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Attorney sues Bridger-Teton National Forest over affordable housing
Jackson Hole Daily
A Jackson resident is suing the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust over a proposed 36-unit affordable housing project at a popular trailhead bordering Jackson and the National Elk Refuge. Michael Clement, an attorney who lives near the project, contends that federal law allows the U.S. Forest Service to build housing for its workers on land it manages, the Jackson Hole Daily reports. But federal law does not allow the same for other community members, he says. Read the full story.
Cody lawmaker wins small claims suit over safari spat
Powell Tribune
A Cody lawmaker doesn’t need to reimburse her ex-boyfriend for international airplane tickets, as a judge found she never agreed to go on the trip. Following a two-day small claims trial, a Park County Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of state Rep. Nina Webber, R-Cody. Her former partner, Scott Weber of Wapiti, had been seeking $6,000 for tickets to Zimbabwe for a safari that he’d purchased in her name, the Powell Tribune reports. Read the full story.
Board pushes to reopen historic Chief Washakie Hot Springs
Lander Journal
Eastern Shoshone Hot Springs Board President and enrolled tribal member Diana Mitchell remembers the hot springs near Fort Washakie as a pillar of her childhood. Alongside relatives and friends, she learned to swim in the mineral-rich, geothermally heated water. At the time, many homes in the area lacked indoor plumbing, and the springs were a practical necessity as well as a source of healing. The board is working to redevelop and reopen the hot springs, the Lander Journal reports. Read the full story.
Long-standing Laramie Christmas Bird Count tallies 6,732 birds
Laramie Boomerang
Marking its 50th anniversary, the annual Albany County Christmas Bird Count drew eager volunteers who walked and drove established routes in search of birds. The count seeks to monitor the status and distribution of bird populations across the Western Hemisphere. Volunteers counted 6,732 birds, which exceeded the average of 3,155 birds, but was somewhat lower than the previous two years, the Laramie Boomerang reports. Read the full story.