K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For July 26th, 2018 – Morning

THE CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE WILL NO LONGER BE PRINTED IN CASPER, AND ABOUT TWENTY PART-TIME AND FULL-TIME PRESS ROOM AND MAIL ROOM EMPLOYEES ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS.

THE CASPER NEWS GUILD ON WEDNESDAY SAID IN AN NEWS RELEASE THAT THE PAPER WILL BE PRINTED ON THE PRESS OWNED BY THE ADAMS PUBLISHING GROUP, WHICH OWNS THE CHEYENNE TRIBUNE EAGLE AND OTHER PAPERS IN SOUTHERN WYOMING.

PUBLISHER DALE BOHREN SAID THERE WILL BE SEVEN FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES WHO WILL BE LAID OFF, AND 13 PART-TIME EMPLOYEES WILL BE LAID OFF, AND THEY WILL RECEIVE SEVERANCE.

HE SAID THE PRESS IS NEARLY 50 YEARS OLD, PRINT CIRCULATION HAS DECLINED ACROSS THE INDUSTRY, AND NEWSPAPERS ARE MOVING TOWARD PUBLISHING REGIONALLY FOR ECONOMIES OF SCALE.

BUT THE STAR-TRIBUNE, LIKE A LOT OF NEWSPAPERS, IS NOT JUST PAPER BECAUSE MORE THAN HALF OF ITS SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE DIGITAL AND NOW IT HAS A LARGER AUDIENCE THAN EVER.

ON A PRACTICAL NOTE, HE RECOGNIZES THE WEATHER WILL INTERFERE WITH TRANSPORTING THE PAPER FROM CHEYENNE TO CENTRAL WYOMING DURING THE WINTER.

THE NEWSROOM RECENTLY VOTED TO ORGANIZE A UNION AND AFFILIATE WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA, AND SAID ITS MEMBERS SAID THEY BITTERLY HEARD THE NEWS BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEES OF THE PRESS AND MAILROOMS ARE THE UNSUNG HEROES WHO MAKE SURE READERS DON'T MISS AN ISSUE.

AN INDUSTRY ANALYST WITH THE FLORIDA-BASED POYNTER INSTITUTE SAYS STAR-TRIBUNE OWNER LEE ENTERPRISES HAS REMAINED PROFITABLE, BUT HAS DONE SO BY CUTTING STAFF IN CASPER AND ELSEWHERE.

THE CASPER NEWS GUILD SAID THE SHUTDOWN OF THE PRESS WAS DONE MORE FOR REASONS OF PROFIT THAN FOR CONCERN FOR EMPLOYEES AND READERS.

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THE CASPER POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE NATRONA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVE STARTED A PROGRAM TO ENHANCE SECURITY WITH 10 SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS IN THREE YEARS.

DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S HEADQUARTERS WEDNESDAY, CASPER MAYOR RAY PACHECO SAID THIS PARTNERSHIP SHOWS WHAT A COMMUNITY CAN DO.

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT STEVE HOPKINS SAID THE DISTRICT HAS HAD OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS FOR A WHILE AT KELLY WALSH AND NATRONA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS.

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL ADD FOUR OFFICERS PLUS A SUPERVISOR BY THE END OF THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR, THREE MORE THE FOLLOWING YEAR AND ONE MORE IN THE YEAR AFTER THAT.

TUESDAY, THE CASPER CITY COUNCIL DURING A WORK SESSION TENTATIVELY APPROVED THE AGREEMENT WITH THE DISTRICT, AND WILL VOTE ON IT AUGUST 7.

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL REIMBURSE THE CITY 70 PERCENT OF THE COSTS FOR THE OFFICERS.

CASPER POLICE CHIEF KEITH MCPHEETERS SAID THERE WAS A SIMILAR PROGRAM WHERE HE PREVIOUSLY WORKED.

IN THE FIRST YEAR, MCPHEETERS SAID THERE WAS A 32 PERCENT REDUCTION IN JUVENILE ARRESTS, WITH A SIMILAR DECLINE THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

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36-YEAR-OLD CANDICE MILLER KWIATKOWSKI WAS FOUND DEAD AFTER SIGNAL MOUNTAIN LODGE EMPLOYEES FOUND AN OVERTURNED RENTAL KAYAK ABOUT 100 FEET FROM SHORE IN THE SIGNAL MOUNTAIN MARINA AT ABOUT 7:15 P.M.

THE KAYAK WAS UNOCCUPIED, BUT A PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE AND SOME PERSONAL ITEMS WERE FOUND INSIDE. EMPLOYEES VISUALLY SEARCHED THE AREA AND FOUND KWIATKOWSKI ABOUT 30 FEET AWAY, SOME 15 FEET UNDERWATER.

THREE GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK RANGERS RESPONDED TO THE SCENE A FEW MINUTES LATER. KWIATKOWSKI'S BODY WAS RECOVERED, AND SHE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD SHORTLY BEFORE 8 P.M.

HER BODY WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE TETON COUNTY CORONER, AND THE INCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

HOWEVER, PER THE STATEMENT, INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE THAT KWIATKOWSKI MAY HAVE TAKEN HER OWN LIFE.