Good evening. Here's a look at how AP’s news coverage is shaping up in the Rockies. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to:

The Denver AP Bureau at 303-825-0123 or apdenver@ap.org

The Cheyenne AP Bureau at 307-632-9351 or apcheyenne@ap.org

The Helena AP Bureau at 406-442-7440 or apmontana@ap.org

Rockies News Editor Matt Volz can be reached at 406-442-7440 or mvolz@ap.org.

A reminder: this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org.

All times are Mountain.

Some TV and radio stations will receive broadcast versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

___

UPCOMING TOMORROW:

SNOW ARTIST

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — Simon Beck is an artist with a unique canvas: snow. He uses a compass, his background as a cartographer and his footsteps to create massive geometrical patterns in snowfields. The 61-year-old British artist recently brought his skills to Colorado, where fastened his snowshoes and trampled several designs into the winter landscape high in the Rocky Mountains. (With Photo Gallery)

___

TOP STORIES TODAY:

COLORADO:

RED FLAG-COLORADO

DENVER — A woman whose son was killed by Colorado State University police in 2017 is trying to have the guns of one of the officers involved confiscated under the state's new red flag law, a move the sheriff calls a classic example of how the controversial law can be abused. In her Jan. 9 petition for an extreme risk protection order, Susan Holmes said there was a credible risk of unlawful or reckless use of a firearm by Phillip Morris because he threatened and killed her son, 19-year-old Jeremy Holmes, and because she said he has shown ongoing violence and aggression. By Colleen Slevin. SENT: 370 words.

HOMELESS CAMP-RATS

DENVER — A park across from the state Capitol where homeless people have been camping was shut down Wednesday because officials say it has become infested with rats. Over 30 tents lined the edge of the park in the morning. Footage from KDVR-TV showed police officers going from tent to tent to let people know they need to leave and campers talking to other city officials looking to find out if they want to take advantage of social services. SENT: 210 words, photos.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS-BRIBERY-PRISON

DENVER — A businessman was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to bribe a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs official in Colorado, court records said. Anthony Bueno, 45, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, The Denver Post reported Tuesday. Bueno pleaded guilty in the case in September. SENT: 230 words.

TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT MANAGERS

WASHINGTON —The managers chosen to prosecute the impeachment case against President Donald Trump will make their case to all 100 senators. But to get the trial they want, they need just four Republicans. The House Democrats presenting the case at trial face the unique challenge of persuading a handful of senators to cross the aisle and join Democrats in demanding that the trial include documents and witnesses most Republicans would like to avoid. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Laurie Kellman. SENT: 900 words , photos and video.

With: TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT MANAGERS-GLANCE — Thumbnails on the seven House managers of the impeachment trial.

TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-WHAT TO WATCH

WASHINGTON — The articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump don't move to the Senate by themselves. They are escorted by specific political stars along a tightly choreographed path from the House through the Capitol rotunda to the Senate for trial. There waits more history, pageantry and tradition of a type that's only been seen on television once, and not since the 1999 trial of President Bill Clinton. By Laurie Kellman. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

MYSTERY DRONE SIGHTINGS

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — People insist they have spotted fleets of large drones crisscrossing rural America’s night sky, their mission mysterious, raising questions that have veered into conspiracy theories and launching an investigation. Authorities in Colorado have tried to put those theories to rest, announcing that they have confirmed nothing unusual or criminal about dozens of weird drone reports since November. They were mostly hobbyist drones, commercial aircraft, stars, planets and weather phenomena. By Mead Gruver. SENT: 820 words, photo.

SCHOOL-CELLPHONE BAN

DURANGO — A Colorado school district is considering implementing a ban on cellphone use by middle school students, officials said. Durango School District 9-R may prohibit all student cellphone use, which would expand the existing policy, The Durango Herald reported Tuesday. SENT: 230 words.

ICE-SANCTUARY CITIES

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has subpoenaed Denver law enforcement for information on four foreign nationals wanted for deportation and may consider expanding the unusual practice to other locations if necessary. It's an escalation of the conflict between federal officials and so-called sanctuary cities. If the city officials don't respond, ICE, the Homeland Security agency responsible for arresting and deporting people in the U.S. illegally, could take the subpoena to a federal judge, who can order compliance and find them in contempt if they don't comply. By Colleen Long. SENT: 950 words, photo.

STRONGER BEER-UTAH

SALT LAKE CITY — Businesses in communities bordering Utah say the state's new and stronger beer allowances have hurt sales. The beer sales have dropped about 20% to 30% in Utah-bordering communities in Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada and Colorado, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. SENT: 230 words.

IN BRIEF:

— DRILLING RIG EXPLOSION-OKLAHOMA — A wrongful death trial against a oilfield equipment contractor in connection with a January 2018 explosion and fire that killed five men — including a Colorado resident — in southeastern Oklahoma is underway.

SPORTS:

HORNETS-NUGGETS

DENVER — The Charlotte Hornets finish a four-game trip Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets. The Hornets are 0-3 so far as they face a Nuggets team that's 16-5 at home this season. By Pat Graham. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game time is 7 p.m.

NBA PROSPECTS-INJURIES

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — When college stars like Cole Anthony are injured they are faced with the question should they return or just sit out to protect their looming draft prospects. Most want to return to the basketball court, which has proven to be a good option — provided they’re healthy. The more prospects can showcase on how they handle game situations certainly helps in their NBA draft evaluations. By Aaron Beard. UPCOMING: 950 words and photos.

BKC—BOISE STATE-AIR FORCE — Game time 7 p.m.

BKC—NEW MEXICO-COLORADO STATE — Game time 7 p.m.

___

MONTANA:

POWER PLANT-FUTURE

BILLINGS — Montana regulators said they expect to have about $400 million in bonds in place by July to pay for future cleanup work at the Colstrip power plant. But the statement by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality was met with skepticism from state lawmakers who said they received similar assurances in the past that did not come to fruition, the Billings Gazette reported Wednesday. SENT: 250 words.

FOREST PROJECT PROCEEDS

HELENA — A wildfire mitigation project was allowed to proceed in Montana's Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest after two conservation groups raised concerns over the impact on big game habitat, federal appeals court officials said. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue the 9-square-mile (23-square-kilometer) Telegraph Vegetation Project southwest of Helena, the Independent Record reported Tuesday. SENT: 260 words.

SCI—SPACE STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts had to make do with fewer lights and camera views from one helmet Wednesday while performing critical battery work outside the International Space Station. It was the second pairing of NASA's Jessica Meir and Christina Koch outside the orbiting lab. Last October, they teamed up for the world's first all-female spacewalk. By Marcia Dunn. SENT: 420 words, photos.

MYSTERY DRONE SIGHTINGS

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — People insist they have spotted fleets of large drones crisscrossing rural America’s night sky, their mission mysterious, raising questions that have veered into conspiracy theories and launching an investigation. Authorities in Colorado have tried to put those theories to rest, announcing that they have confirmed nothing unusual or criminal about dozens of weird drone reports since November. They were mostly hobbyist drones, commercial aircraft, stars, planets and weather phenomena. By Mead Gruver. SENT: 820 words, photo.

IN BRIEF:

— YELLOWSTONE VISITS — Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport saw more passengers than ever before in 2019 even as nearby Yellowstone National Park reported a dip in visitation.

— MALMSTROM-AIRMAN DEAD — Authorities said Wednesday they were investigating the off-base death of an airman from Montana's Malmstrom Air Force Base.

— ICE JAM-FLOODING — An ice jam caused flooding along a creek in central Montana on Wednesday, prompting authorities to warn that some houses in the town of Choteau could be impacted if water levels continue to rise.

____

WYOMING:

MYSTERY DRONE SIGHTINGS

CHEYENNE — People insist they have spotted fleets of large drones crisscrossing rural America’s night sky, their mission mysterious, raising questions that have veered into conspiracy theories and launching an investigation. Authorities in Colorado have tried to put those theories to rest, announcing that they have confirmed nothing unusual or criminal about dozens of weird drone reports since November. They were mostly hobbyist drones, commercial aircraft, stars, planets and weather phenomena. By Mead Gruver. SENT: 820 words, photo.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

CASPER — Wyoming state lawmakers in the new legislative session will have another opportunity to permanently shift the state to daylight saving time. A change to Mountain Daylight Time would essentially add an extra hour of daylight between November and March, The Casper Star Tribune reported Tuesday. SENT: 200 words.

STRONGER BEER-UTAH

SALT LAKE CITY — Businesses in communities bordering Utah say the state's new and stronger beer allowances have hurt sales. The beer sales have dropped about 20% to 30% in Utah-bordering communities in Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada and Colorado, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. SENT: 230 words.

IN BRIEF:

— WYOMING BUSINESS COUNCIL-CEO — The Wyoming Business Council has announced a new CEO.

— WYOMING INFLUENZA — Influenza has been spreading rapidly in Wyoming.

— YELLOWSTONE VISITS — Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport saw more passengers than ever before in 2019 even as nearby Yellowstone National Park reported a dip in visitation.

___

If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to apdenver@ap.org, apcheyenne@ap.org or apmontana@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.