Three Bears Chased from Cody Tree by MARK DAVIS and Headed to Gulch Drive to Tribune Staff Writer Check on the Report
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 108TH YEAR/ISSUE 78 Three bears chased from Cody tree BY MARK DAVIS and headed to Gulch Drive to Tribune Staff Writer check on the report. Up in Cowan’s tree were a t was a typical Saturday for black bear sow and her two Dale Cowan … other than yearling cubs. The location Ithe three bears in his tree. was just on the edge of the Cowan’s home and business, city, so Ellsbury decided it Cowan Con- would be best struction, are lo- to just scare off cated just south ‘If they were the three bears of the Shoshone instead of trying River, behind grizzlies, I wanted to capture them. the Walmart them out of here.’ After deploy- Supercenter ing an air-soft on Cody’s West Dale Cowan rifle (which Strip. Cody homeowner shoots plastic, Cowan doesn’t non-lethal BBs) mind the black bears, but is the bears climbed down from not a fan of grizzlies — and the branches and took off he couldn’t immediately tell running toward Rattlesnake which species was in his tree. Mountain, Ellsbury said. “If they were grizzlies, I “We expect to see bears [on A grizzly cub peeks out of some bushes while foraging with its mother and sibling in the North Fork area of the Shoshone River on Tuesday, in wanted them out of here,” he the Shoshone River] this time this shot captured by Todd Johnson. The bears have been fattening up for the winter near Newton Creek. On Monday, a judge reinstated federal said. of year, so be vigilant if you’re protection for these and other grizzlies in the Yellowstone region. Photo courtesy Todd Johnson He called law enforcement recreating near the river,” he at about 3:50 p.m. and was re- said. ferred to the Wyoming Game The biologist said most com- and Fish Department. munities in the area, including Luke Ellsbury, a large car- Powell, get one or two bears in nivore biologist for the Game GRIZZLY PROTECTIONS RESTORED and Fish in Cody, took the call See Three, Page 2 “exceed its legal authority” in delisting the Yellowstone area’s Reversing feds, judge puts grizzlies grizzly bears? Christensen said they did, in three different ways. Powell Valley Healthcare signs new back on endangered species list First, he said Fish and Wildlife officials failed to ad- agreement with Heritage Health BY CJ BAKER knows many people have strong “Although this order may equately consider how fewer Tribune Editor feelings about grizzly bears, have impacts throughout griz- protections for grizzlies in the similar to the current agree- “from ranchers zly country and Greater Yellowstone Ecosys- POSTS A LOSS IN AUGUST ment, but has some changes. federal judge has re- and big-game beyond, this tem would impact other pock- ets of the species across the rest BY MIKE BUHLER According to a provision instated endangered hunters to con- ‘Congress should case is not about of the continental U.S. Tribune Community Editor in the new agreement, Heri- Aspecies protections for servationists modernize the ESA the ethics of tage Health Center will be grizzly bears in Wyoming, and animal hunting, and it “The Service does not have he Powell Valley responsible for billing and Montana and Idaho, ending any rights activists.” so we can celebrate is not about solv- unbridled discretion to draw Healthcare Board of collecting any amounts due chance of a hunt this year — Many of those successes and ing human- or boundaries around every po- TDirectors and the Pow- from patients who partici- and possibly for years to come. strong feelings livestock-griz- tentially healthy population of ell Hospital District Board of pate in the center’s sliding U.S. District Court Judge were expressed focus our efforts on zly conflicts as a listed species without con- Trustees addressed several fee program, including for Dana Christensen ruled Mon- immediately af- species in need.’ a practical or sidering how that boundary topics when they held their laboratory and radiologi- day that federal wildlife man- ter the judge philosophical will affect the members of the monthly meetings back-to- cal services — and PVHC agers acted illegally and issued his de- Matt Mead matter,” Chris- species on either side of it,” back on Monday afternoon. will waive its right to bill illogically when they delisted cision — with Governor tensen wrote. Christensen wrote. The PVHC Board of Direc- those patients. PVHC will the Greater Yellowstone Eco- reactions rang- The judge said Second, Judge Chris- tors approved a new agree- bill patients participating in system’s grizzly bears last year. ing from outrage to joy — but his only concern was to answer tensen said Fish and Wildlife ment with Heritage Health At the outset of his 48-page Christensen stressed that he a yes or no question: Did the Center in Powell, which is See Hospital, Page 2 order, Christensen said he was only ruling on the law. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service See Grizzlies, Page 8 Personnel from the Powell Cowley man killed in Volunteer Fire Department and Powell Valley Hospital rollover north of Powell respond to a fatal crash on A 72-year-old Cowley man died Tues- Park County Sheriff’s Office, said in a Lane 5 Tuesday day morning when his truck rolled over Wednesday news release; he noted that morning. on Lane 5, north of Powell. the shoulder is very narrow in that area Tribune photo John A. Strom crashed around 11 and drops steeply into a ditch. by Mark Davis a.m., just east of the lane’s intersection “Strom overcorrected to his left, with Road 8. causing his vehicle to rotate counter- “Through physical evidence at the clockwise and enter a sideways slide,” scene and a witness statement, it was Mathess said. determined that Strom was eastbound The 2001 Ford F-150 rolled three ... when he drifted off of the right times before coming to rest right-side side of the road onto the shoulder,” Lance Mathess, a spokesman for the See Rollover, Page 3 HOMECOMING ROYALTY State sues local women for Medicaid fraud BY CJ BAKER State investigators say they Tribune Editor listened to phone calls that Smith placed to Muller from n a pending civil suit, state the Park County Detention authorities allege that a Center, in which the two dis- IPowell woman and her step- cussed their plan to submit the mother tried to defraud Wyo- false claims to Medicaid. ming’s Medicaid program out The women reportedly ad- of more than $1,400 last winter. mitted the scheme to a state Investigators say the two investigator in June, saying family members submitted “that nobody provided services three bogus timesheets in to Muller while Smith was in- February and March. The carcerated,” Kirchhefer wrote. sheets claimed that Amanda In responses they mailed to K. Smith was providing care the Park County District Court to her disabled stepmother, earlier this month, Smith and Linda G. Muller of Frannie, at Muller offered to repay the a time when Smith was actu- money in installments. ally in jail. Muller said she could pay “Smith conspired with $50 to $100 a month “to resolve Muller to present false or this issue.” Noting that she is fraudulent claims for payment disabled, Muller said she can’t or approval to the Medicaid afford a lawyer. program,” says a portion of the Smith similarly wrote that, complaint from Travis Kirch- “I am willing to make pay- hefer, the director of the Med- ments towards paying the Powell High School’s 2018 Homecoming Royalty includes (from left) freshman Jayden Asher, sophomore Abby Landwehr, junior Heidi Barrus icaid Fraud Control Unit in the money back.” Smith said she and seniors Aubrie Stenerson and Kenadee Bott. The Homecoming queen will be crowned during halftime at Friday night’s football game, Wyoming Attorney General’s when the Panthers take on the Star Valley Braves beginning at 6 p.m. Photo courtesy Mike Heny Office. See Fraud, Page 2 INSIDE ♦ NWC ON FOUR-GAME WIN STREAK: PAGE 7 ♦ BASSET HOUND RESCUE: PAGE 13 PAGE 2 • POWELL TRIBUNE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 TRAVEL A BULLETIN FLYYR 2 FLIGHTS PER DAY TO AND FROM DENVER, CO RENTALRENTAL CARSCARS RESTAURANTRESTAURANT FREEFREE WIFIWIFI Photo courtesy Steve Torrey A pair of Yellowstone National Park visitors make a report to rangers on Saturday morning, about a man who reportedly fired a shotgun at wolves near Sedge Bay. FREEFREE PARKINGPARKING Man reportedly fired shotgun MODERNMODERN TERMINALTERMINAL to park rangers. at wolves in YellowstoneRangers found Park no evidence- Make plans to be in the 2018 edition! that any wolves had been wound- RANGERS SEARCHINGThe FOR unidentified SUSPECT man report- ed, said Morgan Warthin, a Yel edly told park visitors that he’d lowstone spokeswoman. BY MARK DAVIS The gunman reportedly left- Tribune Staff writer shot at the wolves because they were chasing his pet, according the scene in a gray SUV, head ellowstone National Park to accounts those visitors gave to ing toward the interior of the Fall Home officials are investigating Yellowstone rangers. - park. Anyone with information a report that a man shot at Neither of the two visitors wit about the incident is asked to call Y Yellowstone’s tip hotline at 307- nessed the man firing the shots, some wolves in the park on Sat- 344-2132. urday morning. but one visitor, from California, The Powell Tribune will publish its annual spoke with the man shortly after- Warthin noted that, not only Improvement Witnesses said the incident is firing a weapon in the park OWELL TRIBUNE • P A G E 9 occurred near Sedge Bay along the incident and called Yellow FALL HOME IMPROVEMENT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 P Taking against the law, pets must be orders stone law enforcement.