Cheyenne, Wy – With the death of Senator Craig Thomas interest remains high in who might be his replacement. Names including U-S attorney Matt Mead, former Speaker of the House Randall Luthi, State Senator John Barrasso and State Representative Colin Simpson appear to lead most lists. But Republican party officials are trying to squelch the interest until after funeral ceremonies this weekend. Governor Dave Freudenthal is also urging people to take the next few days to mourn Senator Thomas. He says the process for finding a replacement will take care of itself.

Jackson, Wy – Some environmental groups across the state say the death of Senator Craig Thomas could deal a blow to the Wyoming Range.
Thomas was expected to introduce legislation as soon as this week that would limit oil and gas drilling in that section of the Bridger Teton National Forest.
Andy Blair of the Wyoming Outdoor Council says it will be difficult to replace Senator Thomas with someone as sympathetic to the environment.

Gillette, Wy – A strong storm system brought tornadoes,
hail, snow and strong wind to Wyoming today (Wednesday).
In Campbell County, tornadoes were reported about 20 miles south
of Gillette and there were numerous reports of funnel clouds that
didn't touch ground.
There were no reports of damage from the tornadoes, but there
were reports of hail up to a half dollar in size that broke some
skylights and damaged home siding.
Elsewhere, intense storms caused flash flooding in the

Jackson, Wy – Federal agencies want to use public
hunting to kill more elk and bison to reduce the herds that winter
on the National Elk Refuge near Jackson in northwest Wyoming.
The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service
announced today (Wednesday) that they intend to reduce the number
of elk that spend the winter on the elk refuge near Jackson from as
many as 75-hundred currently to about five-thousand.
The agencies want the number of bison that winter on the refuge

By AP

Worland, WY – The drought has forced farmers to cut back
on the amount of planted sugar beet acreage in the areas surrounding Worland. Wyoming Sugar Company chief executive Cal Jones says the drought reduced the number of acres that were able to be planted because there is not enough supply of summer irrigation water available. That means fewer beets will be harvested this fall. Jones say the number of employees at Wyoming Sugar's plant will not be affected but there will be less work for them.

Laramie, Wy – Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Senator Thomas was the kind of politician who worked hard to represent the values and beliefs of his constituents.
"Senator Thomas understood and practiced the art of representative democracy. He traveled Wyoming nearly every weekend, spoke with the citizens of the state and would often ask them what did they think about an issue?"
Freudenthal praised the senator's defense of public lands and his advocacy for the state's national parks. The Governor ordered flags to be lowered to half staff.

Washington D-C – Vice President Dick Cheney says that Senator Craig Thomas was a strong willed person who avoided partisan battles and will be missed by Wyoming. Cheney was surprised to learn that Thomas had taken a turn for the worse this weekend, since he last saw Thomas within the last couple of weeks and that he looked great. Cheney remembers when Thomas won a special election to replace him as Wyoming's Congressman, when Cheney became Secretary of Defense. He says he was specially qualified for the post, since he knew Wyoming so well.

Cheyenne, Wy – The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service is launching a
court-ordered review of whether the wolverine should be classified
as endangered.
The regional Fish and Wildlife office in Denver said today that
it would look at whether the wolverine should be federally
protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Conservation groups have petitioned the federal government
several times to protect the wolverine. The Fish and Wildlife
Service has rejected the petitions, saying it didn't have enough

Wyoming – Wyoming is in the middle of a federal debate over whether someone who commits domestic violence can still own a gun.

Yellowstone, WY – Peter Aengst of the Wilderness Society gives an update on energy development in Western Wyoming.