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Lost man found OK ….. 17-Mile Bridge still out …..Virtual high school presents new problems …..West Nile virus remains threat

SEARCH and RESCUE

Lost man found OK

FORT WASHAKIE, Wyo. – A man from Utah spent an unexpected night in the wilderness over the Labor Day weekend. The 25-year-old man got lost Friday night while hiking with others in the Shoshone Lake area near Fort Washakie on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Others in his hiking party searched for him most of Friday before calling the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Saturday morning for help.

The missing man was found the following day, around noon Saturday, in the same area where he went missing. A search and rescue crew from Fremont County spotted him. We’re assuming he’s OK because a condition report was not included in the statement released by the sheriff’s department.

 This latest Labor Day weekend search marks the 40^th mission handled by the county’s search and rescue volunteers since the beginning of the year.

BRIDGE

17-Mile Bridge still out

RIVERTON, Wyo. – Anyone planning travel on 17-Mile Road south of Riverton may want to pick another way to go. The temporary detour bridge expected to be open this week over the Little Wind River is not yet in place. The bridge has been out since June, washed out by flood waters.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation provided this picture of the 17-Mile Road project.

Officials with the Wyoming Department of Transportation said construction didn’t go as smoothly as expected because of erosion of the river bed. At closer inspection, they realized more time was needed to complete construction of the temporary bridge abutments.

Resident engineer Robert Scheidemantel of Riverton said the temporary bridge is expected to be in place in the coming week and paving of the roadway detour route will be done.

He said he realizes that the 17-Mile Road corridor is a main route on and off the Wind River Reservation so assured his crew is working as quickly and safely to open the detour bridge.

Reiman Corporation of Cheyenne is doing the work through an emergency construction contract by the Wyoming Transportation Commission in July at a cost of $777,500.

VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL

Virtual high school presents new problems

LANDER, Wyo. – In Lander, school trustees are discussing how students attending a “virtual” high school can participate in local school activities, such as band or athletics.

Superintendent Dr. Kathy Hitt said the officials need to come up with a procedure to deal with the request. She believes the potential impact on the district could be substantial.

She said the major stumbling block to approving such a request is that the local district would then have no input as to the curriculum provided to the student. But, the district would be held liable for the student’s test scores and any special needs the student might have.

Hitt told the trustees in a meeting held Friday that their students currently have access to two virtual programs at the high school. They’re called Odysseyware and Virtual High School.

Since many of the students use the two programs, she said, the school district has an obligation to do what is best for the kids, whether in the buildings, or in a distance education program.

In a related conversation, trustees also discussed the number of home-schooled students in the district and what curriculum programs they follow.

The discussion on both topics ended with administrators saying they’d report back to the board as soon as they gathered more information.

WEST NILE

     Wyo. Health Dept. reports more West Nile cases    

     CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Three cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Wyoming so far this year. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and in rare cases can be fatal.

     A Natrona County woman and a Goshen County man have both come down with West Nile virus fever this year and an Albany County man contracted meningitis as a result of the disease. The health department is following up on two other possible cases.

     The department advises people to avoid being outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. It also says people should wear light-colored, long-sleeved clothing and use insect repellent.

     Twelve people in Wyoming last year had West Nile and one died. The state had 393 human cases with 9 deaths in 2003.