Cheyenne, WY – Williams natural gas company said today that it plans to double the processing capacity and production of natural gas liquid at its Echo Springs plant in southern Wyoming.

The Tulsa, Okla.-based company says it will spend up to 233 million dollars to expand the plant, which processes gas from the Washakie Basin. Williams plans to start construction next year and finish in late 2010, pending necessary permits.

By Addie Goss

Laramie, WY – Wyoming's unemployment rate has fallen to 2.6 percent, the lowest it's been since the year 1979.

Senior economist with the state Department of Employment, David Bullard, says Wyoming now has the lowest unemployment in the nation, tied with South Dakota. Bullard says that's a good sign.

"There's no question Wyoming's economy is doing well," Bullard said.

Pavillion, WY – Law enforcement officials say that
excavations near a Fremont County home haven't turned up any clues to the 1980 disappearance of a mother and her two sons.

Virginia Uden and her sons Reagan and Richard have been missing since 1980. Their car was found nearly a month later in a remote canyon with the interior stained with blood.

Authorities say investigators have been digging Monday and Tuesday near a residence about 15 miles north of Riverton. Police
say the residence had been owned by the woman's ex-husband.

Cody, WY – The superintendent of Yellowstone National
Park says early signs point to a strong tourist season this summer.

Superintendent Suzanne Lewis says she's optimistic, despite the high gas prices, because reservations are at the same level or
ahead of last year. She noted that 2007 was a record year for Yellowstone, with visitation up 10 percent.

Lewis spoke Monday during National Parks Day, a traditional summer tourism kickoff event in Cody.

By Elsa Partan

Laramie, WY – The conservation groups that successfully got polar bears listed as threatened last week were back in court today to try to get the government to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists say those gases have led to rapid melting of sea ice, which is where polar bears live.

But the government says it will not use the polar bear listing to regulate greenhouse gases. The groups, which include Greenpeace, are suing to force regulation.

By Addie Goss

Laramie, WY – Warm temperatures are melting snow into the Little Snake River, which is threatening to flood the riverbanks near the town of Baggs.

Mayor Linda Corners says the National Guard is helping fill sandbags. She says state Homeland Security and the Army Corps of Engineers are also helping out.

By Addie Goss

Laramie, WY – A study released by the Rockefeller Institute of Government in New York finds that Wyoming's community colleges have one of the highest enrollments in the nation.

Executive Director of the Wyoming Community College Commission, Jim Rose, says that's partly because there are only two four-year colleges in Wyoming, and not all students can attend it. But he says community colleges are also well-funded by the state, so they attract many students who can afford only a modest tuition.

Gardiner, MT – Warm temperatures and abundant sunshine
are prompting Yellowstone National Park bison to return to their summer ranges inside the park.

Park managers on Monday opened the corrals at the Stephens Creek bison capture pens northwest of Gardiner. Park officials said about 300 bison headed south toward Mammoth, and then east into the Lamar
Valley; or south toward Fountain Flats, the Central Plateau and Hayden Valley.

By Addie Goss

Laramie, WY – School teachers from neighboring states are moving to Wyoming to take advantage of higher salaries. Last year, the average Wyoming teacher's salary jumped from about $40,000 to about $53,000.

Wyoming Education Association President Kathryn Valido says that's drawn many teachers here from Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, and as far away as California. Valido says this larger applicant pool has affected the quality of teaching.

Cheyenne, WY – The U.S. Solicitor General recommends that
the U.S. Supreme Court deny the state of Wyoming's request to shoot down a lawsuit in which the state of Montana says it's not getting enough water from two rivers that flow north across the state line.

U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement told the Supreme Court last week that it should allow Montana to proceed with its suit.
Montana claims Wyoming uses too much water from the Tongue and Powder Rivers.