Daily Darwin

[{"type":"text","text":"Good morning!!"}]

Darwin 1 13 24

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

<title>Daily Darwin: Saturday, January 13, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Good morning!!

Daily Darwin: Saturday, January 13, 2024

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

The Wyoming Republican Party’s leadership committee endorsed Brent Bien for governor, Chuck Gray for U.S. House, and Harriet Hageman for U.S. Senate during a virtual meeting Monday evening.

The roughly 50-person voting committee also endorsed Rep. Scott Smith in his bid for state treasurer, Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams in her bid for secretary of state, and Rep. Tom Kelly for superintendent of public instruction.

In releasing the endorsements, the party Central Committee’s majority broke recent tradition – and arguably state law – by choosing to back some Republicans over others before the Aug. 18 primary election is final.

While that law references financial backing, state GOP Chair Bryan Miller told members in April it’s been interpreted to bar endorsements too.

But party leadership is waging an ongoing federal legal challenge in an effort to have that state law overturned as a violation of the party’s First Amendment rights.

Proponents of letting the party endorse people pre-primary have called it a move toward freedom. Opponents have called it an “insider” maneuver, or disrespectful to the law or Republican voters.

Numerous members of the roughly 50-member voting body cast “abstain” and “no” votes during roll calls Monday.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be endorsing candidates at all,” said Hot Springs County GOP state committeeman Phil Scheel during a debate on whether to endorse Hageman, a sitting U.S. representative, in her run for U.S. Senate. “So I am going to suggest the group vote down this motion.

State Republican Party Vice-Chair Bob Ferguson, who had chaired the candidate endorsement vetting committee, ruled Scheel’s comment out of order.

The state central committee majority already approved a bylaw calling for vetting and endorsements at its convention in April, so Monday’s discussion should have been on Hageman’s merits, said Ferguson.

Niobrara County GOP Chair Janae Miller typed a comment into the Zoom meeting chat.

“Niobrara county constituents have been vocal in their opposition to endorsing

 no matter their excellent or poor performance,” 

wrote Miller. “They want the voters to decide at the polls.”

No conversation on Hageman’s merits unfolded. She won the endorsement with 32 in favor, five (including Scheel) against and 14 members abstaining.

This followed a vetting process in which the party dispatched questionnaires to statewide candidates, asking whether they agree with the 23 planks of the state GOP platform.

[{"type":"text","text":"U.S. House Race"}]

The body voted 33 in favor, four against, to endorse Gray, who is currently Secretary of State. Fourteen members abstained from the vote.

Fremont County GOP Chair Ginger Bennett had called Gray a “stalwart” who comes to Republican Party events, “and he donates, and donates his time.”

State House Rep. Nina Webber, R-Cody, who also attended the meeting as a voting party member, said Gray has been “instrumental in pushing through a lot of the conservative movements.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Park County GOP Chair Vince Vanata endorsed Gray “wholeheartedly.”"}]

Mitch Benson, a state committeeman from Fremont County, said he endorses Gray but disputes things the candidate has said.

“The only thing I want to throw out is, we still have voter drop boxes in Lander,” said Benson.

Gray has made banning drop boxes one of his priorities, and in 2025 applauded the passage of a law designed to do so.

[{"type":"text","text":"Ferguson called Benson’s commentary not germane."}]

“I’m endorsing him, all I’m saying is a lot of the things Chuck has said about voter integrity and getting rid of voter drop boxes is not true,” said Benson.

[{"type":"text","text":"Miller interjected, saying the three-minute limit for debate had passed."}]

Gray is running in a 10-candidate field for the GOP nomination to U.S. House. He faces philanthropist Steve Friess, state Senate President Bo Biteman, Casper businessman Reid Rasner, Teton County-based attorney Frank Chapman, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, Casper-based veterans Kevin Christensen and David Giralt, former legislator Keith Goodenough and Casper man Richard Dodson.

Most candidates completed and submitted those questionnaires to become eligible for the endorsement process. Some did not, like U.S. House candidates Bo Biteman and Keith Goodenough; U.S. Senate candidate Sam Mead; and gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow.

[{"type":"text","text":"Governor, Secretary, Superintendent"}]

The party committee voted 34-4 with 13 abstaining to endorse Bien for governor. He was part of a consent list with candidates from other races.

The retired Marine Corps colonel faces Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, former state House Speaker and current Sen. Eric Barlow, and Centennial man Curt Blake in his primary bid.

Bien, Blake and Degenfelder all had submitted questionnaires to the party as part of the process.

[{"type":"text","text":"Barlow did not."}]

“I am a Republican, and I agree with the Republican platform,” Barlow said in a statement earlier this month. “But in a contested Republican primary, the voters should decide. I will not seek or accept an endorsement from the Wyoming Republican Party before receiving the votes of Wyoming’s Republican electorate.”

Sheridan County GOP state committeeman Tod Windsor asked the party to make a vote opposing Barlow’s campaign.

“I ask we consider Eric Barlow,” began Windsor – a woman gasped – “someone we’re in opposition to as the party.”

Vanata seconded that. Fremont County state committeewoman and former legislator Sarah Penn said Democrats in her area support Barlow.

[{"type":"text","text":"Benson said Barlow brushed aside a concern he raised earlier this year."}]

Scheel and Teton County GOP Chair Kat Rueckert both raised concerns against the opposition vote. Rueckert worried the Barlow campaign may sue the party.

A Washakie County delegate, Richard George, said opposing Barlow could “diminish” the party if Barlow is elected governor.

Natrona County delegate Marcia Neumiller called it “throwing mud” and urged the party to set a higher example.

“Aaannnnnd, the press is here recording all this,” wrote Nichole Odom in a soon-deleted chat message.

Miller had notified the committee before debate that Cowboy State Daily was present.

Benson uttered a profane comment right after Scheel voted not to oppose Barlow.

It’s uncertain what the comment was. Cowboy State Daily heard it as “f*ck you (inaudible).

Multiple members called Benson out of line. Ferguson warned him not to disrupt the meeting again.

[{"type":"text","text":"The motion failed."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Treasurer, Secretary, Superintendent"}]

The party approved endorsements for state Treasurer candidate Scott Smith, Secretary of State candidate Rachel Williams (also known as Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams) and Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Rep. Tom Kelly.

[{"type":"text","text":"Those were part of the same consent list as Bien."}]

In a separate vote, the party majority voted 12-25 against endorsing current Treasurer Curt Meier in his bid for reelection. Meier had been removed from the consent list after Benson called his aye-vote 

[{"type":"text","text":"Giralt, So Close"}]

Crook County Republican Party Chair Mark Koep asked the committee to vote in favor of supporting, rather than endorsing, Giralt for U.S. House.

“David Girlat didn’t’ meet all the vetting criteria because he doesn’t have enough history in the state,” said Koep, adding that he’s spoken to Giralt and “he seems like a good Republican. But right now I’m kind of guessing, because I don’t have enough history on it.”

Other members called Giralt engaged his military career “impressive.” 

The committee voted 17-18 against extending a gesture of support to Giralt.

Weston County GOP Chair Kari Drost asked the committee to vote against closing the meeting, saying they should consider endorsing Degenfelder.

Benson agreed, saying his precinct committee people are entrusting the state delegates with vetting candidates thoroughly no matter how long it takes.

[{"type":"text","text":"George countered."}]

“I completely disagree with that last comment. I think if there’s anybody in this state that needs to vet the candidates, it’s the people. The people are going to do a fine job at it. We don’t always agree with it,” said George. “But to suggest that people are depending on the party to vet candidates I think is an assumption of power and responsibility that’s not delegated to us.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The committee voted 24-19, nine abstaining, to close the meeting."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder’s endorsement bid did not get a hearing."}]

Koep referenced a Cowboy State Daily “author” present in the meeting and suggested a retraction of the headline in a Monday story titled “Candidate Worries Wyoming GOP Doing ‘Pay To Play’ Endorsements.”

Koep said because the party voted against endorsing Meier, “that would fly in the face of that article.”

The story, rather, referenced the fact that, according to emails by party leaders, candidates’ past donations to the party have been approved as one of the vetting committee’s criterion.

It also cited a concern by Christensen that allowing that criterion creates a perception of a “pay to play” endorsement system.

Cowboy State Daily’s reporting drew from the party’s own emails, Christensen’s comments, and other candidates’ comments.

Mix Collage 20 Jul 2026 10 17 PM 6311

<title>Wyoming GOP Endorses Brent Bien, Chuck Gray, And Harriet Hageman | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Wyoming Republican Party leadership endorsed Brent Bien for governor, Chuck Gray for U.S. House, and Harriet Hageman for U.S. Senate on Monday evening. The controversial move breaks current tradition and maybe state law.

Wyoming GOP Endorses Brent Bien, Chuck Gray, And Harriet Hageman

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

 inside a Rock Springs home as a many allegedly held a woman captive for days and threatened to murder her cat is now headed for trial.

Jake Thomas Canestrini, 24, pleaded not guilty last week in Sweetwater County District Court to a string of felony charges accusing him of holding his girlfriend captive while repeatedly beating, strangling and torturing her with a razor blade, a kitchen fork and a knife.

The not guilty pleas came one week after a judge found there was enough evidence at a preliminary hearing to send the case to district court.

The allegations first surfaced in June after the woman escaped the home and told police she had survived days of escalating violence that left her afraid for her life.  

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"How It Started "}]

The woman told investigators the abuse began May 30, shortly after her parents left town.

She and Canestrini had been dating for about three years and were living together at her parents' Rock Springs home.

Not long after they were alone, she said Canestrini threw her to the ground several times and refused to let her leave, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in his case.

"Every time she tried to get up and run, the woman said, Canestrini would yank her by the hair to keep her down," Rock Springs Police Officer Tiffany Harris wrote in her affidavit.

On June 2, Canestrini allegedly called the woman's employer himself and told them she would not be coming to work.

The woman told investigators every attempt to resist or escape only brought more violence.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Razor Blade, Fork And Knife"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The allegations became increasingly disturbing as the days went on."}]

Court records allege Canestrini used a razor blade to cut the woman's thighs, hips, stomach and arm. She also reported being stabbed in the upper back and buttock with a kitchen fork.

She told investigators that during one confrontation, Canestrini allegedly pressed a kitchen knife against her throat.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I will f***ing murder you,\" he allegedly told her."}]

The woman reportedly told police he also said, "I will murder your cat. I will murder your f***ing family if you get the cops involved. I will wait 20 years so I can kill you,” the affidavit says.

The woman says she was strangled multiple times during the ordeal, telling investigators there were moments she couldn't breathe and believed she was going to die.

Medical records cited in the affidavit indicate that a physician later diagnosed her with a concussion.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Escape"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman eventually managed to escape."}]

When officers found her, they documented what court records describe as numerous visible injuries that they believed matched her account of days of abuse.

Investigators later searched the residence and collected additional evidence before Canestrini was arrested.

Cowboy State Daily left a message for Canestrini's attorney, Joseph August Hampton, asking what forms the basis of his client's not guilty plea and if Canestrini disputes the allegations in the charging documents.

[{"type":"text","text":"Hampton did not respond before publication."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"November Trial "}]

Barring a plea agreement or other resolution, a Sweetwater County jury will begin hearing the case Nov. 2.

[{"type":"text","text":"Canestrini remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."}]

If convicted, he faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

Under Wyoming law, kidnapping is punishable by 20 years to life in prison if the victim is not voluntarily released substantially unharmed in a safe place before trial.

He also faces additional prison time if convicted of the remaining felony charges.

Jake Thomas Canestrini 6 19 26

<title>Rock Springs Man Accused Of Torturing Girlfriend For Days Pleads Not Guilty | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Rock Springs man accused of holding his girlfriend captive for days while torturing her has pleaded not guilty. Court records allege he warned her: "I will murder your cat. I will murder your family if you get the cops involved."

Rock Springs Man Accused Of Torturing Girlfriend For Days Pleads Not Guilty

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

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

Two tourists were seen getting dangerously and illegally close to Grand Prismatic Spring on Sunday in Yellowstone National Park, enraging hundreds of spectators and millions of internet onlookers.

Tanya Saueressig of Livingston, Montana, was visiting Yellowstone with a friend when she witnessed the incident. She was standing on the Grand Prismatic boardwalk around 7 p.m. during what was otherwise a pleasant evening.

“It was a really nice crowd,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “People on the boardwalk were being lovely, giving each other space, and being quiet. It was a really nice experience.”

Saueressig was getting her final look of the evening when she saw something moving across the expansive microbial mats toward Grand Prismatic.

“I stopped in my tracks and was like, ‘Is that people? That can't be people. Nobody's that dumb,’” she said. 

[{"type":"text","text":"After all, temperatures in the spring run from 145 - 188 degrees. Deadly."}]

But, it was people. Two women, who appeared to be approaching the massive hot spring from the Fairy Falls Trail, which runs along the western edge of Grand Prismatic.

Saueressig's lovely evening quickly soured, as she was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of different emotions.

“I started getting scared because I thought they were going to fall in and get really, really hurt,” she said. “I worried people at the overlook were going to watch someone die that day. They were out there where nobody could help them.”

Concern quickly turned to anger. As she watched the women nonchalantly walk along the edge of Grand Prismatic, within 50 feet of its scalding-hot water, she got “so furious that I literally had tears in my eyes.”

“You could tell they were just strolling along, taking their selfies, without a care in the world,” she said. “They were totally oblivious to what was right under their feet. You're causing so much damage with every step you take, and you don't care.”

Someone else filmed the dark-haired duo 

. That video has been viewed millions of times in less than 24 hours. 

There’s no word on whether the individuals in the videos were identified or reported to Yellowstone's law enforcement rangers.

“I was so angry,” Saueressig said. “It was so mind-boggling to me that they would be out there in the first place.”

Walking on the fragile microbial mats around Grand Prismatic Spring and Yellowstone's many thermal features is a crime, punishable by fines, incarceration, and a multi-year ban from Yellowstone.

 in the park. That hasn’t stopped others from 

Greg Jackson, a former deputy chief for the National Park Service’s Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services in Washington, D.C., called this type of tourist “the 0.1%.”

“Some people see the world differently than the mainstream,” he said. “You build an infrastructure that's dedicated to the 99.9% of people that don’t do this, and then you get people who don’t see that infrastructure or decide it doesn’t apply to them.”

Many people plead ignorance when charged with thermal trespass, saying they weren’t aware they were violating any rules or that they saw no signs in the immediate area where they were caught.

In Jackson’s opinion, it doesn’t matter how much the National Park Service does to prevent this kind of behavior. Nothing stops the 0.1%.

“I’ve seen people climb over guardrails to keep them from falling off a cliff for a better picture,” he said. “You can create as much of a deterrent as you can, but some people aren’t deterred by what would deter most people. Those outliers walk among us.”

[{"type":"text","text":"“Helpless”"}]

Saueressig wanted to immediately report the Sunday evening incident to a Yellowstone ranger. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find one.

“There weren't any rangers on the boardwalk, which there rarely are,” she said. “I think they only show up if an incident is called in, because they have so many other places to be and there's so few of them.”

That left Saueressig even more despondent in the moment. She felt “helpless” to do anything about the egregious act she was witnessing.

“You can help them or stop them because it’s already happening,” she said. “I didn’t have cell reception, so I couldn't call anybody. There wasn't anybody I could run up to and notify. I didn’t know what to do.”

With no other options, Saueressig did the best thing she could by filming and sharing the video on social media. While not a guarantee, it could lead to the identification of the perpetrators.

[{"type":"text","text":"Still, it did little to comfort her in the moment."}]

“The anger I was feeling was awful, and feeling helpless made it worse,” she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"How Vs. Why Not?"}]

Can anything be done to stop “the 0.1%”? Jackson doesn’t see a viable solution that hasn’t already been tried.

“If I could find a way of fixing that, I certainly would,” he said. “It creates a problem for everyone.”

In Jackson’s view, the National Park Service has made “reasonable and good efforts” to curtail the brazen behavior of the small number of tourists who choose to do these things. After all, the vast majority of Yellowstone’s visitors enjoy the park without incident.

[{"type":"text","text":"Would more signage, boardwalks, and barricades help?"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Yes, but in Jackson’s experience, only to a point."}]

“I think they’ve done everything they can, but somebody's always going to think in a way you hadn't thought of before,” he said. “If you build a barricade, people will jump over it. If you build a wall, someone will hang-glide or parachute in.”

Having a ranger in the vicinity, visibly keeping an eye out for miscreants, might help stop this behavior. However, Jackson still didn’t think that would be enough.

“I’ve seen people do things right in front of me that you wouldn't think they would do, and they don’t have a clue,” he said. “A ranger might deter some people, but some people aren't deterred by the things that would deter most people.”

Most people, including Jackson, don’t think like this. That’s why trying to prevent this behavior is often futile.

“We can't see how, and they can't see why not,” he said. “That’s what makes people different. It’s a strange world we live in.”

When Saueressig started filming the two tourists, there was more on her mind than justice.

She recalled the incident at Grand Prismatic in June 2025, when 

 and was scalded to death by the 160-degree thermal water. One wrong step or a small crack in the thin crust could quickly prove fatal.

 to the microbial mats surrounding Grand Prismatic. These delicate living masses of thermophilic bacteria are what give the pool its vibrant colors.

“If they didn’t die, they were leaving permanent scars on the microbial mats,” she said. “They were causing so much damage with every step they took, and they literally didn’t care at all.”

People charged with thermal trespass can, and often do, plead ignorance. That usually isn’t enough to get them off the hook for fines, although it can be enough to avoid a few days at the Yellowstone Detention Center at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Ultimately, the damage is already done. No amount of money or jail time can remove the footprints and other scars left behind by people walking on Yellowstone’s thermal features.

“Ignorance may be a reason, but it’s no excuse,” Jackson said. “The resource doesn't care whether it's been damaged by people who are unaware or malicious. It’s still damage.”

Even the worst sentences can be seen as lucky breaks. Several people have been seriously injured or killed after getting too close to Yellowstone’s thermal features.

One would think a high risk of death might be enough to dissuade tourists from tempting their luck. That mentality’s been proven, time and time again, to not be enough to stop “the 0.1%”

“People still die whether they’re aware they’re intentionally violating the law or not,” Jackson said. “Sometimes, life's a little harder if you're clueless or decide the danger doesn’t apply to you.”

Tourists grand prismatic spring 7 20 26

<title>Tourists Again Illegally Walk On Dangerous Grand Prismatic Spring In Yellowstone | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Two tourists got dangerously and illegally close to Grand Prismatic Spring on Sunday in Yellowstone. Montana resident Tanya Saueressig, who filmed them taking selfies right next to the scalding water, said she "was so furious" she had tears in her eyes.

Tourists Again Illegally Walk On Dangerous Grand Prismatic Spring In Yellowstone

Wyoming Life

A semi-truck caused extensive damage to a bridge over Interstate 80 near Rawlins on Monday morning.

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the semi-truck was headed westbound when it drifted off the pavement, into the median, and struck a cable barrier and a guardrail before hitting the concrete supports on the underside of the bridge at exit 214.

The impact was so intense that the tractor-trailer bounced up, damaging one of the bridge’s arches, and embedded into the three supports. The semi-truck broke free and continued careening along the guardrail.

Two people, the driver and co-driver of the semi-truck, escaped with non-life-threatening injuries. There was no mention of what caused the crash or whether any citations were issued.

The westbound lanes of I-80 near the bridge were closed, and traffic was diverted onto the exit ramps.

Doug McGee, public affairs officer for the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), told Cowboy State Daily that bridge engineers from Cheyenne were en route to the location. 

An assessment of the bridge’s condition “could take some time due to the extensive damage.”

The Wyoming Highway Patrol could not be reached for additional information at the time of publication.

[{"type":"text","text":"Abnormal And Inconvenient"}]

Mira Miller, the public information officer for the city of Rawlins, said this was the first time that anyone has hit the bridge at exit 214. That presented a straightforward solution for traffic control.

“This is a very unique incident in that we don’t have any stuck traffic,” she said. “Instead of going under the bridge, you just go onto the ramps and then back off again.”

The greatest burden will be borne by Rawlins residents. The bridge, which is part of Rawlins’s Higley Boulevard, was completely closed after the incident.

Until WYDOT’s engineers have fully evaluated the bridge, it’s likely to remain closed. If the damage was serious enough, it might be closed for a while longer.

“The Wyoming State Penitentiary, TA Travel Center and Truck Service, and a hotel are on the south side of that exit,” Miller said. “People traveling to any of these locations through Rawlins will have to go to the 211 exit, on the west side of town, and drive to the 214 exit to get there.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Miller described the incident as “abnormal.”"}]

“I've never heard of this bridge being closed for something like this,” she said. “I know WYDOT is working very quickly to figure out what to do and to keep everybody safe while they're in that process.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Who’s Responsible?"}]

A semitrailer caused extensive damage to a bridge over I-80 near Rawlins on Monday morning when it drifted off the pavement, into the median, and took out a concrete support. Westbound lanes of I-80 near the bridge are closed and traffic is being diverted.

Daily Darwin: Saturday, January 13, 2024

In case you missed it

More in Daily Darwin

Daily Darwin: Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Daily Darwin: Monday, July 20, 2026

Daily Darwin: Sunday, July 19, 2026

Daily Darwin: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Most read