By AP

Washington, D.C. – The Obama administration will again require federal agencies to consult with the government's wildlife experts before taking any actions that could impact threatened or endangered species.

The Interior and Commerce departments said Tuesday they have revoked a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration that ended the consultation requirement. Environmentalists had argued that the Bush action severely reduced protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Cheyenne, Wy – The Wyoming Business Council is sending to Gov. Dave Freudenthal a plan to reduce the agency's budget by as much as 14 percent.
The Business Council board signed off on the draft proposal
during a conference call meeting Tuesday.
The Business Council's mission is to promote economic
development in Wyoming. The agency has a fiscal year 2010 budget of
about $57 million and is proposing cuts of up to $8 million a year.
Freudenthal has instructed state agencies to plan for budget

By Bob Beck

Jackson, Wy – The National Elk Refuge in Jackson plans to spend $3.2 million in federal stimulus funds on an irrigation project to benefit elk.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced that $280
million in stimulus funding will go for improvements at wildlife
refuges and fish hatcheries nationwide. Wyoming projects, including
the elk refuge, will get more than $6 million of the funds.
The National Elk Refuge plans to build a system that will
irrigate 1,600 acres using a combination of sprinkler and flood

Jackson, Wy – Jackson area residents may have less access to mental health services as a result of state funding cuts.
The Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center faces more than
$200,000 in budget cuts.
Center Director Deb Sprague says her organization learned state
funding has dried up. She says that leaves the center short
$227,000 as it goes into its 2009-10 budget.
Sprague says 35 people already are forced to wait two to three
weeks to see a counselor. She says that the funding cuts mean that

Riverton, Wy – The Northern Arapaho Tribe reports that its casino operations and associated businesses are now the largest employer in Fremont County.
The tribe issued a release on Tuesday saying the casino operations now employ 560 workers and plans to add more. The relocated and expanded Little Wind Casino at Ethete marked its grand opening on April 4, bringing its employment there to 60
workers. That put total casino employment ahead of the Riverton
school district, which employs 520 workers.

By Addie Goss

Laramie, WY – As of Monday, no cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Wyoming. The state Department of Health suggests people protect themselves against swine flu... the same way they'd protect against any other flu.

State epidemiologist Dr. Tracy Murphy says although the swine flu hasn't hit Wyoming yet, it's probably only a matter of time: "I don't doubt we're gonna find a case, especially as hard as we're looking now."

By Molly Messick

Wyoming – You probably have never paid any attention, but there are a lot of vacant 2nd stories of buildings in Wyoming. Those stories used to be popular, but now they are an afterthought. A couple of state organizations are hoping to change that. Betsy Bradley and Mary Hopkins of the State Historic preservation office join Bob Beck to discuss their project, Living upstairs in Wyoming.

Wyoming – Wyoming is set to receive over 1.7 million dollars in federal stimulus funds to address homelessness. Mary Randolph directs the Wyoming Rural Development Council, which will administer the money. She tells Addie Goss that the aim of the grant is to help Wyoming governments and non-profits prevent people from becoming homeless during this recession.