CASPER, Wyo. — On Tuesday, Pete Fox announced his candidacy to represent the residents of Wyoming House District 56 in Casper.

A release from Fox says that he graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and he spent his career within the oil & gas industry, gaining both domestic and international experience.

Fox retired several years ago and returned home to Casper with his wife, Lijuan, who currently works as a substitute teacher in Natrona County schools, as well as their son.

Fox is a longtime Casper resident, husband, father, and the current Natrona County Republican Precinct Committeeman. He said he is running because “Wyoming families need leaders laser-focused on improving and protecting our state.”

“House District 56 deserves strong, balanced representation that reflects the full
breath of our community, not simply the belief system of a district’s
representative,” Fox said. “District 56 is one of the most politically diverse districts in our
State supporting people across our entire social and economic spectrum. They
deserve a representative who listens broadly, works hard and focuses squarely on
solving real problems.

“This race is not about personalities—it’s about effective representation. After
watching the direction of the Legislature and reviewing the issues facing Wyoming
families, I believe our district needs a representative employing a wide-angle lens,
focused on practical solutions, fiscal responsibility, and smart long-term economic
growth.

“I’m a republican, easily earning the party’s new endorsement monogram
standing for 80% of the party platform. More importantly, I’ll vote in the
Legislature as a moderate. Voting at either side’s extremes misrepresents
District 56 and disenfranchises the majority of our constituents.”
“The middle class and younger generations really need help.”

To address these concerns, Fox says his campaign will focus on three major priorities: protecting Wyoming citizens, growing Wyoming jobs and opportunities, and protecting Wyoming’s resources and future.

Fox highlighted affordability challenges, healthcare costs and disparate property tax issues being among the various drivers increasing pressure on working people, families, retirees, and young parents.

“Too many residents feel like they’re working harder just to keep their heads
above water,” Fox said. “One remedy is enacting policies that help Wyoming citizens keep
more of what they earn.”

Additionally Fox believes that another remedy is to aggressively pursue new economic opportunities while protecting legacy industries and world-class natural treasures.

“With trillions of dollars in mainstreet manufacturing and business investment
now pouring back into our country, Wyoming should be aggressively competing
for those jobs while jealously protecting our one-of-a-kind statewide beauty,” he said.
“We need SMART growth that strengthens our middle class and creates
opportunities that entice our children and grandchildren to stay here.”

With decades of experience in the energy industry, Fox says that Wyoming must carefully manage growing demands on water and power infrastructure.

“We have tremendous opportunities ahead, but we must ensure growth
benefits Wyoming residents without placing unnecessary burdens on our
communities, resources, or pristine environment,” Fox said. “I’m running because I believe Wyoming’s best days are calling. Capturing success requires serious leadership and thoughtful planning from both the government and private sectors. I’m prepared to serve and ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”

Fox said he plans on meeting directly with voters during his campaign through community events. town halls, and direct outreach across House District 56.

For more information, visit PeteFoxHD56.com or follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/Pete.Fox.HD56.

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SHIPPENSBURG —  Athletes from Wyoming Valley West and Valley View competing in the Unified Champion Schools track and field championships had rewarding performances at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Wyoming Valley West finished third in the team competition with 48 points, and Valley View had 40 points to finish sixth among the nine teams at the event. East Stroudsburg North won the team title with 63 points; Spring Grove was second with 55.

Unified track and field teams are made up of a proportional number of students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities who practice and compete together as equal peers.

Athletes in the UCS program compete in divisions based on similar abilities to earn team points toward the team championship.

Valley View’s Jeffrey Wasilchak finished first overall in the Mixed Unified 400-meter run in 57.53 seconds and was second in the Mixed Unified shot put with a distance of 13.82 meters, which was more than 45 feet. He also competed with Eli Szydlowski, James Terrance and John Mulkerin, who had a time of 1:02.66 and finished seventh overall.

Wyoming Valley West’s Raheem Blanton finished first in the Mixed Unified 100-meter dash in 12.21 seconds, and was part of the Mixed Unified 400 relay team that included Dierra Wade, Chelsea Hummel and Kaylah Sewell and finished in 1:00.66, and in fifth place.

Valley View’s Tyson Sisen had two second-place finishes. He was second in the Mixed Unified 800 in 2:31.57 and second in the Mixed Unified Mini Javelin with a mark of 90-3.

Other Valley View finishes overall included Jack Loftus (100, seventh, 13.70); Aubree Black (100, 16.30, 25th, Shot, 5.72 meters, 22nd); Ava Kielar (100, 22.35, 46th); Miranda Troue (100, 22.48, 47th, Shot, 3.54 meters, 28th); Sophia Davies (100, 24.95, 48th, Shot, 4.27 meters, 25th); John Mulkerin (400, 1:23.48, 19th, Shot, 8.13 meters, 11th); Gregory Davis (400, 1:31.45, 27th, Mini Javelin, 45-0, 19th); and James Terrance (800, 3:19.61, 15th).

Wyoming Valley West finishers overall included, Hummel (100, 14.54, 12th, Mini Javelin, 66-10, sixth); Sewell (100, 16.30, 24th); Wade (100, 16.74, 29th, Mini Javelin, 31-3, 32nd); Billy Bell (400, 1:03.95, fourth, Mini Javelin, 46-3, 17th); Gavin Burridge (400, 1:18.66, 15th, Mini Javelin, 39-10, 26th); Lilly Eckstein (800, 2:59.69, 11th, Mini Javelin, 53-9, 12th); Meghan Singer (800, 3:04.31, 12th); Javian Fernandez (Shot, 7.27 meters, 15th); Angel George Umoh (Shot, 5.21, 24th); Savannah Mayewski (Shot, 3.70, 27th); and Jamie Evans (Shot, 1.85, 32nd).

Record breakers

Mid Valley freshman Olivia Thomas capped her medal-collecting first weekend at the PIAA Track and Field Championships with a gold medal in the Class 2A triple jump with a leap of 39-11.5 in far-from-ideal weather conditions Saturday.

In addition, she won silver medals in the long jump and the 100 hurdles in 14.32 seconds. That time broke her Mid Valley school record of 14.44 set this season. It is also the second-fastest school record in Lackawanna Track Conference history. Lakeland’s Cassidy Jenkins has the best time of 14.28, which she ran in winning a PIAA Class 2A silver medal in 2015.

Mid Valley finished with 26 team points — all scored by Thomas — and in seventh place in the Class 2A standings. Shenango won the team championship with 40 points.

In addition to his three medals won in the Class 2A boys meet, Elk Lake’s Kendel Jones set a school record in the 3,200 in 9:17.54 to earn a silver medal. He beat his previous best time of 9:18.72 set in 2024.

Wallenpaupack’s Aiden Janowicz won a silver medal in the Class 3A 800 in 1:51.52. That beat his LTC-best time of 1:53.14 he set during the regular season.

Scranton senior Anijha Turner broke her school record with her 10th-place finish in the Class 3A 400 in 57.26 seconds. That is the fifth-fastest school record in LTC history. Taliyah Booker of Delaware Valley owns the fastest time for the event at 55.86 in 2021.

Lakeland sophomore Bria Hill broke her school record in the 400. Her time of 57.65 qualified her for the Class 2A final, where she won an eighth-place medal on Saturday. Her time is the ninth-best school record in the LTC.

Montrose junior Sadie Jones beat her school record in the javelin with a mark of 126-0. That earned a bronze medal in Class 2A.

Elite athlete

When Thomas won her state championship in the Class 2A triple jump, she became the first to claim a gold medal in track and field at Mid Valley.

Mid Valley’s programs join a list of 18 programs from the LTC that have had an athlete win a state gold medal in track and field.

Susquehanna athletes have won nine PIAA gold medals and a team championship since 1989, which is the most of any LTC program.

Teresa Covert won three straight gold medals in the Class 2A 100 hurdles from 1996 to 1998 and added the 300 hurdles title in 1998. Tatum Norris won gold medals in the Class 2A 100 and 200 in 2022 when she led the team to a championship by herself. Norris also won the 100 in 2023. Jim Corse won the Class 2A pole vault in 1989, and Amber Gaffey won a gold in Class 2A pole vault in 2005.

UPDATE: According to the Consumers Energy outage map, all power was restored around 5 p.m.

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — Thousands of people in southwestern Kent County lost power Monday morning.

The Consumers Energy interactive power map showed a cluster of outages in the area, all of which were first reported around 10:55 a.m. The outages were located in the Grandville, Wyoming and Byron Township areas. In total, around 10,000 customers were without power as of 11:20 a.m., according to the map.

The outage was initially thought to be caused by a transmission line from ITC Michigan, but crews were able to determine the outage was the result of a tap failure that connects the ITC line to Consumers Energy substations.

Three substations were impacted by the outage. As of 2:30 p.m., crews had restored two of the substations and continue their work to get everyone back online. Approximately 5,600 customers remained without power as of 3:30 p.m.