Man dies in trailer fire

RIVERTON - A Riverton man died from smoke inhalation when he was trapped in a trailer that caught fire.

William Fuller, 62, was pronounced dead Saturday morning at the spot where his trailer was parked south of the Boysen Reservoir causeway.

Mike Sexton, an investigator with the state fire marshal's office, said it appeared a space heater had been placed underneath the fifth-wheel camper to keep the pipes from freezing.

"We're guessing that since it was the first cold night, it probably was the first time he had the heater on this year," Sexton said. "It's unknown as to whether it was a faulty appliance or wire."

The heater apparently ignited the camper's floor boards underneath the bathroom, putting the fire between Fuller and the exit.

Teen faces second murder charge

GILLETTE - A 16-year-old Gillette boy has been bound over to District Court to stand trial on a charge of being an accessory after the fact of first-degree murder in the death of another teenager last year.

Michael Frank Seiser is charged in connection with the death last year of Jeremy Forquer, 19. Seiser waived his right to a preliminary hearing last Thursday, and his arraignment hasn't yet been scheduled.

Seiser has also been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in connection with the death of Bryce Chavers, 16, last year.

Seiser has challenged a court ruling that he may be tried as an adult as an accessory to murder in the Forquer case. The State Supreme Court is scheduled to consider that case in a closed session next month.

Drought prompts early hunt start

CODY - Drought and poor forage production have prompted the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to allow elk hunters to start hunting a month earlier than planned in an area near Cody.

The department has alerted hunters with permits for elk hunt area 58 that elk hunting there will begin Oct. 5, instead of the scheduled start date of Nov. 1. The area is part of the Carter Mountain Hunter Management Area.

"Poor forage production and a lack of water has forced elk to move to lower elevations where they are congregating on irrigated cropland," said Gary Brown, Cody region wildlife supervisor. "We haven't been very successful in getting them to leave."

Brown said that by opening the season early, the department hopes it can break up large herds of elk and disperse them into their traditional fall habitat.

Art proceeds top $1 million

CODY - This year's Buffalo Bill Art Sale & Show raised almost $1.05 million for the Cody Chamber of Commerce and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center - the first time the annual charity event has topped $1 million.

"We wanted to make a million dollars this year, so the committee was pretty excited," said Deb Stafford, the program's director.

Included in that total is around $123,000 in raffle tickets. Shirley Lehman of Cody won her choice of a restored 1966 Ford Mustang convertible or $25,000 cash.