Casper Star-Tribune du lieu suivant : Casper, Wyoming • 9

fi'V mm I. a -itiiBHI W1--' j'Sbia Stafribune, CaKtr.Vyo Maxfield: Polygraph shows no death threat i PRBRC lawyer alleged incident at EQC feedlot hearing Karpan says Sullivan plans makes governor run likely that she preferred to run for governor. But Sullivan listed a third term for governor as one of his political options. The others were a race for the Senate or retiring from public life. Karpan said Sullivan told her that he would not be running for governor Friday night in Laramie after a banquet honoring Jane Alexander, the director of the National Endowment of the Arts, Karpan said she ill announce her candidacy at 12:15 p.m.

Monday, April 18 at the Hitching Post in Cheyenne, and at about 5 p.m. in her hometown of Rock Springs at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Church Hall. Karpan. first elected secretary of state in 1986, said she has considered a gubernatorial or Senate bid. While she has been waiting to see what Sullivan would do, Karpan has established a campaign headquarters in Cheyenne and raised about $50,000 for the election.

By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau with wire reports CHEYENNE Secretary of State Kathy Karpan Monday said he will stick to her original schedule to announce her political plans April 1 8 at press conferences in Rock Springs and Cheyenne. But she acknowledged that Gov. Mike Sullivan's announcement to run for the Senate Monday made it obvious that she will seek the Democratic nomination for governor. "Mike Sullivan announced for me dc facto today," Karpan said in an interview late Monday morning. "I don't think you need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure this out." But she said she would not make her political plans official Monday.

"This is Mike's day," Karpan said. Karpan, who has served two terms as secretary of state, has been waiting for months for Sullivan to make his political decision. She made it known By KERRY DRAKE Star-Tribune stajf writer CHEYENNE The developer of a controversial feedlot near Lingle Monday nied making a threat to kill a Denver attorney at a recent Environmental Quality Council hearing, and said he passed a polygraph test that proves his innocence. The lawyer, Reed Zars, meanwhile, said he is willing to accept Lester Maxfield's Statement "that he didn't mean to threaten me." Maxfield, owner of a feedlot that was the subject of a two-day EQC permit hearing last month, issued a release challenging Zars to "take a lie detector test with a reputable firm." "I'm even willing to pay for it," Maxfield said. Zars, attorney for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, which has joined area ranchers in protesting a wastewater permit for the Maxfield Farms Feedlot, had alleged Maxfield threatened him during a morning recess of an EQC hearing March 26 in Torrington.

"Mr. Maxfield appeared to me to make a death threat to me," Zars told the council immediately after it reconvened. "As he walked by me he said, 'I'm going to kill and then added an obscenity to underline his point, Zars said then. In a telephone interview, Zars said, "I'm willing to take his word that he meant no malice and I'm willing to believe the words I heard were not intended for me." Zars added, "I may have misjudged his statements and his demeanor." Zars said he read his account of the alleged incident into the EQC hearing record because he considered it a serious threat. Because Maxfield left the hearing before it reconvened, Zars said, "We never got a chance to talk and I wasn't able to say, "What did you But Maxfield, who initially declined to comment on the incident, said during an interview in Cheyenne Monday the allegations originally made by Zars were "absolutely false." "1 made no comment about him or to him," Maxfield declared.

"Nothing was ever said." Maxfield said he was "shocked" to learn about the allegation from his attorney about six hours after Zars read it into the record. "I was going to let it go, but my family was extremely upset, so I decided to take a lie detector test to prove I did not threaten Mr. Zars," he said. Maxfield also said he is concerned about the impact such an allegation may have on his business relationships. Maxfield had Denver attorney Anthony Joseph arrange for a polygraph test, which was conducted on April 6 by examiner Gayle Jennings, who Maxfield said was involved in law enforcement work since 1962 and has "conducted thousands of polygraphs." In an interview, Maxfield denied making any threatening statements to Zars or threatening remarks about him at the EQC hearing on March 26.

Maxfield also said he did not intend to cause harm to Zars in any way. In his release, Maxfield said the polygraph test "proved" he did not make the alleged threat. In separate interviews, both Maxfield and Zars said they wish to see the EQC make a ruling on the wastewater permit based on the evidence presented at the hearing, and not let the alleged threats interfere with the process. The EQC is scheduled to review the Maxfield Farms Feedlot permit when it meets in Casper Wednesday. USFS: Rainbow Family aims for B-T forest site Meeting set today on gathering Cody residents want old school saved Eastside School demolition planned for playground By ANGELA PELKEY Star-Tribune staff writer 4.

0 PINEDALE (AP) Members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light appear to be leaning toward the Bridger-Teton National Forest as the site for their annual meeting this year, according to a forest official. Scott Fitzwilliams, the forest's public affairs specialist, told the Pinedale Roundup that scouts for Jhe" organization have been steered toward western Wyoming. He added the group appears to be interested in the Mosquito Lake-Buffalo Meadows area in Teton and Sublette counties. The Rainbow Family has met each summer since 1972, when members held their first "world peace and healing gathering" near Granby, Colo. Scouts for the group are visiting Pinedale to get a look at possible meeting sites that would hold the 25,000 people expected to attend thef gathering in July.

Scouts for the group are to meet in late April and the gathering site is to be officially determined in late May or early June during another meeting of the group. Fitzwilliams said Forest Service officials plan to hold a public meeting in Pinedale today to discuss the gathering and share their knowledge with members of the public. A number of area residents have already contacted the Forest Service to express concerns about the gathering, he added. "Some callers actually thought we weren't going to tell anyone about the Rainbow Gathering until they start arriving," he said. "If we don't work with the public on this, we won't survive it.

Our first priority is human health and safety." The meeting also will be attended by health officers from Delta County, the site of the 1992 Rainbow gathering. In 1992, 32 federal, state and local agencies worked to accommodate the gathering. 71 rv, 1 1 Sjajl lit -vt jtV VyTy-r f. ft. CODY A group of local residents has launched a last-minute campaign to save Cody's old Eastside School, built in 1937 and scheduled for demolition to make way for a playground.

Reva Friedly and a committee of about "19 or 20" have distributed posters and petitions in local stores to garner support for their effort to save the structure. Friedly also paid to have a clip-out petition printed in the local paper. Friedly, who had four of her 10 children attend the school, said in an interview that she believes the building is worth saving because of its historic value, and that its many problems are not insurmountable. The building, along with several additions, currently serves kindergarten through fifth grade students. The original structure, which is the focus of Fried-ly's efforts, was built in 1937 and has electrical, heating and asbestos problems, District No.

6 Superintendent Alan Hafer said. Additions were put on in 1947, 1957, in the 1970s, and in 1985, he said. The district currently is constructing a new elementary school building adjacent to the old Eastside School and its many additions. That new building is being constructed on what was the play area for the old school, Hafer said. Hafer said the school board recently heard a presentation from Friedly to save the structure and told her group that if they could find someone to buy and maintain the building the The original 1937 Eastside School building (left) is now dwarfed in size by subsequent additions, evident in an aerial view of the school site.

I MMir ill (HBO ih -r- r--nllwil, V4 yf Ji. Photos by Dewey VanderholT Star-Tribune correspondent Larry L. HillStar-Tribune correspondent BORDER TQ BORDER so cannot wait indefinitely for Friedly to find someone to buy the building, he said. The new building is nearly finished and the district needs to move forward with its plan, he said. The superintendent said he was surprised when the group started its campaign to save the old school since the district has been planning the demolition since 1991.

Voters that year "overwhelmingly" approved a bond issue for the district to build a board would consider not tearing it down. Friedly said they have just begun to explore finding someone to buy the building. She added, however, that the district should consider keeping the school because it might need the space in the future, given the influx of people into the Cody area. The group also is exploring getting the building registered as a historic site. Hafer said the district does not have the money to fix up and keep the building.

It al- new school and tear down the old one, and he had not heard any opposition from anyone in the last three years until the last month and a half, Hafer said. He also pointed out that for the district to change plans now would be to go against the mandate of the voters. Friedly said that so far she has gathered between 350 and 375 signatures petition signatures, but 30 petitions are still at stores in Cody and have not been counted yet. Fremont murder case remains 'juvenile' RIVERTON (AP) The Wyoming Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to prevent a juvenile murder case from being moved to adult court. The court last week denied a request made on behalf of a 16-year-old suspect accused of shooting Mike Adams, officials said.

The request would have forced the acceptance of a guilty plea in juvenile court. The Fremont County attorney's office has said it would seek to transfer the youth's case into adult court. Deputy County Attorney Ed Newell said that he was pleased with the Supreme Court action, which now leaves the decision up to the juvenile court judge. If convicted in juvenile court, the suspect would be sent to the Wyoming Boys' School near Worland. If convicted of first-degree murder in adult court, he could be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty.

Adams was found dead Feb. 22 in Sinks Canyon. He was shot two times in the head and three times in the chest. Rustled Nevada cattle found in Wyoming ELKO, Nev. AP) Nevada authorities say about 1 1 0 cattle involved in a suspected embezzlement case in Elko County have been found in a Thermopolis feedlot, a Nevada brand inspector says.

The brands of the cattle found in Wyoming had been altered, said Dennis Journigan, a brand inspector based in Elko. Officials suspect the cattle were moved to another location til hair had grown over the altered brand, before they were shipped out of state. "We have some suspects," Journigan said. Because the cattle crossed state lines, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved. Rancher wins $15,000 for calves killed by grizzlies per calf and one domestic cow valued at $512.50," the arbitration panel wrote to the Game and Fish Department.

Walton originally had sought compensation of $17,928.40 for 38 cattle he claimed had been killed by bears. Game and Fish personnel recommended paying Walton only about $9,000 for 18 Hereford calves and one Hereford cow. Game and Fish official had confirmed those animals had been killed by grizzlies. But the department and the Game and Fish Commission refused to compensate Walton for 20 other calves. By TOM MORTON Star-Tribune staff writer CASPER An arbitration panel has ordered the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to compensate a rancher for cattle the rancher claimed were killed by grizzly bears, even though the rancher could not produce carcasses of all the calves.

The arbitrators on March 31 awarded Paul Walton of the Walton Ranch Co. $15,138.30 for 31 calves and one cow. "This award is based on loss by grizzly bear depredation of 3 1 domestic calves valued at $471.80 Walton filed the claim and appeal, citing the ranch's 35-year history of losing 2 percent to 2.5 percent of its livestock a year to bears, said Walton's attorney Henry Phibbs of Jackson. Walton has a grazing lease on the Blackrock Spread Creek allotment in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. "There's no question that we didn't have the carcasses," Phibbs said.

But arbitrators ordered the department to pay the rancher for 1 3 calves even though their carcasses ere never found. The panel made the award, Phibbs said, after it considered the history of depredation in the area, the number of animals already killed in 1 993, and the range cow boys' records. "The circumstantial evidence, we felt, was pretty compelling," Phibbs said. The Game and Fish Department normally doesn't make compensation if a rancher can't prove a trophy game animal, such as a grizzly bear or cougar killed them. But Phibbs claimed that this as a significant exception.

"It is not only not normal, it may be unique." Department officials could not be reached for comment about hethcr they ill appeal the arbitration panel's order. BORDER PHOTO: Salvage yard tire-rim fence near Rock Springs.