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[{"type":"text","text":"No need to walk over the bridge when you can just jump the river..."}]

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

<title>You Still Here? Saturday, November 18, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

No need to walk over the bridge when you can just jump the river...

You Still Here? Saturday, November 18, 2023

 No need to walk over the bridge when you can just jump the river...

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

 SHERIDAN — Secretary of State Chuck Gray bashed data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator 

during a U.S. House forum and debate Tuesday night in Sheridan, 

Casper businessman Reid Rasner criticized Gray multiple times. Both philanthropist Steve Friess and Army Col. Kevin Christensen asserted that they’re leading the race with Gray.   

And a few candidates derided the significant wealth streaming into this race.

Wyoming Public Television (PBS) hosted the forum at Sheridan Community College. Both PBS and Wyoming Public Media streamed it.

PBS public affairs producer Steve Peck moderated the forum, which also featured a short debate phase. He warned candidates they should be civil and avoid prolonged challenges or pointed attacks on their opponents, or they’d be interrupted.

Cowboy State Daily and Wyoming Public Media panelists asked questions about whether Congress should legislate rules around license-plate reader cameras, and who is responsible for implementing artificial intelligence protection framework.

Gray answered both questions with repeated references to data centers, which are computer server warehouses that store data – including for AI – and are a flashpoint issue this election cycle.

“Well, I’m the only candidate on stage that has been talking about these data AI data centers and expressed my opposition to these AI data centers,” said Gray, who also referenced mandated kill switches in vehicles and automated workforces.

Other candidates have spoken of data centers, but only Gray has indicated a desire to ban them at the federal level from Washington, D.C.

Senate President Bo Biteman said the states shouldn’t be cut out of the ability to ban or approve data centers, and communities should have the most control over their local permitting decisions for them.

That has been Friess’s stance, and former U.S. Army ranger David Giralt echoed that approach Tuesday night also.

Rasner agreed with the local-control stance Tuesday night, and used the topic as a chance to deride Gray.

“And I find it very suspicious even our own secretary of state signed off on an AI data center less than 1 mile away from our nuclear facilities and (FE) Warren Air Force base,” said Rasner.

Gray interjected: “That’s false. That’s false.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"'When It's Your Turn'"}]

Rasner continued the critique. Gray turned to Peck and said, “I need to respond to that.”

“When it’s your turn to respond,” said Peck, “take the time then, please.”

“I can’t respond to false …" began Gray.

“You can respond when it’s your turn to respond next,” answered Peck.

Former President Joe Biden in a 2024 executive order announced that MineOne, a data center company “majority owned by Chinese nationals”, had bought land within one mile of the base at 635 Logistics Drive, Cheyenne.

The order calls Terra Crypto Inc, which was incorporated under Gray’s office in 2023, a subsidiary or affiliate of MineOne.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. investigated the business and identified national security risks, the order says. The Biden administration ordered the business to 

While Gray’s signature is on the business registration approval for Terra Crypto, he has repeatedly urged the Legislature to adopt stronger business-approval laws to restrict adversarial nations.

The Legislature reacted to the 2024 controversy by giving state law enforcement 

 potentially dangerous land transfers near critical infrastructure, and giving the secretary of state grounds to dissolve businesses owned or controlled by foreign adversaries.

Meanwhile, at the debate, Friess voiced fears of AI systems “going off the rails” and said the U.S. should also be aware of its tech race against China.

Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said the technology industry seeks framework and guidance from government, and said she’d work to develop that “as your congresswoman.”

Christensen said the nation needs to develop framework for ethical AI, but individuals and families also need to engage, communicate with their kids and be wary of the new landscape.

Giralt said Congress should do “hard work” to put data privacy protections in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Next, Sheridan Press government reporter Weston Pope asked candidates which of President Donald Trump’s executive orders they’d codify or discard.

Gray’s turn came last in that round, and after he listed his favored executive orders on election security, immigration enforcement and “stopping Wall Street housing speculation that has driven up housing costs,” he responded to Rasner.

“But, 20 minutes later,” said Gray, “I’m finally going to respond to this false statement from one of my opponents, who’s been making false statements for six months about me.”

Gray touted himself as the “strongest secretary of state in the nation on stopping China and North Korea.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Biteman Remembers That One Differently"}]

Nikki Ouellet, managing editor of Wyoming Public Media, asked Gray and Biteman how they’d be effective in Congress.

That was during a debate phase that pitted two candidates against each other at a time.

“Well I have a track record of this,” said Gray, pointing to his sponsorship of a successful bill directing medical staffers performing abortions to inform patients “of the opportunity” to view an ultrasound of the child and hear a heartbeat. 

Gray pointed to other legislative efforts on coal and election reform.

“What I learned during that time is that people respond to legislators with conviction, legislators that are approachable, have a sense of humor and are also authentic,” said Gray. “And that’s certainly what I am.”

He said other legislators are drawn to that.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Biteman voiced surprise."}]

“Well, that’s not the history I remember, serving with my good friend Chuck,” said Biteman, who’s on the final days of 10 years’ service in the Legislature.

“He developed a reputation of being a bully,” said Biteman of Gray. “He treated people roughly and he didn’t have the respect of his colleagues, because of the way he treated them.”

Gray responded, “Well, Biteman is wrong,” and said some lawmakers didn’t like that Gray would call for named, roll-call votes instead of voice majority.

In the next debate phase pitting Biteman against Rasner, Biteman answered a question about federal spending by saying the nation needs to start by finishing the “DOGE” mission of cutting waste, fraud and abuse.

Rasner responded by thanking Biteman for his service in the Legislature, and taking another dig at Gray.

Rasner said Gray in 2021 “voted to give tax breaks to big data centers right here in Wyoming, and usher them in.”

The vote was an attempt by then-Rep. Clark Stith to repeal Wyoming’s tax exemption for large data center projects. Gray had voted at the time to keep the tax exemption.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Gray addressed Peck again."}]

“Am I going to get to respond to that per your rules?” asked Gray. “Am I going to get to respond? Are you ever going to follow your rules?”

Peck answered, “I am following the rules, sir.”

“OK,” said Gray. “So I can’t respond? You said that …"

Peck interjected, “You’ll have another chance to speak during this round.”

“You’re not following your rules,” objected Gray.

“I am following the rules, I invite you to check them,” said Peck.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“You’re not,” said Gray."}]

“Do you want to continue, sir?” asked Peck.

Gray continued to lament that Peck was not following the rules.

Peck offered Biteman the chance to respond to Rasner’s remarks, as part of the two-man debate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“No, I’m good,” said Biteman."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The audience laughed. Some clapped."}]

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

Candidates diverged slightly at the two-word lightning round prompt of “Harriet Hageman.”

“She is terrible at responding to constituent letters,” said Dodson. The audience laughed.

Christensen said he disagrees with her on a number of things that Wyoming people didn’t support but finds her hard-working and dedicated to Wyoming.

Giralt said she’s doing an excellent job, and he’ll add his own priorities to the mix.

Biteman pivoted: “She’s a good cook and she makes a mean lasagna.”

Rasner called her a strong conservative and said he’s looking forward to working with her. Gray delivered similar praise.

Friess called her a friend and said she leaves “big shoes to fill.”

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

All candidates except Gray and Rasner indicated they’d leave the decision of whether to ban abortion in the hands of the states, with some echoing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the famous Dobbs case declaring a nationwide abortion access right unconstitutional.

Gray said he favors considering a national pro-life policy. Rasner simply said he’s “100% pro-life.”

That was during the lightning round, where short answers were required. Friess in prior forums has called for codifying the “Mexico City Rule,” to ban use of federal aid funds on abortion globally.

Giralt in past forums has called for codifying the Hyde amendment, to ban the use of federal dollars for abortion.

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

During closing statements, Friess asserted that the polling shows it’s a two-man race. Friess pivoted late last month to presenting himself as a candidate who can beat Gray, and whom anti-Gray Republicans should back in the election.

Balow shook her head when Friess reiterated the “two-man race” assertion Tuesday.

Balow and Rasner both pointed to their deep Wyoming roots as multi-generational residents of the Cowboy State. Giralt referenced his experience helping to craft laws as a congressional staffer.

Biteman pointed to his career in the Legislature.

“I’m a people person. I get along well with people. I build coalitions,” said Biteman. “Talk is cheap; you need to send someone to Washington, D.C., that’s actually done everything that’s being talked about on this stage.”

Biteman gestured with both index fingers pointed outward toward Gray and Rasner.

Gray asserted the race is actually a two-man race between him and Christensen, but that Christensen is “much too liberal.”

Christensen agreed with the claim that he’s a frontrunner but countered on the “liberal” allegation, calling himself a Reagan/Bush-era, traditional conservative.

“I’ve led people in combat. I’ve influenced … the Armed Services Committees,” said Christensen, also pointing to his work as a federal public-lands manager in Wyoming.

“You can see the stark differences between us: who can work with people, and who can’t,” said Christensen of himself and Gray.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Dodson urged people to vote,"}]

“Anybody up here can win,” he said. “If you think your candidate has no chance you’re wrong.” 

[{"type":"text","text":"In Hindsight …"}]

On Wednesday, Gray and Rasner both asserted via Facebook post that they’d won the debate.

Giralt thanked PBS for hosting. Biteman posted a link to the full debate Tuesday.

Christensen authored a post expounding one of his short, lightning-round answers.

[{"type":"text","text":"The primary election is Aug. 18. "}]

Debate grey biteman rasner best

<title>Chuck Gray Hammers Data Centers, Clashes With Host At U.S. House Forum | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Secretary of State Chuck Gray brought up data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator during a U.S. House forum Tuesday night in Sheridan. Reid Rasner criticized Gray, while multiple candidates claimed to be leading the race.

Chuck Gray Hammers Data Centers, Clashes With Host At U.S. House Forum

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

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

Penny Counts was showing her boyfriend around the Alcova area on Sunday when she saw something she’d never seen: someone bungee jumping in Fremont Canyon.

“We just happened to be out there when that guy was up on that rock,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I saw him rigging up, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! He’s gonna try jumping!' And he made the jump, swinging back and forth and hollering all the way.”

Counts filmed the jump with her phone. She said watching it was “insane.”

“The video doesn't give justice to how steep that canyon is,” she said. “Somebody to actually want to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane. I was worried he’d swing back and smack into the wall, but he knew what he was doing.”

Amid her shock and surprise, Counts admitted it’s something she might have tried in her youth.

“If I were younger, I'd have tried it, but I guess I lost my Peter Pan complex a long time ago,” she said. “But not now. Broken bones and bad wishes on that one.”

Bungee jumpers continue to leap off the 112-foot bridge despite a tragic and notorious history that goes back more than 50 years when a young girl was pushed to her death in 1973, and her sister died at the same spot nearly 20 years later.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bungee Glee"}]

Like many outdoor recreation activities, bungee jumping is becoming increasingly popular in Wyoming.

Eric Lyman is the owner of Over The Edge Bungee in Idaho Falls, Idaho. For several years he has taken people to bungee jump off the Fremont Canyon Bridge, a span 112 feet above the North Platte River about 40 miles southwest of Casper.

“We're always looking for new bridges,” he said. “I had a friend that lived there who stumbled on that bridge and sent me a picture. I was there a month later, and that’s that.”

Over The Edge Bungee travels to bridges in several states to provide optimal experiences.

As bungee jumping becomes more popular, more people are looking for a memorable experience. That’s been the foundation of Lyman’s business for 35 years.

“The beauty of bungee jumping is that you jump from a complete standstill in perfect silence,” he said. “It’s not an airplane that's buzzing at 100 miles an hour. We pick up where skydiving leaves off.  It’s just a great experience.”

Lyman described the Fremont Canyon Bridge as ideal for bungee jumping. There’s low traffic, incredible scenery, and the bridge is an excellent overhead anchor for his retrieval systems.

Beyond that, the same things that made bungee jumping so insane from Counts’ perspective enhance the experience.

“It’s a fairly narrow canyon,” Lyman said. “When you jump, the bottom drops out a lot faster, and the peripheral views intensify the free fall even more. The ground rush experience is intensified, since you can see the water coming straight at you. There's a nice deceleration before you get there, a bounce that shoots you up underneath the bridge, and another big bounce just as lively as the first.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Freedom To Jump"}]

Lyman visits Fremont Canyon once or twice a year for bungee jumping, but not just because it’s a long haul from Idaho Falls.

“We've got a lot of other bridges, here and there, that we jump as well,” he said. “When we come out to Casper, we’re there to see the great things in that area. It’s our way of sharing something we do with the locals.”

That’s not to say that someone has to wait for Lyman to go bungee jumping off the Fremont County Bridge. That’s another perk of the bridge and the experience.

“It’s not illegal, and nobody’s asking for a permit,” he said. “It’s pretty straightforward. You have the anchor right above where you intend to jump, so it's easier to calculate the range and know where you’re going to be.”

Lyman wasn’t anywhere near Fremont Canyon on Sunday, so whoever was bungee jumping there was with another outfit or on their own. He and his clients also jump straight off the bridge, rather than the canyon wall.

“What (the man in the video) was doing was a pendulum swing,” he said. “We do those on occasion, but not at this bridge. When we jump, you climb over the rail of the bridge. It’s awkward and scary, without a lot of fanfare, and then you jump.”

To each their own. Lyman can see the allure of a pendulum swing, but thinks Fremont Canyon offers a thrilling-enough experience with a traditional jump.

“That's a unique-enough activity in the area that people are pretty anxious to give it a try,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not Jumping The Gun"}]

There’s another reason why Lyman limits his Fremont Canyon trips. The area is a largely undiscovered gem, and he would like to keep it that way.

“We're not interested in mass production,” he said. “I think there would be a lot more demand if we got the word out, but we don’t let it. It’s still an adventure, not an assembly line or amusement park.”

The Fremont County Bridge is a notoriously tragic symbol to Casper residents as the spot where Amy Burridge, 11, was 

Her sister, Becky, was violently assaulted and pushed off the bridge as well. She survived, only to die at the same spot on July 31, 1992.

[{"type":"text","text":"That tragedy is what brought Counts to the area Sunday."}]

“I've always considered it a bridge of tragedy,” she said. “I was showing my boyfriend what had happened out there and how far the drop was.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That said, Counts wasn’t taken aback by the bungee jumper."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“It was mind-blowing because I’d never seen it before,” she said."}]

 of and sensitive to the bridge’s tragic symbolism, but he said he feels it’s a place where many others have and continue to find happiness through outdoor recreation. One can be respectful of the past while finding memorable moments for themselves, family, and friends in the present.

“There’s camping, boating, and climbing in Fremont Canyon,” he said. “Lots of people do swings and climb on the walls. I feel (bungee jumping) fits right into the crowd and their level of adventure.”

From his experience, Lyman described Casper as “a pretty adventurous crowd.” He’s sure he could find a lot more business offering more bungee jumping off the bridge, but he has no intention of doing so, both out of respect for the bridge’s history and the desire to keep the experience special. 

“I don’t think we’d ever be overrun in that spot, but we don’t want that,” he said. “Fremont Canyon is a very positive area with a lot of great activities, and bungee jumping fits right in.”

Bungee Fremont Bridge Screenshot 2026 08 05 at 3 16 36 PM 8 5 26

<title>Tragic History Doesn’t Keep Bungee Jumpers From Leaping Off Fremont Canyon Bridge | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Bungee jumpers keep leaping off the Fremont Canyon Bridge or the cliffs below it despite a tragic history that goes back 50 years. “Somebody to actually want to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane,” said a woman who got video of a jumper.

Tragic History Doesn’t Keep Bungee Jumpers From Leaping Off Fremont Canyon Bridge

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Wildlife

A federal campaign to kill nearly a half-million barred owls in the Pacific Northwest to save threatened spotted owls continues, even though the recent lifting of protections for spotted owl habitat defeats the entire purpose, an animal welfare advocate says. 

It’s costing the government roughly $3,000 per bird to have barred owls shot, Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Centre for a Humane Economy, told Cowboy State Daily. 

And with a recent move to weaken the habitat protection element of the Endangered Species Act, it could be all for nothing if spotted owls’ old-growth forest habitat gets logged, he added. 

Meanwhile, Wyoming’s barred owl population appears to be growing and might include four pairs in the Grand Teton area, Bryan Bedrosian, conservation director at the Teton Raptor Centre, told Cowboy State Daily. 

There’s virtually no chance spotted owls will ever come to Wyoming, he added. 

That means that Wyoming’s barred owls are safe from getting shotgunned to protect spotted owls.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What’s the Point Now?"}]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) sparked controversy in early 2025 by rolling out a plan for permitted shooters into Pacific Northwest coastal forests to 

. They’re larger than spotted owls and reportedly have been hogging their food.   

A new wrinkle was added in July, when FWS finalized a scaling back of habitat protections under the ESA. 

Effective Sept. 14, the change rescinds the regulatory definition of "harm", eliminating blanket protections for threatened species, and streamlines critical habitat exclusions.

Pacelle said rescinding “harm” from the ESA could throw spotted owl habitat open for logging.

In essence, barred owls are being “framed” for damage spotted owls are suffering from habitat loss, he said. 

What’s more, he argues that the killing program is expensive. 

The Hoppa Valley Tribe received a $4.5 million grant to kill 1,500 barred owls, Pacelle said. 

That’s about $3,000 for each owl shot, he said.

A request for comment from FWS wasn’t answered by publication time. 

Barred owls are originally from the eastern United States, but they’ve been moving west, claiming new territory. 

In the Pacific Northwest, they’ve been dubbed an “invasive species", which has been used to justify killing them, Pacelle said.

However, he says it’s more a case of the species naturally expanding its territory. 

Bedrosian said little is known about the history of barred owls in Wyoming. Another species, the great grey owl, is native to the state. 

Great grey owls, barred owls and spotted owls all belong to the same family, he said.

Barred owls are smaller than great grey owls but they’re also more aggressive, he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hearty Eaters"}]

Two known nesting pairs of barred owls in Wyoming are known. One produced offspring two years ago, Bedrosian said. 

Researchers recently discovered evidence of barred owl activity in two additional territories, which might indicate two more pairs have moved in, he added.

Researchers have captured four barred owls and placed radio transmitters on them to track their movements. 

They’ve also set up recording devices in the barred owl's territories. 

Recordings help researchers determine “species richness” or the number of different species in an area, he said. 

And it will also help determine if “there are any species of songbirds, or other birds, that are avoiding the barred owls,” he said. 

Barred owls are voracious opportunists, Bedrosian said. 

“They eat reptiles, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small rodents,” he said. 

Barred owl inset with spotted owls 1 7 25

<title>Feds Continue With Plan To Save Spotted Owls By Killing Nearly 500,000 Other Owls | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal campaign to kill nearly a half-million barred owls in the Pacific Northwest to save threatened spotted owls continues, even though recent lifting of protections for spotted owl habitat defeats the entire purpose, an animal welfare advocate says.

Feds Continue With Plan To Save Spotted Owls By Killing Nearly 500,000 Other Owls

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Around Wyoming

For much of the summer, residents in Pinedale watched smoke drift into western Wyoming from fires burning hundreds of miles away.

[{"type":"text","text":"Tuesday night, the smoke finally came from their own backyard."}]

A wildfire burning in timber west of Pinedale in the Wyoming Range has grown to nearly 450 acres and is expected to bring forest closures. "I can't see the Wyoming Range from my house," said a Pinedale photographer Wednesday about smoke in the area.

You Still Here? Saturday, November 18, 2023

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