WYOMING

Vigil held for beloved Grizzly No. 399

During her nearly three decades roaming the snowy wilderness of the Teton Range, Grizzly No. 399 became a beloved mama bear with millions of parkgoers following her yearly adventures and her ever-growing family tree.

Nature lovers mourned the matriarch of the world-famous bear family after she was fatally struck by a vehicle Oct. 22 on a highway in western Wyoming. Dozens braved frigid weather in the picturesque ski town of Jackson on Nov. 2 to attend a candlelight vigil watched by some 1,300 others online.

“We are terrible and crushed by this, but we’re here together,” Wildlife guide Bo Weldon told the gathering as attendees huddled close in the wet, cold rain.

A PBS documentary crowned the 28-year-old grizzly “Queen of the Tetons” and an Instagram account dedicated to her has amassed more than 60,000 followers.

Named for the tag affixed by researchers to her ear, No. 399 was the oldest-known reproducing female grizzly in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. She has been credited for helping the region’s grizzly population rebound from just over 100 in the 1970s to around 1,000 today.

She had 18 known cubs in eight litters over the years, and some have been spotted with cubs of their own.

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Her ashes were spread this week in the Pilgrim Creek area of Grand Teton National Park, where she spent much of her life, park officials said.

On average, about three grizzlies are killed in vehicle collisions in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem each year, according to data collected by researchers and released by the park. No. 399 was the second grizzly killed in the region by a vehicle this year.

Law enforcement officers have declared the bear’s death an accident. The driver was not speeding and was not hurt.

NEW MEXICO

Former county official’s Jan. 6 conviction upheld

SANTA FE — A federal appeals court upheld on Oct. 22 a conviction against a former New Mexico county commissioner for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

A panel of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the 2022 conviction against Couy Griffin, of Tularosa, in a 2-1 decision.

Separately, Griffin has been banished from public office for aiding in insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, under a state district court ruling. The U.S. Supreme Court in March refused to hear an appeal of the ruling.

Griffin, a cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing then-President Donald Trump with a series of horseback caravans, was convicted of the misdemeanor charge at a 2022 bench trial at U.S. District Court in Washington while being acquitted of disorderly conduct.

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Griffin was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served after his arrest in Washington in the days leading up to Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Griffin contends that he entered the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 without recognizing that it had been designated as a restricted area by the U.S. Secret Service and that he attempted to lead a crowd in prayer using a bullhorn, without engaging in violence. Nearby, Capitol police struggled to control a mob that disrupted Congress from certifying Biden’s presidential election victory.

Griffin said he plans to appeal the new ruling.

OKLAHOMA

Police department, councilors abruptly resign

The police chief and three officers that make up the entire four-person police department of the town of Geary, Oklahoma, and two of the town’s city council members have resigned with little explanation.

Former Police Chief Alicia Ford did not address the specific reasons for the Nov. 1 resignations, but wrote in a social media post that the decision was difficult.

Ford, without elaboration, encouraged residents of the town of nearly 1,000 about 50 miles northwest of Oklahoma City to become acquainted with the city council “and to be as involved as possible in the city, especially attending the city council meetings.”

The city, in a statement, thanked the former chief and officers while wishing them well and said an interim police chief has been chosen and that the Blaine County and Canadian County sheriffs’ offices will assist in patrolling the town.

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City Council members Glen “Rocky” Coleman Jr. and Kristy Miller also announced their resignations, leaving the four-person council with just one member due to a previous vacancy.

Coleman wrote on social media that his values do not match the city’s direction and said communication between the administration and council “has been significantly lacking,” but offered no further explanation.

“Council members are just about the last to know something,” Coleman wrote. “There are often times that I would not know something (is planned) until the meeting started.”

NEBRASKA

State drafts some election workers

OMAHA — Americans are encouraged to do their duty and vote on Election Day. But in Nebraska, some residents must go a step further: They are required to help run the elections.

Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. that employs compulsory election duty to recruit precinct poll workers, election office helpers and ballot deliverers, among other tasks, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Anyone who ignores a summons could be charged with a criminal misdemeanor and fined up to $100.

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So far, only Douglas and Sarpy counties — among the state’s most populous in the Omaha metro area — use the draft. That’s because with nearly 500,000 of the state’s 1.25 million registered voters in those two counties, they need thousands of workers to help at hundreds of polling places.

Finding all that help — especially at a time when election workers face threats and safety concerns — can be a challenge, Douglas County Election Commission Brian Kruse said. For this year’s general election, Douglas planned to employ about 3,000 election workers, 45% of whom are drafted.

Nebraska’s system works much the same way as jury duty: Registered voters are selected at random to serve on Election Day. State law allows exemptions for anyone 70 or older, those with documented health issues or other reasons deemed acceptable.

Along with those who volunteer, election draftees are paid a minimum wage of $12 an hour. State law requires draftees’ employers to allow paid time off to fulfill the duty, although employers may deduct the election work pay from the paid time off.

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