Average gas prices up another 7 cents a gallon in Wyoming

CHEYENNE — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have risen 7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.27 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming. 

Prices in Wyoming are 19.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand $1.27 per gallon higher than a year ago. 

The price of diesel has risen 22.6 cents nationally in the past week, and stands at $5.518 per gallon. 

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Wyoming was priced at $3.79 per gallon on Sunday, while the most expensive was $5.18 per gallon, a difference of $1.39. 

The national average price of gasoline has risen 11 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.57 per gallon Monday. 

The national average is up 45.4 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands $1.55 per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

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Man arrested for drug use and shoplifting after skipping out on bar tab

GILLETTE — A 46-year-old man was arrested for using meth and shoplifting after a series of incidents that began at Creative Beverages around 11 a.m. Monday.

A liquor store employee reported that an unknown man had ordered a $6 shot, gave her a credit card and left the store, saying that he would return later. 

When he never returned, she ran the card and it was declined, said Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson.

Surveillance video from the store identified the suspect as a 46-year-old man known to police. The video showed he had also stolen a bottle of alcohol valued at $33.74 while in the store.

The credit card he used belonged to a 45-year-old man.

Then around 2 a.m. Tuesday, officers were called to the north Shell Food Mart where they found the 46-year-old man very drunk and bothering customers.

He became extremely confrontational with police and showed signs of alcohol and drug use, Wasson said.

The man admitted to having used meth, and he had clearly been drinking. He was arrested for use of meth and will be cited for shoplifting earlier in the day. He also will be investigated for potential credit card fraud, Wasson said.

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Wyoming Unemployment Falls to 3.3% in April 2022

AFTON — The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 3.4 percent in March to 3.3 percent in April. 

Wyoming’s unemployment rate has been trending downward since its peak of 8.6 percent in May 2020 and it is slightly lower than the current U.S. rate of 3.6 percent. From March to April, seasonally adjusted employment of Wyoming residents increased by 581 individuals (0.2 percent) as people returned to work.

From March to April, jobless rates fell slightly in most counties. Teton County was the exception. Its unemployment rate rose from 2.2 percent in March to 4.3 percent in April as the ski season ended.

Unemployment rates decreased from their year-ago levels in every county around the state. County unemployment rates were elevated during much of 2021 because of the pandemic and the decreases in 2022 reflect a return to more normal levels. 

The largest decreases in April 2022 occurred in Natrona (down from 6.8 to 4.4 percent), Converse (down from 5.5 to 3.2 percent), Uinta (down from 5.6 to 3.5 percent), Sweetwater (down from 6.1 to 4.1 percent), Sublette (down from 6.4 to 4.4 percent), and Campbell (down from 5.6 to 3.6 percent) counties.

In April 2022, the highest unemployment rates were found in Natrona County and Sublette County, both at 4.4 percent. They were followed by Teton County at 4.3 percent and Sweetwater County at 4.1 percent. The lowest rates were reported in Niobrara County at 2.0 percent and Goshen County at 2.4 percent.

Total non-farm employment in Wyoming (not seasonally adjusted and measured by place of work) rose from 272,300 in April 2021 to 280,800 in April 2022, an increase of 8,500 jobs (3.1%). Employment was unusually low in 2021 because of economic disruptions related to the pandemic.

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Finger-pointing father charged with property destruction 

DOUGLAS — A father who blamed his son for driving a vehicle when it was wrecked in Glenrock has himself been charged with felony property destruction and driving under the influence of alcohol after police determined he was driving his son’s vehicle. 

Joshua Z. Tucker was bound over from Converse County Circuit Court on May 13 to stand trial in state district court. 

Glenrock Police Officer Jesse Richard was dispatched at 2:34 a.m. April 2 to a report of property damage at the corner of Lookout Drive and Sunup, where he saw an unoccupied vehicle that had been involved in a crash.   The vehicle had crashed into a pickup truck, a camper and two fences. Sabastion Tucker, Joshua’s son, was sitting approximately 100 yards from the crash. Sabastion told the officer that he and his father had both been drinking at the Shoreliner Bar, according to the police affidavit filed in circuit court. 

Joshua Tucker was found on the porch at his residence, and the officer wrote in the affidavit that Joshua showed physical signs of intoxication. Joshua Tucker admitted he and his son had been drinking at the bar but claimed he was not the one driving the vehicle. 

Later, he told police his son was to blame for the accident, according to the affidavit. Police officers, however, determined the driver’s side door had very little space to exit, making it difficult for Sabastion, who is larger than Joshua, to exit the vehicle.