KGOS/KERM Regional News

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KGOSKERM Regional News110509

Tomorrow, the Wyoming Humanities Council invites Lusk area residents to participate in a current events video conference discussion called “What’s News”? This will take place tomorrow from 7-9PM at the video site in the school district administration building. Jordan Dresser and Gracie Lawson-Borders will facilitate the session. Niobrara County Library is a local partner for the event. Participants at video sites in Greybull, Lander, and Laramie will join in the discussion. Dresser has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wyoming. He works for the marketing department of the Wind River Casino and has been a reporter for the Denver Post, Salt Lake Tribune, Lincoln Journal Star, Fargo Forum and Reznet News. Lawson-Borders is an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wyoming and a faculty member in communication and journalism. She has been a reporter and editor at the Akron Beacon Journal, the Oakland Press and the Chicago Tribune. We want people to arrive with newspapers and magazines in hand, ready to talk with reporters about the news, said Marcia Wolter Britton, executive director of the Wyoming Humanities Council. No special preparation is necessary in order to participate in this program. What’s News is sponsored by a grant from the UW Outreach School.

Senator John Barrasso is encouraging cooperation between the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Forest Service, to complete forest health projects on private, state and federal lands. Wyoming forests, like those of all states across the west, are facing unprecedented challenges. We need all the tools available to address wildfires, invasive species, watershed health and wildlife habitat, Barrasso said. State and federal agencies manage their lands separately. Currently state and national foresters lack authority to work together on forest health projects. Barrasso’s GOOD NEIGHBOR FORESTRY ACT would allow the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to work with state foresters to complete projects that cross ownership boundaries. These challenges require big picture thinking. We need to work together as neighbors on all of our state, private and federal lands Barrasso said. Administration officials from the Forest Service and BLM both testified in support of the bill during the Senate Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee hearing. Wyoming State Forester Bill Crapser also testified in support of the Barrasso bill. The bill will allow us to be better stewards of the natural resources we are charged to protect and manage. At the same time it will allow us to most effectively put taxpayer dollars on the ground where they can do the most good, Crapser said.  Resource challenges do not stop at fence lines neither should our policy Barrasso said.  

In less than one week, we will observe Veterans Day. Fort Laramie National Historic Site will celebrate Veterans Day with a Fee Free day for military families. In 2006 the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture began a tradition to honor all U.S. military veterans and current members of the U.S. armed forces and their families by providing free admission to public lands managed by their respective Departments on Veterans Day each year. In appreciation for their service to our country, all units of the National Park System, including Fort Laramie National Historic Site, will not charge any veteran or current member of the U.S. military or their families, an entrance fee next Wednesday the 11^th.    

We will conclude this newscast with a personal perspective about the loss of a true friend of Torrington and Goshen County, Bud Zarling, a past owner of the Torrington Telegram. The name Bud Zarling may not be one that is familiar to you if you are newer to this area, but I want to take a bit of your time to give you a good reason to remember Bud Zarling, who passed away at his home here in Torrington early yesterday morning. The Zarling family has been part of our community since 1968 when Bud purchased the Torrington Telegram from Ed Fessler. That was about the same time I started working for Kerm Kath, owner of Radio Station KGOS. It’s not always the case when competitors in radio and newspaper are best buddies. But it speaks well of both, when they enjoy a mutual respect for each other, and that’s what I remember best about the relationship Bud Zarling and Kerm Kath had. Bud had a special way of always putting a positive spin on all he did and Bud did a lot to benefit our community. He will be missed. Bud operated the Torrington Telegram until 1977 when he sold it to Mike and Pat Linday so he and Lois could peruse other business interests in South Dakota. Bud and Lois moved back to Torrington in 2002 to be near their children: Deb Hunter and her husband Alan; Greg Zarling; Becky Nighswonger and her husband Ron; Rick Zarling and his wife Jennifer. Bud and Lois’ daughter Terri, who is at home with the rest of the family, lives in Hawaii.  Services for Bud will be held at Our Savior Lutheran Church this Saturday morning.