the county the authority to keep them open, he said. "The issue here is that there has been an obstruction placed upon a public right-of-way," Kerns said. "And the county attorney has directed that the obstruction be removed I think the county commission has a responsibility and an obli gation to insure access upon a public right-of-way or public road." Piney South resident Bev Hiza said the county destroyed private property on private land when it remov ed the fence. She pointed out that a Buffalo attorney representing the residents told them that since it is their responsibility to maintain the roads, they also have the right to block the road.

"You may block the ingress and egress routes surrounding Wheatley and French Pete Drives because of the protective covenants contained in the declarations," said a letter from Buffalo attorney John LaBuda to Piney South residents. "The road being used" by the Centennial developers "has not been constructed by the declarants, nor is the road gravel surface. Therefore (developers) have no right constructing or maintaining a road in the subdivision." The Centennial subdivision being developed by state Rep. Clarenc Law, HD23, R-Jackson, and her husband has been a sore point among many area residents who fear that a wave of sudden growth may threaten water supplies and exacerbate septic problems in Story, a small unincorporated mountain community south of Sheridan. The county commission gave the subdivision final approval last week, despite stiff opposition from some local residents.

Hiza said that the sheriff deputies on orders from Sheridan County Attorney Matt Redle acted improperly hen they removed the fence, and residents want them to put it back..