Monika Leininger
Mleinin1@uwyo.edu
Powell landslide causes road to deteriorate
In Powell a road deteriorated due to a landslide, which was caused by moisture in the ground. Park County officials are looking into several other options for repairing the road. Unfortunately no contractors in the area wanted the job of stabilizing the road. County officials report that one part of the project is driving special nails into the ground to stop the land from sliding; this will have to be completed by a subcontractor, making the project less appealing for general contractors.
Laramie ranking
Following Laramie’s No. 1 ranking on the “Best College Towns” list, which considers the best small college towns in America, Laramie was placed on top of another college ranking list. A new list which considers cities in addition to towns, “Best College Towns to live in” list, Laramie ranked No. 12. “Best College towns to live in” is published by Smart Asset, a website that provides information to help consumers make financial decisions. Laramie ranked ahead of Iowa City, Iowa; Fort Collins, Colo.; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Missoula, Mont.; and 90 other communities. Topping the list are Princeton, N.J.; Kearney, Neb.; and Boulder, Colo.
Wind farm fraud
Two defendants who pled guilty in 2013 for fraud seek to overturn their convictions. The defendants committed fraud by promoting investment in nonexistent wind farms in Wyoming and South Dakota. Prosecutors say investors lost more than $4.4 million in the fraud scam. Laura Elizabeth Scott from Utah is serving a prison sentence of nearly five years on her guilty pleas to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. This month Scott filed a lawsuit claiming federal officials trumped up the charges against her solely to try to seize her assets. Federal prosecutors believe the lawsuit should be thrown out. Scott’s brother Robert Arthur Reed is continuing to try to appeal his 12-year federal prison sentence.
Wyoming Lottery introduces Keno
Wyoming lawmakers are bothered by the Wyoming Lottery Corporation’s introduction of the gambling game Keno without approval. Due to this lack of consideration lawmakers will introduce legislation limiting the autonomy of the lottery. One condition of the 2013 law that allowed the lottery was no instant-gratification games, such as scratch-off tickets, would be allowed, Sen. Michael Von Flatern, R-Campbell, said.
“If they want to make slot machines and that sort of thing legal, fine, change the statutes. But as they stand, it isn’t legal,” Von Flatern said.
Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Converse, said lawmakers will likely consider limitations to the lottery during the upcoming legislative session.
Search for new president
The first committee involved in reviewing applicants for UW president started the process on Friday. The committee has scheduled another meeting for Nov. 6 for the same purpose. The meetings are closed to the public consistent with the board of trustees’ plan to keep applicants confidential. As part of the process constituents will have an opportunity to meet with finalists and provide feedback to the board of trustees. The board then conducts individual interviews and will consider feedback from stakeholders. The latter process could begin as early as December.
UW recognized as top Phi Beta Kappa chapter
In a recent Triennial Council meeting in Denver, the Phi Beta Kappa society at the University of Wyoming was honored as one of the nation’s top public university chapters. UW was selected from among 283 chartered institutions across the nation. In making the selection the society considered initiation rate, programming, relations with the university and quality of speakers at initiation ceremonies. The UW Phi Beta Kappa chapter sponsors lectures, scholarships and other academic opportunities.
