Boys squad wins opening matches, Girls beat Green River

Green River and Rock Springs were the first victims of the Powell High School boys tennis, with the Panthers taking three of five matches on Friday and Saturday.

The PHS girls beat Green River four matches to one on Friday before falling to Rock Springs by an identical 4-1 score on Saturday.

Fire managers believe they could be approaching the end of the Hole in the Wall Fire northwest of Clark, with personnel being scaled back from a peak of more than 450 crew members this weekend.

“We have ... turned the corner on the fire,” said fire information officer Greg Heule on Monday. “By no means, however, are we turning our back on the fire.”

Fire managers say they hope to have the Hole in the Wall Fire holed up by the end of the weekend.

The fire, burning along the Beartooth Mountain Front northwest of Clark, was estimated at 5,764 acres on Thursday night after burning 200 acres to the northeast and 500 acres to the west that day.

Updated, 6 p.m. Friday: A Powell man died Wednesday morning after a boat accident in the North Fork of the Shoshone River.

Park County Coroner Tim Power identified the victim on Friday as Earl Le Blanc, 77. Funeral services for Le Blanc have been scheduled for Monday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. at St. Barbara's Catholic Church in Powell.

UPDATED, 11:05 a.m., Tuesday: A wildfire started by lightning west of Clark on Sunday night was estimated to have swollen to more than 1,000 acres by Monday night.

The Hole in the Wall Fire is near the eastern boundary of the Shoshone National Forest, in rugged Beartooth Mountain terrain, north of Bennett Creek, said forest district ranger Terry Root. It’s roughly eight miles northwest of Clark.

A grasshopper infestation and too-slick Lander greens made for one of the strangest tournaments ever for Powell High School golf, said Head Coach Troy Hildebrand.

The Panther boys persevered through the challenging conditions to take third at the season-opening Lander invitational, and had three players place in the top 10 individually — Bowen Prestwich, Pax Mitchell and Jackson Roling.

The owners of a Cody-based fuel distribution business and chain of gas stations/convenience stores have filed for bankruptcy, citing millions of dollars of debt.

Red Eagle Oil, Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Aug. 1 in Wyoming’s federal bankruptcy court, blaming the economic downturn and an inability over the past two years to collect some of the money it is owed. Court documents say Red Eagle has been unable to pay many of its bills since April.

The fall Powell High School sports season will kick off — or rather, tee off — with the Panther golf teams competing in Lander today (Thursday) and Friday.

PHS Head Coach Troy Hildebrand is hoping the 12 boys can match last season’s results, which saw the Panthers finish fifth at state. Meanwhile, having four girls out for golf will, at long last, give Powell enough players to officially compete as a team.

Trek will last until October

In the loosely connected community of cross-country bikers, Nathaniel Benjamin has heard that he’s known as the guy who doesn’t stay in campgrounds.

“I just don’t like spending money to camp,” he said during a stay in Powell last month. “It just gets too expensive if you’re on a trip for six months.”