Latest Wyoming News Briefs

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A foundation that advocates for expanding access to higher education says the number of Wyoming college graduates needs to increase faster to keep the state competitive. The report by the Lumina Foundation projects that about 62 percent of jobs in Wyoming will require at least an associate's degree by 2018. According to 2010 U.S. Census data, about 37 percent of Wyoming's population had either a two- or four-year college degree.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says some of the projects named in a lawsuit over management of the Black Hills National Forest are aimed at addressing the pine beetle epidemic. Environmental groups are suing, claiming that the U.S. Forest Service is allowing "extreme levels" of logging that are damaging plants and wildlife habitat. A Wyoming judge has granted requests by Wyoming and South Dakota to intervene in the case.

THERMOPOLIS, Wyo. (AP) — A state Aeronautics Division official says the federal government is authorized to foot roughly 90 percent of the bill for a new airport near Thermopolis. Christy Yaffa says the $20 million facility would be Wyoming's first new airport in more than eight years. The state would cover 6 to 8 percent of the cost with the county picking up the remainder.

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management Rock Springs Field Office is seeking public comment on what issues to address in an environmental study of a coal company's proposal to expand its underground mining operation by 320 acres. The Bridger Coal Company is hoping to expand its 27,000-acre Jim Bridger Coal Mine outside Rock Springs.