WASHINGTON (AP) - FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY SAYS HE BELIEVED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN "CATASTROPHIC" TO KEEP CONGRESS IN THE DARK ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HILLARY CLINTON EMAIL INVESTIGATION THAT EMERGED 11 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY. COMEY ALSO SAYS IT MADE HIM FEEL "MILDLY NAUSEOUS" TO THINK HIS ACTIONS IN OCTOBER COULD HAVE INFLUENCED THE RACE WON BY REPUBLICAN DONALD TRUMP OVER DEMOCRAT CLINTON.

WASHINGTON (AP) - TWO KEY REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WHO HAD OPPOSED GOP HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION ARE NOW PREPARED TO SUPPORT IT AFTER MEETING WITH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. CONGRESSMEN FRED UPTON OF MICHIGAN AND BILLY LONG OF MISSOURI MADE THEIR ANNOUNCEMENT TO REPORTERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER MEETING WITH TRUMP WEDNESDAY.

WASHINGTON (AP) - AN ASSOCIATED PRESS INVESTIGATION HAS FOUND THAT WILD BEHAVIOR AND SECURITY LAPSES PLAGUED AN IRAQ AIR BASE WHILE AN AMERICAN COMPANY THAT WAS HIRED TO PROTECT THE BASE AND ITS F-16 FIGHTER JETS TURNED A BLIND EYE. THE WRONGDOING INCLUDED ALCOHOL SMUGGLING, THEFT, SECURITY VIOLATIONS AND ALLEGATIONS OF SEX TRAFFICKING. AND THEN INVESTIGATORS WHO UNCOVERED IT WERE FIRED.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP PLANNED TO MEET WEDNESDAY WITH LAWMAKERS WHO AUTHORED A PLAN AIMED AT PREVENTING ANOTHER COLLAPSE OF THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE BILL. HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN PRAISED THE PROPOSAL AND SAID THE GOP WAS GETTING "EXTREMELY CLOSE" TO FINALLY BEING ABLE TO PASS THE STALLED LEGISLATION.

HAMAM AL-ALIL, IRAQ (AP) - AFTER THE ISLAMIC STATE GROUP SWEPT INTO HIS TOWN NEARLY THREE YEARS AGO, MUSTAFA AL-TAEE RESOLVED TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE MILITANTS' BRUTAL RULE BY SECRETLY PAINTING WHAT HE HAD SEEN WITH HIS OWN EYES. THE RESULT WAS A GALLERY OF HORRORS: CAR BOMBS, DEAD CHILDREN, AN IS DEFECTOR BEHEADED IN A PUBLIC SQUARE, A FORMER POLICE OFFICER STRUNG UP BY HIS LEGS FOR HOURS BEFORE BEING SHOT DEAD. AL-TAEE SAYS THAT DESPITE THE RISKS, HE WAS DETERMINED TO DOCUMENT LIFE UNDER THE EXTREMISTS.
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TWO MEN FROM WESTON COUNTY WILL FACE TRIAL IN FEDERAL COURT ON COUNTERFEITING-RELATED CRIMES
U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE MICHAEL SHICKICH FOUND PROBABLE CAUSE THAT JAMES WATKINS AND RUSS WELCH, JR., COUNTERFEITED A $100 BILL AND $10 BILL, AND HELPED EACH OTHER.

IN A SECOND COUNT, WELCH IS CHARGED WITH PASSING A BOGUS $100 BILL AND WATKINS HELPED HIM.

SHICKICH ORDERED WATKINS TO BE HELD IN CUSTODY UNTIL HIS TRIAL, AND RELEASED CO-DEFENDANT WELCH ON A $10,000 UNSECURED BOND COUPLED WITH STRICT CONDITIONS.

DURING THE PRELIMINARY HEARING, U.S. SECRET SERVICE AGENT RICK NEAR TOLD ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY STEPHANIE HAMBRICK THAT A NEWCASTLE POLICE OFFICER RESPONDED TO A CALL FROM A CONVENINCE STORE MANAGER WHO SAID A MAN TRIED TO BUY SNACKS WITH A COUNTERFEIT $100 BILL .

AN OFFICER REVIEWED THE STORE'S SURVEILLANCE VIDEO AND IDENTIFIED WELCH, AND POLICE SEARCHED WELCH'S RESIDENCE IN OSAGE, WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MILES WEST OF NEWCASTLE.

THEY FOUND THE MEN AND THEIR WIVES, COUNTERFEIT BILLS, AND PRINTERS IN THE HOUSE AND IN A CAMPER ON THE PROPERTY.

WATKINS INSISTED HE ALONE PRINTED THE COUNTERFEIT BILLS, BUT INVESTIGATORS RECENTLY LEARNED WELCH BOUGHT A PRINTER FOR HIM.

DURING THE CROSS-EXAMINATION, WELCH'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY JAMIE WOOLSEY SAID WELCH SHOULD NOT BE CHARGED WITH THE ACT OF COUNTERFEITING BECAUSE WATKINS TOOK FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT.

BUT SHICKICH DISAGREED, SAYING THE TWO MEN LIVED AT THE SAME RESIDENCE, THE VIDEO SHOWED WATKINS WAS IN THE CONVENIENCE STORE AT THE SAME TIME AS WELCH, AND WELCH BOUGHT THE PRINTER.
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CASPER COUNCILWOMAN AMANDA HUCKABAY SAID YESTERDAY, SHE WANTS THE CITY TO CHANGE THE WAY GOVERNMENT IS ORGANIZED.

SHE WANTS A REFERENDUM TO CHANGE CASPER’S FORM OF GOVERNMENT. THE PURPOSE IS TO CREATE A SO-CALLED STRONG MAYOR CITY GOVERNMENT.

CASPER CURRENTLY HAS A “COUNCIL-MANAGER” STYLE GOVERNMENT. THE CITY COUNCIL HIRES A CITY MANAGER TO HANDLE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS OF THE CITY.

COUNCIL ELECTS A MAYOR FROM IT'S MEMBERSHIP, BUT LIKE A EUROPEAN MONARCH, THE MAYOR HAS LITTLE REAL POWER.

THE FLAW IN THE SYSTEM HAS RECENTLY BEEN SPOTLIGHTED WITH THE TURMOIL IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE LACK OF AWARENESS ON COUNCIL OF THE PROBLEMS BEING BROUGHT TO THE CITY HR DEPARTMENT.

FORMER COUNCILMAN KEITH GOODENOUGH,HAS APPARENTLY TAKEN CHARGE OF CIRCULATING A PETITION FOR THE REFERENDUM.

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