How Park County got its flag

By now, it's safe to assume that a good percentage of Park County residents have seen the new, official Park County flag.

Unveiled at a June 19 ceremony, the banner features a bison and an elk, flanked by Indian Paintbrushes. It's been flying at City Hall and the Park County Annex in Powell and the Park County Complex and Park County Courthouse in Cody.

If you haven't seen it, it looks like this:

While people have had chances to see the finished product, it's doubtful that many have gotten a chance to view the original art that inspired it. County commissioners had asked the county's elementary schoolers to come up the with designs for the county's flag. The final design was based on the work of Sunset Elementary School fifth-grader Abby Manchester, who won the grand prize with her drawing.

Below is her winning entry:

The Park County flag is also set to be flown in the Wyoming State Fair Parade on Aug. 18, joining flags representing other Wyoming counties.

Police investigating downtown break-ins

Powell police are investigating a pair of downtown break-ins from Thursday night/Friday morning.

An individual, or individuals, reportedly threw a rock through a window of the Lamplighter Inn in an incident reported just after 11:30 p.m. Thursday, say Powell police logs. At 4:45 a.m. Friday, a front window at The Merc was reported to have been broken out.

Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt said police recovered "a sizable amount of the items taken from Lamplighter." He declined to comment on how the items were recovered, but said they were not recovered from a person and that no one had been arrested in connection with the incident. Eckerdt said police were waiting to hear what was stolen from The Merc.

He asked anyone with information on the break-ins to call police at 754-2212 or contact them anonymously at 764-TIPS (8477) or via email at crimetips@cityofpowell.com.

The Tribune will have more information in Tuesday's newspaper.

Suspect arrested in Cody bank robberies

Law enforcement officials say they've arrested the man they believe robbed and attempted to rob a pair of Cody banks last month.

A release from the Cody Police Department sent late Thursday says police in Bismarck, N.D., arrested 32-year-old suspect Joshua Beckstead on Wednesday (July 4th).

Beckstead was arrested on a warrant issued Tuesday by the U.S. District Court in Wyoming relating to the attempted robbery of Cody's Sunlight Federal Credit Union and subsequent robbery of First Bank of Wyoming's downtown Cody branch on June 19 and the robbery of Cheyenne's American National Bank on June 15.

We have a more complete story based on the affidavit used to secure Beckstead's arrest that will run in tomorrow's (Friday's) Tribune. If you're wondering, we're publishing on a Friday instead of the typical Thursday because of the July 4 holiday.

Teton-area fire clouding skies

If you wondering what's filling this (Tuesday) evening's skies with smoke, the culprit is apparently a fire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the situation is expected to continue for the next few days.

That's the information Shoshone National Forest fire information officer Olga Troxel passed along in an email tonight.

Courtesy photo/Inciweb.org

Troxel writes: "Smoke visible in the vicinity of Cody this afternoon is from the Bear Cub Fire on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
The fire burning in the Noland Meadows area of the Teton Wilderness is estimated at between 200 and 500 acres. The fire is believed to have been started by lightning experienced in the last 48 hours.


Winds blowing from the southwest are pushing the smoke onto the Shoshone National Forest and into Cody and possibly Meeteetse.


The short term forecast indicates this trend will continue for the next several days."

Troxel also reminded folks that fire restrictions are already in effect because of the dry conditions.

In Park County, fireworks are only legal on private land with the landowner's permission; they'll effectively be banned altogether starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 5.

Index Creek fire, others make for smoky skies

A fire burning just south of the Montana border near the Beartooth Highway has hit about 100 acres in size, Shoshone National Forest officials announced this (Thursday) morning. The Index Creek Fire is burning in heavy timber off U.S. Highway 212, Fire Information Officer Olga Troxel said in a morning news release, and it's just one of several fires burning in the region and contributing to the smoky skies.


The National Weather's Service office in Riverton has put together this nifty graphic explaining where the smoke is coming from:

The Fox Creek Campground is closed to the public as a result of the Index Creek Fire, and the Shoshone is implementing fire restrictions beginning Sunday.


The section of road between Fox Creek Campground and Index Creek is currently open but its status could change based on weather and fire behavior, Troxel said. Travelers are asked to drive with extreme caution. For public and firefighter safety, drivers are asked to slow down and not stop as they drive through the area.


Today’s weather is expected to be hotter and drier than yesterday with wind gusts to 25 miles per hour, so smoke will be visible throughout the day, Troxel said.


One hotshot crew, three engines, and two helicopters are working to suppress the fire and additional firefighting resources have been ordered. Tim Haas is currently the incident commander, while a Type III team will be arriving to take over management of the fire on Friday.


The fire was caused by a downed power line and was reported Tuesday, June 26.


Information and updates on the Index Creek Fire are be available on the Shoshone forest's website and on Inciweb.org.

Teen dies in accidental Yellowstone fall

An 18-year-old woman died Thursday in an accidental fall near Inspiration Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, according to a Friday news release from park officials.

The woman, a Yellowstone concession employee on her first day in the park, was hiking the canyon’s North Rim Trail with three other acquaintances when she ventured out off trail onto a loose rock promontory, which quickly gave way underneath her.

Yellowstone Rangers responded to a 911 cell phone call received at 5:44 p.m. Thursday, reporting a woman had fallen into the canyon.

Rangers, with the assistance of ground spotters and a Teton Interagency helicopter, observed the woman’s body resting approximately 400 feet down the canyon wall. They concluded she had sustained non-survivable injuries.

Despite the hazardous terrain, the body was successfully recovered from the canyon by short-haul helicopter operation at approximately noon today. The victim’s identity is being withheld until next of kin can be notified. 

Visitors are reminded that hiking close to canyon rims in the park is extremely dangerous. Staying on posted, designated canyon rim trails is a must due to the instability of loose dirt and rock near ledges.

Over-the-air TV channels change

If you tuned into the over-the-air broadcasts of KTWO (the Casper ABC affiliate) or KTVQ (the Billings CBS affiliate) last night, you likely ran into some problems.

That's because both stations switched from analog to digital signals yesterday (Thursday) and are now broadcasting on new channels.

Assuming you've got a TV with a digital tuner or an older TV with a digital-to-analog converter box, picking up the new digital channels should be as simple as rescanning. You need either a converter box or a digital tuner to watch over-the-air digital television broadcasts, along with an antenna.

The changes don't effect folks watching the stations on cable or satellite.

We'll have a bit more information in next week's Tribune.