K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For January 3rd, 2018 – Morning

CAIRO (AP) - IRAN'S ISLAMIC REPUBLIC IS SEEING A STARTLING WAVE OF UNREST AS IT DID NEARLY NINE YEARS AGO, WHEN MASSIVE CROWDS MARCHED IN PROTESTS AGAINST THE ALLEGEDLY RIGGED RE-ELECTION OF A HARD-LINE PRESIDENT. THE UPHEAVAL OF THE SUMMER OF 2009 WAS FUELED BY PENT-UP RESENTMENT OVER POLITICAL OPPRESSION. THIS TIME, THE UNREST WAS SPARKED BY ANGER OVER A FAILED ECONOMY; THE CROWDS ARE SMALLER, BUT MARCHES MORE WIDESPREAD AND MORE WILLING TO CALL FOR THE END OF RULE BY ISLAMIC CLERICS IN PLACE SINCE 1979
WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAVE A PHYSICAL NUCLEAR BUTTON, BUT THAT ISN'T STOPPING HIM FROM TEASING NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN OVER HOW TRUMP'S BUTTON IS BIGGER. TRUMP TWEETED TUESDAY: "WILL SOMEONE FROM HIS DEPLETED AND FOOD STARVED REGIME PLEASE INFORM HIM THAT I TOO HAVE A NUCLEAR BUTTON, BUT IT IS A MUCH BIGGER & MORE POWERFUL ONE THAN HIS, AND MY BUTTON WORKS!" IN TRUTH, THE PROCESS FOR LAUNCHING A NUCLEAR STRIKE IS COMPLEX AND INVOLVES THE USE OF A NUCLEAR "FOOTBALL."

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - MITT ROMNEY IS CONSIDERING A NEW CAREER IN CONGRESS. THOSE WHO KNOW ROMNEY BEST EXPECT HIM TO ANNOUNCE PLANS TO SEEK REPUBLICAN ORRIN HATCH'S SENATE SEAT NOW THAT HATCH HAS ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT. SUCH A DECISION WOULD MARK AN EXTRAORDINARY RESURGENCE FOR A GOP LEADER WHO HAD FADED FROM THE SPOTLIGHT AFTER TWO FAILED WHITE HOUSE BIDS AND AN UNSUCCESSFUL PUSH TO BLOCK PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S RISE. LONGTIME ASSOCIATES SUGGEST ROMNEY IS EAGER TO BRING A NEW MORAL CONSCIENCE TO THE GOP.
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CASPER CITY COUNCIL PASSED THE TORCH FROM THE OUTGOING MAYOR TO THE NEW MAYOR AND THE NEW VICE MAYOR AT ITS FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR TUESDAY.

A YEAR AGO, THE COUNCIL DIDN'T KNOW THAT INSTEAD IT WOULD BE PASSING AND DODGING POLITICAL FIRE BALLS FOR MUCH OF 2018.

IN HER LAST ACT AS MAYOR KENYNE HUMPHREY SAID THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY ENDURED A TOUGH YEAR AND THERE WERE TIMES SHE WANTED TO GIVE UP.

DURING THE YEAR THE COUNCIL DEALT WITH A POLICE DEPARTMENT IN REVOLT AND A POLICE CHIEF WHO WAS FIRED; A FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH SIMILAR ISSUES; THE RETIREMENTS OF THE FIRE CHIEF, CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY; A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO RESIGNED; AND A $4 MILLION DEFICIT.

THE COUNCIL GOT THROUGH MOST OF IT, AND HIRED A NEW POLICE CHIEF AND A NEW CITY MANAGER, SELECTED A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER AND APPROVED A BALANCED BUDGET.

SO TUESDAY'S MEETING SEEMED SOMEWHAT ANTI-CLIMACTIC AND DOWNRIGHT CALM AS THE COUNCIL ELECTED RAY PACHECO AS MAYOR AND CHARLIE POWELL AS VICE MAYOR, AND MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE ROBERT HAND, JR., SWORE THEM IN.

THEY SHOOK HANDS, THE COUNCIL RECESSED TO REARRANGE THE SEATING, APPROVED A FEW ITEMS ON THE AGENDA, AND LOOKED FORWARD TO THE YEAR AHEAD.
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CHEYENNE, WYO. (AP) - A 21-YEAR-OLD CHEYENNE MAN CHARGED WITH SHOOTING AND KILLING HIS ROOMMATE HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. CODY HESS WAS ARRAIGNED TUESDAY FOR THE NOVEMBER SHOOTING DEATH OF 35-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL ROBBINS. HESS' TRIAL IS SET FOR MARCH.

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONT. (AP) - A MINNESOTA MAN DIED IN AN AVALANCHE WHILE HE WAS SNOWMOBILING NORTH OF WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA. GALLATIN COUNTY OFFICIALS SAY 40-YEAR-OLD WEYLON WIEDEMANN OF PINE CITY, MINNESOTA, WAS CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

DENVER (AP) - A VETERANS AFFAIRS DOCUMENT OBTAINED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAYS THE GUNMAN WHO KILLED A COLORADO SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ESCAPED FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH WARD OF A VA HOSPITAL IN WYOMING IN 2014 BUT WAS LOCATED AND RETURNED. AUTHORITIES SAY MATTHEW RIEHL FATALLY SHOT ONE DEPUTY AND WOUNDED FOUR OTHER OFFICERS ON SUNDAY. RIEHL WAS KILLED BY A SWAT TEAM. THE VA DOCUMENT SAYS RIEHL HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED AT THE VETERANS MEDICAL CENTER IN SHERIDAN, WYOMING, IN APRIL 2014 AFTER A PSYCHOTIC EPISODE.

CASPER, WYO. (AP) - ECONOMISTS SAY WYOMING'S ECONOMY CONTINUES TO SHOW EVIDENCE OF A SLOW STABILIZATION AS THE STATE RECOVERS FROM THE BUST IN ITS KEY FOSSIL FUEL SECTORS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. ECONOMIC INDICATORS TRACKED BY THE STATE SHOWED IMPROVING TAX REVENUE AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN NOVEMBER. SALES AND USE TAX INCOME INCREASED 72 PERCENT FROM NOVEMBER 2016.