The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded a $880,600 emergency bid to Avail Valley Construction LLC during a special meeting on Thursday afternoon, June 13. During the Zoom meeting, Avail Valley shared its plan for the repair work at Teton Pass, which suffered a catastrophic failure on Saturday, June 8, causing almost an entire section of the road near milepost 12.8 to slide into the ravine below. Teton Pass Road, also known as Wyoming Highway 22, links Wyoming and Idaho, and is the main access road from the south to Jackson Hole.

Trouble first emerged on Thursday, June 6, when a large crack stretching across both lanes of the highway was spotted. This prompted a temporary closure and emergency patching by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). However, the situation rapidly deteriorated on Friday, June 7, when a mudslide covered the road, forcing another closure. As crews worked overnight to construct a detour around the damaged section, the landslide continued to move, ultimately causing the catastrophic failure and collapse of the roadway. Thankfully, no employees, contractors or other members of the public were injured in the collapse. No equipment or buildings were lost or destroyed in the collapse either.

Teton Pass also experienced a mudslide at milepost 15.5, which is not related to the 12.8 milepost slide, referred to by WYDOT as the “Big Fill” slide. The slide was discovered June 7.

Avail Valley is based out of Victor, Idaho, and is licensed in Wyoming and Idaho. The company specializes in all types of construction, including commercial, residential, and municipal projects. Avail Valley will construct a box culvert at the slide area at mile marker 15.5. The culvert will help improve drainage in the area. Crews with Avail Valley are aiming to have the project complete so the highway will be ready to reopen once the detour is complete at the Big Fill landslide located at mile marker 12.8 on Teton Pass.

The progress photos from the last two days are incredible as crews are working hard to get this vital road access back open for the summer holidays. Teton Pass sees an Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of almost 10,000 vehicles per day in certain locations along the pass. Summer highs can reach 15,000 vehicles.

Please note, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park remain open for visitors during this time.

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Today’s Wyoming sunrise was captured by Jerry Schumacher of Chadron, Nebraska, at Keyhole State Park in Crook County. Jerry writes, “Pretty breezy this morning at Keyhole State Park, but an exceptional sunrise!”

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It hasn’t been an easy last couple of years for Jerry Saunders or his three daughters.

“Our dad was diagnosed in 2018 with dementia,” says daughter Stacy Sweeney.

A retired obstetrician and gynecologist who delivered hundreds of babies over the years in Sheridan, Wyoming, Saunders was later declared incompetent. That triggered his wife as power of attorney and some surprises for his children from his first wife, who had passed away.

“Over the last two years we have made some huge discoveries most of his assets had been taken,” says Sweeney.

Most of his assets, including his IRA, had been changed to his wife’s name while Saunders was moved to a place that his daughters say he never wanted to be—a nursing home.

“So had she predeceased my dad, if we wouldn’t have discovered this, he would have been penniless. And it was his hard work over 40 years of medical practice that built up this money to take care of him,” Sweeney says.

The National Council on Aging says mental impairment, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, make older adults more vulnerable to abuse—which can take many forms—including financial.

“I think a lot of it comes down to some kind of financial exploitation. So, families taking advantage of either a housing situation, vehicles of an elderly person going into care, or direct access to bank accounts,” says Morgan Dake, legal counsel in the pro bono department for Crowley Fleck in Billings.

She says the situation that has caused so much emotional strain for Saunders’ daughters is more common than you might think.

“A lot of the abuse that happens is actually from known people in your life. So, you need to identify early on who the people are that you truly can trust. Set yourself up that they have your information and that they can access it when needed,” she says.

After an expensive court battle, Saunders’ daughters were awarded power of attorney, trust advisor, and caretaker.

“The main reason we wanted to bring this story forward is Dad is not alone. This happens all the time where a trusted family member will take somebody’s assets,” Stacy says.

Stacy has moved him in with her family in North Carolina and says he is thriving there.

“Family is so important to my dad and being in our home where our kids and grandkids will come in and out, and dogs– all the things that he loves, I think it will be really good for him,” she says.