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Thanksgiving 1997: The glorious day that Barney the Dinosaur was killed...

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

<title>You Still Here? Bonus: Barney Gets Killed Edition: Friday, November 24, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

You Still Here? Bonus: Barney Gets Killed Edition: Friday, November 24, 2023

 Thanksgiving 1997: The glorious day that Barney the Dinosaur was killed...

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

Greg Johnson

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

RAWLINS — Six weeks ago, Carbon County Sheriff’s Sgt. Zach Burns was fighting for his life in the dirt parking lot of a Baggs apartment building after 

 from a gunman who later died in a shootout with law enforcement.

Wednesday, he was discharged from a Colorado hospital and got a hero’s welcome as he was escorted roughly 230 miles home by a long procession of law enforcement representing agencies across two states.

 streets through downtown Rawlins were lined with pockets of people who paused their workdays to wave and yell as Burns was driven by with a loud chorus of sirens following.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” said local resident Deanna Deffenbaugh about the turnout. “We take care of our own around here.

“Anytime an officer has gotten hurt in the line of duty — even his family — we get the community involved to step up and help take care of them.”

Deffenbaugh said she doesn’t know the Burns family personally, “but that doesn’t matter. If they’re willing to put their lives at risk for us, we need to take care of them.”

Maybe Deffenbaugh doesn’t know Burns, his wife and two young children, but the folks at the Carbon County Courthouse do. He’s their courtroom bailiff, said Jo Rieger, who had staked out a small patch of shade along 3

“Woo-hoo. He’s coming home!” she shouted. “This is cool and very inspiring. He deserves it. He deserves the biggest hero’s welcome ever.”

For Micah Johnson, who also works with Burns at the courthouse, Wednesday was 

, when Burns took bullets in the neck, arm and hip.

“You fear the worst when you first hear about that, you know?” he said. “I think a lot of us were just waiting to hear any kind of piece of news, right? Then I saw the post that he’s coming home today.”

He was referring to a Facebook post Sheriff Alex Bakken made earlier Wednesday telling people that Burns had been discharged from a Colorado hospital and was on his way home.

At 3:31 p.m., the small groups stationed at street corners and in front of the Carbon Building on the corner of 3

 and Pine streets began to cheer as they heard the sirens blaring louder, along with a medical helicopter circling the procession.

“There he is. I see him,” said a woman in the crowd as a Carbon County Sheriff’s Office truck slowly passed.

Sergeant Burns was sitting in the passenger side with the window rolled down and enthusiastically waving to those who gathered for him.

His beaming smile got just a little bit bigger when he saw a giant red, white and blue “Welcome Home Zach” banner.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘We’re All Family’"}]

About an hour earlier, Valeta Rogabaugh was anxious for the procession to get to Rawlins.

The longtime dispatch supervisor for the Rawlins Police Department walked into the bullpen at the department with tears in her eyes.

She had just heard a county dispatch bulletin that Burns and the procession had “come home” and had just passed into Carbon County on westbound Interstate 80.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said when Chief Michael Ward asked how she was holding up. “It’s just emotional. They even talked to (Burns’ wife) and told her welcome home too.”

Although Burns works for the county sheriff’s office, there are deep connections with the Rawlins PD and other agencies, she said.

“We’re all a team and we’re all family,” Rogabaugh said, adding that Burns’ wife also is a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office.

There are no lines between agencies, said Rawlins Police Sgt. Thom Gamblin, adding that he’s good friends with Burns.

“This isn’t just a guy in uniform coming home, he’s a guy who works and lives here. I’m saying that this is a community, this is home, and it isn’t just his workplace,” Gamblin said.

“This isn’t just his work office, it’s people who love him,” he continued. “These are the people who care for him. It’s the people he meets every day when he serves.”

There’s a reason close to 100 officers from multiple jurisdictions around Wyoming and Colorado responded to Baggs that afternoon when the bulletin went out about an officer down and a gunman was on the run, Gamblin said.

“This is personal,” he said. “He did his job and nearly lost his life over it. He didn’t — thankfully — and now he’s back here where we can protect him.”

Without the quick action of a pair of Baggs residents who 

, he likely would have died, said Chief Ward. Wednesday’s procession was for them as well.

[{"type":"text","text":"“They’re heroes, too,” he told Cowboy State Daily."}]

“It’s a miracle that he’s still with us,” Ward added. “All of us are grateful for that, every minute of every day. His daughter still has a father. His wife still has a husband. He’s still with all of us.

“We could not be more relieved, grateful and excited he’s coming home today.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Stopped ‘Large-Scale Act’"}]

The scope of the potential carnage Burns may have prevented unfolded in the days following, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken has said.

That includes Burns interrupting the suspect carrying out what appeared to be a devastating plan, the sheriff said

The man had a stockpile of semiautomatic weapon ammunition in his Baggs apartment and was likely planning a "large-scale act," Bakken reported June 17.

Burns was in the area June 8 when dispatchers relayed information about a suspect in an active shooting incident. Burns located the suspect driving in town and conducted a traffic stop at his apartment, the CCSO has reported.

“Upon coming to a stop, the suspect immediately exited his vehicle and opened fire on Sergeant Burns with a semiautomatic rifle,” Bakken said in the report.

The suspect — who so far has not been publicly identified — then 

The suspect tried to start his apartment complex on fire with numerous propane tanks inside, then sped away in his car again, according to the CCSO.

He was eventually killed in a shootout with law enforcement after crashing his car north of town off state Highway 789.

“Thanks to his bravery, (Burns) saved the lives of countless first responders and community members,” Bakken says in the report. “The gunman had stockpiled hundreds of AR-15 magazines in his apartment and, by all appearances, had been prepared to initiate a large-scale act of violence.”

At the Hilltop Conoco station along Cedar Avenue, Paige Garwood and Heather Stalinski were working Wednesday afternoon, handling a steady stream of locals and visitors driving through just off I-80.

They both said they were excited to learn that the long procession of emergency responders for Burns would go past their station.

Neither knows Burns or his family, but both said that Rawlins is a small town, and when one person is in trouble, everyone knows and responds.

“I’ve been reading about him and heard what happened to him. He’s a hero,” said Stalinski. “That he’s coming home is really good, and great for his family, his wife.

“I think he was really brave for what he did. He’s a brave, brave man. I think she should get a lot of (accolades). Would I call him a hero? Absolutely.”

Garwood said that Burns getting out of the hospital and getting back to Rawlins is a great boost for the whole town.

“I think it’s great that he’s coming home, because he almost died because of that idiot,” she said. “He deserves it.”

For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won’t have to.

“He took an oath to protect our community, and he almost gave his life doing so,” Ward said about Burns. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there.”

Sgt Burns Home 1

<title>Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero’s welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there,” said the Rawlins police chief.

Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Law Enforcement

A Wednesday afternoon at a Cheyenne hardware store gave way to flashing lights, drawn guns and a swift police response after a reported armed robbery outside Ace Hardware that ended with three people in custody and multiple firearms recovered.

Within minutes of the first 911 call, police flooded the east side of the city.

By about 3:30 p.m., at least eight law enforcement vehicles with emergency lights flashing were clustered near athletic fields east of the store, where officers appeared to be investigating and searching vehicles.

Motorists slowed as they passed, trying to make sense of the sudden show of force.

[{"type":"text","text":"Cheyenne resident Cassadie Randolph was one of them."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"She pulled over after spotting the police activity."}]

"I just saw someone in handcuffs and cops looking through the vehicle," Randolph told Cowboy State Daily just before 4 p.m. 

What she witnessed was the aftermath of what police say began just minutes earlier.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Armed Robbery"}]

According to the Cheyenne Police Department, officers were dispatched at approximately 3:06 p.m. Wednesday to a report of an armed robbery at Ace Hardware, 3505 E. Lincolnway.

They located three people believed to have been involved in the robbery and took them into custody, police said. Officers also recovered firearms.

[{"type":"text","text":"No injuries were reported."}]

"Officers do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community at this time," the department said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.

Police have not yet identified the three people who were arrested or announced what criminal charges they may face.

Authorities also have not released details about what happened before officers arrived, what property may have been taken, or whether the victim and suspects knew one another.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Firearms Recovered"}]

Earlier emergency dispatch traffic indicated the robbery was reported in the Ace Hardware parking lot and that officers were searching for a vehicle believed to be connected to the crime before making the arrests. 

The investigation drew a significant law enforcement presence to the area, with patrol vehicles from multiple directions converging.

Witnesses watched as officers secured the scene, detained at least one person and searched a vehicle while investigators worked nearby.

As investigators continue gathering evidence, authorities have not indicated whether additional arrests are expected.

Police also have not yet said what led to the robbery.

Ace arrest 7 22 26

<title>Three Arrested After Reported Armed Robbery Outside Cheyenne Ace Hardware | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A reported armed robbery outside of an Ace Hardware in east Cheyenne sparked a major police response Wednesday. Three people were arrested and multiple firearms recovered. "I saw someone in handcuffs and cops looking through the vehicle," a witness said.

Three Arrested After Reported Armed Robbery Outside Cheyenne Ace Hardware

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Wildlife

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

, by an adult male grizzly, was brief and intense. 

His body was found about 69 feet below the trail and about 2.5 miles from the trailhead. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glacier grizzly v2 7 22 26

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

Officials concluded Tuesday that a 33-year-old man likely surprised a grizzly in the dark before he was killed in Glacier National Park in May. Running into a bear in the dark is a “nightmare scenario,” said an outdoorsman who was in the park at the time.

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

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Cheyenne Frontier Days' new “skybox” experience might be two or three stories above the rodeo action, but somehow that action feels closer than ever.

It’s a curious paradox, hard to explain until you’ve seen it yourself.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Maybe it’s the view."}]

It’s full-on. It’s literally over the top. Your eyes stretch from one end of Cheyenne’s historic outdoor arena — the largest outdoor rodeo arena in the world — to the other end, with no obstructions. 

Stand or sit wherever you want. It doesn’t matter. The view will still feel as if you’re a king or a queen, looking down on creation. Fix your gaze anywhere you like.

Or maybe it’s the sound, wired straight into the box and wrapping itself around spectators. 

It’s immersive — pounding hooves, foot-stomping music, the cheering crowd. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Like some kind of rodeo dream."}]

The announcer’s voice rolls over it all like thunder.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Long Overdue Leap"}]

Cheyenne Frontier Days has been delivering world-class rodeo competition since 1897, drawing elite cowboys and top-tier musicians to the “Daddy of 'em All.” 

Until now, however, the venue has lacked a true, modern skybox experience. While the grounds previously offered limited, basic, upper-level VIP areas, the new complex marks a much bigger leap into premium hospitality. 

CFD CEO Tom Hirsig has told Cowboy State Daily the $8 million multi-level facility was a long-overdue necessity. 

What CFD had previously was essentially a weathered wooden box above the ropes that Hirsig said had “far outlived its life expectancy.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Fixing it would be a huge challenge. "}]

But it also presented an opportunity — one that could support the rodeo’s future.

“One of the things we recognized is the need for VIP experiences,” Hirsig said. “Those are the fastest things that go, if there’s some sort of VIP area.”

A VIP area done right not only supports itself, it also helps chip away at deferred maintenance, he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"From Sliders To Shade"}]

 VIP experiences had room for roughly 25 sponsors, as well as a rooftop area that could accommodate about 70 people.

Now there’s room for about 450 in a mix of VIP boxes that are perfect for parties of around 30, along with individual seats that cost $125 each for those who aren’t part of a large group.

The private VIP box suites all come pre-stocked with snacks and drinks. Guests can also order a range of catered items. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the skybox occupied by Nate Janousek and his family felt as if a family living room had been dropped over Chute 9. The children leaned against the rail to watch broncs explode from the chutes, while parents huddled over drinks and plates piled with brisket sliders, wings, and corn dogs. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"There were smiles all around."}]

“This was all really good,” Janousek told Cowboy State Daily. “There’s tons of catering options, and everything we’ve had has been terrific.”

Janousek, who provides concessions at CFD, comes to the rodeo every year, but Tuesday was family day for him, so he decided to do something special. 

“The view above Chute 9 is incredible for the steer roping events and the steer wrestling,” he said. “And then just the ability to have so many spaces for the seating and the televisions, and places for food and drink and stuff like that.”

The light breeze constantly blowing in felt like air conditioning, he added.

“You’re not getting blasted by the sun,” he said. “It’s really terrific. I think it’s going to be harder and harder to get these as people find out.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'This Is Just Fantastic'"}]

From their skybox perch, Jennifer Gray and her travel buddy, Brian Hayes, could see straight down into Chute 9. 

That was just perfect for Gray, who was videotaping each steer, hoping to catch a cowboy wrestling one to the ground. 

The previous day, she and Hayes had squinted into the sun from the grandstands, craning around hats and flags to catch the Military Monday displays. Gray’s son was to have been part of a parachute jump that ultimately was canceled. 

“This is just fantastic,” Hayes said. “The view, to be able to see the action, especially right down in here, it’s just amazing.

“We sat over there yesterday,” he added, gesturing toward the left-hand stands. “And this is like a whole different experience.”

For former roughstock rider Chris Hall, the skybox is as close as he can get to an arena these days. Hall did “that stuff” as a teenager, he said, nodding toward a bucking bronc throwing a rider to the dirt about two seconds into his ride. 

“I’m all broken, so I can’t do any of this stuff anymore,” he said. “But I love watching it.”

He watched a string of riders “tossed one right after the other,” calling it “crazy” and grinning like he’d just been down in the chutes himself. 

Drinks and snacks were just a few steps away, he added, and there were no lines, making a drink run feel seamless and smooth. 

Skip and Taryn Schuman, CFD regulars from Fort Collins, Colorado, felt the same about the skybox versus just about any other place they’ve tried at CFD, from the Wrangler box to the grandstand benches. 

“That was fun, but this is so much better,” Skip told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s classier.”

“And there’s an elevator for the old folks,” his wife added with a chuckle. “Before the stairs were real steep. It’s so nice and cool up here. The seats are comfortable.”

“There’s food and drinks,” her husband continued. “You’ve got everything here. Check, check and check.”

For all its new polish, the skybox doesn’t change the essence of Cheyenne Frontier Days. It’s still the same old rodeo it’s always been. But now there are softer seats and party rooms — with a commanding view, one that will make spectators feel like royalty at the rodeo. 

CFD Sky Box 20260721 153424 7 22 26

<title>Cheyenne Frontier Days' New Skybox Delivers Luxury — And An Over The Top View | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Soft seats, catered food, and a commanding view — Cheyenne Frontier Days’ premium skybox experience already has fans. “The view above Chute 9 is incredible,” one said. “I think it’s going to be harder and harder to get these as people find out.”

Cheyenne Frontier Days' New Skybox Delivers Luxury — And An Over The Top View

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

State Sen. Eric Barlow released poll results Tuesday showing him with a sizable lead over other Republican candidates in the race for Wyoming governor.

[{"type":"text","text":"Two of his opponents doubt that outcome. One of them doesn’t."}]

Barlow, a legislator of 13 years and former House speaker, is running for the Republican nomination against Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Col. Brent Bien, and Centennial man Curt Blake.

His campaign released polling results Tuesday showing him at 42% support, followed by Degenfelder at 19% and Bien at 14% — with 22% undecided — when people were asked who they would vote for if the election were held today.

The poll was taken in the past three days by the Pulse Decision Science firm, the campaign says.

The Eric Barlow gubernatorial campaign released an internal poll Tuesday showing a significant lead over both Megan Degenfelder and Brent Bien. According to his internal polling numbers, 42% of voters support Barlow while Degenfelder is at 19% and Bien at 14%.

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