K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For September 11th, 2018 – Morning

A FORMER RIVERTON HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLER WHO ADMITTED TO HIS ROLE IN 'HAZING' ATTACKS ON YOUNGER TEAMMATES DURING A TEAM TRIP EARLIER THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO EIGHT DAYS IN JAIL.

18-YEAR-OLD PEYTON REES WILL BE ALLOWED TO SERVE THE SENTENCE ON WEEKENDS. HE WILL ALSO SERVE ONE YEAR OF SUPERVISED PROBATION, HAVING PLEADED GUILTY ONE MONTH AGO TO TWO MISDEMEANOR COUNTS OF UNLAWFUL CONTACT.

REES WAS SENTENCED MONDAY MORNING BY NATRONA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE MICHAEL PATCHEN. HE IS THE THIRD OF THREE FORMER WRESTLERS WHO WERE CRIMINALLY CHARGED FOLLOWING THE JANUARY INCIDENT.

REES WILL SERVE HIS JAIL TIME AT THE NATRONA COUNTY DETENTION CENTER DURING THE UPCOMING FOUR WEEKENDS, STARTING THIS FRIDAY AT 7 P.M.

PATCHEN ALSO REQUIRED THAT REES COMPLETE 100 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AT THE FREMONT COUNTY ALLIANCE AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT.

SPEAKING OF ONE OF THE VICTIMS IN THE CASE, PATCHEN TOLD REES, "THIS MAY BE SOMETHING THAT HAUNTS HIM FOR MANY YEARS TO COME."

ALSO CHARGED IN THE CASE WERE 18-YEAR-OLD HAYDEN WEMPEN AND 18-YEAR-OLD JAMES HAMPTON. THEY WERE EACH SENTENCED LAST WEEK TO 20 DAYS IN JAIL.
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VISITS TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK DECLINED 11 PERCENT IN AUGUST COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO, ACCORDING TO A NEWS RELEASE, BUT OVERALL VISITATION NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE.
THE PARK SAID IT HOSTED 814,000 VISITS IN AUGUST COMPARED TO 916,000 VISITS IN AUGUST 2017, WHICH WAS THE BUSIEST AUGUST ON RECORD.

EVEN WITH THIS DECLINE, YEAR-TO-DATE VISITATION IN 2018 IS ABOUT 23 PERCENT HIGHER THAN NEARLY 2.6 MILLION VISITS IN 2013.

PARK OFFICIALS SAID THE CONTINUED HIGH LEVEL OF VISITATION IN THE PARK UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING A YELLOWSTONE ADVENTURE AHEAD OF TIME, AND INFORMATION ABOUT THAT CAN BE FOUND ON THE PARK'S WEBSITE.

-- IN OTHER NEWS, THE PARK AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RELEASED A NEW REPORT ABOUT VITAL SIGNS IN THE PARK SUCH AS THE STATUS OF ANIMAL SPECIES LIKE BISON AND GRIZZLY BEARS, AND ECOSYSTEM-ALTERING FORCES LIKE CLIMATE AND FIRE.

-- AND ON FRIDAY, THE STEAMBOAT GEYSER ERUPTED AGAIN FOR THE 17TH TIME THIS YEAR.

STEAMBOAT, WHICH CAN SHOOT WATER UP TO 300 FEET, HAS GONE DORMANT FOR AS LONG AS NINE YEARS.

ITS FIRST ERUPTION SINCE 2014 OCCURRED IN MID-MARCH AND ERUPTIONS HAVE OCCURRED ON AN IRREGULAR BASIS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.

-- FINALLY, THE PARK HAS UPGRADED ITS FIRE DANGER TO VERY HIGH BECAUSE OF CONTINUED WARM AND DRY WEATHER ACROSS THE PARK, AND NO SIGNIFICANT COOLING IN SIGHT.
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NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES IN MONTANA AND SOUTH DAKOTA SAY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION APPROVED THE KEYSTONE XL OIL PIPELINE WITHOUT FULLY CONSIDERING ITS POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO BURIAL GROUNDS AND OTHER CULTURAL SITES.

ATTORNEYS FOR THE FORT BELKNAP AND ROSEBUD SIOUX TRIBES SUED THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ON MONDAY, ASKING A COURT TO RESCIND THE LINE'S PERMIT.

THE TRIBES ARGUE THAT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IGNORED THE RIGHTS OF TRIBES WHEN HE REVERSED A PRIOR DECISION BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND APPROVED THE PROJECT LAST YEAR.

STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN JULIA MASON SAYS THE AGENCY IS NOT COMMENTING ON THE LAWSUIT.

THE $8 BILLION TRANSCANADA CORPORATION PIPELINE WOULD CARRY UP TO 830,000 BARRELS OF CRUDE DAILY FROM CANADA TO NEBRASKA.

IT WOULD PASS THROUGH THE ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS OF THE ROSEBUD SIOUX IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE FORT BELKNAP TRIBES IN MONTANA.
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THE CITY OF RAWLINS HAS DECIDED TO KEEP MUNICIPAL FUNDS AT BANK OF THE WEST AFTER THE BANK ANNOUNCED IT WOULD NO LONGER DO BUSINESS WITH COMPANIES THAT IT PERCEIVES AS DETRIMENTAL TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED 5-1 LAST WEEK TO KEEP AN ESTIMATED $9 MILLION AT THE BANK.

MAYOR ROBERT GRAUBERGER HAD SUGGESTED THE CITY MOVE ITS MUNICIPAL FUNDS AFTER THE SAN FRANCISCO-BASED BANK'S DECISION IN AUGUST TO DIVEST FROM CERTAIN FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENTS.

THAT MOVE PROVOKED THREATS OF RETALIATION IN STATES SUCH AS WYOMING THAT GET MUCH OF THEIR REVENUE FROM COAL, OIL AND NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION.

LAST MONTH, THE CITY OF ROCK SPRINGS DECIDED TO TAKE ITS MUNICIPAL FUNDS OUT OF BANK OF THE WEST.