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Michael P. Ramirez

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

<title>Daily Cartoon: Thursday, February 8, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Cartoon: Thursday, February 8, 2024

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

Most sheriff cruisers are designed to blend into a fleet, but the newest cruiser in the Laramie County Sheriff's Office fleet was designed to do the exact opposite.

It not only stands out, “it looks pretty badass,” said Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak.

Covered in Western artwork featuring a cowboy on horseback racing forward with purpose on a white background, the new Dodge Durango LCSO SUV is pure Wyoming.

That it turns heads is exactly what Kozak said he was going for in commissioning the look of the department's new recruiting rig.

It squats low and mean with a wild-eyed horse charging across its sides, mane whipping viciously in the Cowboy State wind. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Clint Eastwood-Inspired Cruiser"}]

When it came time to create the design, Kozak called on Cheyenne mural artist Jordan Dean, whose giant wild horse mural transformed the city's towering water tanks north of town.

Dean has become one of the state's most recognizable mural artists, painting everything from large public art installations to massive water tower projects that require boom lifts, projectors and specialized industrial paint.

[{"type":"text","text":"Kozak had a simple request for Dean."}]

"I wanted a high plains drifter, Clint Eastwood kind of cowboy hard charge-in graphic,” the sheriff said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Dean delivered."}]

The result is a rolling Western mural that has already been drawing attention from residents and fellow law enforcement officers.

[{"type":"text","text":"Kozak said he keeps hearing, \"That is the coolest car we've ever seen.\""}]

The cruiser's first major public appearance in Cheyenne was Saturday during a downtown summer event, where families were able to climb inside, check out the lights and meet members of the sheriff's office.

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyatt Earp On Wheels"}]

Dean said his relationship with the sheriff's office began years ago when Kozak called looking for an artist to paint murals inside the Laramie County Detention Center. 

When he was done with that, he told the sheriff, "I would love to take a crack at your vehicles. I've always just thought it would be the coolest thing to design a law enforcement vehicle." 

The artist said early discussions centered on creating something inspired by a Wyatt Earp-style lawman — part frontier sheriff, part larger-than-life Western character. 

"I wanted something that had action, had motion to it," Dean said. "I wanted the horse and rider to fit in the space but kind of take up the whole width of the car.

 "It's the Laramie County Sheriff's Office," he continued. “So, the Western theme just fit, and I love that style." 

If the art causes people to stop and take a second look at the local hero's, Dean says he's done his job. 

[{"type":"text","text":"More Than A Cool Paint Job"}]

As eye-catching as the vehicle is, the sheriff's office didn't build it simply to show off.

The cruiser is assigned to Cpl. Heather Wilson in the agency's hiring unit and is intended to function as a rolling recruiting tool.

"The whole motivation was for people to ask, 'Hey, what's with this car?'" Kozak said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Once the conversation starts, deputies can begin talking about careers."}]

The vehicle is packed with recruiting features, including a pull-out television screen that can play hiring videos during public events.

The sheriff's office will soon hook up a PlayStation loaded with a pursuit-driving game so kids can climb into the back and try it out.

"It's just a vehicle to attract attention and spark up a conversation," Kozak said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Lights, Sirens, Western Swagger"}]

The cruiser also comes loaded with what Kozak described as an almost absurd amount of emergency lighting.

Then there are the novelty features. Push the right buttons and the vehicle can play the famous “Bad Boys” theme from the television show "Cops."

[{"type":"text","text":"It can also blast the national anthem."}]

The sheriff's office has only had the vehicle about a week, but it's already been getting attention beyond Wyoming.

[{"type":"text","text":"Kozak said Wilson recently drove it to a leadership training in Colorado."}]

"All the Denver law enforcement officers that went to this leadership training just thought it was the best car ever that they've seen," he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"The attention is exactly what the sheriff hoped for."}]

Like many agencies nationwide, Laramie County is constantly recruiting new employees as veteran deputies retire or move on.

Kozak said the agency employs about 240 people and generally maintains around a 10% vacancy rate, leaving roughly 10 to 15 positions open at any given time.

His hope is that a cruiser people can't stop staring at might help start conversations that eventually fill those openings.

In the meantime, it might simply be the most “badass” law enforcement vehicle in Wyoming.

Or at least the most likely one to make somebody stop, point and say, "Now 

New Sheriffs cruiser 710020639 1299237672391254 5317509438597465883 n copy 6 6 26

<title>Wyoming Sheriff Orders "Clint Eastwood High Plains Drifter" Look For New Cruiser | Cowboy State Daily</title>

When Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak wanted a new design for the newest SUV in the fleet, he asked a local artist to create a "Clint Eastwood High Plains Drifter" look. "It looks pretty badass," Kozak said, noting he's received many compliments.

Wyoming Sheriff Orders "Clint Eastwood High Plains Drifter" Look For New Cruiser

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Jackie Dorothy.

Jackie Dorothy

Harry Longabaugh, who would become the infamous Western outlaw dubbed the Sundance Kid, earned his nickname while in jail at Sundance, Wyoming. 

While serving his 18-month sentence, he also met fellow outlaw Buck Hanby in a chance meeting that kept Longabaugh in a life of crime, said Lucas Keeler, Newcastle historian and author of “The Outlaws of Red Butte.” 

Keeler said that Hanby and his gang saw in the Sundance Kid potential for ranching, and perhaps even horse rustling. 

They gave him a place to live after Longabaugh was released from jail. Unfortunately for Hanby, their partnership would not last long. 

Longabaugh left his home in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in 1882 when he was just 14 years old, intrigued by the stories of adventure he had read about the West. 

He had plans to become a rancher and moved to Durango, Colorado, to help a distant relative break horses.  

“Longabaugh’s pursuits were ultimately short-lived,” Keeler said. “His desire for adventure and cowboy work motivated him to travel across the West, taking on ranch jobs along the way.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Kid"}]

By the time Longabaugh was about 17, he had his first brush with the law. 

He was working on the Cheyenne River in Wyoming for the Suffolk Cattle Co. in spring 1886 wrangling horses and was considered a good hand despite losing his temper when a cook called him “Longboy.” 

His co-worker, Sam W. Mather, said that all ended when the Lusk sheriff arrested Longabaugh for robbing an old man of $80.

Longabaugh escaped from the sheriff, but was subsequently fired from the ranch.

He found employment at the N Bar N Ranch in Montana and was making an honest living when the devasting winter of 1886-87 killed between 20,000 and 40,000 of the cattle belonging to the ranch. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Longabaugh, by then 19, lost his job. "}]

Keeler said accounts from both Longabaugh and witnesses say that Longabaugh was seeking another job on the range when he stole a horse, saddle and revolver while riding along Cow Creek, north of Sundance. 

Unfortunately for Longabaugh, the theft had been seen and after a prolonged manhunt, he was caught in Miles City.  

Crook County Sheriff Jim Ryan extradited Longabaugh to Sundance to stand trial for the Cow Creek thefts. 

When on a train near Duluth, Minnesota, on a long route to Sundance, Ryan left Harry handcuffed, shackled, and secured to his seat while he went to the train’s water closet (bathroom). 

Longabaugh picked the lock on the shackles and leapt off the moving train. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"He had escaped, but only for a time. "}]

He brought attention to himself because he continued to steal and was eventually recaptured in Montana. 

After successfully returning to Sundance to stand trial, he was eventually sentenced to serve his time in the Crook County jail despite his claims of innocence. 

He also had officially earned the nickname the Kid. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Von Rippon Gang"}]

The Kid had tried numerous times to break out of jail when in September 1888, new inmates were brought to Sundance; the Von Rippon gang from southern Crook County (present day Weston County) that included Frank Miller, William Brown, Jim Fisher, Arthur Von Rippon and Buck Hanby. 

According to Keeler, Von Rippon and Hanby likely recognized Harry’s charisma and willingness to break the law when necessary. 

Although details of any conversations remain unknown, it is probable that at this time Von Rippon extended an invitation to Longabaugh to come to Salt Creek once he was released from jail.

 The men had a dugout near Red Butte up Salt Creek from Tubb Town, near the present-day location of Newcastle.

The following week, Von Rippon and Frank Miller were exonerated on horse rustling charges and allowed to return to Salt Creek, but Hanby, Fisher, and Brown were taken to Nebraska to stand trial on horse theft charges.

Longabaugh was forced to serve his entire 18-month sentence and when released, temporarily tried to make a honest living in Deadwood before he headed to the homestead of his new friends. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Honest Work "}]

Keeler said that when Harry Longabaugh, now known as the Kid, was finally released from jail and finding no success in Deadwood, he was warmly received by Hanby and Von Rippon at Salt Creek.  

Keeler said this gave Longabaugh the chance to resume cowboying and horse breaking. Rustling was also on the rise in the area and Keeler said it is possible that Sundance was helping with that as well, though this was never proven. 

Outlaw Buck Hanby's past was also checkered with crime. 

Born Robert Minor, Hanby was a mere alias for Minor. Wanted on murder charges in Kansas, and horse rustling charges in Nebraska, Hanby had lived a life of eluding the law, and escaping from jail cells.

Following his September arrest in Sundance, Hanby escaped from jail in Benkelman, Nebraska, and returned to Crook County and the ranch on Salt Creek. 

His freedom was short lived, and an arrest warrant was once again issued for him. 

Crook County Undersheriff E.B. Armstrong left Sundance on a Sunday and headed to the YT Ranch, roughly 10 miles northwest of present-day Newcastle to arrest Hanby at Salt Creek. 

Deputy Jim Swisher joined him there at the ranch and they waited for Hanby and the others to return to the Von Rippon ranch from a trip they had reportedly taken to Tubb Town.

“We rode up to the dugout and as we neared the entrance the door was opened by Von Rippon carrying some dirty clothes out of the dugout,” Armstrong said. “When he saw us he tried to back into the room but I crowded past him into the room with Mr. Swisher close behind.”

Inside the dugout, Harry Longabaugh and another man named Charlie Pearson were taking a bath and picking off body lice from themselves. Hanby was sitting near the fireplace.

“As soon as Buck saw us he arose and walked quickly toward the table where his gun and scabbard lay,” Armstrong claimed. “Just as he got his hand on the gun Jim Swisher said 'hands up ,Buck,' but as he raised his gun to shoot, Mr. Swisher shot him. He fell to the floor dead.” 

Armstrong described Longabaugh and Pearson as “two other long-haired disciples, hideous in appearance, but under the long hair they were good looking young chaps.” 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The men were ordered out of the dugout."}]

Keeler said that the autopsy does not collaborate the story told by Armstrong, and that it results in more questions asked, than answered. 

“The bullet entered through Hanby's back,” Keeler said. “He definitely had his back turned towards Swisher, but whether or not he was reaching for a gun or just putting on his shirt is the million-dollar question.”

After the shooting, Longabaugh was called as a witness and Keeler said that the Sundance Kid was convinced that it was an unlawful shooting. 

Regardless, the coroner's jury found Jim Swisher innocent of murder.

The outcome was not a happy one for the neighbors in nearby Cambria and friends to Hanby who laid him to rest in a proper coffin and burial near his dugout. 

Longabaugh was accused of threatening to kill Swisher for the murder of Hanby and a warrant was filed for his arrest.

The arrest did not happen. Longabaugh left Salt Creek and returned to his life of crime as the Sundance Kid, eventually joining up with Butch Cassidy and others in the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. 

His story continued even as Hanby’s came to an abrupt end. 

Sundance kid inset 6 6 26

<title>Wyoming History: How The Sundance Kid Earned His Infamous Nickname | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Harry Longabaugh became the legendary outlaw the Sundance Kid after a series of thefts and escapes landed him in the jail in Sundance, Wyoming. While serving his 18-month sentence, he met other notorious outlaws and gained his infamous nickname.

Wyoming History: How The Sundance Kid Earned His Infamous Nickname

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

Christopher Culler looked forward to son Raydon Bowen wearing the matching King’s Camo outfit and boots he got the boy for Christmas as they set out on their annual spring bear hunt.

Instead, the 7-year-old Canyon Elementary School student in Kemmerer spent hunting season in the hospital following a diagnosis of an extremely rare genetic condition. 

The disorder has left him without vision and fighting for life in Salt Lake City’s Primary Children’s Hospital.

“He is obsessed with bear hunting with me,” Culler said. “We have a good time usually. It’s more about crushing some Mountain Dew and snacking then it is hunting.”

Culler, 38, and wife Bailey Bowen, 30, now are now on a mission that has them on family leave from their jobs at PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power and praying for a boy who seemed normal and active until a little more than a year ago.

At first, Raydon’s condition didn’t seem that serious. He started struggling in school, had trouble focusing, and was having emotional outbursts. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"His parents suspected ADHD. "}]

But at the start of the year, his behavior problems became worse and they went to the pediatrician looking for medication help. Nothing seemed to work.

As Easter arrived, Raydon was acting abnormally and the family wondered if it was his medication.

“On Easter Sunday we were at an Easter egg hunt, and all the kids were getting ready and they are doing a countdown,” Culler said. “Everybody runs out and starts picking up eggs, and Raydon just kind of walked out there passed 20 eggs and just kind of looked around and wasn’t excited.”

Culler said the first grader was instead tripping and stumbling. 

He and his wife were unsure what was going on, but sent him to school the next day. They got a call from the school that he was having problems going up and down the stairs.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Trip To Utah"}]

They called their pediatrician from work, who told them to take him to the local emergency room. Then she called them back and told them to take him Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Culler with Bowen, then 38-weeks pregnant, headed for Utah. 

At the hospital they were told Raydon would have to stay overnight for more tests. The next day an MRI scan showed areas of his brain that were white that were not supposed to be white.

Doctors told them Raydon had adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare genetic disorder that attacks the membrane that protects nerve cells in the brain and spinal chord. 

The condition keeps the brain from communicating properly with other parts of the body, which was the reason for Raydon’s stumbling and other issues.

Raydon also was recently diagnosed with Addison’s disease that typically accompanies ALD and means he has a cortisol deficiency that will need to be medicated for the rest of his life. 

Culler said it’s “frustrating” that they were chasing ADHD and has since found out that many other parents go down the same road because there was no newborn screening for the genetic disorder in their state.

“I’m like, ‘Why hasn’t anything changed? Why aren’t people screening for this?'” Culler said. “When Raydon was born, Wyoming didn’t do newborn screening for ALD, and a lot of states didn’t. 

"Now there’s a few holdout states that still don’t, but most places do, and Wyoming does now.”

Once the couple learned the diagnosis, doctors also told them that there is no cure, but a bone-marrow transplant can freeze the destruction where it is at. 

Raydon stayed in the hospital a week for more tests, and then the family came home as the hunt for a bone marrow donor began.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"New Baby"}]

The family stayed in Kemmerer about three weeks. Bowen decided she needed to bring the baby into the world to prepare for Raydon’s next hospital stay. 

Their son Porter arrived through an induced birth on April 21.

Meanwhile, Raydon’s eyesight got worse as he rode his bike, but still he seemed to be enjoying time to play and try and be normal again.

Culler and Bowen have a blended marriage, and he used the time to prepare his 17-year-old daughter for the reality of he and Bowen having to go back to Salt Lake City. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Grandparents stepped up to help."}]

They kept in close contact with doctors and Primary Children’s Hospital as Raydon’s speech and vision were getting worse. 

They then received word from their doctor that instead of a bone marrow transplant, Raydon would get an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

The family went back to the hospital on May 4, and Raydon received nine days of chemotherapy to destroy his immune system. Then the stem cells were transplanted into his bone marrow.

Friday marked the 22nd day after the infusion. 

His dad said Raydon spends his days laying in his hospital bed, unable to see or speak.

“It’s really hard to watch,” Culler said. "He’s to the point where it's kind of hard for him to do anything.

"There’s so much pain involved with doing that to a young body and agitation and anxiety that is astronomical.”

Culler said sometimes Raydon will try and feel for his mom’s ring or feel for his beard. Sometimes he reaches for a hand to kiss it.

“That’s kind of how we know that he’s still there,” he said.

Doctors and parents are waiting for “engraftment,” the process when donor stem cells start making new blood components. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"In Raydon’s case it may take 30 days."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hospital Living"}]

For now, Culler watches their newborn baby at the hospital’s Ronald McDonald House every night while Bowen stays with Raydon. 

They switch places during the day, and the past month is a blur.

Culler said he thinks about the future and possibility of needing a new home to handle a son who cannot see or may have other physical limitations. 

He said his wife and Braydon’s grandparents are living in the moment and trying to make sure everything “is OK now.”

 that has been started on their behalf and for fundraisers such as a hunting and fishing expo that is doing a 50-50 raffle for them, sales of T-shirts that say “Raydon Strong,” and a Utah-based company called Rise and Shed that is doing a fundraiser to help the family with their medical bills.

Culler said he has never been a person who has asked others for help.

“But we’re looking down this road, and we don’t know how long it’s going to be,” he said. 

Culler’s mind goes to when he will return to work, the needs ahead, and more.

Raydon’s elementary school classmates have sent him cards and letters. Culler hopes that one day soon they will be able to read them to him.

Doctors have told the parents that the stem cells may be able to bring back some of the function that Raydon has lost. Time will tell.

Culler said his wife “just wants her boy back” and regrets the times she didn’t make the extra effort to read him that one more story that he was asking for or going to his room to play with him when Raydon asked.

Culler thinks back to the hunting trips, and how he was planning to teach him things this year. 

For Raydon, the trips are mostly about the Mountain Dew that he could only get on special occasions.

“I told him we can have Mountain Dew when we’re in the mountains, when we’re hunting, or when we’re doing ‘dude’ stuff,” Culler said. “He says, ‘Come on, we’re mountain dudes, we gotta drink Mountain Dew.’ That was our thing.”

Raydon Bowen Mix Collage 06 Jun 2026 07 09 AM 6478 6 6 26

<title>Rare Genetic Condition Took Kemmerer 7-Year-Old's Eyesight, Threatens His Life | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Kemmerer couple is on medical leave taking care of a newborn and their 7-year-old son who has a rare genetic condition that took his eyesight. All the little boy wanted to do was go hunting this year, instead he's fighting for his life.

Rare Genetic Condition Took Kemmerer 7-Year-Old's Eyesight, Threatens His Life

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

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Business

CHEYENNE — Patricia Miller was helping another customer when a smooth-talking gentleman came in and quickly grabbed some crystals that he said were a gift for his mom. 

“He was trying to small talk with me about how wonderful of a person he was, because he’s getting them for her,” Miller told Cowboy State Daily. “And he’s going to print out information about each one of them, and all this other stuff.”

Miller thought that was sweet and said so, but what happened next was anything but sweet.

“He handed me this $100 bill, and I could feel that something was different,” she said. “And I was looking at it, and I’m like, ‘Well, maybe it’s old?'”

That prompted the man to helpfully add that the bill was from 1996.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That’s when things clicked for Miller."}]

“Like, who knows what year the bill is that you’re handing a cashier?” she said. “So that’s what really triggered my mind to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is counterfeit.’”

Not wanting to falsely accuse the man — or ignite a confrontation — Miller took a different tack. 

“I said to him, ‘I”m sorry, but I don’t have change for this. You’re going to have to maybe get change and come back. Do you have anything smaller?’" Miller said. “And he said, ‘No, I’ll go to Bomgaars and get change.’”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The man never returned for his items. "}]

Later, looking at the store’s video surveillance, Miller saw the man had several recognizable bags with him. When she visited those other stores, it confirmed her suspicion that the $100 bill had been fake. 

The same man with the same story and multiple copies of the same $100 bill, all sharing the same serial number, had hit all of the stores.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Same Serial Number All Over Town"}]

Miller’s social media post about the experience drew jeers from some skeptical online commenters who accused her of overreacting. 

She posted the bill so others would know what was happening, to prevent anyone from getting duped.

A manager at a discount store on South Greeley Highway in Cheyenne, who asked that her store not be named for corporate reasons, confirmed she’d encountered both the same man and the same $100 bill as Miller. 

The man came to the store on South Greeley between the hours of 3:30 and 4 p.m., she said, trying to buy some baby wipes and a gallon jug of water with the $100 — a classic, small-purchase, big-change tactic.

The cashier felt something was off with the bill, but couldn’t identify what. She used a traditional counterfeit detector pen. If the iodine ink, which reacts with starches in standard, wood-pulp paper, remains black, that’s supposed to indicate that a bill is real. 

But the manager has learned a different trick to identify counterfeits lately. 

“I swabbed it with rubbing alcohol, and the ink smudged,” she said. “So I told him it was fake and we were not going to accept it.”

Counterfeit $100 bills are getting passed throughout Wyoming and store clerks say iodine counterfeit detector pens won't detect the fake bills. “The counterfeit pens are garbage,” said one store manager

Daily Cartoon: Thursday, February 8, 2024

Michael P. Ramirez

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