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Today’s Headlines – A woman was injured in a four-wheeler crash …..The water is contaminated in some Pavillion wells ….. And a recent study says the state’s children are suffering from a lack of fluoride in their school water systems.

WOMAN INJURED

Woman injured in four-wheeler crash

By News Director Leslie Stratmoen

MIDVALE, Wyo. – The woman crashed the four-wheeler last night on Zig Zag Road in Midvale. Authorities have not yet released details on the incident, simply because the written report has not been done. Deputy Ryan Lee of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said it was a busy night and he’d call the station as soon as he could collect the information. The woman was identified on the call sheet as being 32-years-old. The crash was reported just after 10 o’clock.

WYOMING FRACKING

     Feds: Don’t drink contaminated water in Pavillion    

PAVILLION, Wyo. – Some of the well water in the Fremont County town of Pavillion is indeed contaminated just as residents had claimed. The federal government is now telling people not to drink the water from 40 wells in the small Wyoming town, including 17 wells they say are contaminated by hydrocarbons.

The message came through a statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on its findings from testing 19 wells for drinking water plus four wells for livestock and irrigation. About 100 people attended the public meeting.

They were told that low levels of hydrocarbons possibly associated with oil and gas drilling done in the area since the 1960s could be found in 17 drinking water wells. But high levels of sodium, sulfates and other inorganic materials unrelated to drilling are reason enough not to drink the water in a total of 40 wells tested since last year. That statement comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.     

From information provided by The Associated Press

DENTAL STUDY
State’s children need more fluoride

By News Director Leslie Stratmoen
    
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  – Apparently most school children in Wyoming are taking the lack of a fluoride in the water in the teeth. A new study released this week found that most schools in the state do not have the recommended levels of the cavity-preventing compound in their water. That means the children with untreated tooth decay who attend those schools are more like to need urgent dental care.

The study was conducted by the state health department along with the Wyoming Dental Association and involved the screening of some 5,300 third graders as well as surveying pregnant women and seniors about dental health.

The department’s director, Brent Sherard, says it’s the first comprehensive report on oral health that’s been done in the state for more than 20 years. Since a healthy mouth affects a person’s overall wellbeing, the state’s top health official says the study will help guide the department’s future policy decisions on how to improve oral health.

From information provided by the state health department

CLICK HERE for Midday News continued — Paving begins on Sand Draw Road …..Retired superintendent tells Boysen story

Asphalt paving begins on Sand Draw Road 

RIVERTON, Wyo. – The Wyoming Department of Transportation says an asphalt paving project has begun on Wyoming 135 Sand Draw Road between Riverton and Sweetwater Station. That means travelers can expect delays and to be guided through the work area by pilot vehicles. They’ll by working on the road six days a week, weather permitting, from 6 in the morning until 6 each night.
The project includes a layer of pavement leveling and a second layer of asphalt. Then chip sealing of the road will be done next year.

VOICER — Spokesman Cody Beers of WyDOT talked about the project

LeGrand Johnson Construction Company of Logan, Utah, is doing the $4.26 million rebuild, which is expected to continue through the end of October. Completion date for the entire Sand Draw Road improvement project is June 30, 2011.

With contributions from the Department of Transportation

BOYSEN HISTORY

Retired superintendent tells Boysen story

By News Director Leslie Stratmoen

Here's a drive-by snapshot of Boysen Causeway taken by news director Leslie Stratmoen.

SHOSHONI, Wyo.

– It was a cold year, with temperatures running 60 below zero when the men began work on the dam in the Wind River Canyon. That’s the scene set by historian Dave Wilson about the building of the first water barrier in Boysen State Park in 1908 by Asmus Boysen.

The dam was built at the mouth of the Lower Wind River Canyon on land leased by the tribes of the Wind River Indian Reservation. It’s the dam that ultimately resulted in the formation of Boysen Reservoir. Surrounding the reservoir is Boysen State park, which is now run by the state and is a popular camping and fishing area because of its numerous species of fish including walleye, perch and several species of trout.

Wilson describes the year the dam was built as a “rough” one because it was one of the coldest winters in recorded history. He said sometimes the workers had to heat the cement used in the project up to about 50-60 degrees after it was poured in the sub-zero temperatures.

The historian has been researching the site for years, 27 of those spent as a superintendent at the park. He plans to tell the story of Asmus Boysen and the dam that bears his name this week during a presentation in the park. The talk will be held Thursday night at 6 in the group shelter in the Lower Wind River Campground. The lecture is expected to last about an hour and park fees will be waived for anyone planning to attend.

From information provided by the parks department