Judge suspends teen's prison sentence

A judge Thursday agreed to suspend the sentence of a Colorado teenager accused of acting as a lookout during the November robbery of an Alcova bar.

Daniel Merwin, 17, will now have to go back to Colorado to serve a two-year sentence at a juvenile detention center for other crimes, said Assistant Natrona County District Attorney Michael Schafer.

Merwin was sentenced last year to five to seven years in prison. However, the judge recommended him for the state's boot camp program. After successfully completing the program, Merwin asked the court to reduce his sentence.

In November 2006, he and five other men and boys drove from Craig, Colo., to Wyoming in a stolen pickup. They robbed the Sunset Grill in Alcova at gunpoint and led police on a chase where officers were fired upon by some members of the group.

The entire group eventually accepted plea agreements.

Learn to curl

The Casper Curling Club will be having another "Learn to Curl" evening at the Casper Ice Arena, 1808 E. Fourth St.

Ages 12 and above are welcome to come try this Olympic sport. Curling is a team sport and a social sport for all athletic abilities.

After a short lesson, you can be ready to give it a try.  Come learn what "rink," "hack," "house," "skip," "button," "hogline" and "sweep" mean to curlers.

For more information, visit the club's website {M7www.caspercurlingclub , or call Doug or Mary Sutton at 265-0677.

Traffic enforcement planned for first school week

Casper area law enforcement agencies will conduct a school zones operation sometime next week to coincide with the beginning of the school year.

Authorities say they will strictly enforce the 20 mph school zone and will be watching school buses and crosswalks for violations.

The effort is being publicized in advance to raise awareness and encourage parents to talk with their children about pedestrian safety, said Casper police Crime Prevention Officer Pete Abrams.

The enforcement is part of the Combined Accident Reduction and Traffic Enforcement program. Five agencies -- Casper, Mills and Evansville police, the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Natrona County Sheriff's Office -- started the program last year to cut down on crashes and improve driver behavior.

Rec center holds punt, pass & kick contest

Young athletes will have the opportunity to exhibit their football skills when the Casper Recreation Division, in cooperation with the Community Recreation Foundation, hosts the NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick competition at Kelly Walsh High School on Saturday, August 23.

The competition allows youth to showcase their talents in punting, passing and kicking with scores based on distance and accuracy. Each individual’s age classification is as of December 31 of the current year. No cleats or bare feet are allowed.

The top finishers will advance to a sectional competition, and sectional competition winners will have their scores compared and the top five scorers from this group advance to the Denver Broncos Team Championship, to be held at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium at a Bronco game.

For more information, call the City of Casper Recreation Division at 235-8383. Entry forms are available at the Casper Recreation Center. Participants can register on-site prior to the competition.