Weapons area warning sent

LARAMIE - The Medicine Bow National Forest says hikers and others in the Pole Mountain area near Laramie should be careful not to touch unexploded munitions.

The military conducted weapons training at Pole Mountain between 1879 and 1961 using mortars, light artillery and small arms.

Now, the federal government and Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality are working to identify and clear unexploded munitions from the area.

The National Forest says unexploded munitions may be unstable and could explode.

Authorities request that anyone who finds a suspicious object mark it on a map and contact the Forest Service's Laramie Ranger District or the Albany County Sheriff's Office.

The types of military munitions found in the area include fuzes, mortar rounds, small arms ammunition, and 75 mm artillery projectiles.

Man pleads not guilty

CHEYENNE - A 47-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he used a sledgehammer to beat a teenager who tried to break up a fight.

Vincent "Capone" Trujillo faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the May 13 incident. He entered his plea this past week.

Authorities say Trujillo and two other people were fighting with three women when a 17-year-old boy tried to break up the altercation at a home. Authorities say Trujillo hit the boy in the face with a sledgehammer then fired at two women as they drove the teenager to the hospital.

Trujillo is expected to go on trial Oct. 20. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

City cuts rec funding program

GILLETTE - The Gillette City Council has abolished a program that provided money to youth groups or individuals representing the city in recreational activities.

Council members cited a lack of interest by citizens, other money available through different agencies and the difficulty overseeing the project.

The program was established in 1991 to help youth organizations, teams traveling to tournaments or individuals.

Each year the city set aside $6,000 with a loose policy that established $50 to be spent per person. Those who received money had to fulfill some sort of community work for the city such as picking up trash or planting trees.

New school about to go up

RAWLINS - Construction is expected to start in August on a new elementary school in Rawlins that could eventually replace three existing schools.

The Carbon County District 1 School Board budgeted $28 million for the project, but the architect says the actual cost may be less because of the recession.

The school will house nearly 690 students in second through fifth grades. It will have 36 classrooms and nearly 95,000 square feet.

Construction is expected to take 16 months.