Wyoming
Wandering hunters stumble on plane crash, save pilot from inferno in Wyoming woods
![Wandering hunters stumble on plane crash, save pilot from inferno in Wyoming woods Wandering hunters stumble on plane crash, save pilot from inferno in Wyoming woods](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/88942074.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024)
A pair of hunters went from wandering in the wrong direction through the Wyoming wilderness to pulling an injured pilot out of a raging inferno after his tiny plane crashed Sunday morning.
The two men, who were coincidentally expertly trained to rescue the wounded pilot, had suffered a series of setbacks during their hunting trip — including heading the wrong way while avoiding grizzly bears — that put them in the right place to see and respond to the fiery crash, according to a report.
Steve Atencio, a Black Hawk pilot for the Wyoming Army Guard and former firefighter, and JR Larsen, an ex-athletic trainer, heard a loud bang at around 10:45 a.m. and rushed into action in the town of Meeteetse.
After searching around the area, they told Cowboy State Daily they spotted thick smoke rising from the trees and called for help.
Atencio quickly deployed a Garmin inReach device to send out an SOS as neither man had cell service. While attempting to get in touch with emergency agencies, the pair trekked toward the crash site carrying around 40 pounds of equipment each in case they needed it.
“We were both blasting through the trees as fast as we could,” Atencio told the newspaper.
As Atencio was working with first responders who finally received his dire message, Larsen ran slightly ahead down a muddy hill, tripping a few times, as he tried to reach the source of the smoke as quickly as possible.
When the pair reached the downed plane, Larsen reportedly shouted, “Is anybody there?”
The pilot responded and called out for help as he was lying face down near the fire with his hands under his head. He told the hunters he believed his back was broken, though his arms and legs were still moving.
The pilot also told Larsen he believed his passenger, later identified as 78-year-old Mary Lou Sanderson, was dead.
“That’s when it started to hit home how serious this was,” Larsen told Cowboy State Daily.
As the fire edged toward the pilot and burning branches began to fall around them, both Larsen and Atencio went to great length to tug the pilot to safety.
They said they first placed a tarp under his body, but it ripped. They then turned Atencio’s pack frame into a makeshift harness and strapped it onto the pilot to carry him away, the outlet reported.
As they pulled the man through thick greenery, the pair also had to be careful with the severe burns the pilot suffered.
At one point, the pilot reportedly told them, “Leave me here,” but the rescuers were able to get him to a safe spot.
Eventually, a rescue helicopter landed about 75 yards from the crash site with Atencio’s guidance and transported the pilot to a hospital in Montana where he is currently receiving treatment, according to the news outlet.
His passenger was confirmed dead.
For the hunters, it almost felt like fate that they were in the right place at the right time to rescue the pilot, they told the local paper.
“Nothing about where we were headed was part of the plane,” Larsen told Cowboy State Daily. “For whatever reason, that’s where we were put.”
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Wyoming
Guest Column: Why Wyoming Is Losing Healthcare Workers
![Guest Column: Why Wyoming Is Losing Healthcare Workers Guest Column: Why Wyoming Is Losing Healthcare Workers](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Jeanette-Ward-1.18.23.jpg)
As a member of the Labor/Health/Social Services committee in the Wyoming legislature, I experienced first-hand the complaints by the Medical Cartel that they can’t get young people to go into the healthcare field, and that there aren’t enough health care workers.
My first question to those complaining of this to our committee, is “Do you require the so-called COVID vaccine?” and then, “Do you require masking or testing?”
Today, my daughter called me in tears to report that the Nursing Program in which she is enrolled at Central Wyoming College in Riverton is going to require her to take a COVID test, even though she is not sick, in order to complete the clinical portion of her study at Westward Heights Care Center in Lander, because they are having an “outbreak” (I later learned this is FOUR people).
An “outbreak” of what, I wonder, since the COVID PCR test was never meant to be used as a diagnostic tool, ACCORDING TO ITS INVENTOR.
All that so-called COVID tests measure is that a person has a coronavirus, of which there are literally millions.
I called Jim Kniola, Nursing Instructor at Central Wyoming College, and he told me that they follow and comply with “the evidence.”
He was very condescending and further told me that Westward Heights Care Center requires it.
Neither my daughter, nor I, want any swab with who-knows-what on it placed near her blood-brain barrier. This shouldn’t require an exemption of any kind.
What happened to those who misuse the cry “my body, my choice!” when, in this case, it actually applies.
Today my daughter decided to leave the nursing program and instead study Health Science, in the hopes that the WY legislature will do its job and protect medical freedom in the next two years, after which time she can pursue a nursing degree at a 4-year college.
In 2023, I was the prime sponsor of HB0066 – Prohibiting mask, vaccine and testing discrimination.
Had the bill passed, my daughter and others like her would not be forced to postpone their dream of becoming nurses.
I have serious doubts that my primary opponent is likely to propose or vote to protect medical freedom, having received $1000 from the Wyoming Hospital Association, who is responsible for keeping these kinds of requirements in place and locking Wyoming down during the scamdemic.
Rep. Jeanette Ward
Ward represents House District 57 in Casper.
Wyoming
Assault suspect in custody following hours-long search in Wyoming
![Assault suspect in custody following hours-long search in Wyoming Assault suspect in custody following hours-long search in Wyoming](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e8ab66a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1935x1016+1+0/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fea%2F01%2Fc6519613422b8b03d0d336e668b8%2Fscreen-shot-2024-09-05-at-3-19-49-pm.png)
WYOMING, Mich. — Police have apprehended a suspect in Wyoming after an hours-long search Thursday.
The Wyoming Police Department (WPD) says an assault suspect ran from officers near the intersection of Oakcrest Street and Clyde Park Avenue at around 11:30 a.m.
We’re told the incident prompted a large police presence in the area until the suspect was located and apprehended around 2:45 p.m. in the 3900 block of Clyde Park Avenue.
A FOX 17 photojournalist was at the scene during a portion of the search. A witness said he saw at least a dozen officers, many of them with weapons drawn.
Another neighbor recounted seeing the suspect jump between people’s backyards.
Police say nearby schools were notified out of an abundance of caution.
WPD thanks community members who offered tips as to the suspect’s whereabouts as well as other law enforcement agencies who helped look for the suspect.
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Wyoming
Anthrax Outbreak In Wyoming Sparks Health Warning—Here’s What To Know
![Anthrax Outbreak In Wyoming Sparks Health Warning—Here’s What To Know Anthrax Outbreak In Wyoming Sparks Health Warning—Here’s What To Know](https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/66d9a571babaf32875446689/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&crop=2580,1451,x0,y134,safe&height=900&width=1600&fit=bounds)
Topline
An outbreak of anthrax—a deadly bacterial disease feared as a potential bioweapon—among cattle and wildlife in Wyoming has killed dozens of animals, and health officials are urging people to take care as experts investigate what marks the first outbreak of its kind in the state in decades.
Dozens of cattle have died due to anthrax in Wyoming.
Key Facts
The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory has confirmed a case of anthrax in a dead moose in Carbon County, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a statement.
The discovery marks the first time the deadly bacterial disease has been confirmed in wildlife in Wyoming in decades—the last case was reported in 1956—and the state agency said the moose is “the only documented case reported in wildlife at this time.”
Anthrax has also been found in nearby cattle in Carbon County, officials said, the first confirmed infections in Wyoming cattle since the 1970s.
The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory confirmed the diagnosis in late August and said anthrax had been found in cattle from multiple herds around the Elk Mountain region.
Wyoming State Veterinarian Hallie Hasel told Cowboy State Daily at least 50 cattle have died due to anthrax, warning that losses may climb as officials determine the full extent of the outbreak.
Hasel said the outbreak appears to be limited to a localized region at this time and the Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department said it “will continue to monitor the situation and assess impacts to wildlife.”
Does Anthrax Pose A Risk To Humans?
Though “human cases are rare,” Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department said “precautions are warranted” in light of the outbreak. To limit the risk of anthrax exposure, Wyoming officials advised hunters and the public to stay away from any dead cattle or wildlife they encounter, to avoid harvesting sick-looking animals and to avoid picking up any roadkill in the Elk Mountain area, as well as to wear gloves while field dressing or handling harvested animals. The agency also advised owners of dogs, horses and other pets to keep the animals away from any carcasses they might encounter and urged anyone encountering dead wildlife to take a note of its location and report the findings. Health experts and organizations recommend seeking medical attention if anthrax exposure is suspected and antibiotics can be given as a form of post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, to prevent anthrax from developing if symptoms haven’t developed.
Key Background
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can jump from animals to humans, and its discovery in both livestock and wildlife in Wyoming means there is a risk to humans. Human anthrax infections are relatively rare, especially in countries like the United States, but are serious and often rapidly fatal without prompt treatment with antibiotics. There are four types of anthrax—cutaneous, injection, inhalation and gastrointestinal—which occur when the bacteria enter through the skin, an injection, are breathed in or are eaten. More than 90% are cutaneous (skin) anthrax, which can happen after spores enter through cuts or grazes when handling infected animals or contaminated animal products like hides, wool or hair. It is considered the least dangerous form of anthrax and around a fifth of patients will still die without treatment. But almost all treated properly with antibiotics will survive with symptoms like itchy skin, blisters, sores and swelling appearing around the infection site around one to seven days after exposure. The antibiotics most commonly used to treat anthrax—ciprofloxacin and doxycycline—are readily available and widely used throughout medicine.
Tangent
While anthrax is an infectious disease, it is not contagious and does not spread between people or animals. Infections primarily occur in mammals—often wild and domestic herbivores like sheep, cows, goats and deer—as well as some bird species. It almost always arises following environmental exposure and the durable nature of the spores mean it is practically impossible to eliminate or control the threat of anthrax in a given area once it is established. These features, along with the ability to disperse it as an aerosol, also make anthrax an ideal candidate for biological warfare. It is well-documented that many countries have explored the possibility of weaponizing anthrax and while some have admitted developing weaponized strains, no country is known to have deployed any. Officials worry anthrax could be deployed by non-state actors like terrorist groups, such as through letter attacks, and the CDC says anthrax is “one of the biological agents most likely to be used” in a bioterrorist attack.
Surprising Fact
Experts appear to be discovering new ways anthrax can manifest in humans, though examples are exceedingly rare. Scientists and clinicians used to believe only cutaneous, inhalation and gastrointestinal anthrax were possible in humans, though they recently discovered a distinct form of anthrax among heroin-injecting drug users in northern Europe. Symptoms for injection anthrax are similar to cutaneous anthrax but can include an infection deep under the skin or in the muscle where the drug was injected, the CDC says, and it can spread faster through the body and be harder to recognize than the cutaneous form. The CDC also warns of another anthrax disease: welder’s anthrax. The agency said the “newly identified and rare disease… has been found in several people who are welders or metalworkers.” It can cause severe pneumonia and be fatal, the CDC said, urging welders or metalworkers who develop “fever and chills with sudden cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or coughing up blood, see a healthcare provider immediately.”
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