Same Guys Dancing

[{"type":"text","text":"Theory Of A Deadman -- Bad Girlfriend"}]

Same guys dancing 9 19 22

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

<title>Tuesday Morning Dance Party: Theory Of A Deadman -- Bad Girlfriend | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Theory Of A Deadman -- Bad Girlfriend

Tuesday Morning Dance Party: Theory Of A Deadman -- Bad Girlfriend

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily political columnist, Rod Miller.

Rod Miller

Opinion

CSD Columnists

Ed Herschler was Wyoming’s governor during a period of unprecedented growth in our energy sector. Coal, oil and gas extraction were booming in the 1970s, and folks were nervous as hell about how to handle it. Herschler’s motto during those times was, “Growth, on our terms.”

State government put in place systems and controls to manage the boom cycle, to ensure that growth benefited the Big Empty, instead of running rough-shod over us. Almost fifty years later, we Wyomingites are still reaping those benefits on “our terms.”

It seems like every new advance in human technology is met with fear, trepidation and pearl-clutching skepticism. The unknowns scare us spitless, and we resist anything new. Until a leader like Gov Ed comes along and puts some steel in our collective spine and tells us that, if we impose our terms, change can be a good thing.

Data centers are no different. I read today that some Luddites are planning a nationwide demonstration against data centers. Imagine what Wyoming would be like today if, back in the 1970s, we had banned coal mines and told the oil and gas companies that the Overthrust Belt was off-limits.

Without the wealth produced by those developments, we’d all be eating prairie dogs and paying state income tax now., and our kids would high-tail it to greener pastures after the sixth grade.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no expert on the intricacies of data centers. I do know that they gobble up vast amounts of electricity and water, and they produce artificial intelligence. 

The AI part doesn’t worry me a bit, since it is just the human mind on steroids. And, whether we like it or know it or not, AI is already an integral part of our daily lives. 

I ran an experiment a couple of years ago, and asked AI to 

 . The AI chatbot didn’t do a bad job, but the piece lacked my certain savoir faire, my folksy charm and my acerbic wit. All in all, I don’t worry about AI replacing me.

But there are many in our population who cower under the covers and blow snot bubbles of fear anytime something new pops us. They have nightmares of apocalyptic scenarios that never happen.

Those folks were convinced, when the kerosene industry killed the whale oil industry, and the internal combustion engine deep-sixed the buggywhip business, that civilization was doomed. Yet here we are. 

It is in our nature to shy away from revolutions whether agricultural, industrial or information, but to eventually embrace and enjoy each advancement to human culture that they provide.

So, I don’t have nightsweats about artificial intelligence, or the output of data centers. I’m more concerned with the inputs...the water and electricity. That is the arena in which we citizens of Wyoming must insist on our terms.

We have, since the energy boom of the 70s, legislated checks and balances on large-scale developments, and have laws regulating the extent that such projects can impact our state. We have almost fifty years of experience applying “our terms” to industrial development. If we apply those terms to data centers, we’ll enjoy the growth they bring without being gobbled up by them.

But our governmental entities need to have the balls to impose those terms on huge companies that flash wads of cash at them for data centers. They need to be tough statesmen like Gov Ed. Companies wanting to do business in Wyoming must be made to know that they will pay their fair share, and won’t be allowed to screw up the Cowboy State for profit.

And both government and industry must have their feet held to the fire to be completely transparent with Wyoming citizens about data center developments and their impacts to their neighbors. The recent water contamination caused by construction of a data center near Cheyenne, and the secrecy surrounding it should drive that point home to everyone.

A lack of transparency will create doubts in citizens’ minds at a time when a new industry can least afford it. One of “our terms” must be that we are fully informed all the time. 

If the data center industry is willing to develop in Wyoming on our terms, I see no reason why it wouldn’t be a good thing. It’s kind of exciting stuff. 

Rod miller headshot scaled

<title>Rod Miller: Lions and Tigers And Data Centers, Oh My! | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Columnist Rod Miller writes, "Some Luddites are planning a nationwide demonstration against data centers. Imagine what Wyoming would be like today if, back in the 1970s, we banned coal mines. We'd be eating prairie dogs and paying state income tax."

Rod Miller: Lions and Tigers And Data Centers, Oh My!

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Government & Politics

Politics

Manufacturers of AI software that uses surveillance cameras to search for guns say it makes people safer, but some gun rights activists told Cowboy State Daily they think that’s a brazen violation of Second Amendment and privacy rights.

Companies such as Volt for years has provided gun-detection software to schools, which the company claims helps stop school shootings.  

The city of Hobbs, New Mexico, has outfitted about 70 video cameras with software from another company, ZeroEyes.

ZeroEyes claims that the software helps cameras quickly detect drawn firearms, which are then verified at company facilities by human observers, who can alert local authorities.

Gun-detecting AI software doesn’t require dedicated cameras, it can be applied to existing surveillance, traffic and web cameras.

Firearms enthusiast Nic George of Sheridan told Cowboy State Daily that he understands the good intentions behind the software, but the broader implications of what gun surveillance might lead to are troubling.  

“Right now, it might not be a problem. But what’s the next step?” he said.

As things stand, programs like ZeroEyes raise murky questions when it comes to gun rights, George said.

“There’s nothing against that in our Constitution, but there’s nothing for it,” he said.  

George added that he doesn’t think AI gun surveillance systems will show up in Wyoming anytime soon, because there would be harsh public backlash.

Christopher Stone, director of state and local affairs for Gun Owners of America (GOA), said he doesn’t at all like the idea of AI snooping for guns.

He questions what might happen if a legal gun owner had to draw a gun in public for a legitimate purpose and got pegged by AI for “brandishing” a weapon.

A legal gun owner might draw a firearm in self-defense, and the sight of the gun could be enough to send an assailant running, Stone said.

But cameras might pick up only the person with the gun, he added.

“And now you have to prove your innocence?” he asked. "That, to us, is very scary and should cause alarm bells to go off.”

GOA National Director Mark Jones of Buffalo told Cowboy State Daily that as he sees it, AI gun surveillance violates the Second and Forth amendments (protection against unlawful searches and seizures).

“A very large percentage of Wyoming residents are carrying guns peacefully every day,” Jones said.

Devin Hughes, founder and president of the gun violence nonprofit GVPedia Inc., favors stricter gun laws, but said he doubts the effectiveness of AI gun monitoring.

“Most shootings are not preplanned affairs,” he said. “It’s often arguments that escalate. An argument escalating, guns being drawn, shot fired — that’s a matter of 5 to 10 seconds."

That’s not enough time for the AI detecting guns on camera to make any difference, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Constitutional Parameters"}]

The technology has potential to do good, but only within narrow parameters that protect gun owners’ rights, said George Mocsary, University of Wyoming law professor and co-founder of the UW Firearms Research Center.

“From a Second Amendment perspective, the important distinction is between detecting a firearm and regulating or responding to the person carrying it,” he said in a text message to Cowboy State Daily. 

"ZeroEyes may provide valuable early warning when someone displays a gun as part of an attack, but a camera and an algorithm can't establish that carrying the gun is unlawful,” he added.

The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that citizens have the right to carry firearms for self-defense, he noted.

“Several federal appellate decisions have held that, where public carry is lawful, possession of a firearm alone does not automatically justify detaining and disarming the carrier,” he stated.

Programs like ZeroEyes should be deployed only with caveats regarding such things as open-carry regulations, private property owners’ rules regarding firearms and whether a firearm is properly holstered, or drawn and being pointed in a threatening manner, Mocsary stated.

“Properly used, the technology can help respond to real attacks while respecting the rights of lawful gun owners,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘False Positives’"}]

Stone said he worries that monitoring software could be used to call the cops on law-abiding gun owners not doing anything wrong.

“What if you are legally carrying a concealed firearm, and you bend over to put groceries in your car, and one of these AI systems detects that you have a firearm in your waistband? Is that going to flag you for ‘brandishing?’” he said.

Hughes said surveillance software also raises a potential for “false positives.”

What if AI detects what it thinks is a gun, but then, “that’s actually a kid’s cellphone that he’s holding in a weird position,” he said.

Likewise for such things as squirt guns, Hughes said, adding that he can see the system leading to “racial profiling.”

AI surveillance systems are also expensive, Hughes said.

As he sees it, schools and municipalities could better spend the money on preventative measures, such as training educators and others to detect “red flags” that somebody might be planning a shooting.

Spending money on AI software for a camera network is “just a tax that lax gun laws put on the rest of society,” he said.

Mark jones camera 7 16 26

<title>Wyoming Gun Activists Increasingly Alarmed Over AI Cameras Searching For Guns | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Although manufacturers of AI software that uses surveillance cameras to search for guns say it makes people safer, gun rights activists are alarmed. Buffalo's Mark Jones, of Gun Owners of America, says it violates the Second and Fourth Amendments.

Wyoming Gun Activists Increasingly Alarmed Over AI Cameras Searching For Guns

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

Federal authorities say illegal Glock "switches" have become one of the fastest-growing firearm threats in America, with recoveries of the tiny machine gun conversion devices soaring 784% nationwide in the last four years.

That national trend came into sharp focus not far beyond Wyoming’s eastern border this week when a monthslong western Nebraska investigation ended with seven arrests.

Investigators allegedly found Instagram photos and videos showing young men posing with — and in one case firing — Glock-style pistols equipped with the illegal devices, which modify semiautomatic handguns into fully automatic machine guns. 

The investigation culminated Wednesday morning when SWAT teams and dozens of officers served search and arrest warrants across Scottsbluff, Gering and Bayard, Nebraska. By the end of the operation, seven people — two adults and five juveniles — were in custody.

Authorities report that the Western Nebraska Intelligence & Narcotics Group (WING) began investigating after receiving information that adults and juveniles were allegedly involved in drug trafficking while possessing the modified fully automatic firearms.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Instagram Trail"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Court records show law enforcement soon turned to social media."}]

Investigators secured a warrant for an Instagram account they believed belonged to Preston Torres, who is one of the adults arrested Wednesday. 

When Meta returned the account records, deputies say they found multiple photos and videos allegedly showing Torres holding and firing a Glock-style handgun equipped with an illegal switch. 

A second affidavit says investigators later searched another Instagram account and found a photograph showing Rochne Gukeisen, the other adult arrested, holding a similarly modified Glock pistol. 

The affidavit says the photo showed Gukeisen pointing the handgun at Torres, who deputies had already identified in other social media posts. 

Investigators wrote that based on their training and experience, the visible conversion devices transformed the pistols into machine guns under Nebraska law. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Gang Allegation"}]

Investigators also asked a judge to temporarily seal the arrest warrants until they could be served, writing that both men were known members of the 308 BOYZ gang and that keeping the warrants confidential was necessary to safely apprehend them. 

Authorities arrested 18-year-old Torres-Isles and 19-year-old Gukeisen, each on suspicion of possessing a machine gun.

They also arrested five juveniles — three 17-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old.

Scottsbluff County Attorney Dave Eubanks said three of the juveniles also are accused of possessing machine guns, while two face allegations of distributing cocaine.

Sheriff Mark Overman told Cowboy State Daily the investigation remains active and declined to discuss additional evidence or whether more arrests are possible.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tiny Device, Big Threat"}]

Although ATF was not involved in the Nebraska investigation, agency spokesperson Ashlee Sherrill said it has documented a dramatic rise in machine gun conversion devices nationwide.

Known as Glock switches or auto sears, the parts are small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. But once installed, they can allow a semiautomatic pistol to fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger.

Under federal law, the devices themselves are legally considered machine guns, even if they have not been attached to a firearm.

"They present a significant public safety concern," Sherrill said, because they allow handguns to fire at rates comparable to fully automatic weapons, dramatically increasing the danger to people and responding officers.

According to ATF, recoveries of suspected machine gun conversion devices traced by the agency increased from 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023.

As the devices have become more common, Sherrill said ATF has expanded training for federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to help officers identify the devices, understand trafficking trends and properly recover and trace them.

Nebraska machine gun arrests 7 16 26

<title>7 Teens Arrested In Western Nebraska SWAT Raid For Illegal Machine Guns, Drugs | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Seven teens were arrested Wednesday in a sweeping western Nebraska raid over illegal machine guns and drugs. Investigators say they found Instagram posts of the teens posing with and firing Glock-style guns equipped with illegal switches.

7 Teens Arrested In Western Nebraska SWAT Raid For Illegal Machine Guns, Drugs

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Outdoors

A Wyoming hunter is on a mission to untangle confusion over public and private land boundaries after repeatedly encountering "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs where the public should legally be allowed to travel or recreate.

Cheyenne resident Jon Farris says the issue isn't about advocating for hunters to ignore private property rights. It's about making sure public lands remain accessible when they legally should be.

"I want other people to be able to enjoy public lands the same way I do," Farris told Cowboy State Daily.

To help, Farris has created an email address where hunters, anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts can report locations they believe may be incorrectly marked as private. 

He hopes to research each case using county records, state maps and conversations with local officials before forwarding legitimate concerns to the appropriate agencies.

"If we can streamline that process, maybe we can get some of these corrected," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Signs That Sparked Questions"}]

Farris said his interest in the issue began in 2024 while traveling in Carbon County.

A county road led toward national forest land, but along the route he encountered a sign declaring the road was crossed and private property.

"That was really what got me started in wondering how often this type of thing occurs," he said.

Since then, he said he has noticed similar situations in Carbon, Goshen and Laramie counties.

One example, he said, involved state land in Laramie County that was eventually reposted as public after previously being marked private.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Sometimes they won't be marked right,\" Farris said."}]

He said he also believes about 160 acres of state trust land within the historic Whitaker Ranch in Laramie County is marked in a way that could confuse visitors into believing it is entirely private.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Public Land Doesn't Always Mean Public Access"}]

Even when land is publicly owned, that doesn't necessarily mean the public can legally reach it.

That's one point emphasized by Rob Weppner of the Whitaker Ranch, where nearly 40,000 acres of ranchland include parcels of state trust land.

Weppner acknowledged there are "No Trespassing" and "No Hunting" signs throughout portions of the property.

"The disconnect that I see in our area — I talk to a lot of hunters — is that in various places there's state land," he said. "But to have state land (for hunting), you need to have public access to it."

Many state trust parcels are effectively landlocked, surrounded by private property that cannot legally be crossed without permission.

"Knowing which roads in this county are actually public is really challenging," Weppner said. "It's very difficult to know what's what, which roads actually have legal access and which roads don't."

He said while a county road passes through part of his ranch, portions beyond that become private property, making the transition difficult for visitors to identify.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Do Your Homework"}]

Farris said he never encourages people to ignore posted signs or assume property is public. Instead, he urges hunters to verify land ownership before setting foot on questionable ground.

"Don't take 'No Trespassing' signs at face value," he said. "Go home and do your research."

His first stop is typically OnX, the popular digital mapping platform widely used by hunters and outdoor recreationists.

Farris photographs signs he encounters in the field, then compares their locations with OnX mapping and the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments' GIS maps.

Because no mapping system is perfect, he said he compares multiple sources before drawing any conclusions.

 has been known to be off by a few yards, which is enough to potentially get users in trouble and charged with trespassing.

"It is important to check and get a clear answer from the state office before assuming it's public," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Honest Mistakes Happen"}]

Melissa DeFratis, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI), said the agency regularly fields questions about land ownership and public access, particularly before and during hunting season.

The office serves as the administrative arm of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, which oversees roughly 3.4 million acres of state trust land.

While DeFratis said it is not common for landowners to intentionally mark public land as private, she acknowledged it does happen.

She added that more often, misplaced signs are the result of honest mistakes, outdated information or confusion over property boundaries.

When questions arise, OSLI occasionally sends field staff to investigate and work with landowners to correct misplaced signs.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Complicated Landscape"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Boundary confusion isn't always the result of inaccurate maps."}]

Farris recalled one game warden telling him about a Goshen County landowner whose understanding of his property lines had been passed down through generations, based largely on where a relative decades earlier believed the boundary should be.

He also said he once was offered access to public land across private property — for a fee — which he declined.

Those experiences reinforced the need for better public understanding of Wyoming's complicated patchwork of federal, state and private lands, he said.

Rather than confronting landowners directly, Farris said he hopes his volunteer effort will encourage people to document questionable situations, verify the facts and work through the proper channels.

"I've seen this all over," he said. "If we can get the right information to the right people, hopefully we can clear up some of the confusion."

Private Road Sign Jon Farris 7 16 26

<title>Wyoming Hunter Wants To Clear Up Confusion Over Public Lands Marked ‘Private’ | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Wyoming hunter is on a mission to undo confusion after repeatedly encountering "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs where the public should legally be allowed. "Knowing which roads are actually public is really challenging,” said a landowner.

Wyoming Hunter Wants To Clear Up Confusion Over Public Lands Marked ‘Private’

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

 shook things up enough in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning for people 

The epicenter of the 7:20 a.m. earthquake was along the Grand Loop Road, south of Canyon Junction, at a depth of 6.53 kilometers. That’s just over 4 miles beneath the surface.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), at least 14 people reported feeling the earthquake within 30 miles of the epicenter. Its intensity was low, and there were no reports of damage.

The USGS categorized the earthquake as a III “Weak” on the Modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) scale. That means the quake’s energy would be noticeable but not much stronger than the vibrations caused by a large truck driving by.

It's not even the largest earthquake in Wyoming this week. A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was detected west of Rock Springs on Tuesday.

[{"type":"text","text":"Epicenter Experience"}]

Becky Benson of Mandan, North Dakota, was standing on Grizzly Hill in Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley when the earthquake occurred.

“There's a bison carcass out there,” she told Cowboy State Daily. "We were hoping to see wolves, so we were waiting for the fog to lift

Benson was looking through her spotting scope when she heard “what sounded like an explosion" that echoed through the valley.

[{"type":"text","text":"Everything went quiet. Then, the earth under her feet began to move."}]

“You could see some of the water down in the Yellowstone River swaying back and forth,” she said. “When it started to slow down, you could hear the rumbling going throughout the entire valley.”

The shaking would have been enough to knock Benson over, had she not grabbed onto something to steady herself. In this case, that was her nearest friend.

After “a little more than a minute that seemed like forever,” the shaking stopped.

Within a few minutes, a Yellowstone ranger arrived at the scene. She informed Benson and the others on Grizzly Hill that they had been standing over the epicenter of the Thursday morning earthquake.

“We were all shocked at the sound of it,” Benson said. “The ranger told us that we’d heard the beginning of the earthquake.”

” have been reported at the epicenters of several earthquakes, although there isn’t a universally accepted explanation as to why or how they happen.

Benson didn’t have being at the epicenter of an earthquake on her Yellowstone bucket list. She’s not keen to repeat the experience.

“I've never experienced anything like that, and hope to never experience that again,” she said. “I was quite shaken.”

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Yellowstone, one of the most tectonically active places in North America. According to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, there were 118 earthquakes detected in June alone.

Thursday morning’s magnitude 3.3 quake was Yellowstone’s largest of the year so far, but a few earthquakes of that magnitude are expected every year.

“Earthquakes that get into the magnitude 3 range are rare, but there are usually three to 10 of those in the Yellowstone area every year,” Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 

. “The vast majority of earthquakes are magnitude 2 and below.”

In 2025, there were 1,119 earthquakes located in and around Yellowstone. The largest quakes were three magnitude 3.7 events.

That was a “quiet year,” according to Poland. In an average year, there are between 1,500 and 2,500 earthquakes detected in Yellowstone.

[{"type":"text","text":"Catching The Feels"}]

When a magnitude 3.9 earthquake hit Yellowstone in January 2025, the largest quake in the park since 2023, it wasn’t even detected on 

 installed at the Wyoming Geological Survey's headquarters in Laramie.

"We were about 350 miles from the epicenter,” said geologist James Mauch. “It was a bit too far away and low in magnitude to detect in Laramie.”

According to Mauch, magnitude 3.0 earthquakes are “very typical activity for Yellowstone.” 

They might be slightly stronger than the average Yellowstone earthquake, but not strong enough to be unusual, he said.

“We typically get around five ‘felt’ earthquakes every year, so this is right in line with the average,” he said.

What the earthquake doesn’t indicate is any significant change in Yellowstone’s volcanic systems. Even at a depth of 4 miles, Thursday morning’s quake was too shallow to indicate anything volcanic, which is true for most of Yellowstone’s earthquakes.

“Because there are so many faults in the region and a lot of water moving around in the subsurface, Yellowstone is a recipe for lots and lots of earthquakes,” Poland said. “There’s nothing particularly anomalous about (a magnitude 3.3 earthquake), and none of these quakes are associated with any volcanic activity.”

Yellowstone Lake and earthquake Mauritius Images via Alamy 7 16 26

<title>Yellowstone Records Earthquake Thursday Morning, Tourist Hears Explosion At Epicenter | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake in Yellowstone on Thursday was felt by people as far away as 30 miles. One tourist, who was standing at the epicenter of the quake, said the earth under her feet shake and she heard a loud explosion. "We were shocked by the sound of it."

Yellowstone Records Earthquake Thursday Morning, Tourist Hears Explosion At Epicenter

Wildlife

Yellowstone National Park will spare the life of the bison that seriously hurt a 65-year-old grandpa from Washington. Park officials said “no management action” will be taken against the bison which means it won’t be relocated or euthanized.

Tuesday Morning Dance Party: Theory Of A Deadman -- Bad Girlfriend

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