Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 19

StarTribune Index Obituaries B3-4 Regional news B4-6 Weather B6 THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008 State editor Giaci Baldwin can be tacnec; at 307) 26605)83, sOOi or state5tnD.com SECTION If 6 Swerot under the ni Political interference on endangered species went deeper, report suggests delisted in recent years, including the Yellowstone grizzly bear population, only two had met all their recovery criteria, the report said. The department already revised seven decisions because of political interference by Julie MacDonald, a former In Wyoming, the Canada lynx and the Preble's meadow jumping mouse. But that number could have been higher had the department not limited its investigation, a Government Accountability Office report says. Robin Nazzaro of the GAO testified Wednesday to the House Natural Resources Committee that at least four By NOELLE STRAUB Star-Tnbune Washington bureau WASHINGTON Several top officials may have played politics with Endangered Species Act cases, and the Interior Department could have found more such decisions had it better investigated the problem, a new report says. Ana ot tne eignt species ft IN BRIEF FROM STAFF WIRE REPORTS Man gets 20 years in infant death RAWLINS A district judge has sentenced a 21-year-old Rawlins man to serve from 20 years to life in prison on a conviction of second-degree murder in the death of his infant son.

Judge Wade Waldrip sentenced Andrew Olsen of Rawlins on Monday. Court records say that Olsen told police he slammed the 3-month-old boy's head into a car seat in April 2007 because he wouldn't stop crying. The boy spent several weeks at a children's hospital in Denver before dying. Olsen told the judge that there's no excuse for what he did. Olsen's lawyer told the judge that Olsen wanted to take responsibility for the killing long before he entered the plea agreement in March.

The judge wished Olsen luck at the end of the sentencing hearing. Company plans gas plant expansion CHEYENNE -Williams natural gas company said Wednesday that it plans to double the processing capacity and production of natural gas liquid at its Echo Springs plant in southern Wyoming. The Tulsa, company said it will spend up to $233 million to expand the plant, which processes gas from the productive Washakie Basin. Williams plans to start construction next year and finish in late 2010, pending necessary permits. The expansion will bring the Carbon County plant's gas processing capacity to 740 million cubic feet equivalent per day and the production of natural gas liquids, such as nrnnanp nr hutanp tn dfl.OOO 'J'; i i fii barrels Der dav.

News Tracker Last we knew: After an investigation, the Interior Department revised seven decisions on endangered species because of political interference by Julie MacDonald, a former deputy assistant secretary. other Bush appointees may have played questionable roles in the ESA decisions approved by MacDonald. They include a former assistant secretary, a 'A i so far The protection effort focused on three areas at the greatest risk: a water treatment facility, a telephone company facility and the northeast section of Baggs, according to a news release from the National Guard. The first guardsmen to respond to Baggs on Monday night worked for 30 hours continuously to secure the river banks. The soldiers then began taking 12 -hour shifts and resting in the basement of a local church, according to the release.

Officials expect the Little Snake River to crest at a similar level today and then start to recede, Corners said. operation in Hanna. The communities objected, and the commission agreed to let the schools operate separately for at least two more years before agreeing to the new modular building plan. Where to put it? The new Elk Mountain School has only one major issue to resolve. Where will it be located? The original plan, agreed to last year, was to locate the new school building on the playground at the current school site while saving the gym for use by the school children and Please see SCHOOLS, B2 i 1 i Tor Adams, AP The latest: The investigation was insufficient the Government Accountability Office says.

What's next: It remains to be seen if the finding will trigger further action by the Interior Department deputy assistant secretary and the secretary's chief of staff, she said. Please see SPECIES, B2 Lummis challenges GOP opponents She wants 23 debates in 23 counties before Aug. 19 primary By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bu'eau CHEYENNE U.S. House candidate Cynthia Lummis wants to debate her Republican opponents in all 23 Wyoming counties before the Aug. 19 primary election.

The former state treasurer issued the challenge Wednesday during an open house at MPWc her state cam- paign head- 1 quarters in Last we knew. "We want TM to heighten are seefang that awareness of P5 ic'uuiiLUii issues and Re-publican races," Lummis said later in an interview. "All the attention lately numiriduun lur Wyoming's U.S. House seat. The latest: One of them, former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis, challenged her has been on 3 the Democrat opponents to 23 debates in all 23 counties.

ic presidential race, and wre want to shift fhp pmnhnciQ What's next: at least here in Wyoming, to ndida essay another very Icome competitive deb race, which is at the Republi- Prent can U.S. House race," she added. The debates would allow the candidates to talk about their views directly with voters "instead of through slick TV ads," she said. The election is important because it will bring about change, given that the incumbent, U.S. Rep.

Barbara Cubin, is not seeking re-election, Lummis said. She said she offers the type of change that she did as state treasurer, which was to fundamentally change the state's investment portfolio so that now interest income from state investments is the primary source of income to the state's General Fund. Lummis acknowledged that 23 debates in 23 counties is an ambitious undertaking and would require a great deal of coordination among the campaigns. "Since Wyoming has only one voice in Congress, we need to have the strongest voice possible and provide the opportunity for the candidates to be tested by the voters," Lummis said. Three Republicans have filed for the U.S.

House seat in addition to Lummis Mark Gordon, a Sheridan County Please see CHALLENGE. B2 Members of the Wyoming National Guard's 133rd Engineer Co. shovel sand into sandbags in front of the Baggs Town Hall as the Little Snake River threatens to flood the southern Wyoming town. terior Department deputy assistant secretary. They include those for two species in Sierra Madre Mountains and warm temperatures have made for high levels of runoff in the river basin.

Hydrologist Jim Fahey of the National Weather Service in Riverton said a flood warning was extended through this morning for the Baggs area because of the possibility that rain showers moving north from Colorado could drop up to a half-inch of rain. "If one of them does stall out, that could produce enough water downstream for additional flooding," Fahey said. Town officials said the high river has flooded agricultural areas upstream from Baggs. student populations, which hover around 20 students in grades K-6. The Carbon County School District 2 board decided in a special meeting last week to build Medicine Bow's new school this summer.

It will be built on the old high school football field on the north edge of the town. Both schools will be the same model, with about 8,000 square feet of total space, and will be built to accommodate more than 50 students to allow for expansion. The schools will be "permanent modular buildings" made up of modular units constructed by W'illiams Scotsman Inc. in its production fa Sandbags quell flooding ft There were no other reports of property damage. Flooding on nearby Savery Creek resulted in a minor washout of County Road 752 northwest of the town of Savery, said Bill Nation, superintendent of the Carbon County Road and Bridge Department.

Nation said the road is rarely used and will be cleaned up after the water subsides. Thirty-three guardsmen from the 133rd Engineer Co. in Laramie were assisting local efforts to build up levies and diversion dikes with sandbags. An engineer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was also on site.

cilities in Washington state for delivery this summer. This type of school construction is being encouraged by the School Facilities Commission in an effort to control spiraling building costs, according to District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates. It also allows the new schools to be easily expanded if the towns grow. The projected cost of each of the new schools will be just under S2 million, according to Gates. In 2006, the School Facilities Commission recommended closing the elementary schools in Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain and consolidating those students into a K-12 at By The Assoc P'ess BAGGS Members of the Wyoming Army National Guard and local volunteers worked to shore up the banks of the Little Snake River near Baggs on Wednesday as high waters continued to threaten to flood the southern Wyoming town.

Mayor Linda Corners said the water had not breached any of the diversion dikes and there was no water in the town, which has about 400 residents and sits just four miles north of the Colorado border. Wednesday's peak river level never exceeded Tuesday's peak. Abundant snowpack in the i uc uiree existing jjivj-cessing trains at Echo Springs are already running at their combined capacity and the producers in the Wamsutter area are expecting significant volume growth in the future," Alan Armstrong, president of Williams' midstream business, said in a news release. Park roads will open for weekend YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK -Yellowstone National Park intends to have all roads open in time for Memorial Day weekend, but officials say that snow will still limit access to many campsites and trails. Depending on the weather, Yellowstone intends to have Dunraven Pass, between Tower Fall and Canyon, and the Beartooth Highway outside the park's Northeast Entrance open by Friday morning.

The other roads are already open. Most trails are still covered by several feet of snow, but the trails in the Mammoth and Tower areas are free of snow and offer good hiking. Board reviews vehicle policy GILLETTE The Campbell County Commission is considering a new policy that could reduce the number of county employees who get to drive county vehicles home. The county now allows 39 county vehicles that can be driven home by workers. That number doesn't include vehicles driven by the sheriffs office.

Commissioner Chris Knapp said taxpayers expect no personal use of county vehicles. The commission directed County Fleet Manager Rod Warne to get more information from county workers who take vehicles home to determine whether their driving is justified. Towns will keep elementary schools State agrees to modulars for Medicine Bow, Elk Mountain By RICHARD HODGES Star-Tribune correspondent ELK MOUNTAIN A two-year odyssey that determined under what conditions the towns of Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow would be allowed to keep their elementary schools finally came to an end this week. After many public meetings and significant community debate in both towns, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow will each get a new building this summer to replace their existing schools. Their current facilities have more square footage than is allowed by the Wyoming School Facilities Commission for their Packhorse race It Saturday and Sunday, the Don Scheer Memorial Packhorse Race will be held at the Dubois Town Park.

The open race for men andor women will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the entry fee is $65. On Sunday, the team combinations change and will be for women only starting at 10 a.m., with entry fees $35 per team (two people, three horses). Info: (307) 455-3675. Book signing 7:30 p.m.

Friday, author C.J. Box will read from and sign copies of his latest Joe Pickett mystery, 'Blood Trail," at Chickering Bookstore in Laramie. Old West Days a Friday through Sunday, Jackson's Old West Days will take place. Music, parade, other events. Some activities are free, while others will have admission fees.

Info: (307) 733-3316 or www.jacksonholechamber.com. Your Events More events, Page B2.