Afternoon News Update

A POWER OUTAGE SPARKED A SHUTDOWN AT THE SINCLAIR REFINERY IN CASPER TODAY, AND WITH THAT SEVERAL ALARMS COULD BE HEARD NEAR THE FACILITY. THE CITY OF CASPER WILL HELP FUND A COMMUNITY BRANDING INITIATIVE SPEARHEADED BY SEVERAL CITY AND NATRONA COUNTY-BASED AGENCIES.

NATRONA COUNTY'S TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL WILL SOON BE HANGING UP HIS BADGE. It was another week of gas prices going up in Wyoming. The average retail price went up 2.7 cents to $3.57 a gallon.

THE WYOMING STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS IDENTIFIED THE SIX CANDIDATES IT WILL INTERVIEW FOR DIRECTOR OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. WYOMING GOV. MATT MEAD IS CALLING ON STATE RESIDENTS TO JOIN AN EFFORT TO RAISE MONEY TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF THE RECENT TORNADO THAT HIT MOORE, OKLA.

EMERGENCY CREWS ARE STILL ON SCENE WHERE A SEMI TIPPED OVER AT A BUSY CASPER INTERSECTION. THE CASPER CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED THE CITY'S BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014.

CASPER CITY COUNCIL COMPLETED ITS THIRD NIGHT OF BUDGET DISCUSSION AT ITS REGULAR WORK SESSION TUESDAY NIGHT. Wyoming oil production topped 57 million barrels last year.

Wyoming's average retail gasoline prices again took another hike this past week, going up some 6.2 cents a gallon to $3.54 a gallon.RECENT CENSUS ESTIMATES SHOW THAT WYOMING IS STILL GROWING AT AN IMPRESSIVE RATE.

CASPER CITY COUNCIL CONTINUED ITS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CITY'S PROPOSED $144 MILLION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014 AT ITS SECOND OF FOUR BUDGET WORK SESSIONS THURSDAY NIGHT. A CASPER WOMAN WILL SPEND SOME TIME IN JAIL, AFTER ADMITTING THAT SHE INTERFERED WITH A POLICE INVESTIGATION.

CASPER CITY COUNCIL HAS STARTED TO COMB THROUGH THE CITY'S PROPOSED $144 MILLION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014. A CASPER MAN INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT THAT PROMPTED FOUR SCHOOLS TO LOCK DOWN HAS MADE AN APPEARANCE IN COURT.

A MILLS MAN IS NOW ADMITTING HIS ROLE IN A MARCH STABBING IN CASPER. CASPER CITY COUNCIL IS NOW ONE STEP AWAY FROM MAKING SWEEPING CHANGES TO A CONTROVERSIAL CITY-WIDE BAN ON PUBLIC SMOKING.

A domestic dispute led to the precautionary lockdown of several Natrona County Schools this morning. The state medical examiner's office has revised the death toll from a tornado in an Oklahoma City suburb to 24 people, including nine children.