Gasoline average up another 1.1 cents a gallon in Wyoming

CHEYENNE — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have risen 1.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.09 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com's survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 4.9 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand $1.19 per gallon higher than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Wyoming was priced at $3.72 per gallon yesterday, while the most expensive was $4.69 per gallon, a difference of 97 cents per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has risen 6.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.17 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 1 cent per gallon from a month ago, and stands $1.29 per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

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Two found guilty in burglary of hunters

GILLETTE — A South Dakota couple accused of stealing guns and other equipment from hunters visiting Gillette last October pleaded no contest and were found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary.

Derrick Tallent, 37, pleaded no contest March 30 to conspiracy to commit burglary. District Judge Stuart S. Healy III found him guilty and revoked his bond.

The plea agreement recommended a second count for conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary be dismissed.

Julie Ann Tallent, 48, also pleaded no contest to a charge of conspiracy to commit burglary and, as part of a plea agreement, had a second count of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary dismissed.

District Judge James M. “Mike” Causey found her guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and revoked her bond.

In October, the Tallents were accused of stealing two guns and hunting equipment from a pickup truck, then trying to pawn the items in Colorado.

The victims were visiting Gillette Oct. 26-27 to hunt and stayed at a local hotel, according to an affidavit of probable cause. 

They noticed Oct. 27 that several items were missing from their pickup, including a Christensen Arms Ridgeline 300 Win mag rifle and a Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm Pro pistol. Also missing was a Swarovski Z5 scope, a range finder, spotting scope, binoculars and binocular harness.

The Tallents became suspects in the burglary when police followed muddy footsteps from the victims’ Dodge pickup to a hotel room registered to Julie, according to the affidavit.

On Nov. 1, police were notified of a pawn transaction in Centennial, Colorado, where Julie allegedly had pawned a set of Vortex Viper HD 10 x 42 binoculars and a binocular harness matching those stolen from the Dodge Ram in Gillette, according to the affidavit.

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COVID cases are up in Teton County, but not necessarily surging

JACKSON – COVID-19 is once again disrupting daily life in Jackson — forcing some events online, foiling social plans and catching folks who avoided infection during previous surges, several sources said.

At Sage Living, residents have been forced to stay in their rooms several times since the omicron surge dissipated in February. The skilled nursing facility is currently in “outbreak” status, with five residents and four staff members testing positive for COVID-19 since April 16, Chief Communications Officer Karen Connelly said. Visitation from family members remains limited.

At Teton Science Schools, enough staff were out with COVID or other ailments to force the annual place-based symposium online.

Teton County Public Health Director Jodie Pond said Friday that she wouldn’t characterize the increase in Teton County COVID cases as a “surge.”

“I would call it a slight trend upward since the first part of April,” she said.

“Because of staffing stuff, we don’t have quite as accurate numbers as I would like,” Teton District Health Officer Dr. Travis Riddell said. “But just from kind of eyeballing the cases, I would say what we’re seeing is maybe a doubling of cases every 10 days over the course of the last three weeks or so.”

“This is not a surge on sort of the exponential scale that we saw over the winter,” he added.

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Queen Bee LLC issues voluntary recall of various candy products

POWELL — On April 28, 2022, Lovell-based Queen Bee LLC issued a voluntary recall of candy products purchased within the last year. 

The voluntary recall impacts a variety of honey caramel candy products and chocolates that may contain undeclared allergens, including tree nuts and dairy. 

The impacted products were sold at Queen Bee Gardens and were also distributed via retail, wholesale, and direct sales nationwide with production dates through April 26, 2022. 

The undeclared tree nut allergen issue was identified as part of a result of a routine food safety inspection, and the incorrectly labeled milk and tree nut allergen was the result of a label review. 

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to tree nuts (macadamia nuts, coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews) and dairy (milk) may risk serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products. 

The recall includes a variety of Queen Bee classic candies, samplers, fudges, energy bars, toffees, and caramels. 

The Wyoming Department of Agriculture is working with the facility to contact retailers to remove the affected products from their shelves and has been actively tracking products from this recall. 

Consumers who purchased these products at Queen Bee Gardens can bring the affected product(s) into the store for a full refund. 

Consumers with additional questions can call 1-307-548-2818 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. MST, Monday through Friday to speak with the recall coordinator at Queen Bee LCC.