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LDS Church breaks ground on controversial Cody Wyoming Temple after extensive legal battle

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LDS Church breaks ground on controversial Cody Wyoming Temple after extensive legal battle


CODY, Wyoming (ABC4) — After a year-long legal battle, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke ground on the Cody Wyoming Temple on Friday, Sept. 27.

The temple was announced in the Oct. 2021 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City. This will be the state’s third temple. Other temples include the Casper Wyoming Temple and Star Valley Wyoming Temple.

This groundbreaking comes after a citizen challenge was appealed and dismissed earlier this month in Wyoming District Court, putting an end to a year-plus-long legal battle. Last year, the group “Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods” decided to sue the city over the permit being given to the Church to build the temple with a 101-foot spire.

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Wyoming Public Media reported that the group “felt the Planning and Zoning board had violated city codes. [The neighborhood group] said the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ plans to build the Temple… presents several issues.”

Earlier this year, the same group sued for a second time, claiming the city was “stonewalling” the process. The Cowboy State Daily reported the neighborhood group stated that the now-former city planner Todd Stowell manipulated Planning and Zoning Board members. Stowell resigned earlier this year amidst the controversy, he cited different reasons for leaving his position that didn’t pertain to the Cody Temple.

The outlet reported members of the Cody Planning and Zoning Board suspected the city planner and attorney had conflicts of interest with the church that influenced the advice they gave. The filing further accused Stowell showed bias toward the church to gain approval for a temple being considered by the board. Stowell is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Several filings were made in the year-plus legal battle between residents and the church.

At the end of August, the courts ruled in favor of the Church.

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“In late August, the court ruled in favor of the city’s zoning process, and the citizen challenge was dismissed, preliminary construction work is now underway,” the church said in a statement earlier this month.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Wyoming

Casper approves Wyoming Boulevard property rezoning

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Casper approves Wyoming Boulevard property rezoning


CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.

The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.

While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.

According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.

Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.

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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.

The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.

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Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel

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Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel


Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.

Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.

According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.

MORE | Shootings

Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.

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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.

Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.

The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

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Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming

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Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming


A man was hospitalized with critical injuries after he was reportedly shot by a deputy responding to reports of a disturbance.

Deputies with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in the 2100 block of Century Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Monday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving an armed individual.

Information that dispatch received indicated that the individual had shot himself. When officials arrived, they found the individual on the balcony of an upstairs apartment “who appeared to have a gunshot wound consistent with the initial report,” a press release states.

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During the encounter, a deputy discharged their weapon and struck the individual.

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Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, and the individual was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

No law enforcement officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation.

The deputy who fired their weapon was placed on administrative leave per standard protocol.

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