News Briefs for November 4, 2009

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

By Ben Cannon

Under pressure, LMC cancels ‘First Friday’
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-The Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary gallery has, for the time being, canceled the popular art party it usually hosts on the first Friday of every month. Gallery owner Lyndsay McCandless said she recently came under scrutiny by Town regulators. They told her the building is zoned for retail, not regular events, and that only about 50 people at a time may be inside the gallery.  That is a fraction of the number of people who have attended previous art or music events at LMC.
“I need to push pause because I need to do certain things to satisfy building code,” said McCandless, who leases the building.

After meeting with Town building regulators Tuesday, McCandless said she would have to invest considerable time and money and possibly apply for zoning changes to allow her gallery to remain a popular community hub.

“Is there going to be room [around zoning and building laws] to be able to think creatively about how to deal with this?” McCandless said. “I’m not sure if there is.”

Healthcare reform sup

porters on Square
A few dozen healthcare reform supporters gathered Tuesday around the main elk antler arch on the Town Square.

Chanting “What do we want? Healthcare reform/When do we want it? Now!” the majority of participants were in line with the Wyoming Democrats that organized the rally. Some signed a petition asking for a public option to be included in a healthcare reform bill when Washington lawmakers finally tackle the issue.

The crowd included prominent Teton County Democrats, including Gary Trauner and Board of County Commissioners Chairman Hank Phibbs, as well as State party chair Leslie Peterson.

But the rally was not without its counter-protesters. A handful of people stood at the margins of the gathering, shouting back without incident at the protesters.
“They don’t want healthcare until the fall of the Grand [Teton],” one man said.

Latino center names new director
The Latino Resource Center has named a new executive director to replace the organization’s founding director.

Estela Torres, a longtime Jackson Hole resident, will succeed Carmina Oaks to lead the valley’s leading organization for the local Latino community. Torres was director of the Spanish Center in Joliet, Ill., before she moved to Jackson Hole in 1981. She served on the LRC board from 2002 until this year, when she stepped down to take over as director.

Board Chairman Father Ken Asel said, “[Torres] has the background, the knowledge and the skills we need to continue to thrive.”

The center provides referrals to other community resources, translation, interpretation and offers tax help and other assistance. It works with both the Latino community and other resource organizations in the valley.

Attorney: Man killed grizz in self defense
The attorney for a Jackson Hole man who killed a grizzly bear said his client shot the bear in self defense.

Stephen Westmoreland, of Teton Village, is accused of killing a female grizzly bear in September in Bridger-Teton National Forest. Westmoreland was in Ditch Creek, north of Kelly, helping a friend carry a deer he shot when he encountered the bear.
The Teton County Attorney’s office has filed charges against Westmoreland, who faces fines up to $10,000 and up to a year in jail for taking a grizzly bear without a license. 

Westmoreland’s attorney, David DeFazio, said his client, who was carrying a deer head on his back at the time of the encounter, felt his life was threatened.
“It’s easy for somebody sitting at home watching the nature channel to indict my client for what he did,” DeFazio said. “Mr. Westmoreland was not out there bear hunting and he regrets that the bear died.”

The case has drawn attention from news media throughout the region and the defendant has come under fire from some local wildlife lovers. JHW

Photo by Ben Cannon
A happy supporter.


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News Briefs for November 4, 2009 | Planet JH News Article: General News

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