It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Thursday, June 27th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Presented by Cheyenne Frontier Days - starting July 19th, from sun-up to sun-down - there’s something for everyone! Check it out at C-F-D RODEO DOT COM!
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Catastrophic hailstorms haven’t been kind to solar developers, and insurance companies have noticed. Premiums to insure the large solar projects planned for Wyoming's Hail Alley - the region primarily in the southeast and east-central part of the state - continue to rise, according to energy reporter Pat Maio.
“What I found interesting was a conversation I had with a London based insurance company that says nobody has gotten to the point yet where they can predict the financial impact that a hailstone greater than two inches can have on a solar panel… a lot of these developers are starting to talk upfront about their insurance costs, when they're looking for financing to basically build these farms. So if you don't have your insurance all lined up, you know, early on, you're probably not going to get financing is what he was saying.”
Today, most claims surpass $100 million, with that payout not near enough to cover the total cost of hail-damaged equipment.
Read the full story HERE.
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The California man arrested Tuesday for allegedly killing two people during a brazen 2015 daytime robbery in downtown Cheyenne actually broke the years-long cold case himself by telling inconsistent stories about his alleged alibi.
That’s what court documents say about 68 year old Douglas Smith, who is charged with shooting and killing 76 year old George Manley and 67 year old Dwight Brockman. Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the murders occurred while Smith was allegedly robbing The Coin Shop in downtown Cheyenne.
“There was many kind of inconsistencies in Smith's story from when he originally called 911 on the murder that took place at the coin shop in downtown Cheyenne. There was lots of things that didn't quite add up with Smith's story, including the timing of the events and where he was in relation to the supposed suspect that he saw in the shop, that also threatened him, supposedly, with a handgun.”
Smith is facing life in prison for his alleged role in the double homicide.
Read the full story HERE.
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A 15-year-old co-defendant accused of slamming 14-year-old Bobby Maher to the ground outside the Eastridge Mall and holding him down while another teen stabbed Maher to death has pleaded not guilty.
Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that Dominique Harris entered the plea Wednesday in Natrona County District Court.
“His attorney is saying that, while they pleaded not guilty, he's reserving an opportunity to plead not guilty by reason of mental illness or deficiency, based on some school records he was investigating. So the trial is scheduled for September, but the judge said that's just tentative for now.”
Harris’ co-defendant, Jarreth Plunkett, was arraigned June 21 and pleaded both not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental illness or deficiency to the four charges he faces, including first-degree murder.
Read the full story HERE.
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During a Wednesday morning rally in Washington, D.C., wildlife advocates demanded that Wyoming ban using snowmobiles to run down predators.
The rally was sparked by international outrage over the torture and killing of a wolf in Daniel. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that about 150 people from Wyoming and several other states attended the rally in person, and about the same number viewed it on a livestream.
“The core of the organization came from Wyoming people that kind of grew out of that rally they had in Daniel last month, the Hogs For Hope rally… They’d really like to see reform of animal cruelty statutes, to include animals, including predators like wolves. And they'd also like to see just an outright banning of the practice of pursuing animals on snowmobiles.”
The rally was the latest manifestation of widespread outrage over the torture and killing of the wolf in Daniel.
Read the full story HERE.
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Freedom Caucus member Jeremy Haroldson says Mark Gordon’s announcement that he has hired a top law firm to fight a federal coal rule is a win for the Freedom Caucus.
Politics reporter Leo Wolfson says the highly conservative group of legislators had pushed for a special session to urge the governor to sue.
“On Tuesday, Governor Mark Gordon announced that he would be spending $800,000 to hire a private law firm to help Wyoming fight the ongoing dispute over a BLM rule that will stop all coal production in the Powder River Basin by 2041. This was the exact request that had been made in an effort pushed by Representative Mark Jennings, a Republican from Sheridan, earlier this month to hold a special session so that lawmakers could grant Gordon this money.”
While Gordon has not yet filed any litigation on behalf of Wyoming on the BLM rule, he has sued over other administration actions to curb coal.
Read the full story HERE.
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And the 40-acre Wapiti View Ranch in northwest Wyoming is surrounded by stunning views of the Tetons and the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge. It had barely hit the market at nearly $18 million dollars before it was snatched up, according to business reporter Renee Jean.
“Every window of the tiny little cabin that sits there looks out on the Grand Tetons. It's backed by the Gros Ventre wilderness, and then you're kind of surrounded by the elk in the National Elk Refuge. It's hard to put a value on that. The list price for that was $17.95 million. Maybe that was a little low because it's already been snapped up. Someone has already put in an offer that's pending on this property.”
The buyers, whose identity wasn’t disclosed, are already talking about ways to preserve the 1980s cabin that was built on the property.
Read the full story HERE.
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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel.
I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
