Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Now let's all watch a bunny eating a pomegranate..."}]

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

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, June 18, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Now let's all watch a bunny eating a pomegranate....

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 18, 2023

 Now let's all watch a bunny eating a pomegranate...

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

Greg Johnson

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

CHEYENNE — Velma Wilson felt a wash of emotion that nearly had her in tears when she walked through the gates of the new Morning Star American Indian Village at Cheyenne Frontier Days on Friday.

A turquoise jewelry maker from the reservation in northern Arizona, Wilson said she wasn’t expecting to find a completely rebuilt, reimagined and elevated campus dedicated to Native American culture.

“When I first came in this morning, I was really moved,” said Wilson, who has been a fixture at the village for 26 years. “I got emotional, because this is so amazing and the (transformation) is almost unbelievable.”

As the new $10 million Morning Star American Indian Village celebrated its grand opening Friday on the first day of the 2026 Cheyenne Frontier Days, Wilson said that she and other Native Americans appreciate the transformation more than most visitors.

“You look around and what this is now and it’s really like, you know, it’s like somebody appreciates you,” Wilson said. “For years here, the Indian Village seemed like an afterthought, which is kind of what (American) history has been.”

She described setting up her booth in previous years “in a shed that was falling apart, so when it rained, water came through our roof. We had to put plastic on all our stuff to protect it.”

Then she made a grand, encompassing sweep of her arms and said that she's overwhelmed by the facility that includes new vendor spaces, rows of teepees and a grand centerpiece dance arbor that Wilson said honors her culture.

“It’s like, I can’t believe this is for us,” she said. “I was skeptical at the beginning when they were building this, but all my skepticism just all went away when I came in here.”

[{"type":"text","text":"It’s easy to see why."}]

Rebranded the Morning Star Indian Village, the winding walkways, brick vendor booths and meaningful artwork have created a new destination for Cheyenne and CFD.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"More Than A Tourist Trap"}]

In Native American culture, the Morning Star is a powerful force, representing new beginnings, said “Yellowstone” actor and frequent visitor to the Indian Village, Mo Brings Plenty.

He was the emcee of the village’s Friday grand opening, weaving humor and passion into his appreciation for the new Morning Star Indian Village.

“Years ago, this began with cowboys and Indians,” he said. “And today, what I love about this place is it maintains its tradition. We still have cowboys and Indians.”

The centerpiece of the village is an impressive dance arbor — a sunken, circular arena lined with 36 huge 18-inch fir posts that look like they’ll be there for another century.

It’s a fitting place for Native American dances, ceremonies and for family, said Wyoming state Rep. Ivan Posey, who’s an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.

“Oh, this is beautiful,” he told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “I walked through here this morning, and it’s impressive.”

He explained that the arbor is a circle for a reason; it symbolizes unity and family. During the grand opening ceremony, Posey performed a traditional cedar healing ceremony.

He also echoed Wilson in saying the new village “was probably a long time coming, but it’s here. This arbor is a great piece of work. It’s going to transcend those songs and dances to people … and give us an ability as tribal people to share that.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘You Got To Dream Bigger Than That’"}]

The vision for Morning Star began with Jackson resident and businessman B. Wayne Hughes Jr. and his wife, Molly, through their Hughes Foundation.

They came to Cheyenne Frontier Days officials and said, “What can we do to help you guys?” said CFD CEO Tom Hirsig. “So, they walked around and we said, ‘Well, there’s things we want to do.’”

Upgrading and rebuilding the Indian Village wasn’t one of those things, he added.

“Then they went to the Indian Village and they said, ‘This is what we want to help with. We want to improve this Indian Village,'” Hirsig said. “Wow, that’s exciting, because that’s something that really wasn’t in our plan, to put a lot of money into the Native American village.”

Cheyenne Frontier Days put together a $1 million makeover plan and took it to the couple.

“Wayne looked at us and said, ‘You got to dream bigger than that,’” Hirsig said.

That dream turned out 10 times bigger with a $10 million investment into the village.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Felt The Need’"}]

Much of Friday’s ceremony was spent thanking the Hughes Foundation and the couple, who were visibly moved by what the new village means for Wyoming and Native American culture.

“You know, this is a hell of a time to choke up,” said Wayne, who also owns Cowboy State Daily.

Then he pulled out folded sheets of yellow paper and smoothed them with his hand while explaining how he would rather listen to speeches than give them.

“I usually wait until the last minute for this kind of thing, but this might be the last big speech I ever give,” he said as the crowd laughed. “Hopefully, it will be. I’m going to see if I can get through it.”

He told the several hundred gathered in a circle in and around the dance arbor that it’s humbling to see the results of years of planning and hard work by a lot of people.

“You know, walking into this place and seeing the dreams and the visions of everybody involved come to fruition is truly a blessing,” Wayne said. “And Molly and I are blessed to be here.

“We’re blessed to be citizens of Wyoming, and I just want to welcome all of you.”

He also recalled that day four years ago when he toured the Frontier Days grounds looking for opportunities to help.

“I was given a daylong tour of stadiums and barns and bleachers and building displays,” he said. “And along the way, (Wyoming Supreme Court) Justice Lynne Boomgaarden said, ‘Hey, take a look at Indian Village.’”

Being part Cherokee, Wayne said that he “felt the need … to recognize them in a way that they deserved. I was touched by the culture, and the culture touched me.

“Morning Star American Indian Village is now … truly a shining morning star,” he added. “And all the world can visit. It’s yours to share. Share it with your family, share it with your community and to commune with God.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘The Way It Should Be’"}]

Count Kathie Selden as one Cheyenne local who’s more than impressed with the new village.

She lives near the Cheyenne Frontier Days grounds and has been busting with curiosity for months as construction was underway.

“To get in here and see what all they were doing, it’s incredible,” Selden said. “I just walked in and it’s wonderful. I’ve been driving by for months wondering.”

[{"type":"text","text":"She said the village is now appropriate to what it represents."}]

“This is the way it should be, and we should have the support of our community as well as the First Nation community because the First Nations are the ones that this is about,” Selden said.

Her friend Lindi Kirkbride added that before, “the Indian Village seemed kind of stuck in the corner” of the CFD campus.

“Now it’s this kind of showcase, and that’s the way it should be,” she said. “It’s a statement of values rather than just, you know, this is outside everything else going on with the concerts and the rodeo and everything.”

The grand opening of the Morning Star village is just the beginning, Wayne said.

[{"type":"text","text":"“By the way,” he told the crowd. “There’s more to be done.”"}]

Wayne and Indian Village 7 17 26

<title>‘The Way It Should Be’: New $10M Indian Village Opens At Cheyenne Frontier Days | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The new $10 million Morning Star American Indian Village opened Friday for the first day of Cheyenne Frontier Days. Visitors said they were astonished by the transformation. "I got emotional, because this is so amazing," a Native American visitor said.

‘The Way It Should Be’: New $10M Indian Village Opens At Cheyenne Frontier Days

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Activists want the famous Mollie’s Pack spared from hunters this fall and say the matter is, once again, drawing worldwide attention to Wyoming’s wolf management policy.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday followed the Game and Fish Department’s recommendation and voted to approve a 20-wolf quota for the 2026 hunting season. Most hunts run from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31.

Prior to the vote, Lisa Robertson of Wyoming Untrapped and Marke Cooke of Wolves of the Rockies called in to the meeting via Zoom and admonished the commission to carve out an exception for Wolf Hunt Area 1, where the Mollie’s Pack is.

The commission unanimously approved the wolf hunting seasons as recommended, including for Area 1.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Mollie’s Pack Leaves Park"}]

Included in the 20-wolf quota are four tags in Wolf Hunt Areas 1 and 2 (Clarks Fork, North Fork).

For most of its 31-year history, the Mollie’s Pack has lived within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, where hunting is prohibited.

However, the pack strayed outside the park, probably late last year.

The Mollie’s Pack is denning and raising pups on the Shoshone National Forest, in Wolf Hunt Area 1.

Wolf advocates worry that members of the pack could get shot this fall, particularly Wolf 1090F. At age 12, she’s the oldest living Yellowstone wolf and has gained a global fan base.

The Mollie’s Pack is thought to be the first pack to form in Yellowstone, in 1995, shortly after wolves were reintroduced into the park. It was originally called the Crystal Creek Pack.

In 2000, the pack was renamed the Mollie’s Pack. That was in honor of the late Mollie Beattie, the first woman director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Emails From All Over"}]

Robertson and Cooke told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that they, and many others, haven’t given up on trying to save the Mollie’s Pack.

Wyoming Untrapped is leading a social media campaign to keep pressure on the Game and Fish Commission to change its stance. Wolves of the Rockies and other groups are joining in.

Robertson said the matter will likely be brought up again at the commission’s next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 21 and 22 in Evanston.

Commissioner Carlisle "Fonzy" Haskell said he’s received "dozens of emails" about the Mollie’s Pack, including some from across the United States and other countries.

He doesn’t think the campaign will die down anytime soon but isn’t certain if, or how, it might affect any decisions from the commission.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"What Could the Forest Service Do?"}]

Robertson is encouraging people to reach out to the Shoshone National Forest headquarters in Cody.

The Forest Service could possibly order that cattle on grazing leases there be moved away from the Mollie’s Pack to avoid any possible conflicts, she said.

And she thinks there’s a chance that the Forest Service could halt wolf hunting in that area.

There could be precedent for that. A similar move has been attempted before, albeit unsuccessfully.

In the spring of 2023, environmental groups sued to have the Forest Service declare a "no-kill zone" for wolves on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, near the Colorado-Wyoming state line.

That was proposed to protect wolves crossing into Wyoming from Colorado.

The Forest Service has authority to shut down wolf hunting in its jurisdiction—and indeed at one time shut down prairie dog shooting in parts of Wyoming, the Center for Biological Diversity claimed at the time.

A message left at Shoshone National Forest headquarters on Friday wasn’t returned by publication time.

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

The growing controversy over the Mollie’s Pack mirrors that over Daniel resident Cody Roberts running a wolf over with a snowmobile and then capturing, torturing and killing the animal in February 2024, Robertson said.

The push to save the Mollie’s Pack, especially Wolf 1090F, is gaining momentum, she said.

"This is an extreme situation, something nobody expected. We need to address this now, not later," she said.

"A $27 wolf tag could take her life, and the pack’s life, with a long-range rifle," Robertson added.

The Mollie’s Pack not only has great social value, it’s "the most studied wolf pack in history" and could still offer a wealth of scientific knowledge about wolves, she said.

Cooke said the goal isn’t to shut down the 2026 wolf hunting season altogether, but rather to push the commission to at least suspend hunting in Area 1 to ensure the pack’s safety.

He said that Wyoming and his home state of Montana have gained a reputation for being overly aggressive toward wolves and other predators.

"The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission botched an opportunity" to boost the state’s reputation by moving to spare the Mollie’s Pack, Cooke said.

 wolves have huge value for the tourism industry.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"'Humans They’ve Never Met'"}]

Haskell said he understands the tourism value of Wyoming’s wildlife, including wolves.

However, wildlife policy must be guided by the best available science, not sentimentality, he said.

"Do we not take the science into consideration just because it doesn’t match your socio-political viewpoint?" he said.

"I think that’s a risk we run into when we try to humanize or name animals and make them somehow more special than other wolf packs," Haskell said.

"They (wolves) are a species of animal that doesn’t know they’ve been named by humans they’ve never met," he said.

He said that during Tuesday’s commission meeting, he was satisfied by the explanation from Ken Mills, a Game and Fish large carnivore biologist and wolf management specialist, regarding whether the Mollie’s Pack has special scientific value.

Mills indicated that all packs have equal value in that regard.

Haskell noted that some Wyoming animals, such as Grizzly 399, have gained celebrity status, particularly with the advent of social media.

Game and Fish field personnel should work according to hard science, Haskell said. That leaves the department’s top administrators and the Game and Fish Commission to deal with controversy or politics regarding wildlife.

The commission wants all sectors of the public to have a voice while also respecting the hard work and scientific approach of the Game and Fish Department, he said.

Game and Fish is obligated by state statute, in agreement with the FWS, to maintain a population of at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs in the state’s trophy game zone for wolves—adjacent to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, he said.

Mills and other Game and Fish biologists demonstrated a good plan to have at least 160 wolves and 13 or 14 breeding pairs by the end of the year, Haskell said.

Mollies pack 7 17 26

<title>Oldest Yellowstone Wolf Pack Strays Into Hunt Area, Activists Want Pack Protected | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Mollie’s Pack is Yellowstone's oldest wolf pack and includes the famous Wolf 1090F. The pack has strayed outside the park into a Wyoming wolf hunt area, and activists worry that 1090F will be shot this fall. They are requesting the pack be protected.

Oldest Yellowstone Wolf Pack Strays Into Hunt Area, Activists Want Pack Protected

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

More than 50 years after he admitted using dynamite to blow up a Fremont County undersheriff's patrol car, and nearly four decades after federal prosecutors convicted him of running a major methamphetamine trafficking enterprise, Alfred "Buzz" Apodaca is once again headed to federal prison.

Apodaca, 72, of Riverton, was sentenced July 6 to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne.

The sentence closes a case that began with a 

 by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Fremont County.

Federal prosecutors say investigators identified Apodaca as one of the area's primary meth suppliers. Agents completed two controlled purchases totaling more than 52 grams of methamphetamine before executing search warrants on his pickup, camper trailer and storage unit.

The searches uncovered about four pounds of methamphetamine, more than 1.6 pounds of marijuana, drug distribution materials, records of suspected drug transactions and two loaded handguns. Because Apodaca is a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Apodaca was indicted Sept. 16, 2025, and pleaded guilty April 14. The investigation involved DCI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.

For many longtime Wyoming residents, Apodaca's name is inseparable from one of the state's most infamous crimes.

As a teenager in 1973, he admitted planting dynamite that destroyed the Fremont County undersheriff's patrol car. The explosion became one of the most memorable acts of violence against law enforcement in Wyoming history. No one was injured.

The bombing cemented Apodaca's notoriety, but it wasn't the end of his criminal record.

In the early 1980s, federal authorities accused him of leading a large methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution operation spanning central Wyoming.

In 1988, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his convictions under the federal Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute — often referred to as the federal "drug kingpin" law — finding prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence that he organized or supervised at least five participants in the operation.

[{"type":"text","text":"Back In Federal Court"}]

Federal authorities say the latest investigation showed Apodaca had returned to trafficking methamphetamine decades after those earlier convictions.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the evidence recovered during the searches demonstrated continued drug distribution activity, along with illegal firearm possession by a convicted felon.

U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said repeat offenders remain a priority for federal prosecutors.

"Methamphetamine traffickers who repeatedly ignore the law will be held fully accountable," Smith said in a statement. "This defendant's lengthy criminal history, combined with his continued trafficking of dangerous drugs while illegally possessing firearms, posed a serious threat to Wyoming communities."

ATF Special Agent in Charge Chris Ashbridge said the case highlighted cooperation among federal, state and local investigators.

"Firearms are all too frequently used by violent offenders to facilitate other illicit crimes," Ashbridge said. "This case is a prime example of how seamless collaboration with our local and federal partners delivers significant sentences and tangible results that builds safer communities."

With the sentence now imposed, Apodaca will spend the next decade in federal prison.

Mix Collage 17 Jul 2026 01 32 PM 3549

<title>Decades After Bombing A Patrol Car With Dynamite, Riverton Man Back To Prison For Meth | Cowboy State Daily</title>

More than 50 years after he admitted using dynamite to blow up a Fremont County patrol car, and four decades after being convicted of running a major methamphetamine trafficking enterprise, Buzz Apodaca, 72, is once again headed to federal prison.

Decades After Bombing A Patrol Car With Dynamite, Riverton Man Back To Prison For Meth

 to bring a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl back to Wyoming has pleaded no-contest to three felony charges, ending the criminal case short of trial and leaving prosecutors free to seek the maximum possible sentence.

Christopher Steven Gravenmier, 31, entered no-contest pleas Wednesday in Lincoln County District Court to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count of kidnapping.

Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred and Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Ember Oakley prosecuted the case.

Rather than agreeing to a negotiated prison term, the plea leaves sentencing open, allowing both sides to argue for the punishment they believe is appropriate.

"We're really pleased with this because we can argue up to the maximum," Oakley told Cowboy State Daily. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Sentencing is scheduled for July 29."}]

If the court orders the sentences to run consecutively, Gravenmier faces mandatory prison terms of 25 to 50 years on each of the two first-degree sexual abuse convictions, along with up to 20 years on the kidnapping conviction — a combined maximum of 120 years in prison.

[{"type":"text","text":"No-Contest Plea "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Several other felony counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement."}]

Although a no-contest plea differs procedurally from a guilty plea, it has the same legal effect in a criminal case.

"'No-contest' is legally the same as a guilty plea," Allred said. "No-contest pleas basically mean the defendant does not contest the charges against him, but it acts the exact same way as a guilty plea. He's still convicted of those counts. It's procedural. He says, 'I don't contest those charges,' but it acts the same way as a guilty plea."

By entering the plea, Gravenmier gave up his constitutional right to a trial, and the case now moves directly to sentencing.

[{"type":"text","text":"Taken From Home"}]

 April 22 when the girl, who had been reported missing from Oklahoma days earlier, called her grandmother from a Wyoming gas station and said she had been abducted.

Investigators initially encountered Gravenmier after the girl said she had borrowed his cellphone. But once she was safe, authorities say she identified him as the man who had brought her to Wyoming.

The girl told investigators she had communicated with Gravenmier for months on Snapchat before he drove from Kemmerer to Oklahoma. She alleged he told her he knew where she lived, prompting her to leave home with him because she feared what might happen if she refused.

Prosecutors allege Gravenmier drove the girl back to Wyoming, where he sexually abused her during the trip and after arriving in Kemmerer. Charging documents also allege he threatened her, attempted to prevent anyone from tracking her cellphone and warned her not to report what had happened.

Gravenmier was arrested later that day and charged with multiple felony counts. Several of those charges were dismissed as part of Wednesday's plea agreement.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police Station"}]

At the police station, Gravenmier admitted to investigators that he had driven to Oklahoma and picked up the girl several days earlier.

The affidavit says agents noticed that he became "very emotional" during questioning and appeared nervous, grabbing at his shirt, wiping his face and developing a noticeably dry mouth.

[{"type":"text","text":"After requesting an attorney, the interview ended."}]

While investigators obtained search warrants for his home and vehicle, Gravenmier remained at the police station.

The affidavit states he was crying, slumped over in his chair and told agents he was "really sorry for what happened."

Gravenmeier and Lincoln County courthouse 4 30 26 1

<title>Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Kemmerer man accused of driving 16 hours to Oklahoma to bring a 12-year-old girl back to Wyoming pleaded no-contest to kidnapping and two sex abuse charges and now faces up to 120 years in jail. The affidavit said he told police he was "really sorry."

Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest

Wildlife

A study of levels of the stress hormone cortisol in cattle exposed to wolves in California suggest that just having wolves around stresses the cows.

Ranchers in Wyoming and California told Cowboy State Daily that the study’s apparent findings don't reveal anything that they didn’t already know.

And, they said, it bolsters ranchers’ longstanding argument that the cost to them of having wolves around goes well beyond just the price of the cows the predators kill.

 found that cortisol levels in hair samples from cows indicate that cattle exposed to wolves experienced different levels of seasonal cortisol fluctuation, compared to those not exposed to wolves.  

“Our study provides the first evidence of disrupted cortisol regulation in beef cattle exposed to gray wolf presence, measured through hair cortisol analysis. Our preliminary findings reveal important research gaps for understanding predator reintroduction ecology,” according to the authors.

“These preliminary results point toward a potential physiological mechanism by which predator reintroduction may indirectly affect prey, with implications for understanding how recovering carnivores could influence prey physiology, animal welfare, and productivity,” the authors stated.

All that is a fancy way of saying that having wolves around can cause fear to ripple through a cattle herd, said Mitch Benson, who ranches near the Wind River Indian Reservation.

“I think it took somebody with credentials to draft a story,” for the matter to gain attention, said Benson, who has seen the study.

“We ranchers have known about this for years. Why do you think our great-great grandfathers eradicated them (wolves)?” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘In La-La Land’"}]

Ranchers in Sierra County, in northeast California, admonished state wildlife officials last spring that they were 

 by a wolf pack that had settled there and started attacking cattle.

Wolves had been gone from California for about a century when they started drifting in from Oregon on their own in 2011.

The state now has several established wolf packs. Another recent study, apart from the one done on cattle cortisol levels, suggests that California wolves have been feeding mostly on cattle.

Paul Roen is a county official and rancher in Sierra County.

During a telephone interview with Cowboy State Daily on Thursday, he said that while the wolf pack was there, ranchers reported 160 attacks on cattle, 94 of which were confirmed to be wolf kills.

Unlike ranchers in Wyoming, California ranchers aren’t allowed to shoot wolves.

State wildlife agents last fall killed four of the eight wolves thought to be there.

“The killing of cattle stopped immediately. That night,” Roen said.

“Anybody who says that lethal removal (of wolves) is not part of the solution is in la-la land,” he said.

The surviving wolves fled when the four were killed. But at least one of them might have returned and started attacking cattle again, Roen added.

California had a fund to compensate ranchers for cattle killed by wolves, but it was drained in “about 45 days,” he said.

Ranchers in Wyoming said a new study that shows cattle get stressed out by wolves is something they've been saying all along. “We ranchers have known about this for years. Why do you think our great-great grandfathers eradicated them?" one rancher said.

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 18, 2023

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