Buckrail

ALTA, Wyo. — The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pocatello, Idaho, has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Teton Valley on Friday afternoon. The warning will be in effect from noon to 9 p.m. on Friday for scattered thunderstorms in Fire Weather Zone 411, which includes the mountains surrounding Teton Valley. The affected area is listed as the Centennial Mountains, Snake River Range and Targhee National Forest; this contains Alta and the western slope of the Tetons.

JACKSON, Wyo. — The Town of Jackson’s plastic bag ordinance, which went into effect in April 2019, banned single-use plastic bags (defined as less than four millimeters in thickness) at the point of purchase for retailers. Along with the ban, retailers were then required to charge customers 20 cents for each paper or reusable plastic bag.

JACKSON, Wyo. — Meet local candidates in this year’s Teton County Coroner race at a primary election forum on Thursday, July 16, at the Teton County Library. Presented by the League of Women Voters of Wyoming, Teton County Library, the Jackson Hole News&Guide, KHOL Radio and Buckrail, these forums provide the opportunity to get to know the people behind the names on the ballot. Candidates will participate in a Q&A moderated by media partners, including questions from the audience.

JACKSON, Wyo. — It’s been a ridiculously hot summer for the last couple of weeks. Here at Buckrail, the question recently has been: What’s the status of the town’s water supply, and how is it holding up? Dan Stewart, the Water Utility Manager for the Town of Jackson shared with Buckrail that despite extreme heat, dryness and elevated use, the Town has had adequate water supply this year.

JACKSON, Wyo. — Heads up, drivers, A crash has closed all lanes of US89 at milepost 158. An alert from the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) at 10:37 a.m. advised drivers to be prepared to stop and to expect delays. Emergency page-outs around 10:15 a.m. described a motorcycle versus vehicle collision. See WYDOT’s travel map for details. Drivers can sign up for 511 Notify alerts from the agency here. This is a developing story. Buckrail will provide updates as information becomes available.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — As the heat wave continues, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has temporarily elevated partial fishing closures to full closures. As of today, the Firehole River, the Gibbon River and the Madison River are all closed to fishing, along with all associated tributaries (for the Gibbon, that means tributaries downstream of Norris Campground). “In recent days, peak water temperatures have ranged from 80 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit during the day,” YNP’s statement reads.

JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) was recognized on Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after earning the second of two certifications for its helicopter program. According to a news release from TCSAR, two FAA officials — Denver Flight Standards District Office Manager Dale Ogden and Principal Operations Inspector Derek Smith — presented the TCSAR team with a Part 135 Air Carrier certificate at the TCSAR headquarters on July 14.

JACKSON, Wyo. – Following a heat wave that set records in parts of Teton County, thunderstorm chances and coverage will increase over the next 1-2 weeks as a consistent monsoonal flow pattern takes hold, with stronger storms producing locally heavy rain. Recent Weather A significant heat wave took hold across Wyoming over the past week in response to an anomalously strong ridge of high pressure that set up over the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains.

JACKSON, Wyo. — As Teton County contends with an outbreak of measles, the Teton County Health Department (TCHD) will hold a walk-in measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination clinic on Friday for kids between the ages of 6 months and 4 years old. With five cases of the highly contagious disease confirmed over the past few weeks, TCHD Director Travis Riddell has adjusted the recommended vaccination age, shifting the age of the first dose six months earlier.

JACKSON, Wyo. — A second case of the always-fatal chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected on the National Elk Refuge in April, according to a Wednesday announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). A dead elk, thought to be between three and five years old, was found on the refuge in late April and was sent to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) lab for testing, per FWS. It was confirmed to be the second positive test, with the first occurring earlier that month.