Daily news roundup, Feb. 29, 2008
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Feb 29, 2008 Posted by Bill Luckett
Happy Leap Day! Since this is, after all, a bonus day (there’s only supposed to be 365 days in a year, right?), I’ll start off with a fairly important story I missed yesterday, because the Casper Star-Tribune placed it on its “city” page.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Democrat Keith Goodenough, a Casper City Council member and former state legislator, is seeking his party's nomination to run against Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso in the November general election:
Goodenough bids for U.S. Senate
Meanwhile, the race for the presidential nomination continues to make headlines in Wyoming (while Gov. Freudenthal expresses fondness for his friends but not for any specific presidential candidate over another):
The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that “It's been many years since we've seen a Wyoming Democratic caucus that was this exciting:”
I’m pleased to report that former Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Muffy Moore e-mailed me this morning to inform me that when she led the state party in 1988, Wyoming had gotten permission to hold an early caucus in league with New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina. That move brought no fewer than seven presidential candidates to the state – Bruce Babbitt, Joe Biden, Michael Dukakis, Dick Gephardt, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson and Gary Hart, according to Moore, while Dukakis, Gore and Gephardt had staffers here for months. So I guess it’s safe to say we haven’t seen anything like this in 20 years.
WyoFile.com also has a piece examining Gov. Freudenthal’s thoughts on the presidential race and other issues:
Governor caught up in campaign excitement
The Jackson Hole News & Guide offers this report on the Clinton campaign’s Wyoming steering committee:
Valley residents on Clinton committee
The Torrington Telegram has this piece on the upcoming Goshen County Democratic caucus/convention:
Democrats prepare for March 8 caucus
FROM THE LEGISLATURE
Leaders say Legislature making good progress (Casper Star-Tribune)
Governor mostly happy with budget session (Wyoming Public Radio)
Senate panel OKs tax break expansions (Casper Star-Tribune)
Anti-dogfighting bill heads to governor’s desk (Casper Star-Tribune)
DNA bill moves to full house (Casper Star-Tribune)
Committee approves helium tax (Casper Star-Tribune)
Business fraud bill clears House panel (Casper Star-Tribune)
Senate OKs campaign contributions bill (Casper Star-Tribune)
EU ambassador addressed Legislature (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)
Jackson Rep. says 35-acre subdivisions bill goes too far (Wyoming Public Radio)
‘Castle doctrine’ bill heads to Senate (Wyoming Public Radio)
Groups challenging illegal immigration bill (Wyoming Public Radio)
IN OTHER NEWS
The Gillette News-Record reports that one part of a three-pronged effort by the Sierra Club to disrupt construction of the Two Elk power plant failed Wednesday when the state Environmental Quality Council dismissed a request to essentially reconsider a decision that allows construction of the plant:
Ruling allows Two Elk to continue
Federal wildlife managers have dramatically increased the amount of land they want to designate as critical habitat for the Canada lynx, a threatened species:
The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that, as with most of the state’s wildlife, the lynx too finds a comfortable home in Teton County:
Wyoming Public Radio reports that 100 bison were captured for slaughter Thursday after leaving Yellowstone National Park, bringing the total capture this winter to 651.
A city administrator will not be part of Sheridan’s city government after city residents rejected the position in a special election Thursday. More than 2,000 people voted on the measure, but it failed by 134 votes, City Clerk Art Elkins said:
Sheridan voters reject city administrator plan
The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that, thanks to space issues at the Happy Jack landfill, it looks as if the city will make single-stream recycling available to all Cheyenne residents: