Evanston man killed in I-80 single-vehicle wreck

EVANSTON — An Evanston man suffered fatal injuries during a single-vehicle accident near milepost 26 on Interstate 80 Sunday evening. 

James G. La Rocco was driving a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer on westbound I-80, in the left lane, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, when at some point the vehicle crossed into the right lane before driving off the right side of the interstate and overturning. 

Troopers were notified of the accident at 7:25 p.m. on Sunday. 

La Rocco was flown by AirMed helicopter to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he succumbed to his injuries. 

La Rocco was not wearing a seatbelt, according to WHP, which said a possible medical condition is being investigated as a possible contributing factor to the incident. 

This is the 19th fatality on Wyoming’s roadways in 2022, compared to 25 in 2021, 19 in 2020, and 39 in 2019 to date.

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Yellowstone National Park announces road opening schedule

JACKSON — Roads in Yellowstone National Park's northwestern reaches are set to open April 15, though the south entrance will remain closed.

Four main roads will be open April 15, per the park's press release.

Three will be newly open for the season: those from the West Entrance to Old Faithful, from Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful via Norris, from Norris to Canyon Village.

One is open year round: from the north entrance near Gardiner, Montana, to the northeast entrance near Cooke City, Montana. 

Other roads in the park will open sequentially, according to Yellowstone National Park's website.

The roads from the East Entrance to Lake Village over Sylvan Pass and from Canyon Village to Lake Village are set to open May 6.

The road from Cooke City to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway is scheduled to open May 11.

Three other main byways are then set to open May 13: those from the South Entrance to West Thumb, from Lake Village to West Thumb, from West Thumb to Old Faithful over Craig Pass, and from Tower Junction to Tower Fall

Then, on May 27, the roads from Tower Fall to Canyon Junction over Dunraven Pass, and the Beartooth Highway will open.

Fishing and boating seasons will begin May 28 and close Oct. 31.

Park roads are set close for the season at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 1.

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Walmart raising pay for truck drivers, hiring locally

CHEYENNE — Walmart has a message for truckers: Keep on trucking, do it for Walmart and potentially earn more money. 

Amid a shortage of long-haul truck drivers and low unemployment as many workers change jobs across a variety of professions, the nation’s largest private employer said it will pay its truckers more than what it had been compensating them. 

While this may make Walmart trucking jobs more competitive in the U.S. as a whole, it may not much affect the already difficult situation smaller trucking firms face in Wyoming, one such business owner told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 

On top of rising inflation and accompanying increased employee costs, diesel prices also have surged in recent months. 

On Thursday, Walmart announced that starting drivers could make as much as $110,000 in their first year of employment there. It would not provide a comparable figure for what such personnel could have earned in their first year if they had started work there about a year ago. 

“Walmart is one of the best places to drive, and Walmart benefits are among the best in the industry,” according to a company blog post. The retailer has about 12,000 drivers in total. 

“We plan to hire over 5,000 drivers total this year across the country,” a spokesperson wrote in response to the WTE’s questions. Some of those new jobs will be in Wyoming, she confirmed.

 “Previously, Walmart drivers could make an average of $87,500 in their first year of employment with the company,” the company representative wrote. Now, “the average pay for new drivers ranges from $95,000-$110,000” annually, according to another spokesperson.