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Cowboy State Daily's The Roundup
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The Roundup is a gathering of voices, opinions and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State of Wyoming.
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Cowboy State Daily Radio News: Friday, July 31, 2026
2w ago00:10:22Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 31st. I'm Mac Watson. This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – After taking in a friend's baby, a Casper foster mom says her family became the target of anonymous threats by the biological mother. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the bio-mom is charged with two stalking felonies. "Investigators allege that 27-year-old Daji Carter used fake messaging apps, social media accounts, and more to reach out to a foster mom while she had custody of her biological son. When the infant was first placed in Monroe's care, she received an anonymous message that said, "You're going to die" with a knife emoji and blood. Monroe quickly took us to the police, and an investigation was able to link it back to Dodgy Carter. The threats continued for several weeks, even after protection orders were put in place." Carter was bound over to district court Tuesday after a preliminary hearing on two felony counts of stalking and two misdemeanor counts of violating a stalking protection order. She posted a $3,500 surety bond July 15 and was released from custody. Read the full story HERE. – U.S. House candidate Steve Friess received 19 endorsements Thursday by Republican lawmakers, former legislators, and others. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Chuck Gray calls them "a tired class of political 1% insiders." "Steve Friess, who's running for U.S. House, garnered 19 endorsements this week, including from former Republican Governor Jim Garinger, a host of Republican lawmakers, former lawmakers, oil and gas industry leaders, Secretary of State Chuck Gray fired back by calling them a class of insiders, essentially, who are in favor of woke wind and data center projects. That may come as a surprise to some of them. For example, Dan Docksteder, who was among the endorsers, was one of the very few votes against big tax exemptions for data centers." Gray has come out against data centers, while Friess has said state and county governments – not Congress – should lead data center permitting decisions in ways that protect Wyomingites. Both men tout a pro-traditional-energy stance. Read the full story HERE. – Another 10 illegal drivers were busted in Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak's latest Truck Around and Find Out operation this week. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that includes one speeding with what looked like emergency lights. "The last truck around campaign that they did, they arrested 46. Since they started this back in November, there's almost 130 illegal drivers have been taken off the road. But Kozak said that really it's not about. Although that gets the headlines, it's not about just going out and rounding up illegal drivers. It's about unsafe truck driving, and people who are illegal and don't have licenses are unsafe. Kozak also said that he knows the 'Truck Around and Find Out' campaign is going to get criticism. It's going to be politicized, and he says he's expected that, and that has happened." Overall, this week's Truck Around and Find Out resulted in about 120 traffic stops, with 40 tickets issued to drivers and 10 arrested for being in the country illegally, said Sheriff Kozak and Chief Deputy Chance Walkama. Read the full story HERE. – A suspended Newcastle police sergeant pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges alleging a yearlong pattern of abuse toward a woman. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that he faces up to 27 1/2 years in prison. "On Thursday, a suspended Newcastle police sergeant pled not guilty to six criminal charges. Prosecutors say that 36-year-old Nicholas Kaminsky, in uniform, terrorized an ex-girlfriend. He used a police cruiser, a canine, and allegedly a knife. Kaminsky posted a $35,000 cash bond weeks ago. His next court appearance will be for a trial unless they come to a plea agreement before then." During the hearing, defense attorney Ryan Titus told the court Kaminski had found new employment that requires travel. He asked the judge to modify Kaminski's bond conditions to allow him to leave the Sixth Judicial District for work. Crook County attorney DaNece Day did not object, telling the court it was important Kaminski remain employed. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – A federal judge has OK'd a class-action price-fixing lawsuit against the nation's four largest meatpackers. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm says, "The packers have controlled the destiny of beef for decades, but people are starting to push back." "A whole group of people is listed in this class action lawsuit that alleges that the four big meat packers in the U.S. price fixed beef during a five-year time span 2015 through 2020. They allege that these meat packers conspired to manipulate prices, so they bought low from producers and then sold high to grocers and consumers. That's the allegation. Crook County Rancher Tyler Lindholm said it is absolutely up to Congress to fix this. That the government needs to get involved. He said, "What is allowing these big four to capture so much business under one umbrella? He said, "Congress needs to go break the back of these packers." Currently, four companies control more than 80% of the U.S-fed cattle processing market, giving them wide influence over cattle prices and the nation's beef supply. Read the full story HERE. – Wyoming legislators have advanced a "Band-Aid" to food freedom laws that led to shutting down Hippie Cow Creamery in Cody over selling raw milk lattes. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that one lawmaker says, "I'm under no illusion we're going to fix this overnight." "Senator Bob Ide had said that he's under no illusion they're going to fix the Food Freedom Act overnight. He called this stopgap measure a band aid. What it does or proposes to do if it passes is to have the director of the Department of Agriculture have an exemption privilege to where he could exempt certain people from the Food Freedom Act, so they can sell their wares at a non-designated location. Senator Barry Craigel worried, like, is this giving false hope?" The bill seeks to give the director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture the discretion to give one exemption each, for home food sellers wanting to sell products outside the designated food-freedom sale sites already in law. Read the full story HERE. – Cheyenne native Alan O'Hashi vividly remembers being caught in the canyon when the Big Thompson Flood, the deadliest flood in Colorado history, hit on July 31, 1976. Cowboy State Daily's Executive Editor Jimmy Orr reports that O'Hashi survived when a floating portable toilet snagged his car and carried it to safety. "It's a spooky story because as he's driving up the canyon, he's the only one driving up, and he sees a ton of cars driving down in quickly, and he had no idea what happened. Well, a dam burst, and it's the deadliest flood in Colorado history. And Alan Ohashi, the star of the story, is doomed. This wall of water comes down, and it's a it's about to whisk him, off the mountain, when a portable toilet is floating by, floating by, and knocks him into the canyon wall somehow, and and he survives. He shouldn't have survived, and he says that he should not have survived." As a young college student working as a graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming in 1976, Alan O'Hashi had landed a plum summer job along with his university gig. He was a ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. A Cheyenne native, O'Hashi, now 73 and living in Boulder, Colorado. The flood killed 144 people and cost 30 to 40 million dollars in damage. Read the full story HERE. – Just because a Douglas man facing 72 child sex and pornography-related charges was a no-show for his arraignment hearing on Tuesday doesn't necessarily mean whoever put up $250,000 cash to bond him ou...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, July 30, 2026
3w ago00:10:55Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 30th. I'm Mac Watson. This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – U.S. House candidate Reid Rasner's attorney filed a police report Wednesday on a Chuck Gray supporter and former sheriff's deputy for allegedly threatening Rasner. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the former deputy denies making a threat. "Reid Rasner's attorney filed a report initially with the sheriff, and then it was bumped to the PD, accusing a former deputy of threatening Rasner, saying he needs to watch his back. And I called the former deputy, and he adamantly denies it. He said, 'No, I never made that call. I have made negative comments to Raisner on socials, but I never made that call.' The former deputy sent me what appears to be a screenshot of his wireless carrier's call log for him. Team Raisner sent a screenshot that appears to be his call log that shows the call as being received Sunday morning, at this point, we can't confirm if the call was made. We have dueling screenshots from both men." A person who makes a false report to law enforcement can be charged with false reporting, and a person who lies to law enforcement in an investigation can be charged with interference, both misdemeanors punishable by jail time. But, Torrington Police Chief Matt Johnson emphasized in a Wednesday interview, people shouldn't be charged with either of those crimes unless they "knowingly" provided a false report or lied about evidence. Read the full story HERE. – Four hours after no-showing in court on 72 child sex and pornography charges in a Wyoming court on Tuesday, John C. Smallbone was nabbed in San Francisco. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports Sheriff Clint Becker says, "We didn't want a person with those types of charges to be out and about." "He forfeited the $250,000 cash that someone posted for him for bond. However, only four hours after that hearing ended, he was arrested in San Francisco on a new warrant that the judge had just issued for him. Doing the math, that cost him about $62,500 per hour of extra freedom there. The Converse County Sheriff, when I talked to him, he really credited his investigators for doing that. I asked the sheriff how they knew to alert the San Francisco police to go get him to look for him, and he said you really can't really can't say they really can't divulge how they knew that he was going there." The San Francisco Sheriff's Office confirms through its online inmate roster that Smallbone remains in custody there, being held on the Wyoming fugitive felony warrant. Read the full story HERE. – Teton County Search and Rescue recovered the body of an unidentified Australian man in the Teton Range on Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports the man, who was attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, is believed to have died from a fall off a ridgeline. "He had reached Old Faithful in Yellowstone by July 19th, and the last update his family got via satellite device was on July 23, but it didn't include a message or any coordinates. The Teton County Search and Rescue was able to get coordinates from that message. They got a short-haul helicopter on Wednesday morning to head out to that area, and unfortunately, the man was found deceased at the bottom of a ridge line. It's believed he died from the fall." According to Teton County Search and Rescue, the 28-year-old Australian man was hiking the full Continental Divide Trail, a 3,028-mile route that stretches across the Rockies from Alberta, Canada, to Chihuahua, Mexico. The body was recovered and transported to the Teton County Coroner's Office. Read the full story HERE. – A Utah man who died after collapsing inside a Lincoln County jail following his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that 38-year-old Tyson Alvarez is being remembered by friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him. "Lifelong friend Stacy Izzat says that she knew him all her life. Growing up, he was a great guy. He would give anybody the shirt off his back. She did acknowledge that he struggled with addiction for his whole life. He was in and out of treatment, and it was something that he fought like hell to beat. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations is continuing to investigate this in custody death. Sheriff Shane Johnson said that there was no use of force involved." The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office says EMTs cleared Alvares for booking. He arrived at the detention center at about 9:30 p.m. and collapsed in a holding cell around 10:20 p.m. while being booked. Detention officers began lifesaving efforts after noticing he was no longer breathing, but he could not be revived, according to the sheriff's office. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – A social media influencer and others are offering a $10,000 bounty for the identities of hunters who shoot members of Yellowstone National Park's famed Mollie's wolf pack this fall. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Wyoming Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce calls the bounty "outrageous." "They put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identity of any hunters who, if anybody ends up shooting one of the Molly's pack wolves during the upcoming hunting season, they've offered a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to the public publicly identifying that person. So basically, it's trying to dox wolf hunters. This gets complicated because all three states-Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho have statutes written into law that the the identities of wolf hunters must remain confidential because they don't want people anti-hunters doxing these guys." Social-media influencer Jonas Black of Austin, Texas, tells Cowboy State Daily that posting the reward is necessary to protect the pack, particularly 12-year-old Wolf 1090 F. Black adds that the wolves have spent most of their lives in Yellowstone and aren't afraid of people, so there's no way it could be a "fair-chase" hunt. Read the full story HERE. – Republican U.S. House candidate Steve Friess told Riverton's political old guard Wednesday he wants to turn the EPA into an advisory board for state environmental agencies. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the Sierra Club of Wyoming called that idea "ridiculous and harmful." "Friess was going along business as usual, talking about being pro-life, pro-gun, pro-energy. And he goes, "Hey, can this be off the record? And I was like, "I guess you can have one. And he says that he wants to turn the EPA, which is a federal agency with some prosecutorial investigative teeth, into an advisory board to where it it gives advice to state agencies, but it's no longer this big federal thing with with teeth to start you know criminal cases, and I said, "Why would that be off the record? And he goes, 'Take it.' The Sierra Club of Wyoming called it ridiculous and harmful to hardworking Wyoming communities, and pointed to the environmental concerns surrounding data centers." Freiss tells Cowboy State Daily that he agrees "entirely" with the Sierra Club's point that Wyoming is in charge and should exercise leadership regarding data centers. Read the full story HERE. – Park County commissioners say geography and other factors mean data centers aren't imminent, but they want to have regulations in place if or when the industry does arrive. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that Park County residents are telling them they are "100% no" on data centers. "Park County commissioners and planning and zoning officials have been going back and forth for months, working on a draft plan to rework the zoning for the county because it hasn't been touched in 10 years. A whole zoning plan. A big part of this is whether the county could absorb a data center where you know residents are completely against. The Park County officials are not completely against data centers, but said, 'we need more education around them, and it's just such a quic...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Wednesday, July 29, 2026
3w ago00:11:26Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 29th. I'm Mac Watson. This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – A Wyoming man facing 72 felony child sex charges was a no-show for his plea hearing Tuesday in Douglas. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson was in the courtroom and reports that John Smallbone didn't show up and law enforcement officials are angered that he was set free. "I'm in Douglas at the Converse County Courthouse, where I came to see what everybody around here has been wondering too, whether John Smallbone was going to show up for his arraignment hearing. The short answer to that is no, he didn't show up. Which means he forfeits a $250,000 cash bond that was posted for him. He also has a new warrant for his arrest. And what's interesting about this is as soon as I got out of his hearing, I got an email from the Larimer County District Attorney's Office down in Fort Collins. The district attorney there also asked for a $250,000 bond to be held so they can get back to Wyoming. And as you see in my story, they had some pretty strong words for that." Already a wanted man, Smallbone should have already been in police custody and available for Tuesday's arraignment, Converse County Deputy Attorney Nathan Shumway said. The prosecutor referenced an incident in Colorado last week when a Fort Collins magistrate allowed Smallbone to walk out of the Larimer County Detention Center on his own recognizance instead of holding him on a fugitive warrant out of Wyoming. Read the full story HERE. – Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins is asking for the public's help in finding the shooter responsible for a 5-year-old getting struck in the head by a bullet. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that she was watching the July 4 fireworks show at F.E. Warren Air Force Base when hit by the stray bullet. "As of Tuesday, nearly four weeks later, investigators are asking the public for help or any information that helps them find the shooter. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said he wanted to tell the public immediately after it happened, but they delayed the announcement to give investigators some time to work the case. The child survived and was life-flighted to Aurora, Colorado. Doctors performed surgery and were able to remove the bullet, and the child is now recovering at home." Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at 307-432-2114. Read the full story HERE. – In the more than 1,100 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary released over the weekend, he mentions Wyoming's low COVID vaccination rates, as well as his conversations with Dick Cheney. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports the former chief medical advisor to the president appeared fixated on the "hot and heavy" press. "So Fauci has this 1,100-some page diary that Senator Rand Paul released in advance of a Wednesday hearing where he'll be challenging Fauci. He spoke often with former Vice President Dick Cheney, a Wyomingite. He urged the Vice President to get a booster shot when Dick Cheney's cardiologist wasn't sure because Cheney had had heart problems. He praised the former representative Liz Cheney's courage in opposing Trump and expressed gratitude because she had stood up for Fauci. And he mentioned a phone call with Governor Mark Gordon where the governor was seeking advice because he wanted to reopen the state." Fauci cast the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as incompetent – repeatedly across multiple entries. He described an at-times affectionate, at-times icy relationship with Trump, almost always worsened by the press's fervor in making Fauci a calm and well-informed anti-Trump figure. Read the full story HERE. – Severe mental illness and Wyoming's legal standards for criminal responsibility make charges impossible despite a violent assault that left a Rock Springs nurse with a broken nose, facial injuries and bruising. Cowboy State Daily's Zak Sonntag reports that the Sweetwater County Attorney says he's not happy about it, but the law cannot charge the patient under these circumstances. "So the nurse had expressed intent that he wanted to see criminal charges brought, and Sweetwater County Attorney Danny Erramouspe said that he cannot bring charges because the patient does not meet the standard for mental capacity and intent, and this is related to what's known as Title 25 in Wyoming law, which determines what culpability and criminal charges can be brought in cases related to mental health. The law cannot charge them, and that is what the attorney found in this case. And so he says, no charges will be brought. And it's not an easy decision. Everybody I talked to said this is really one of the hardest issues that you have to deal with in the world of mental health and criminal justice." Nurse Christian R., who asked Cowboy State Daily to withhold his last name, says the blow broke his nose and touched off a chase through the emergency department, where the patient repeatedly caught him and continued the attack by throwing more punches and kneeing him in the head and face. A security officer intervened as the chase reached the department lobby, allowing Christian to seek the safety of a locked supply closet. He was treated for a nasal fracture, facial injuries and bruising. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Potential man camps in neighboring Uinta and Lincoln counties are moving forward. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that Kemmerer cleared zoning for a workforce housing site for a nuclear power plant, while Uinta County is a step closer to a 3,400-bed camp for a hyperscale data center. "Reactions are mixed with both projects. People in Uinta County, some are for the man camp, some are against it for various reasons, the economics, the socio economics, public safety, that kind of thing. The property that was approved for rezoning at the city council meeting in Kemmer on Monday night is interesting because it's different than the Antelope Ridge subdivision. There was a property right near that subdivision that was drawing a lot of public criticism because people don't want this man camp, you know, right next to their neighborhood." Although both proposals involve temporary housing for large construction workforces, they reflect a broader challenge facing Wyoming communities as billion-dollar industrial projects move forward in rural areas with limited housing availability and resources. Read the full story HERE. – After angry landowners near a recreation area north of Evanston complained of their property being destroyed, state and federal officials closed the roads. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that BLM spokeswoman Courtney Whiteman says, "The landowners are sick of having their land torn up." "Game and Fish put up signs saying road close, but I think some people got the impression it was just a unilateral decision by Game and Fish to just close off what they thought was public land, and that is not the case. Game and Fish is just following through with the landowners' wishes because again, this is like any time you go to a walk-in hunting area, hunter management area, or what they call what this is, which is a public access area, people need to be mindful that at least some, if not all, of that area is actually private property that's been granted an easement." The episode encapsulates the complexities of public recreation areas set on easements across private land. In exchange for public access, Game and Fish establishes and enforces conditions set by landowners, including dates of use, access points, limits on motorized travel, and the like. Read the full story HERE. – A former Lincoln County deputy prosecutor from Afton is facing a solicitation charge in Idaho. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that investigators say attorney John Bowers offered to pay for a sexual encounter through an app. He says his conduct was "morally wrong" but denies s...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Tuesday, July 28, 2026
3w ago00:09:14Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, July 28th. I'm Mac Watson. This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Just hours after news broke Monday that a Uinta County brand inspector had pleaded guilty to helping torture a moose, the state livestock director fired him. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Gov. Gordon had strong words about the situation. "Governor Gordon said this is absolutely irresponsible behavior unbefitting a brand inspector, and he said that Martin is no longer working for the state, and you know hours earlier, the Wyoming Livestock Board director Steve True had said that Martin was a brand inspector. So I called True back, and he said, "Yeah, in the couple hours since this story broke, I fired him. True said that it was his decision to fire Martin. The governor didn't influence that decision." Martin has not been sentenced and he reserves the right to appeal how law enforcement pulled evidence from his phone. At the preliminary hearing, Evanston Circuit Court Michael Greer said, "this was done for the sheer joy of dominating a wild animal who appeared to be already in poor health and possibly blind." Read the full story HERE. – Retired Wyoming employees of Peabody Energy say they feel betrayed by its decision to end a medical retirement benefits program. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that the company says the program no longer fits "market competitive practices." "Letters from Peabody Energy started showing up in mailboxes of retirees a couple weeks ago, announcing the termination of their retired medical program, and Peabody Energy is saying that they're doing this because they're terminating this program. Peabody Energy is saying that they're terminating this program because it no longer aligns with the market and the competition. They did not give any more specifics, nor did they answer our questions about how many retired employees does this affect?" In 2020, the company cut health benefits and terminated life insurance for retirees older than 65 as part of a cost-cutting strategy. Retirees younger than 65 could maintain their coverage. Read the full story HERE. – Charges on a stolen credit card tracked a Wyoming man wanted on 72 child sex abuse charges to Colorado last week. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that his former landlord reported to the Converse County Sheriff's Office on July 20 that John Smallbone was using his credit card without permission. "When a charge came through from Expedia for hotel rooms down in Colorado. The first thing that hit his mind is he running? Is he running from these charges? And he texted the guy and said, 'Hey, are you running?' And he says that the guy texted back to him and says, 'No, I'm I'm here in town.' This is what put Wyoming law enforcement on the radar that he wasn't in the state anymore, which is not allowed according to the $250,000 bond that he posted." The $250,000 question now is will John Smallbone show up for his arraignment in Converse County District Court on Tuesday afternoon? A call to a phone number linked to Smallbone in his court file went to voicemail. His former landlord isn't holding his breath. Read the full story HERE. – Scenic boat tours on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park have shut down two months early due to low water levels as southern Idaho agricultural users draw from the lake. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that according to park authorities, large boats are unable to get out of Colter Bay Marina onto the main lake. "They're going to feel it this year because you know they had to quit two months early, and then the Bureau of Rec guys said for folks with like average size motorboats and smaller motorboats, you should be okay kind of until that September timeframe, and then after that, it's going to be pretty much canoes and kayaks. Pretty much by then, the water will have dropped far enough. You're not going to be able to use boat ramps. So, long story short, the boating season on Lake Jackson is coming to an end." The natural lake, fed by the Snake River, was already one of the largest in the West when it was enlarged by a dam in 1911. That dam was enlarged in 1916 and rebuilt in 1989. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – In reflecting on Wyoming's U.S. house race, departed candidate Frank Chapman on Monday said both Chuck Gray and Steve Friess haven't had significant careers. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Chapman says, "We're being given choices of people that haven't really achieved anything in life." "He said that the candidate that peels votes away from Gray is Beau Biteman, a conservative legislator currently president of the Senate. He casts Friess' and Gray's professional legacies as unimpressive. He said that Jillian Baylow is doing well, and he also waited on the governor's race, which he said he took pull in for earlier in his own race, and said Eric Barlow is doing well." Chapman announced Thursday he's bowing out of the race, leaving nine Republican candidates still vying for the GOP nomination to the U.S. House seat Rep. Harriet Hageman is leaving to run for U.S. Senate. Read the full story HERE. – A man accused of triggering an hourslong standoff outside the Casper Police Department refused to appear in court Monday. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the judge set William Randall Patricelli's bond high at $50,000 because his "effect and danger to the community is significant." "This was near the police department, just adjacent to it, in David Street in downtown Casper, on Monday he refused to appear before the judge for his first hearing. The sheriff's deputy from the jail said that Patrice Celly was being uncooperative. The judge said she would see him on Tuesday, and declined to tell reporters what his two misdemeanor charges are until he has been formally charged." Patricelli was arrested Saturday evening after Casper police responded to what they described as an active incident involving a barricaded subject in the 200 block of North David Street. The response closed multiple streets and intersections for several hours as officers worked to resolve the situation. Police ultimately took Patricelli into custody. Read the full story HERE. – A Wyoming eagle called Aurum was barely a year old and suffering from lead poisoning when she was hit by a car near Meeteetse. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that she somehow survived both and is now beating the odds by raising her young in the Bighorn Basin. "So I went to Ironside Bird Rescue in Cody and that lady Susan who runs that place she's been for over three decades The bird was in pretty bad shape but fortunately as it been hit by a car but it was bruised nothing was broken so that was a huge plus and then yes it had a serious lead poisoning infection. Like it was, it needed to be treated. But it wasn't so bad that they had to take it all the way to injections. Like the counter, the counter agent. They were able to treat this eagle with pills in the way she did. He said, "I just took a dead rat, cut the belly open, tossed a pill in there, and then fed that to the eagle." That's how you get pills to an eagle." Wyoming is prime golden eagle habitat, both for resident eagles and those that migrate in from the north during the fall to spend winters here. Golden eagles prefer small game such as prairie dogs and rabbits, so they're drawn to open prairies or vast sagebrush steppes. Read the full story HERE. – How do you get vehicles stuck up to their axles in mud on the bottom of a lake bed? You call a tow company that has remote-controlled winches, a custom-built winch foot, and hundreds of feet of tow straps. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports th...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Monday, July 27, 2026
3w ago00:10:58Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, July 27th. I'm Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – A patient attacked a Rock Springs emergency nurse, breaking his nose and chasing him through Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County this past week. Cowboy State Daily's Zakary Sonntag reports that the nurse said "He was fully focused on trying to get me." Health care leaders say this is not unique. "A 26-year-old emergency room nurse named Christian was doing a routine medical check on a patient, and within moments of asking the patient if he had taken his medication, he was punched in the face with a closed fist. His nose was broken. The patient chased him to the hospital multiple times. He caught up to him. He threw more punches. He threw knees. It's a pretty extreme example of what is actually not a uncommon phenomenon of violence against healthcare workers. They are statistically a lot more likely to see violence in the workplace than are other workers." Wyoming lawmakers have tried to address violence against health care workers.Bills introduced in 2023, 2024 and 2025 would have strengthened reporting requirements, created workplace-safety standards and increased penalties for assaults against health care workers. None became law. Read the full story HERE – A Douglas man wanted on 72 felony charges alleging sex abuse of minors was released on his own accord by a Colorado court Thursday instead of being held for Wyoming authorities. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that the Converse County undersheriff says "We're out looking for him again." "Officials in Converse County were a little surprised when a a a man wanted on 72 child sex and pornography charges was arrested in Colorado near Fort Collins in Laramie County, and when he hit the court, the the judge had to basically let him go. She gave him a $50,000 PR bond. But he already was violating a $250,000 bond he had posted in Wyoming and that was a little unusual too, because someone on his behalf walked into the Converse County Detention Center with $250,000 cash. So people are are upset saying, you know, how does this happen?" If convicted with maximum concurrent sentences, John Smallbone could face up to 791 years in prison and fines of up to $710,000. The most serious is the sexual abuse of a minor charge, which calls for a sentence of between 25 and 50 years. Read the full story HERE – A 12-foot-long dinosaur nicknamed Dino that usually stands outside a Sinclair gas station near Gardiner, Montana, was stolen Sunday night. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports it reappeared bolted to a 100-foot cliff face overlooking the Yellowstone River. "The Sinclair dinosaur was bolted to a concrete pad in front of the Sinclair gas station outside Gardner, they not only unbolted it from the concrete pad and transported it away to a large rock overlooking the Yellowstone River in the Jim Yankee Canyon. They bolted it into the rock so it wouldn't go anywhere. So that's pretty elaborate. So the employees at the Gardner Sinclair assumed that this had to have been planned, and they're actually not planning to pursue any charges or anything like that. They don't know who did it, but clearly someone went through a lot of effort and planning to do what they did, and they said they were just laughing about it the whole time." Stealing Sinclair dinosaurs has become a common Western prank. In November 2025, "DINO," a 300-pound dinosaur standing outside Sloanes General Store in Alcova, was stolen overnight. For Brian Black, it wasn't a victimless crime. Read the full story HERE – A Colorado "rain maker" company claims it has used electricity to boost water supplies in two western states by 10-15% and can do it for Wyoming if lawmakers don't conflate their methods with cloud seeding. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinze reports that Two legislators say they want proof first. "There's this there's this company called Rain Enhancement Technologies. They say this isn't cloud seeding where like where they fly planes and and use silver iodide to try to you know enhance the precipitation on the clouds. What they're saying what we do is we actually try to ionize clouds. We we put up these, they just look like gigantic football goal posts, and it's just a really high output antenna that can ionize aerosol droplets in the air and thereby encourage them to converge and form big enough droplets to actually fall as rain. They claim they can guarantee a 10% increase in precipitation at one of their sites. They think they've cracked the code to generate more precipitation, particularly if we can get more water in the Colorado River Basin." Using ground-based electricity to generate more precipitation isn't a new idea, said Rain Enhancement Technology's CEO Randy Seidl, but his company is a pioneer in attempting to deploy it on a large scale. Read the full story HERE – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – By the time Rick Knigge died last September, he had spent decades turning 20 acres outside Casper into a gearhead's paradise. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports the oilfield worker spent a lifetime hauling home muscle cars, hot rods and vintage trucks. Now they are all finding new homes. "A Casper man spent his life collecting more than 220 cars, including Chevelles, race car engines, Corvettes, lifted pickup trucks, and speedboats. When Rick Knigge passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last fall, his widow Stephanie took on the task of finding new homes for all these vehicles. They had 20 acres where most of them were parked in Evansville, Wyoming, and after he died, she decided it was time to find new owners for his collection. And so they had an auction earlier this month. Stephanie said that it was bittersweet. But all of the more precious items and sentimental things did go to family members." Stephanie Knigge said her husband was a successful businessman, a devoted husband of 36 years, a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who loved fishing almost as much as fast cars. Read the full story HERE – One of the most difficult rivers to gain access to float is the pristine Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The odds are 1 in 55, with 20,000 applicants vying for 350 slots each year. After trying for 40 years, Cowboy State Daily's Jeff Welsch won the lottery. "I really fulfilled a dream that I've had for 40 years, and that is to run the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho. By just about anybody's measure, it is the crown jewel of wilderness rivers in the lower 48 states. But it is so difficult to get a permit. Only seven launches are allowed per day. Middle Fork of the Salmon is renowned because it is 104 miles with 100 rapids, almost continuous, and man barely touches this river. There are no dams. There's no diversions, no pumps for agriculture. Everything. Mother Nature is purely in charge of the flow of the Middle Fork." The Middle Fork of the Salmon is born at the confluence of gin-clear Marsh and Bear Valley creeks on the eastern edge of the Sawtooth Mountains. The river carves a serpentine chasm through the craggy Idaho Batholith and, climactically, Impassable Canyon, the third deepest gorge in North America. Read the full story HERE – U.S. House candidate Steve Friess concluded the Thursday-night debate by saying polling shows the Wyoming GOP race is really between two people — himself and Chuck Gray. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that a campaign spokesperson says "[Gray's] unfavorable ratings are astronomically high." "There was a House debate Thursday evening, ...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Friday, July 24, 2026
3w ago00:09:44Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, July 24th. I'm Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Moments after lightning struck, Casper missionaries watched the Fish Creek Fire explode to life and rushed 20 teen campers to safety. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that residents stayed behind to look after neighbors and livestock. "As they were driving away, they said that they saw the mountain burning. The owner of Fish Creek Ranch nearby says"Ranchers, if you know them, won't leave until they have to leave. So while most people were evacuating, he decided to stay to make sure everyone was okay. Check on neighbors, check on people's livestock, and luckily, no injuries have been reported yet. As of Thursday afternoon, the Albany County Sheriff's Department said that the fire is now 50% contained. The area is still in a go evacuation mode, which means people need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice." As firefighters continue working to fully contain the Fish Creek Fire, officials are asking the public to avoid the area so emergency crews can safely continue their work. Read the full story HERE – Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that he'll intervene in the Colorado River crisis — if he has to. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports Burgum tells Cowboy State Daily "We have one-fourth the water and four times the people." "The the Colorado River crisis is just getting worse. It's been going on for decades with feuding between the seven states that share the water from the Colorado River, and they they've kind of come to a head headwaters, so to speak, especially this year when they've had a record warm winter, record low snowpack in the upper basin states like us here in Wyoming. It really is a complicated dilemma on how all these seven states can work it out because each state wants what they want, and the interesting thing here is, there's a deadline for these states to kind of come up with a solution on their own." Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said 'When the water was divided up in 1922, there were 16 million acre-feet of water available from the Colorado River. This year there's only 3.5 million available, which increases pressure from lower basin states for the upper basin — which includes Wyoming — to release more water. Read the full story HERE – Teton County rancher Frank Chapman dropped out of the 10-candidate race for the Republican nomination in Wyoming's U.S. House race on Thursday. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Chapman told Cowboy State Daily that "There's too much clutter" in that crowded race. "There are 10 Republican candidates in this primary race. One of them will move on to the general, meaning a person with just a sliver over 10% could have won the primary, and arguably the general in this red state, and so on Thursday morning, Frank Chapman announced that he's dropping out of the race. He has loaned himself about a million dollars in the race, had spent closer to around $600,000 as of July 1st, and he said, 'This is cluttered. It's hard to get your message across in this field, and this doesn't seem like a good use of anyone's money.'" Chapman told Cowboy State Daily he may run for office again, if the people wish it. Read the full story HERE – Skeletal human remains found in an abandoned building west of Cheyenne on Wednesday could take months to identify, investigators say. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the discovery has renewed hope and fear among families of Wyoming's missing. "So far, investigators say there are no signs of foul play, according to Desiree Tanoco, who founded Missing Persons of Wyoming. This news brings both shock and hope to families of missing people across the state and even across the nation. Tanoko as well as Stacy Kester, the president of Wyo Find Search Rescue and Recovery, both emphasize that it's important not to speculate, but both both said the location immediately reminded them of Quinn Nash, a Laramie resident who went missing in 2024. He was known to ride his bicycle in the Happy Jack Road area." Tinoco said cases like this also remind people how many Wyoming disappearances remain unsolved, some dating back decades. She noted that many of those investigations are so old the original investigators have retired or died. Read the full story HERE – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – For the first time since it was homesteaded 138 years ago, the Hoback River Homestead has hit the market for $59.5 million. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports it's a legacy Sublette County ranch that brokers say has the largest privately owned stretch of the Hoback River. "It's not that there's a $20 million mansion sitting on this property. It's the the size and the exclusivity that you're getting here. You have two miles of the Hoback River. Nobody owns that much frontage of the Hoback River in a single ranch. You're right on the edge of Jackson Hole, you've got these mountains all around you. There's national forests on three sides of you. You've got the Hoback River, two miles of this world-class fishery. This is this is quite the property as far as the land value goes, and that's really really what the price is all about. This is the first time this property has been for sale in 138 years." Hall and Hall real estate broker Pete Widener said the family selling the ranch has chosen not to be identified, but said they are well-known locally and have decided to go in a different direction after the passing of the family's patriarch a few years ago. Read the full story HERE – When a state lawmaker asked why Campbell County parade floats couldn't hand out Bibles but a Lander float could hand out condoms, the Lander float organizers said they did no such thing. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Campbell County's Bible saga is much more complicated. "John Bear wrote a July 15 column published in Cowboy State Daily, noting that people had been barred from handing out Bibles and constitutions at Campbell County's July 4th parade. As I unpacked the saga, it got a little trickier because I found that there is a wholesale ban on paper products in the parade because they've had trash problems in the past. Bear said, 'Why can the Lander LGBTQ advocates hand out condoms at that parade?' Well, I talked to the Alliance Group out of Lander, and they said 'we absolutely did not hand out condoms. It would be expensive and inappropriate.'" Parks and Recreation staffer, Darla Cotton, said staffers have had recurring conversations with city officials about the trash problem, and main discussion driving that rule happened in 2021. Read the full story HERE – The famed Mollie's Pack was just "looking for food" when it left Yellowstone to den on the Shoshone Nationa...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, July 23, 2026
4w ago00:10:28Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 23rd. I'm Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero's welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that the Rawlins police chief said "On the scale of heroism, that's pretty far up there." "Six weeks after Sergeant Zach Burns was shot three times by a gunman in bags, he returned home on Wednesday, and and the people in Rollins just gave him a real hero's welcome. They were out on the streets. They had signs for him, and and his his brothers in blue law enforcement, other first responders. They followed him all the way from Colorado, about 230 miles. A long procession of police cars, sheriff's vehicles, ambulances, all with lights and sirens going, gave him a long procession all the way across Wyoming and home into Rollins. So it was really impressive, and and it was a true hero's welcome." For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won't have to. Read the full story HERE – U.S. House candidate Bo Biteman is one of many criticizing the Republican Party's decision to endorse candidates. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports he called Chuck Gray, who sought and received the endorsement, the establishment. "Well Chuckie-boy you're the insider, buddy," he said. "Technically, it's illegal for the party to financially back one Republican over another in the primary. That has been interpreted by some as been also on endorsements since that's indirect funding. One of many critics, was Senate President Beau Beitman, who is running in the U.S. House race? He did not seek the party's endorsement at all. He did not turn in its threshold questionnaire. Secretary Gray has repeatedly derided an unspecified group of insiders in his statements. And Senate President Beau Beitman, who did not put in for the Republican Party endorsement, was reflecting on it. He said that it is galvanizing a group of insiders, and he said, "Well, Chucky boy, you're the insider, buddy." State Party Chair Bryan Miller has countered in both a press release and an email interview, saying the party respects the "fiercely independent, discerning" voter base. Read the full story HERE – Officials concluded Tuesday that a 33-year-old man likely surprised a grizzly in the dark before he was killed in Glacier National Park in May. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that running into a bear in the dark is a "nightmare scenario," said an outdoorsman who was in the park at the time. "They try to use the trails when they know people typically aren't going to be there. If it's dark and you're by yourself, even if you're trying to make noise, you might not make enough noise, and there's just that chance where you're going to come up on a grizzly. Boom, you know, instant encounter, close range. Evidently the guy did use his bear spray, but the investigators say it probably happened so fast at such close range, they're not even sure he was able to hit the bear with the spray at that point. It was just kind of a confluence of everything going wrong, all at the same time and very quickly, and it ended up costing this guy his life." The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's report on the investigation of the site indicates that the attack, by an adult male grizzly, was brief and intense. His body was found about 69 feet below the trail and about 2.5 miles from the trailhead. Read the full story HERE – Wyoming ranchers are struggling with an existential problem out of their control. Hay has become harder to find, harder to grow, and more expensive to buy. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that some say this will hasten the end of family farms and ranches that can't afford to feed their animals. "With the lack of rain in the spring and the lack of snowpack in the winter, Wyoming can't grow enough hay to meet its own demand. So, ranchers who are in the routine of growing enough hay to feed their livestock might be struggling this year, and a lot of them are. In order to feed their livestock, they're having to pay a lot of money for hay. A year ago you could get a bale of hay for $150 per ton. Now you're lucky if you can find it for $300 per ton, and are selling for a lot more than that. And ranchers are already having to make the decision, it's either they find the money somehow or they start selling their livestock." Right now, the hay feeding Wyoming's livestock is probably from out-of-state. Jason Watts, co-owner of HayWerks in Buffalo said importing hay from neighboring states "might" be enough to stabilize Wyoming, if only temporarily. Read the full story HERE – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – A police sergeant urged the Green River City Council Tuesday to reconsider license plate reader cameras, two weeks after vocal residents blocked the project. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that he says they are a valuable tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people. "A group of vocal opponents to license plate reader cameras opposed the city getting $112,000 federal grant to put them in at city entrances two weeks ago, and they were so vocal that they got the project shut down. Rhere was a little bit of a counterpoint where Council Member Gary, who had been the lone nay vote in favor of the the grant for the cameras two weeks ago, said seems like the people opposing these don't understand this issue fully, and Dennis Laughlin, vice chair of the Libertarian Party, countered saying, 'I would say Killpack doesn't understand what the people of Green River obviously want.'" Green River Police Chief Shawn Sturlaugson had noted the grant was characterized as an anti-terrorism effort, but he said the cameras would also be a tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people, as well as answering other real-time investigations. Read the full story HERE – Ornery Yellowstone bull bison have now tossed a grandpa 8 feet in the air, chased a man around cabins and popped a car tire, because they're in their annual rut, says one bison biologist. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that a bison rancher says one solution is a face full of bear spray. "Sometimes a bison will display displacement behavior, which is he kind of likened it like if if somebody's driving in a car and they get cut off and the other driver makes them mad, but they can't take it out directly on that person, so they turn around and yell at their kids. Bison will do that sometimes. The bison rancher said he goes through cases of bear spray, and generally he only has to use it once. Like if if an animal's having really bad attitude, he'll hit it with bear spra...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
4w ago00:09:43Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 22nd. I'm Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – State Sen. Eric Barlow released poll results Tuesday showing him with a sizable lead over other Republican candidates in the race for Wyoming governor. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports the polling showed him at 42% support, followed by Degenfelder at 19% and Bien at 14% — with 22% undecided. "This is internal campaign polling, so it's not done by a neutral third party. It's permissioned by a candidate, and the candidate can be involved in the process. So, with that in mind, Degenfelder and Bien's campaigns both cast significant doubt on it. Bien's campaign associate associate Cheryl Aggie are saying, 'Yeah, we're doing our own thing.' And there's speculation. Will Degenfelder and Bien split a conservative vote? How will Barlow do it? Picking up moderates and conservatives? So there's a lot of speculation around that trio effect. So for Barlow to release poll figures, showing him at more than the other two candidates combined, it is noteworthy, though his opponents are saying 'this is internal polling, so don't forget that.'" Curt Blake tells Cowboy State Daily "I think a poll can say whatever you want it to say. With that being said, it wouldn't surprise me if Eric is in the lead. He's a damn good guy." Read the full story HERE – A 14-year-old ranch kid from Big Timber, Montana, had a rope in his hand when cries for help erupted from the Yellowstone River. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports he sprinted into the water, threw one loop and caught a struggling man around the arm and neck, pulling him safely to shore. "14-year-old Jory Thompson was visiting his grandparents along the Yellowstone River in Big Timber, Montana, when he heard cries for help coming from the river. Three people had fallen in after their boat struck a rock. Two of the people were able to swim to shore safely. A third man was clinging to a cooler when Thompson waded into the water, rope in hand. He was able to lasso the man and pull him to shore. A search and rescue sergeant said that without a doubt, he would not have made it had Thompson not been able to act quickly." The Thomas family lives on a ranch about a dozen miles outside Big Timber, directly across from a campground where Jory's grandparents had been staying for the week. To his family, the rescue wasn't entirely surprising. Jase Thomas said his son has always been the first person to help someone else. Read the full story HERE – Dr. Eric Cubin whom Gov. Gordon sought to remove from the Wyoming Board of Medicine for advocating a ban on child sex changes has won his appeal – halfway. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that a Tuesday ruling sent the case back to federal court, reviving First Amendment claims against Gordon. "He had lobbied in favor of a bill to ban child sex change treatments across the medical spectrum, including surgeries, including puberty blockers, and he had also emailed lawmakers saying that a medical private association that was lobbying in favor of the bill had gone woke, had been taken over by leftist interests. And so when Gordon pushed him off the board, the governor was saying, 'Look, the doctors that you are governing, adjudicating, have to know that you're not biased and you're out here saying these things.' So Cuban sued, alleging the governor had violated his First Amendment rights." Though Cubin showed a strong enough case for retaliation to revive his official-capacity claims, he didn't prove that Gordon was violating a clearly-established right, the appeals court ruled. Read the full story HERE – A Jackson man is accused of blasting another driver twice with bear spray during a Sunday road rage showdown, leaving the victim struggling to breathe. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports he admitted using bear spray on the other driver, but told police it was self-defense. "Investigators say that 30-nine-year-old Leonard Dominguez on Sunday admitted to spraying another motorist on the road with bear spray, not once but twice. Both drivers said that one person cut the other person off. They ended up pulled over on the side of the road, and when the man approached Dominguez's driver's side window, Dominguez sprayed him with bear spray. The man kind of stumbled back to his car, and that's when Dominguez sprayed him again. He made a first appearance in court on Monday, and he was charged with felony assault." The investigating officer wrote that bear spray is intended to stop bears — not people — and can cause severe eye injuries, swelling, airway constriction and potentially life-threatening respiratory complications when used at close range. Read the full story HERE – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Days after a religious clash exploded on the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Northern Arapaho Tribe's government says it has adopted a new policy. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports it requires ministry and charitable groups to get tribal authorization for their work on the reservation. "Tribal government asked the church to leave the reservation. The Church is saying no, we're on private land. Here on Monday, the tribal government released a statement saying it has crafted a policy so that outside groups conducting recurring ministries, outreach stuff like that have to talk to the tribe and get its authorization to do that. Now the church didn't respond for my story Tuesday, but this is a very complex area of law where lots of questions come into play. There is a federal law on the books that subjects tribal governments to First Amendment like restrictions. There's also other uncertainties about where the property divisions impact this case." It may be a point of debate whether private land surrounded by tribal trust lands falls within tribal jurisdiction, and if so, for what purposes. It's unclear if the tribe's new policy is constitutional. Read the full story <a style="text-decoration: none;" href= "https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/21/after-church-blowup-arapaho-tribe-says-no-ministries-wit...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
4w ago00:09:17Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, July 21st. I'm Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Wyoming Republican Party State Central Committee met Monday, running late into the evening. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports they made the controversial move to endorse candidates for statewide and federal offices. "Technically, under state law, the major parties aren't allowed to financially back one candidate over another in the primary election, that has been interpreted as a ban on endorsing candidates. So they passed a bylaw here back in April, flouting the state law, saying we will endorse whom we will endorse. In the meantime, their state central committee meeting Monday evening, unfolded, and they chose to endorse Brent Bean for governor, Harriet Hageman for U.S. Senate and Chuck Gray for U.S. House." Delegate Richard George expressed disagreement with the process, saying "If there's anybody in this state that needs to vet the candidates, it's the people. The people are going to do a fine job at it." Read the full story HERE – Two tourists got dangerously and illegally close to Grand Prismatic Spring on Sunday in Yellowstone. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that Montana resident Tanya Saueressig, who filmed them taking selfies right next to the scalding water, said she "was so furious" she had tears in her eyes. "Grand Prismatic Spring is 160 degrees, and it's just over a year ago, that we witnessed a bison fall into the pool and essentially get poached to death. So, it's something to take seriously as a entity. But that wasn't enough to deter two unknown women from strolling straight out there. They were seen walking along the edge of the pool, taking selfies, and really not considering the damage that they were doing with every step." Several people have been seriously injured or killed after getting too close to Yellowstone's thermal features. One would think a high risk of death might be enough to dissuade tourists from tempting their luck. Read the full story HERE – A Rock Springs man accused of holding his girlfriend captive for days while torturing her has pleaded not guilty. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that court records allege he warned her: "I will murder your cat. I will murder your family if you get the cops involved." "20-four-year-old Jake Canestrini pled not guilty on Thursday to holding his ex-girlfriend captive for several days in Rock Springs, beginning on May 30th until she escaped on June 2nd. Canestrini is being held at the Sweetwater County Detention Center. A jury trial has been scheduled for November. According to investigators, Canestrini held her down, yank her by the hair. He strangled her multiple times and threatened to kill her. Canestrini didn't sleep much. So when he finally fell asleep she was able to run and go get help from one of the neighbors." Under Wyoming law, kidnapping is punishable by 20 years to life in prison if the victim is not voluntarily released substantially unharmed in a safe place before trial. Read the full story HERE – Rep. Daniel Singh, is an incumbent Republican from Cheyenne and was once a member of the Freedom Caucus. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports he says he's changed since identifying as a pro-choice, progressive atheist in a recently surfaced 2021 podcast interview saying "People change their minds." "That features Singh talking to a former friend and podcaster, describing himself as a progressive, as extremely pro-choice, as wanting to legalize hard drugs, he described himself as a stoic and an atheist. And that's contrary to Singh's current presentation of himself frequently quoting scripture on Facebook and voting for pro-life bills every single year, as well as other hot button Republican conservative topics. I asked him 'what is the story with this contrast?' And he said that he has changed. His friend and podcaster doubted that, casting him as an opportunist." Singh first won the GOP nomination for House District 61 on Aug. 16, 2022, over two other candidates. He went on to win the general election and was sworn into office in early 2023. He started identifying as a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus during his freshman term. Read the full story HERE – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – A semitrailer caused extensive damage to a bridge over I-80 near Rawlins on Monday morning when it drifted off the pavement, into the median, and took out a concrete support. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that the Westbound lanes of I-80 near the bridge are closed and traffic is being diverted. "The semi was traveling westbound, then drifted off the pavement, went through a cable, went through a guardrail, and then the trailer itself embedded on the three concrete pillars supporting this bridge over I 80, and then the semi truck itself got detached and continued going a little bit further. There were two people inside the truck at the time. Neither was seriously injured, or at least they had non life threatening injuries. Somebody who was on the scene said that was more due to luck than anything else." A preliminary inspection by WYDOT's bridge engineers revealed that the damage compromised the integrity of the bridge, but it reopened shortly afterward, and traffic resumed without incident. Read the full story HERE...
Transcribe →Cowboy State Daily Video News: Monday, July 20, 2026
4w ago00:10:28Tap to summarizeIt's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, July 20th. I'm Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Triple-murderer Gerald Uden says he put the bodies of his 1980 murder victims in barrels and sunk them in Fremont Lake, Wyoming's deepest. Cowboy State Daily's Zakary Sonntag reports that Officials were skeptical — until they found a barrel 388-feet deep last week. "It is pitch black down there. So it is the perfect place to stash something that you don't want people to find. They searched and they searched and they searched and they found nothing. Then years later, a citizen connects with this man and they determine that they may have previously searched in the wrong spot. So this independent search and rescue organization known as OSAR said we're going to go see if we can find this. People spent months looking for anything before, and these guys go out there, and within the first day, within the first handful of hours, they find exactly what people have been looking for. They were stunned, and now comes the extraction phase." Stacy Koester, founder and president of WyoFind Search, Rescue and Recovery contacted Uden in prison through letters and asked for his help finding Virginia and the two boys. Uden initially denied having a role in their killing or disappearance. But Koester kept pressing, and eventually he admitted to killing them. Read the full story HERE – After an agitated bison flipped a 65-year-old man in Yellowstone last weekend, it charged after another group of campers. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports the first incident was "only the beginning of the bison's rage," according to a Colorado man who said the bison targeted a 12-year-old. "As far as the world knew, the bison that tossed Carl McDaniel just ran off after that encounter. But according to an eyewitness that I spoke to, the bison rampage continued at the same campground. There were four people in the E loop of the Bridge Bay campground. Two of those people were from Switzerland, a mother and her 12-year-old son. And at one point, the bison was targeting both of them. It was highly agitated. Thankfully, they managed to find safety in a bathroom that was on site." As everyone's adrenaline started to come down, they were trying to process what had just happened. Joshua Lewis spoke to the two men who successfully distracted the bison, and they were going over every detail in exasperation. They seemed to be experienced backcountry hikers, which added to their dismay in the moment. Read the full story HERE – The Wyoming Supreme Court on Friday rejected all the appeals a former award-winning Casper foster dad made to overturn his 128-to-178-year sentence for sexually abusing children. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that multiple former foster and adopted children testified against him at trial. "Steve Marler was convicted last April for sexually abusing and physically abusing children who had been his foster kids. He was a formerly award-winning foster dad, and he had adopted kids. The testimony ranged fairly graphic, explicit, and severe. Now Marler on appeal had contested many portions of his trial. One of those was that the judge didn't properly hedge and control the offerings of these these 'other acts' evidence. The decision the Supreme Court handed on Friday was not to let him have a new trial or a second chance." Steven Marler, 51, was not deprived of a fair trial in April 2025, says a unanimous majority opinion by Wyoming Supreme Court Justice Robert Jarosh issued Friday. Read the full story HERE – A routine drive over Teton Pass turned into a white-knuckle spectacle Wednesday when an RV appeared to lose its brakes and barreled downhill. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports it was weaving through traffic before somehow reaching the bottom without crashing. "Last Wednesday, a Jackson videographer named Jeff Bernhard captured a terrifying video of a motorhome that apparently had lost its brakes. So as it careened around the pass, you could see smoke. Bernhard said it was especially concerning because there had just been a fatal wreck about one week earlier on July 7 that resulted in two fatalities with four people injured. Luckily, this did not result in a crash. Bill Sniffen, who's had over 50,000 miles pulling a motorhome, says that often you'll smell something or hear something before you know something is wrong, and it is terrifying." For commuters who travel Teton Pass every day, Wednesday's close call serves as another reminder of how quickly a routine drive can become an emergency. Bernhard tells Cowboy State Daily "it demands more respect than what most people give it." Read the full story HERE – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Second-quarter campaign finance reports for Wyoming's GOP primary House race are in. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Steve Friess has amassed the most with $2.5 million, which includes a $2 million self-loan. Reid Rasner is second, loaning himself $1.7 million out of $2 million. "We had been watching for the July reports. They surfaced this week in that U.S. House race. Steve Freeze a clear leader as far as total fundraisings, loans, earnings. Reed Raisner has spent the most at nearly 2 million, and Rasner, Freese...
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