Wyoming News Briefs

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A federal grand jury in Wyoming has indicted a second New Mexico man on arson charges in a 2010 fire that destroyed a landmark Wyoming hotel. Fifty-one-year-old Ajay Jariwala, of Albuquerque, appeared in court yesterday in Albuquerque. He's scheduled to get an attorney today. Robert Rodriguez pleaded not guilty last year to arson charges in the fire at the Hitching Post.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming lawmaker is pushing to end the sentence of life without parole, a punishment currently reserved for those convicted of first-degree murder or repeated sexual offenses. Republican Sen. Bruce Burns, of Sheridan, says there are currently more than 20 inmates serving sentences of life without parole in the state. His bill would prohibit such sentences in the future and allow the governor to commute the sentences of those inmates currently serving them.

DENVER (AP) — An 18-year-old from New Mexico is the winner of the Professional Bull Riders Touring Division Finale at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Joseph McConnel of Bloomfield, N.M., earned 89 points in Wednesday night's final round, riding D&H Cattle Company's bull Western Show.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — If you've ever hit a mental whiteout thinking about how a winter storm watch differs from a winter weather advisory, take heart. This winter, the National Weather Service is trying out simple, descriptive language to possibly replace its 14 watches, advisories and warnings for wintry conditions ranging from ice storms to blizzards and lake-effect snow.