Wyoming News Briefs

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — Dry and windy conditions have increased the fire danger across lower elevation areas of Wyoming. The Associated Press reports that several agricultural burns have gotten out of control in the upper Wind River Basin. The National Weather Service is asking farmers and ranchers to check conditions before conducting agricultural burns.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The district court clerk in Cheyenne has unsealed legal filings from a Wyoming inmate who says new DNA testing proves he's innocent of a rape charge. Lawyers for inmate Andrew J. Johnson, who has served 23 years in prison, filed a request Tuesday for a new trial. Court Clerk Sandy Landers had previously decided to keep the filings confidential because they contained medical information.

ERIE, Colo. (AP) — Wyoming officials are wooing a Colorado ammunitions maker to move its operation to the state. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that officials are urging Magpul Industries to move after the company publicly vowed to leave Colorado in the wake of sweeping gun control laws. Magpul chief operating officer Doug Smith says moving efforts are already underway.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana's gray wolf population declined slightly for the first time in almost a decade last year amid more aggressive efforts to curb the predator's numbers. Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say Montana had at least 625 wolves at the end of 2012, a 4 percent drop from 2011.