Official warns against swimming in river

POWELL - People should feel comfortable fishing the Shoshone River, but a state official advises against drinking the water.

Jack Smith, non-point source coordinator for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, said water in the Shoshone downstream from the Corbett Dam is not potable. The Corbett Dam is about a mile downstream from the Corbett Bridge, the first bridge travelers cross heading east on U.S. 14-A from Cody.

Smith also advises people against wading the Shoshone without waders, swimming or getting river water in their eyes or ears. He said harmful bacteria such as E. coli in the water can make them sick.

Because E. coli only thrives in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, Smith said it doesn't affect the fish in the river.

"I wouldn't have any qualms about fishing the Shoshone," he said.

Anglers can safely eat fish caught in Shoshone because E. coli won't survive in them, Smith said.

Downstream from Corbett Dam, Smith said, water from the Shoshone holds 126 bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters of river water during the summer. A 12-ounce can of soda is 355 milliliters.

If the bacteria count exceeds 126, Smith said the risk factor to people unacceptable. If people swallow water with such a high count, he said they have a seven-in-1,000 chance of becoming sick with diarrhea.

Company recalls cartons of ice cream

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is recalling 90 cartons of Dreyer's Slow Churned Light Caramel Delight ice cream and Slow Churned Light Butter Pecan ice cream distributed in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming because the ice cream may contain pecans not identified on the label.

The potentially affected cartons are the 1.75-quart size of Dreyer's Slow Churned Light Caramel Delight and Slow Churned Light Butter Pecan ice cream. The sides of the Slow Churned Light cartons identify the flavor as Caramel Delight, but the carton lids identify it as Butter Pecan. The actual flavor of the ice cream may be Butter Pecan erroneously packaged in Caramel Delight cartons, so the company is recalling the ice cream to avoid confusion among consumers who may be allergic to pecans.

Fewer than 90 mislabeled cartons are believed to be in the marketplace. The affected cartons have the following code printed on the bottom of the carton: BEST IF PURCHASED BY 09/11/08, 049-32.

Gas leak forces school evacuation

CHEYENNE - Students and faculty at a Cheyenne elementary school were evacuated Tuesday because of a natural gas leak.

Laramie County School District 1 spokeswoman Mary Quast said about 330 students and some 30 faculty at Jessup Elementary were evacuated before noon. She said the students were taken to a gymnasium separate from the school to be fed lunch and picked up by their parents.

Quast said crews from Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power were called in to repair the leak.

School was called off at Jessup Elementary for the remainder of the day.

No other details were immediately available.