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MEDICAID FRAUD
CHEYENNE — An Evanston woman pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to defrauding Medicaid of $56,000. The money had been earmarked to pay for special needs children. The state has said it’s trying to crack down increasingly on fraud and abuse in the expensive system. By Ben Neary.
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY
CASPER — Nine students around the nation, including one in Wyoming, died at or near school bus stops in 2011. The horror of that death and the number of drivers who disregard rules involving buses stopped for students has prompted a Wyoming legislative committee to consider ways to increase safety. By Bob Moen.
YELLOWSTONE ELK
CASPER — Drought and increased predation, especially by grizzly bears, have taken a toll on elk that migrate between Yellowstone National Park and areas to the east where their calves are born, a study finds. The U.S. Geological Survey, University of Wyoming and Wyoming Game and Fish Department collaborated on the study released Wednesday. The study was published in the journal Ecology.
WILD HORSES-INDEPENDENT REVIEW
RENO, Nev. — A scathing independent scientific review of wild horse roundups in the West concludes the U.S. government would be better off investing in widespread fertility control of the mustangs and let nature cull any excess herds instead of spending millions to house them in overflowing holding pens. A 14-member panel assembled by the National Science Academy’s National Research Council, at the request of the Bureau of Land Management, concluded BLM’s removal of nearly 100,000 horses from the Western range over the past decade is probably having the opposite effect of its intention to ease ecological damage and reduce overpopulated herds. By Scott Sonner.
AP Photos NVLAS501, RPSS101, RPSS107, RPSS102, RPSS103.
ALSO:
— SWEETWATER JUDGE — Mead appoints new judge for Sweetwater County.
— YELLOWSTONE BISON SHOT — 2 bison killed in Mont. after hazing efforts fail.
— COAL TRAINS-LAWSUIT — Sierra Club sues BNSF over coal dust from trains.
SPORTS:
FBO–SHRINE BOWL
CASPER — Cody Savage, Dino Collins and Josh Flanigan became teammates for the first time this week, thanks to the Shrine Bowl. But the North trio hopes it won’t be the last time they have the chance to suit up alongside one another on the football field. While the immediate future holds two-year LDS missions for all three, they hope to rejoin in Provo, Utah, at Brigham Young University as walk-ons for the BYU football team. By Clint Robus of the Casper Star-Tribune.
