Frontier Days stretches the limits

By Dennis E. Curran July 22, 2010 –

CHEYENNE — Officially, Cheyenne Frontier Days kicked off its 114th go-round on the 23rd, and the world-famous “Daddy of ‘em All” was already  going nearly full speed before it even started.  Billed as the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and Western celebration, Frontier Days offer a mix of sports, music and entertainment for everyone in a family, putting it on the “must see” lists of many national travel organizations and making it one of Wyoming’s big tourism draws.

For complete story visit Wyoming Business Report now!

Laredo, Del Rio and Amistad National Recreation Area Being Flooded by Rio Grande

Rio Grande Flood

July 9, 2010 – Flooding along the banks of the Rio Grande River today and over the last few days, brought on by heavy rains and the release of more water from overloaded reservoirs upstream, has caused the evacuation of thousands of people in the U.S. and Mexico.

Much to the relief of local residents and city officials, the Rio Grande River crested overnight in downtown Laredo. City spokesmen spent the day yesterday fighting rumors that the international bridges connecting Laredo to Mexico across the river are structurally at risk. Officials say the bridges are safe and sound. The river reached 42 1/2 feet this morning and is forecast to remain high for several days.

Del Rio – People along the Rio Grande are bracing for more rain and more flooding. River flood warnings extend from just south of the Amistad Dam near Del Rio to Laredo. Read more …

All of  California’s 278 state parks are a tangle of troubles.

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Visitors to California State Parks have already  dealt with abbreviated schedules and services. Now decay and neglect in the parks endanger the environment, artifacts – and even public health.

Much of the park decay exists because maintenance has been largely ignored for more than a decade amid slim and slimmer state budgets. Buildings and infrastructure, subject to constant exposure and heavy use, just get worse until they fail.

As a result, the backlog has more than doubled since 2001, when it was estimated at $600 million.

The operating budget for state parks from state funding and user fees – which pays for day-to-day maintenance, law enforcement and administration – stands at about $330 million this fiscal year. In 2001, it was $314 million. Adjusted for inflation, however, that reflects a 15 percent drop.

California State Parks in Trouble

8 People Are Injured By Lightning in Yellowstone Park

By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

A lightning strike injured eight people who were waiting to see the Old Faithful geyser erupt Tuesday in Yellowstone National Park.

Officials say a single lightning bolt from a small storm struck about 4 p.m., injuring eight visitors who were standing on or near the boardwalk that circles the geyser. The incident was witnessed by hundreds of people waiting to watch the park’s most popular attraction.

Bystanders had started CPR on a 57-year-old man when park staff arrived on the scene. The man, who was unconscious and breathing, was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. The Associated Press identified him as Harlan C. Idell Jr., 57, of Leesburg, Fla.

“He indeed was struck by lightning,” park spokesman Al Nash said. “The others had impacts from being in that area where lightning struck. I am told that one guy who was sent to the hospital in Idaho Falls is going to be released this evening.”

Seven other individuals were treated and released for complaints including shortness of breath, tingling or numbness.

Nash said it was the second time a group of people was struck by lightning at Old Faithful in recent memory. In June 2005, a lightning strike injured 11 people, one seriously.

“The circumstances looked very similar,” he said. “It’s that late-afternoon summer thunderstorm.”

“I don’t want people to take away the idea that Old Faithful is a lightning magnet,” Nash said. “What you would find in Yellowstone is that, in a big storm, we’re going to have literally thousands of lightning strikes. [Old Faithful] is the one place in the park where we would have a concentration of people.”

Nash said the incident is a reminder that people need to be especially aware of the weather when visiting the park.

“We’re always preaching the big safety message, which includes being aware that weather changes frequently around here,” he said.

Joseph McConnel becomes youngest Lane Frost Challenge winner

By Ben Bulkeley

As far as 16-year-old Joseph McConnel knows, winning bull-riding competitions is easy.

Sort of.

The Bloomfield, N.M., native won Saturday’s Lane Frost Challenge during Grand Olde West Days at the Moffat County Fairgrounds, beating out more than 35 cowboys for first place.

While McConnel has been riding bulls for two-and-a-half years, it was his first time competing in the Lane Frost Challenge.

“This was probably the most fun I’ve had,” he said. “It feels good to win, but you have to move on and just go to the next one.”

Being the youngest bull rider at the challenge didn’t affect McConnel, he said.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “There are a lot of really good bull riders here — guys who are in (The Professional Bull Riders). It’s a lot fun going up against those guys.”

As soon as his last ride was over, two things went through his mind, McConnel said.

“I thanked God,” he said. “And I was happy as heck.”

For a while, it appeared the night would belong to the bulls.

In the first round, no riders were able to stay on their bulls for the eight seconds needed.

Hayden’s Jake Booco was bucked off a rank bull in the first round.

One rider, Burns’ Dillon Kujala, made it to the short go in the second flight, and McConnell made it in the third flight.

In the fourth flight, four straight riders made it to the short round.

Perhaps the rankest bull at the event was Domestic Violence, from the L Bar Four ranch in Grant County, N.M.

While waiting his turn in the chutes, the bull twice tried to jump out of his pen.

It was up to Elmo, Utah’s Kache Moosman, to ride him.

Moosman, who finished second in the challenge, was given a ride in the chutes as Domestic Violence surged as he tried to climb in.

When the gate was opened and Moosman and the bull were released, the rider said he was determined to hang on.

“You try not to think about it too much,” he said. “You just have to bear down, ride hard and never give up.”

As Domestic Violence was released, Moosman was able to stay on top, but seven seconds in, the bull turned suddenly and flung him off.

“My first ride, I felt pretty good,” he said. “On my other ride, he dropped his shoulder, and I didn’t lean enough.

“I couldn’t get my arm back and he got me.”

Watching his bull thrashing around in the chutes before his ride did little to dampen Moosman’s spirits.

“It makes me want it even more,” he said. “I love it.”

by: Pat Raia

More than 200 horses were evacuated from Williamson County, Tenn., farms this weekend as more than 13 inches of rain fell within 24 hours in the rural county south of Nashville.

Owners began transporting their horses to the Williamson County Agriculture Center in Franklin on May 2, when heavy rains threatened to flood their farms, said Agricultural Center Director Kenny Wallace.

“We ended up with between 200 and 300 horses,” he said. “Everybody’s doing fine.”

The horses are expected to remain at the center through the middle of the week.

By The Republican Newsroom

The controversial Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is considering a run for governor of that state.

CNN reported that Arpaio told reporters on Friday that, “I am not running for governor now until I decide over the weekend with a glass of wine and my wife, since my mother and father came here from Italy, with a little spaghetti and meatballs.”

The Phoenix-based Abc.15.com,which has reported that Arpaio will make his decision Monday, cited a poll showing that Arpaio has a 65 percent high approval rating – one of the best in the state.

The tough-talking Arpaio is a staunch supporter of Arizona’s new immigration law, which will allow police there to demand proof of legal residency when it goes into effect in 90 days.

Arpaio – whose role is that of law enforcement officer and jailer – was elected in 1992 to the fourth-largest sheriff’s department in the country.

The former U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officer has made an international name for himself by housing prisoners in desert canvas tents, serving green bologna for lunch, banning free coffee, issuing pink underwear, and reinstating chain gangs.

The 77-year-old Arpaio grew up on Cedar Street, in Springfield, Massachusetts, opposite the Springfield Cemetery in the Six Corners neighborhood. His mother died from complications as a result of his birth, and he was raised by his father, an Italian grocer.

Arpaio graduated from the High School of Commerce in 1950, and enlisted in the Army.

In a 1995 interview, he said he learned a great deal about justice at Springfield movie houses while watching black-and-white westerns in which lawmen knew the difference between wrong and right and did not hesitate to inflict frontier justice.

Last November, Arpaio was elected to his fifth term as sheriff with almost 56 percent of the vote.

You’re invited to the next big event:

Second Annual Diamond-McNabb Ranch Horse Sale

Powderhorn Ranch Arena

South of Douglas, WY

June 5th, 2010

They had so much fun last year, they’re doing it again!

They are Expecting about 85 head of experienced saddle geldings, most with training overseen by clinician Ken McNabb and ranch experience at the Diamond Ranches cattle operation on the Powderhorn Ranch, Cand Sage Creek Ranch in central Wyoming. There will also be horses from invited consignors from other ranches in Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas.

For complete information please visit their Website

Einstein, World’s Smallest Horse, An Adorable Pinto Colt (VIDEO). Einstein isn’t just a scientist…he’s also the World’s Smallest Horse. Born smaller than many human babies, this adorable pinto colt is pint sized and oh-so-perfect. What’s so beautiful about Einstein is that he’s perfectly proportioned.

The current Guiness Book of World records holder of World’s Smallest Horse is Thumbelina, a small horse that was born with abnormalities from dwarfish. She tours with the Thumbelina foundation to visit disabled individuals and children.

Einstein, on the other hand, will likely have a very famous lifestyle, although he will likely be more of a show horse than a charity horse. He was born at 6 pounds and was only 14 inches tall.

As you can see from the video of the World’s Smallest horse linked here, Einstein is a great horse for small children to play with. Can you imagine how cute it would be to see a small child play with such a small horse in person?

The breeder where Einstein was born is astonished by his perfect proportions. He truly is a delightful and adorable horse, as you can see from the picture at the top of this post.

What do you think of Einstein? Do you think he’s a wonderful looking horse?

Einstein YouTube video

Source:
MSNBC

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes broad support for rural communities.

* The Recovery Act provides USDA with a total of $27.6 billion, most of which will fund increased benefits to low income families through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ($20 billion);
* The Act also provides $6.9 billion in discretionary appropriations for rural development activities such as construction and renovation of rural water and wastewater systems, low income housing loans, broadband infrastructure in rural areas, rural business programs, and construction of Forest Service facilities;
* The Act provides $800 million for biofuels research and development, loan guarantees for renewable power projects, including biomass facilities, and extends tax credits for biomass-based electricity for three additional years; and,
* The Act provides $700 million in mandatory farm disaster assistance.

Rural Main Street

Guiding Principles

President Obama believes in nurturing strong, robust, and vibrant rural communities. These communities also safeguard our environmental heritage, supply our food, and play a growing role in science and innovation. Today, rural communities face numerous challenges but also enormous economic opportunities. President Obama believes that together we can ensure a bright future for rural America. He will work to help family farmers and rural small businesses find profitability in the marketplace and success in the global economy.
Support Strong Farm and Rural Economic Development

The President believes farm programs should target family farmers and provide the stability and predictability they need. President Obama believes that American farmers should have protection from market disruptions and weather disasters. At the same time, farm program effectiveness should be improved through restrictions on commodity payments to wealthy farmers. The President also supports the implementation of a commodity program payment limit, which will help ensure that payments are made only to those that most need them.

The President supports rural development programs including microentrepreneur assistance, rural cooperative development grants, value-added producer grants, grants to minority producers, and cooperative research agreements.

Develop Rural Broadband Services

Modern technology is critical to the expansion of business, education, and health care opportunities in rural areas and the competitiveness of the nation’s small towns and rural communities. President Obama supports a comprehensive plan and substantial investments in the expansion of rural broadband so that all areas of the country have access to the tools for fair competition in a 21st century economy.

Promote Rural America’s Leadership in Developing Renewable Energy

America’s farmers have been on the forefront of the renewable fuels movement. The President has been a strong proponent for increasing the national supply of home-grown American renewable fuels as an alternative to foreign sources of oil. The President will ensure that the Nation’s rural areas continue their leadership in this arena by supporting additional loans and grants to develop domestic renewable fuels. His efforts will position rural America to produce and refine more American biofuels, provide more renewable power than ever before, and create thousands of new jobs across the country.
Invest in Rural Teachers

Teachers are the single most important resource to any child’s learning, and yet it is challenging to attract and retain talented teachers in the schools that need them the most – especially in rural areas. President Obama will ensure that teachers are supported as professionals in the classroom, while also holding them more accountable. He will invest in innovative strategies to help teachers to improve student outcomes, and use rewards and incentives to keep talented teachers in the schools that need them the most. He supports improved professional development and mentoring for new and less effective teachers, and will challenge states and school districts to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom. President Obama will invest in a national effort to prepare and reward outstanding teachers, while recruiting the best and brightest to the field of teaching.
Support Rural Community Colleges

Community colleges are mainstays of rural communities, and their graduates often remain in rural communities. The President is committed to increasing higher education access and success by restructuring and dramatically expanding college financial aid, while making federal programs simpler, more reliable, and more efficient for students. The President has proposed a plan to address college completion and strengthen the higher education pipeline to ensure that more students succeed and complete their degree. And his plan will invest in community colleges to equip a greater share of young people and adults with high-demand skills and education for emerging industries.