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Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>You Still Here? Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Dog will not eat vegetables...

You Still Here? Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Don Day Weather

Chance of rain in Wyoming on Thursday, otherwise partly sunny in much of the state. Flood watch in parts of central and eastern Wyoming. Highs in the 70s and 80s. Lows in the 50s and low 60s.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "}]

Chance of rain, gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m. and a low near 61.

Chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m. and a low near 60.

 Flood watch until midnight tonight. Rain likely today with a high near 79 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 60.

 Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 80 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 52.

  Slight chance of rain after 5 p.m., gradually clearing today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m., a low near 57 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Slight chance of rain, breezy, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 77 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m., a low near 56 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

 Slight chance of rain, patchy smoke after noon, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 80 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 50.

 Slight chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m., patchy smoke before noon, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 83 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 52.

  Slight chance of rain before 10 a.m., patchy smoke after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 81 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 50.

 Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 78 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m. and a low near 52.

  Chance of rain, patchy smoke before 8 a.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 52.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Chance of rain mainly after 2 p.m., patchy smoke after 11 a.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 79 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m. and a low near 47.

Slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 87 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 64.

:  Chance of rain, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m. and a low near 64.

  Slight chance of rain before 10 a.m., gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 61.

   Chance of rain, patchy smoke after 10 a.m., gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 63.

  Chance of rain, gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 59.

:  Chance of rain, mostly cloudy today with a high near 87 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 60.

Chance of rain, mostly cloudy today with a high near 84 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 61.

   Rain likely today with a high near 81 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 61.

:  Rain likely, mostly cloudy today with a high near 78 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 59.

  Flood watch until midnight tonight. Chance of rain after noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 61.

  Flood watch until midnight tonight. Rain likely today with a high near 79 and mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 59.

  Rain likely, gradually becoming mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 59.

   Flood watch until midnight tonight. Rain likely after noon today with a high near 77 and partly cloudy overnight with rain likely before midnight and a low near 59.

  Flood watch until midnight tonight. Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 73 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 55.

   Flood watch until midnight tonight. Rain likely after noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 78 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 60.

  Flood watch until midnight tonight. Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 77 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 59.

  Flood watch until midnight tonight. Rain likely mainly after noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 72 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 54.

   Chance of rain mainly after 5 p.m., gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 7 p.m. and a low near 53.

Daycap small 7 23 26

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, July 23, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, July 23, 2026

[{"type":"text","text":"Unbelievable coincidences....."}]

Coincidence no play 7 23 26

<title>Today In Coincidences: Thursday, July 23, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Unbelievable coincidences.....

Today In Coincidences: Thursday, July 23, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

After vocal Green River residents shut down the city’s attempt to secure grant funding for a license plate reader camera project, a police sergeant speaking on his own behalf Tuesday urged the council to reconsider.

Green River Mayor Pete Rust and Councilman Gary Killpack had speculated at a July 7 meeting that the group opposing the cameras drowned out a silent, alternate movement in their favor.

 against the $112,000 federal grant for the project, which had been slated for putting Motorola license plate reader (LPR) surveillance cameras at town entrances.

Green River Police Sgt. Brad Dodson, who said he was speaking for himself and not the department, brought that alternate view to the council’s regular Tuesday meeting.

“While I recognize that decision, I was a little disappointed you didn’t listen to the chief a little bit more and maybe take more time to reevaluate that decision,” Dodson said during the public comment section.

 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.

Dodson told the council the department recently responded to a stolen vehicle incident, and was able to use LPRs from other areas.

In another stolen- vehicle attempt last week, “a license plate reader would have been great to have” to track down the vehicle, he said.

“This is something people ask, something people maybe even expect us to have,” Dodson said.

He urged the council to consider the camera project if it surfaces again, and said he’s happy to offer any information people seek.

“I’m happy to dispel some fear, some concerns, or maybe just give another side of the story,” Dodson said. “Especially from someone who’s on, essentially, the front line trying to solve these crimes for the citizens of this community essentially every day.”

Killpack delivered comments toward the end of the meeting to rebut what he described as an email from a Laramie resident on the topic, calling him dumb and dishonest.

He said he’d take the dumb critique but the “dishonest” claim is slander and “unacceptable.”

The people who opposed LPRs two weeks ago, said Killpack, “they don’t understand what happened.”

Killpack said if any of those people go to Salt Lake City, “they’ve been picked up” by the camera and their plates logged into the system.

Salt Lake City has LPRs. It also paused a plan to expand its system in December over privacy concerns, 

Killpack said the people in the audience two weeks ago also didn’t understand the council’s nay votes killed the grant, though not necessarily some later decision to raise cameras.

Marshall Burt, a former, and first, Libertarian state lawmaker for Wyoming bristled at that in a Wednesday interview with Cowboy State Daily.

[{"type":"text","text":"He said Killpack was “blaming people for being stupid and confused.”"}]

“Now I’m going to have to wait for the next city council meeting, show up and argue again,” said Burt, who rallied people via social media ahead of the July 7 meeting.

Dennis Laughlin, vice-chair of the Libertarian Party and a business owner in Green River, also protested at the July 7 meeting.

“Yeah I would say Killpack doesn’t understand what the people of Green River obviously want,” Laughlin said.

Laughlin said he had a qualm with the federal funding, and it’s wrong for people to believe that’s free money. But most LPR opponents were against the installation of the cameras alone, and lobbied against the grant as a means to prevent that, he said.

“People are seeing this constant encroachment on their liberties. It’s like being pecked to death by a duck, and one peck doesn’t hurt – but eventually you die,” Laughlin said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Laughlin said he’s glad Killpack is not running for council again."}]

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<title>Green River Police Sergeant Urges Reconsideration Of License Plate Cameras | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A police sergeant urged the Green River City Council Tuesday to reconsider license plate reader cameras, two weeks after vocal residents blocked the project. He said they are a valuable tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people.

Green River Police Sergeant Urges Reconsideration Of License Plate Cameras

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Law Enforcement

A predawn law enforcement operation stretched across western Wyoming and eastern Idaho on Tuesday, as federal, state and local investigators executed coordinated search warrants in what authorities describe as a drug trafficking investigation.

By the time the raids were over, investigators said they had seized large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and other evidence tied to drug distribution.

[{"type":"text","text":"One man now faces five felony drug charges and a child endangering count."}]

But beyond those basics, much of the investigation details have not been released. 

Authorities have declined to answer questions about exactly where the raids took place, how much narcotics were seized, how long the investigation had been underway, or whether more arrests are expected.

[{"type":"text","text":"Three Communities Targeted"}]

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that deputies, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal, state and local agencies carried out simultaneous search warrants Tuesday in Etna, Jackson Hole and Victor, Idaho.

Officials have not identified the addresses where the warrants were served, including the Etna location.

The coordinated nature of the operation — spanning three communities in two states — suggests investigators could've been targeting an interconnected investigation.

The sheriff's office described the seizures only as "large amounts" of methamphetamine and cocaine, "along with other evidence related to drug trafficking."

[{"type":"text","text":"Officials have not released the quantities of drugs recovered."}]

The only person publicly identified so far is 42-year-old Julio Jaimes Angeles.

[{"type":"text","text":"He has been charged in Lincoln County with:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Tight-Lipped Investigation"}]

Despite the unusually broad operation, investigators are saying little about what led to Tuesday's raids.

Cowboy State Daily sought additional information from both the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Neither agency returned a comment beyond the written news release, citing the ongoing investigation.

Lincoln county drug guy 7 22 26

<title>One Man Charged After Sweeping Drug Raids Across Western Wyoming, Eastern Idaho | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 42-year-old man is facing five felony drug charges and another count of child endangerment after the DEA and DCI launched drug raids in Lincoln County, Teton County and Victor, Idaho. Investigators said they seized large quantities of meth and cocaine.

One Man Charged After Sweeping Drug Raids Across Western Wyoming, Eastern Idaho

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Wildlife

A hiker probably couldn't have done anything more to save himself when he surprised a grizzly at close range in the dark in Glacier National Park on May 3 and was subsequently killed, a seasoned bear-country trekker told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.

Anthony Pollio, 33, of Davie, Florida, used bear spray at some point during the attack “but it is unknown if and where the spray contacted the bear,” according to an incident report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. 

The attack likely occurred between 9:15 and 10 p.m., when Pollio was hiking down the Mt. Brown lookout trail, the report states. He suffered fatal bit wounds to his head. 

“Darkness and deadfall on the trail would have prevented the bear and Mr. Pollio from seeing each other until they were very close,” according to the report. 

Pollio might have been using his cell phone light to illuminate his path, but it isn’t known whether he was making any noise before encountering the bear, the report says. 

Outdoor adventurer Michael Hodges was in Glacier at the time, and said he avoids hiking before dawn or after dark whenever possible. 

“I’m not saying he (Pollio) did anything wrong,” said Hodges, a novelist and internet personality.

He said Pollio, who was described by friends and family as an experienced outdoorsman, probably didn’t set out with the intent of staying out past dark. 

Letting the day get away while enjoying the backcountry and hiking out later than planned is a mistake even experienced outdoors people sometimes make, Hodges said.   

Running into a grizzly on a narrow trail in the dark is a “worst-case scenario,” Hodges said. “That’s a nightmare scenario.” 

“No bear spray, no gun is going to save you in a situation like that,” he added. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Brief, Intense Attack"}]

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee includes officials from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the National Park Service and other agencies. 

The committee’s report on the investigation of the site where Pollio’s body was found May 6 indicate 

, 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. 

During the attack, Pollio “fell or was thrown downhill” off the trail about 93 feet during the initial contact with the bear, according to a detailed incident report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. 

“His path was littered with personal effects beginning 10 ft (feet) below the trail. We believe the bear followed Mr. Pollio downhill, continuing the attack. Spatters of blood increased in frequency and volume down the hill,” according to the report. 

One of Pollio’s ears was found about 40 feet downslope and a large pool of blood marked the end of his descent, the report states. 

“Based on blood marks and the orientation of branches, it appears as though Mr. Pollio managed to climb back up slope approximately 18 ft, at which point the bear re-engaged and inflicted the fatal bites to Mr. Pollio’s head,” the report states. 

There was no evidence of “predation” on Pollio’s body and the bear apparently left immediately after the attack, the committee reported. 

Pollio’s last known communication was a text message sent to girlfriend at 8:20 p.m. May 3 from about .9 miles up the trail from the attack site, according to the report. The text indicated that he expected to make it back to the trailhead around 11 p.m.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Bears Use Trails Too"}]

Bears are smart enough to “take the path of least resistance,” so they like using hiking trails, Kim Titchener, founder of the Bear Safety and More organization in Canada, told Cowboy State Daily. 

Bears like to avoid people and will use hiking trails at times when people typically don’t, such as before dawn or after dark, she said.

That’s can make hiking on trails during those times particularly dangerous, she said. 

The trails in Glacier  have “lots of switchbacks” and blind corners with thick vegetation, she said. 

That can make surprise close encounters more likely, and bears might react defensively in those situations, Titchener said. 

Grizzlies usually attack to “neutralize a perceived threat” and will stop once they realize a person is no longer a threat, she added. 

In many cases, “playing dead” will stop a grizzly attack, she said.

It’s best to hike during the daylight, in groups, “making lots of noise,” Titchener said. 

Hodges agreed that bears in Glacier like using hiking trails at odd hours, usually in the dark, and so he tries to avoid being on the trails at those times. 

The attack on Pollio was most likely the result of bad circumstances, he said. 

But he’s observed other hikers in Glacier displaying bad behavior. 

“They’re spending 10 minutes filming themselves out hiking and not paying attention to what’s going on around them,” he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Glacier is no place for that, Hodges said."}]

“This is a national park that has the same number of bears as Yellowstone, in an area that’s about half the size of Yellowstone,” he said. 

Glacier grizzly v2 7 22 26

<title>"Nightmare Scenario": Victim Of Glacier Grizzly Attack Likely Surprised Bear In The Dark | Cowboy State Daily</title>

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. Running into a bear in the dark is a “nightmare scenario,” said an outdoorsman who was in the park at the time.

"Nightmare Scenario": Victim Of Glacier Grizzly Attack Likely Surprised Bear In The Dark

Crime & Courts

Courts

A Jackson man is accused of twice blasting another driver in the face with bear spray during a road rage showdown, leaving the victim temporarily blind and gasping for air.

Police say the second burst is what turned an angry traffic dispute into a felony.

Leonardo Enrique Dominguez was arrested Sunday and charged with aggravated battery after investigators allege he intentionally caused serious bodily injury, as stated in a probable cause affidavit filed Monday in Teton County Circuit Court.

Prosecutors have charged Dominguez with aggravated battery, claiming he intentionally caused serious bodily injury "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Road Rage Call"}]

The confrontation unfolded shortly before noon Sunday near the Loaf 'N Jug gas station along West Broadway Avenue in Jackson.

Police responded to reports of a road rage assault involving bear spray and found a man kneeling beside his white Dodge Caravan.

The affidavit says the man was coughing violently, his eyes were burning and he was unable to answer officers' questions. Mucus and tears streamed down his face as emergency responders treated him before transporting him to the hospital.

Witnesses told police they had been driving behind the man when a gray Toyota Tacoma pulled alongside his stopped van.

They said someone inside the truck sprayed bear spray through the passenger-side window of the van, the affidavit says. As the man stood in the doorway of his van, they said he was sprayed a second time directly in the face before the truck sped away.

Officers later noted the interior of the man's van still reeked of bear spray, which made one of the corporal's "eyes burn" and caused them to cough, according to the affidavit.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pulled Over "}]

At the hospital, the man who had been sprayed told investigators the road rage encounter began after another truck tried merging into his lane, nearly forcing him onto the sidewalk.

He said he pulled over simply to ask the other driver what he was doing. Instead of an explanation, he said he was immediately blasted with bear spray.

The man denied threatening the other driver and said he had never seen him before.

A request for further comment from the driver of the van was not returned by publication. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Self Defense Argument"}]

Investigators reviewed surveillance video and license plate camera data that led them to a gray vehicle registered to Dominguez.

Officers found the truck parked outside his apartment later that afternoon, the affidavit says.

Dominguez agreed to speak with police and acknowledged spraying the man twice, but insisted he acted in self-defense.

The affidavit says Dominguez claimed the man sped up to block him, brake-checked him, yelled profanities and aggressively approached his driver's window.

He said he displayed the bear spray first as a warning before using it, the affidavit says.

Dominguez admitted spraying the man once through the driver's window of the van and a second time after he returned to his own vehicle, saying he feared the confrontation was continuing.

He also told officers he didn't call police because he believed surveillance cameras had captured the encounter and assumed officers would eventually contact him.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Felony Charge "}]

When officers located Dominguez's vehicle, they reported seeing rags inside "as if the vehicle had been cleaned,” the affidavit says. 

They also observed tactical gear, flashlights, a knife and patches mounted throughout the truck's interior.

Dominguez told investigators his truck was equipped with a dash cam that may have recorded the incident.

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.

Police concluded there was probable cause to arrest Dominguez after considering witness statements, the alleged victim's account and Dominguez's own admission that he sprayed the man a second time.

Investigators say that second burst came after Bilen had already returned to his own vehicle, leading them to conclude the use of force was no longer justified and supported a charge of aggravated battery.

Dominguez made his initial appearance Monday afternoon before Teton County Circuit Court Judge Erin Weisman, who set his bond at $5,000 cash. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 31.

Jackson Loaf N Jug green sign 7 21 26

<title>Jackson Man Accused Of Blasting Driver With Bear Spray In Road Rage Showdown | Cowboy State Daily</title>

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. He admitted using bear spray on the other driver, but told police it was self-defense.

You Still Here? Tuesday, November 8, 2022

More in You Still Here

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Bonus Video 2: Thursday, July 23, 2026

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