Posted: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:00 am
UW will receive $1 million donation
CHEYENNE - A major donation is heading to the University of Wyoming.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal and UW President Tom Buchanan today will announce a corporate gift of $1 million, university officials say.
The donor will be identified when the announcement is made at the State Capitol.
A news release from the university said the money will be used to support UW's energy education and research programs.
FEMA trailers don't worry some
GILLETTE - Despite warnings that trailers furnished by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the Gulf Coast have toxic levels of formaldehyde, residents living in them in Wright say they aren't too worried.
"We've been here since August and we haven't noticed anything unusual," Wright resident Nancy Gregory said. "I'm here all day every day and so are the dogs, and we haven't seen anything."
U.S. health officials warned last week that people living in the FEMA trailers in the wake of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes were being subjected to up to 40 times more toxic formaldehyde fumes than customary exposure levels.
Formaldehyde, a preservative used in construction materials, can cause breathing problems and also is believed to cause cancer.
FEMA trailers were brought to Wright after the August 2005 tornado that destroyed or damaged more than 90 mobile homes and killed two people. About 45 of the trailers still remain at the Cottonwood Mobile Home Park in Wright.
Park manager Deb Hepp said not one inhabitant of the trailers had had any complaints about them.
Wamsutter looks at school changes
WAMSUTTER - Education officials plan to separate elementary school students at Desert School in Wamsutter into classes based on grade level next year.
That could mean hiring three more teachers.
At present, first- and second-graders at the Wamsutter school attend the same class, along with third- and fourth-graders, and fifth- and sixth-graders.
But Desert School Principal Richard Freudenberg said enrollment at the K-8 school has more than doubled in the last five years.
Space center may get Wyo home
GILLETTE - A proposed Challenger Center in Gillette would be built at the Cam-plex.
The Campbell County Public Land Board agreed to set aside five acres in front of the Energy Equipment Exhibit for the center as long as city and county officials sign off on the idea.
A Challenger Center uses space exploration as a theme to give children experiences in math, science and technology.
Supporters of the Challenger Center in Gillette propose a 6,000-square-foot building at a cost of $2.8 million.
College develops master plan
POWELL - A new master facilities plan approved by the Northwest College board proposes five new buildings for the college.
The new buildings proposed in the five-year plan include an applied science and technology building; a new or renovated student center; a new performing arts center; a new residence hall; and the possible addition of a fieldhouse.