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Michael P. Ramirez

Daily Cartoon

[{"type":"text","text":"By Michael P. Ramirez"}]

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

<title>Daily Cartoon: Friday, April 7, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

By Michael P. Ramirez

Daily Cartoon: Friday, April 7, 2023

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Native American Tribes

A “Yellowstone” series TV actor posted a clip Tuesday of a Christian pastor preaching on the Wind River Indian Reservation and discouraging some of the Arapaho tribal religious ceremonies, saying “Jesus is everything...A pipe cannot hear your prayers.”

, garnering 31,000 views as of Wednesday afternoon and provoking outrage, particularly around the reservation.

Christian Wassana, an enrolled Cheyenne Arapaho of Oklahoma who played Martin Kills Many on “Yellowstone," described Foundations for Nations pastor Sarah Lucas’ message as, “A pastor speaking at a church on the Rez in Wyoming condemning Sundance, one of our oldest and most sacred ceremonies.”

Wassana said, “it feels like history repeating itself, with attempts to erase and discredit our traditional way of life.”

He said everyone has the right to practice his or her own faith, “but claiming that one path is the only path while belittling and condemning ours is deeply disheartening.”

In the Northern Arapaho tribe, the flat pipe is associated with the Creator, and some sun dance rituals center on the pipe and treat it as a sacred object.

[{"type":"text","text":"‘We Know That Jesus Is Enough’"}]

The full sermon was unavailable at least as of Wednesday. The one-minute, 38-second clip depicts Lucas paraphrasing from the Bible: “tear down the altars, tear down the idols.”

She spoke of “this nation” gathering in recent days, praying. The tribal members had just conducted their sun dance ceremony. 

Lucas’ church sits on private, not tribal, land within the reservation, on the east side near Riverton. Two tribes share that reservation: the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone.

“They prayed to pipes and they prayed to the ancestors, believing this is the way for their freedom. To get free from addiction, for people to be healed… This is what this culture did this week,” said Lucas.

[{"type":"text","text":"She urged the congregation to pray."}]

“Because we know that Jesus is enough. He’s enough. It’s not Jesus-plus. It’s Jesus everything. He’s everything,” said Lucas.

She referenced people she described as tribal members who have become Christians.

“And they understand the price… when they say that publicly. The persecution that can come with them publicly,” Lucas said. “But they know that this is it. Jesus is the chain breaker. He’s the only one that we should be praying to. A pipe cannot hear your prayers.”

[{"type":"text","text":"‘This Is Religious Warfare’"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The backlash is immense."}]

Tribal members gathered Tuesday to protest in front of Riverton’s City Hall.

[{"type":"text","text":"Chris Friday, a protest leader, took to Facebook to call it a victory."}]

“SARAH LUAS (sic) openly spoke down on OUR sacred Grandpa pipe,” Friday wrote in a lengthy post featuring photographs from the protest. “She don’t know what we as Arapaho have been through, and still go through…. She should educate herself on tribal spirituality before talking on shit she doesn’t know. Because this is religious warfare.”

Friday said the protestors wanted an apology. He called Foundations for Nations leaders “not good people” and told Arapaho tribal members to boycott the church.

“Don’t go to their food bank. Don’t go to their events. Don’t let your children go,” he wrote. “We want them out of Arapaho land forever. They no longer are welcome here.”

Friday told Cowboy State Daily in a later interview that the "Grandpa pipe is our spiritual leader” and “our connection with the Creator.” 

Friday added, "They can leave, you know. They’re not welcome here anymore."

[{"type":"text","text":"Absolute Truth"}]

Desiree Henderson, a woman who described herself as a four-year member of the church’s ministry, posted a nearly 17-minute video in the church’s defense.

She said she’d never serve under a ministry that manipulates people or manipulates the gospel.

“But what most people don’t get to see when they’re not part of the inner workings of a ministry is the unbelievable sacrifices that are made. The unbelievable generosity and giving of their own time and resources that people give,” said Henderson. 

She said she knows the character of Sarah Lucas and her husband Jason, “and their heart to give” as well as the criticism and gossip they endure.

Henderson said she understands “the upset” and would align with it if she “didn’t know the Lord.”

[{"type":"text","text":"“But I do know the Lord,” said Henderson."}]

She described a dichotomy between the philosophy “of the world,” that truth is relative, and the belief that absolute truth exists.

“In the natural world, gravity is an absolute truth,” she said. “And if you defy gravity, you’re going to experience the consequences of it.”

Henderson said there are absolute, spiritual truths that exist “whether you believe it or not,” and that the Bible is the metric for finding that truth. She also encouraged people to question and study the Christian faith rather than adopt it blindly.

Numerous Facebook users posted negative comments 

[{"type":"text","text":"Didn’t Hide The Ball"}]

Foundations for Nations was overt about its beliefs and goals before the Sundance message went viral.

 a multi-cultural, multi-generational church seeking for people to “have a relationship with God, be ignited to reach people with the good news about Jesus, and work together to impact communities.”

Its statement of belief says that Jesus is “the only way to heaven and the only name that can be called upon to gain eternal life.”

The church incorporated in Wyoming and settled on the reservation in 2017.

[{"type":"text","text":"Lucas declined to comment Wednesday to Cowboy State Daily."}]

In a 2018 interview for a news feature, Lucas told local news outlet The Ranger that she and her family were building a massive play and recreation in the area of Arapahoe (town, not tribe). She said they would gear their ministry toward children who were having hardships at home.

“We inspire hope and change; we tell them their worth and their value” and teach them Biblical principles along the way, said Lucas at the time.

That summer the Lucases and visiting volunteers hosted a six-week summer program to offer kids what Lucas described as both fun and guidance.

Before launching the church, the Lucases planned it for six years. She said the goal was to help “families that are so broken that they don’t have any hope,” and to “share Jesus with them.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Figured It Would Blow Up"}]

Wassana told Cowboy State Daily in a Wednesday interview that he figured his post would blow up. He said he’s part Arapaho and though he descends from the southern, rather than the northern band based in Wyoming, he has family members in the north and considers the bands “one tribe.”

Wassana referenced tribal members’ darker history with past, Christian-affiliated missions, such as the boarding schools that forbade the children from speaking their native languages.

He said Lucas’ message equated to a tribal member walking into a Christian church and maligning the cross.

Lucas had, however, preached her message in a private Christian church, on private land. People attend the church voluntarily. 

Wassana acknowledged the distinction, but said the affront stems from the church opening its doors to children, in particular.

“Whenever you have somebody who’s a trusted adult, religious leader in the community saying these things, going against our ceremonies, saying they’re wrong, it can create a lot of confusion fear and shame for our children,” said Wassana. “We don’t want our young people growing up feeling like they have to choose between being accepted or embracing who they are because a leader they see is teaching those kinds of things.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Boarding Schools"}]

Indian boarding schools proliferated in the nation a century ago, many run by religious groups and funded with federal money.

Historical accounts tell of tribal leaders who wanted their kids to gain an education, a federal government that wanted to assimilate the kids and religious leaders who wanted to convert them.

Northern Arapaho sub-chief Sharp Nose sent his son, Little Chief, to the Carlisle boarding school in Pennsylvania in the late 1800s, hoping the boy could learn skills from the white man for surviving in the new culture.

Little Chief died in the school’s infirmary in 1883 and was buried on school grounds – a common occurrence for tribal children.

Jesuits came to the Wind River Indian Reservation and built St. Stephen’s Indian School in 1884.

Henderson countered claims and fears of modern-day assimilation in her video. She spoke with admiration of an East Indian (not American Indian) convert named Sundar Singh, who embraced the culture, clothing, and customs of India while preaching about Jesus, even dressing as a Hindu spiritual leader. 

[{"type":"text","text":"The Christian and Arapaho faith traditions differ from one another."}]

John G. Carter, researcher for the Smithsonian Institution, penned a Nov. 23, 1936, letter to M.W. Stirling, Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology, describing “the first eye witness description of the Flat Pipe by a white man, and the first eye witness account of a ceremony held in honor of this Pipe.”

In the Arapaho creation story, wrote Carter in the treatise that followed, a global flood covered the earth, and a man walked on the water clutching a pipe. He fasted and wept. He sent animals into the water to bring land from the sea bottom to make the earth, and the turtle succeeded in that task, the account says.

“And with this the man, or the grandfather makes the land” and eventually the Arapaho people, wrote Carter.

“The myth implies that either the world was made at the Flat Pipe’s request, or because of the Flat Pipe, and in order to provide a place on which the Flat Pipe could rest,” Carter added. He said the Arapaho view the flat pipe as an “exceedingly holy object” held in the highest possible veneration and respect.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Christian tradition also involves a global flood. "}]

But first, Genesis tells that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth – and ultimately a man and a woman.

The man and woman sinned by disobeying God, but God promised to send a savior. Thousands of years later, the savior came as Jesus, who is God incarnate and who, as the son counterpart to God the Father, was also involved in creation, according to the biblical book of John.

And Jesus allowed the bloodthirsty and jealous authority figures of his day to torture him to death. He then rose from the dead, redeeming those who believe in him with his own sacrifice, and he urged his followers to tell others about him, the New Testament says. 

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<title>Arapaho Members Furious At Christian Preacher Who Spoke Against Rituals | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Several Northern Arapaho Tribe members are outraged at a Christian pastor who spoke against their religious customs and encouraged worship of Jesus instead. One Arapaho member told Cowboy State Daily that the church is "not welcome here anymore."

Arapaho Members Furious At Christian Preacher Who Spoke Against Rituals

Jen Kocher - Headshot CSD

Jen Kocher

Public Safety

The Jane Doe found dead on Interstate 25 near Cheyenne in April has been identified as Brittany Smith, a 37-year-old Wyoming woman.

Smith was struck by a northbound Kia Sportage on the on-ramp from Missile Drive on April 20, according to Aaron Brown, senior public relations specialist with the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Her home town was unavailable at publication time.

Smith had been a pedestrian standing in the roadway, Brown said in an email. She succumbed to her injuries at the scene despite life-saving efforts by troopers.  

No charges or citations are pending, Brown said.

two unidentified people who two amateur genealogists in Cheyenne

 were attempting to track down by their distinctive tattoos.

Megan McWilliams and Ashley Kroner, Cheyenne sisters who run Genetics Uncovered, identified Smith and a second man— found deceased in Cheyenne in early June — through the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database, the country’s only national clearinghouse for missing and unidentified persons.

Neither file contained much information, but both Does had distinct tattoos. The sisters posted them on their Facebook page, hoping someone would recognize them. 

Kroner said Smith’s mother saw the poster on their page and the appropriate contact information. Her mother commented on the post and then messaged the sisters, thanking them for their help.

This is just part of their efforts to help give the unidentified back their name.

"Too many souls are known only as 'Does' in this world, and we’re deeply grateful that she is no longer one of them — that she has found her way home,” Kroner said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Still Trying To ID John Doe"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The John Doe soon will be next."}]

Family members who saw the John Doe’s tattoos contacted McWilliams and Kroner, and that case is now moving toward identification as well.

Laramie County Coroner Rebecca Reid, who is overseeing both investigations, told Cowboy State Daily that her office has 180 days to complete them.

The unidentified male was found unresponsive in the 800 block of South Greeley Highway in Cheyenne on June 6.

He wasn slumped in a kneeling position alongside a commercial building with no cellphone or any other identification, according to Chance Walkama with the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office. He said the office was waiting for the coroner’s report with cause and manner of death from Reid’s office.

Walkama said in an earlier interview that foul play is not currently suspected.

Laramie County Sheriff spokesperson Brandon Warner did not respond to a request for an update on the John Doe investigation.

Missile drive 7 8 26

<title>Jane Doe Found Dead On I-25 On-Ramp In April ID'd As Wyoming Woman | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Jane Doe found dead on Interstate 25 near Cheyenne in April has been identified as Brittany Smith, a 37-year-old Wyoming woman. Smith was struck by a northbound Kia Sportage on the on-ramp from Missile Drive on April 20.

Jane Doe Found Dead On I-25 On-Ramp In April ID'd As Wyoming Woman

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Around Wyoming

The Wyoming Department of Health has confirmed three cases in 2026 of cyclosporiasis, or “explosive diarrhea”, according to Surveillance Epidemiologist Matt Peterson.

The illness is caused by the microscopic parasite 

, which commonly triggers profuse watery diarrhea, severe cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 says symptoms typically begin two days to two weeks after a person consumes contaminated food or water, making it difficult for many patients to remember exactly what they ate before becoming sick.

Two Wyoming patients likely contracted the parasite while traveling to countries where Cyclospora is endemic, Peterson told Cowboy State Daily.

[{"type":"text","text":"The third patient, however, had no history of international travel."}]

The department did not identify the locations of the affected individuals.

The CDC is investigating a growing number of Cyclospora infections across the United States while working with state health departments and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to identify the contaminated food responsible.

"At this time, we do not know if that case is related to any existing cluster or outbreak, but we are continuing to investigate the possibility," Peterson said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Weeks In The Bathroom"}]

Peterson said anyone experiencing prolonged watery diarrhea, especially if symptoms disappear and later return, should contact a physician and ask about testing.

Without treatment, cyclosporiasis can linger for weeks or even months, sometimes improving just enough to make people think they're recovering before roaring back with another round of illness.

Unlike viruses such as norovirus, Cyclospora generally does not spread directly from one sick person to another.

The CDC notes the parasite isn't infectious when it leaves a person's body. Instead, it must spend days to weeks maturing in the environment before it can infect someone else, making person-to-person transmission extremely uncommon.

Diagnosing the illness can also be challenging. Routine stool tests don't always detect Cyclospora, and physicians often must order specialized testing if they suspect the parasite.

[{"type":"text","text":"Nearly all U.S. infections are linked to contaminated food or water."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What's Causing It?"}]

Health officials still don't know exactly what's fueling this summer's outbreak.

Investigators with the CDC, FDA and state health departments are interviewing patients about everything they ate in the weeks before becoming ill, searching for common ingredients that could reveal the source. Because symptoms might not appear for up to two weeks, tracing the outbreak has proven especially difficult.

Past U.S. outbreaks have been linked to fresh produce, including cilantro, basil, raspberries, lettuce, mesclun greens and snow peas.

 washing produce helps remove dirt and many germs but might not completely remove Cyclospora. The parasite can cling tightly to fresh fruits and vegetables, making cooking the most effective way to eliminate it.

That makes Wyoming vulnerable even though the parasite isn't naturally found here.

"Because Cyclospora is not endemic here, imported fresh produce is always the most likely vehicle," Peterson said.

He said cooking food to an internal temperature of 158 degrees Fahrenheit will kill or inactivate the parasite. Choosing locally grown produce when available might also reduce the risk.

Peterson said Wyoming residents aren't insulated simply because they live far from major farming regions. Grocery stores across the state receive produce through the same national distribution networks that supply much of the country.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Significant Growth"}]

The Wyoming cases come as public health officials investigate what has become one of the country's most significant Cyclospora outbreaks in years.

While the CDC's most recent nationwide surveillance report documented 145 domestically acquired cases across 17 states through mid-June, the outbreak has grown rapidly. Michigan has reported nearly 1,000 illnesses, prompting state officials to describe it as the largest Cyclospora outbreak in the state's history. Ohio has also confirmed hundreds of cases as investigators continue searching for a common source.

Although the CDC has not yet linked every state to a single contaminated product, the scale of illnesses has made this one of the largest Cyclospora outbreaks the United States has experienced in recent years.

While the Wyoming Department of Health is still investigating whether the state's lone non-travel-related case is connected to the broader outbreak, Peterson emphasized that residents shouldn't panic.

Wyoming health-care providers are equipped to diagnose and report cyclosporiasis, and the department will continue working with the CDC to determine whether Wyoming's cases become linked to the national investigation.

If a contaminated food product tied to Wyoming is identified, public health officials say they will notify residents and coordinate guidance with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.

Until then, health officials recommend washing fresh produce, cooking foods when appropriate, choosing locally grown produce when available and contacting a health-care provider if diarrhea lasts for days, returns after improving or is accompanied by significant weight loss.

Welcome sign and stool 7 8 26

<title>'Explosive Diarrhea' Parasite Reaches Wyoming As Health Officials Seek Source | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wyoming has confirmed three cases of a parasite known for causing explosive weekslong diarrhea, cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue, weight loss, and more. The likely source is imported fresh produce, Wyoming epidemiologist Matt Peterson says.

'Explosive Diarrhea' Parasite Reaches Wyoming As Health Officials Seek Source

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

Courts

CHEYENNE — A 31-year-old man reportedly told police that the psychedelic mushrooms he took led him to strip naked in the middle of a busy intersection, then kick, headbutt and try to bite multiple officers, at least two nurses and a doctor.

Bufford Greymountain had his first court appearance Wednesday on a felony charge of interfering with a peace officer causing injury, which could land him up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

He also faces misdemeanor charges of resisting a peace officer, simple assault by attempting to cause injury, and simple battery for allegedly trying to attack medical personnel at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, according to a Cheyenne Police Department affidavit filed in his case.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Naked Male In The Intersection’"}]

The incident began when police were dispatched to the intersection of East 21

 Street and Evans Avenue near midnight Monday “for a report of a naked male in the intersection,” the affidavit says.

Greymountain was “standing in the middle of the intersection with no clothing on,” the document continues. “Officers observed an item in Greymountain’s hand which could not be identified, and he refused to drop it.”

After refusing several orders from police to drop whatever was in his hand, Greymountain instead suddenly “sat down in the middle of the road and put his hands in the air,” the affidavit says.

While that was the end of his public display of nudity, it turned out to be just the beginning of an escalation when Greymountain became agitated after he was transported to the hospital to be evaluated for injuries, the affidavit said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Fights With Everyone"}]

He became combative even before getting out of the police car, the affidavit says.

“Once at the hospital, Greymountain became more agitated and began kicking the door of the police car,” according to the affidavit.

“Officer (Jayson) Tretter was standing on the right passenger side of his patrol vehicle attempting to speak with Greymountain when he turned and began kicking Officer Tretter in the face,” the account says.

Then, while trying to restrain Greymountain after kicking the officer, the man “threw his head backwards, headbutting Officer Tretter in the face, causing more swelling,” the affidavit says.

The man was finally placed on a hospital bed and wheeled into a room for evaluation.

“While inside the room, Greymountain attempted to bite the doctor … and kicked her in the stomach,” according to the affidavit. “Greymountain then lunged at … a nurse in the room and attempted to bite her.”

He also tried to bite another police officer in the room while restrained in the bed.

As to what may have caused the man to become violent, “Greymountain admitted to taking mushrooms earlier in the night, causing this episode,” the affidavit concludes.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Next In Court"}]

By kicking and headbutting Officer Tretter, Greymountain faces a felony charge that could get him up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

A July 15 preliminary hearing was set for Greymountain during his Wednesday initial appearance.

Cheyenne police stop sign 7 8 26

<title>Police: Naked Man Says Psychedelic Shrooms Made Him Attack Cheyenne Officers | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 31-year-old man reportedly told police that psychedelic mushrooms led him to strip naked in a busy intersection, then kick, headbutt and try to bite multiple officers, at least two nurses and a doctor. He made his first court appearance Wednesday.

Police: Naked Man Says Psychedelic Shrooms Made Him Attack Cheyenne Officers

A 24-year-old Texan had spent days riding his Triumph motorcycle across the country, detouring through Utah for repairs, crossing Idaho and climbing into Wyoming on what he hoped would become a journey through all 50 states.

As Caleb Batista crested Teton Pass on Tuesday morning, he lifted the visor on his helmet and looked out over the valley below.

"I remember just thinking, 'Oh my God, I rode my bike all the way from flat Texas to this place'," Batista told Cowboy State Daily. "It's a beautiful valley. I can't believe I made it. I'm finally here."

Hungry after skipping breakfast, he started wondering whether Jackson had a McDonald's where he could grab a cheap hamburger.

Seconds later, he was flying through the air after an 

 slammed into his motorcycle from behind.

"I didn't hear an engine, didn't hear brakes, didn't hear squealing or anything," Batista said. "Just boom."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Better View "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"For Batista, the trip wasn't just a vacation. "}]

He told Cowboy State Daily he had recently lost his job and was going through a divorce. Rather than sit at home, he decided to chase something he'd always wanted to do.

"I love to travel," he said. "I decided to go on a motorcycle trip because I have a lot of big things happening in my life right now ... so I decided, 'Why don't I take a trip and get my mind off things?’ "

The journey had already thrown him a curveball days earlier when his bike was having mechanical problems that forced him to stay in Salt Lake City waiting for replacement parts before continuing north.

He spent Monday night in Idaho before setting off toward Yellowstone National Park through Teton Pass.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It was actually a really beautiful ride,\" he said."}]

Because he was on a motorcycle, he was able to pass slower traffic in designated passing zones.

[{"type":"text","text":"Near the summit, he overtook a dump truck hauling asphalt."}]

As Batista started down the east side of the pass, he slowed to take in the scenery.

[{"type":"text","text":"He raised his helmet visor for a better view. "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I was just thinking, 'I'm finally here',\" the 24-year-old said."}]

A motorcyclist who was hit by an out-of-control dump truck Tuesday on Teton Pass said he could feel his bones "crunching" as he tumbled across the pavement. "I thought I was going to fly off the cliff," he said. Two people were killed in the crash.

Daily Cartoon: Friday, April 7, 2023

Michael P. Ramirez

Cartoonist

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Daily Cartoon: Friday, April 7, 2023

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