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[{"type":"text","text":"Anyone who has or has had upstairs neighbors can vouch for this...."}]

You still here 6 11 24

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

<title>You Still Here? Tuesday, June 11, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Anyone who has or has had upstairs neighbors can vouch for this....

You Still Here? Tuesday, June 11, 2024

 Anyone who has or has had upstairs neighbors can vouch for this....

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, July 3rd.  I’m Mac Watson

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The City of Cheyenne announced Thursday it's suspending taking wastewater associated with data center systems after a contractor for Meta contaminated the city’s wastewater system. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that the process took months of cleanup. 

“The city announced on Thursday that it is suspending taking wastewater associated with data center systems after this bacterium was found back in February. Once the bacterium was found, the company, or the contractor, which is Goat Systems LLC, was effectively banned from using the city's sewage system. It took at least a week to 10 days for the state lab to determine what the actual bacterium was. It was something that the city of Cheyenne had never seen before, and there was speculation that it could be linked back to a data center, and that was confirmed with the announcement Thursday that it is connected to the Meta project called Project Cosmos.”

The announcement was made by the Board of Public Utilities on Thursday in conjunction with naming the Meta company as the source of the initial contamination.

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Recreationists celebrated Wednesday evening as the 18,800-acre Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne was opened to the public. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the new recreation area provides 13 miles of trails, giving hikers and cyclists a long-promised playground in the city’s backyard.

“This was the late Councilman Scott Roy Bulls Pet Project. Here, he was its champion for 20-plus years, the 23 years it took for this project to become a reality. He was always the one saying, "We have to open this to the public. It's an amazing recreational opportunity, you know, it belongs to the public. We have to open this to the public, and so, you know, after 23 years, finally it's come to fruition.”

The new trailhead and roughly 13 miles of singletrack and shared-use paths give hikers and cyclists a long-promised playground in the city’s backyard, turning what was once mainly an insurance policy for future water and landfill needs into a full-fledged outdoor destination.

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The Wyoming Business Council's biggest critic in the Legislature, Rep. Ken Pendergraft, was mostly relieved at a Wednesday audit report showing the Wyoming Business Council isn't hiding any bank accounts. But Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports he says he still has questions.

“That was scuttlebutt during the appropriations committees meeting, that lawmakers were wondering things like, do we even know what all the business council has going on, and so as part of the budget the business council was required to submit to a department of audit probe, and the department concluded, ‘Yeah, there's not these outside accounts, pretty much everything's on the up and up, some negligible and documenting errors.’”

Rep. Ken Pendergraft, from Sheridan, made headlines in 2025 when he announced a goal to eliminate the WBC. That’s a government-funded entity that gives grants and loans to communities and businesses.

Scattered human bones found in Wyoming's rugged Wind River Mountains nearly a year ago have been identified as a Scottish man. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that an investigator from Wyoming Game and Fish found the remains in a remote section of the Wind River Mountains near the Sweetwater Gap Guard Station.

“The remains of John Gillies were found near the Sweet Water Muddy Gap Station, and over the course of a 10 month investigation, detectives were able to piece together who he was based on those remains within a 20 mile radius. They were able to find about 85% of the skeleton and some personal belongings that then helped them link him to Gillies and his family in Scotland, and they were able to confirm on June 30 that he was in fact the person who had been found.”

Deputies found disarticulated skeletal remains, a tent, and personal belongings. Authorities have not announced the cause or manner of death.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

The Wyoming Board of Equalization is suing Gov. Mark Gordon back after he rejected its claims that the state's property tax caps are unconstitutional. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the board is asking Laramie County District Court Judge Nathaniel Hibben to declare that a state law capping residential property tax increases as unconstitutional, and to block its enforcement.  

“Governor Gordon had sued the Board of Equalization, trying to get the court to make it honor a 4% cap on property tax increases from year to year, and a judge last month said, ‘Yeah, for now we're going to go ahead and make the board do that while we consider whether this law is constitutional.’ The board fired back Monday with its own counter suit, urging the judge to declare the cap unconstitutional and to free the board from having to enforce it.”

This cap violates the Wyoming Constitution’s requirement that property taxes be assessed at their full value and uniformly within property classes, the board alleges in its filing, through Davis and Cannon attorneys Amanda Esch and Cat Young. 

Wyoming ranchers say a $99 million John Deere right-to-repair settlement doesn't go far enough. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports they'll get small payouts while John Deere keeps control over repair software and one rancher calls that an unfair settlement.” 

“Farmers and ranchers are objecting to a $99 million settlement by John Deere in a right to repair lawsuit. farmers and ranchers say the settlement doesn't even come close to compensating them for losses they endured because of John Deere's proprietary software and diagnostic system. The window to formally object to the settlement opens July 14 and runs through September 14. During that time, any farmer or rancher who is part of this class action lawsuit can formally object to the settlement and seek fairer compensation. After September, then there will be a final hearing on the settlement in October in Rockville, Illinois.”

The class-action lawsuit claimed the tractor giant was monopolizing the repair market. Right-to-repair advocates say farmers should be able to fix tractors themselves or go to an independent repair shop.

An immigration advocacy firm is suing the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office claiming the agency is withholding important evidence in a deportation case. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the Cheyenne Police Department confirmed Wednesday that the sheriff's office had issued an inaccurate report.

“Kevin Lewis of Cheyenne is working for an immigration firm, and he alleges that the sheriff's office had a flawed report, had to reissue the report, and that the there were there was all sorts of back and forth about the body cam or the camera footage, the sheriff in turn told me on on Thursday, the deputy made some errors and we had him reissue the report, and there's also a specific set of lies, laws about how we can release camera footage.”

Colorado-based immigration firm Lichter and Associates, and its Cheyenne-based investigator Kevin Lewis, filed the lawsuit complaint Tuesday in the Laramie County District Court. 

Clyde "The Buffalo" arrived in Cody for the Cody Stampede Rodeo and Parades, and his first stop Thursday was for a drink. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports the tame buffalo went into Buffalo Bill's Bar in the historic Irma Hotel. 

“He's been invited to lead off the Cody Stampede parades on July 3rd and 4th, and when he first got the Cody, his first stop was to the Buffalo Historic Buffalo Bill Irma Hotel, where he might be the first Buffalo ever invited inside and served inside. He's made a reputation for just being a very tame, affable bison, and he's going to be the biggest celebrity in town for Cody's Independence Day celebrations.”

Clyde’s owner, Clint Mortenson, tells Cowboy State Daily, “He drinks what I drink. He likes bourbon and margaritas.” No word on whether Clyde or his owner was carded by the servers.

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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

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<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: July 3, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Friday's headlines include:

Wind
* Lightning Kills Makeup Mogul's Yak
* Wind River Bones Identified As Scottish Man
* Cheyenne Says No To Data Center Wastewater

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: July 3, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily political columnist, Rod Miller.

Rod Miller

Opinion

CSD Columnists

When a New Hampshire federal district court recently ruled that the Trump Department of Justice had no legal right to confidential voter information from the state, it was the 11th time that the DOJ was shut down and told to keep their grubby paws off the states’ voter info. 

For those of you keeping track, it’s 11-0 on the scoreboard, and the states are pitching a no-hitter.

That begs the question, why did the Wyoming Secretary of State roll over and so readily provide that information to the feds based on a simple request, and not a formal subpoena? 

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray could have told the feds to shove their request where the sun don’t shine and, based upon those 11 aforementioned judicial decisions, he would have been on firm legal ground with the folks in black robes.

So, cynical minds might conclude that Gray had a political reason, rather than a legal reason, for sucking up to Trump’s DOJ. 

A conspiracy theorist might deduce that Gray offered our confidential voter information to the feds, because he wanted to curry favor with Trump and hoped for an endorsement for Gray’s congressional campaign.

And anyone who has heard Gray thump his shoe on the table, and sermonize about the dangers of federal overreach has to be scratching their head.

An email from Gray to the Washington Post adds credence to that conjecture, and supports those who think that he was tickled pink to make Wyoming the first state to kow-tow to the feds. 

In response to an inquiry from a reporter, Gray on January 28, 2026, said, “I am proud to have led other states in the nation in working with the DOJ…” and “Wyoming was the first state...to defend election integrity.”

Inquiring minds want to know why he sided with the feds over Wyoming, but Gray ain’t talking. Repeated requests under the Wyoming Public Records Act for Gray to reveal the reasoning behind his actions have been met with the same response. Gray says he was acting in close consultation with Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz, and any advice he received is protected by attorney/client privilege.

If Wyoming’s attorney general gave legal advice to the Secretary of State that hasn’t held up in 11 other states (and counting), then Wyoming citizens should have questions about that, too. 

Wyoming Senator Cale Case asked Secretary Gray to explain himself in a Feb. 3, 2026 email. Gray shared that he had met with Kautz, gone over the DOJ request, and decided how Wyoming would knuckle under.  

But, today when we ask Gray why he ran up the white flag, he just clams up.  

Kind of leaves you wondering whether Chuck and his brain trust ever considered any of the reasons that have led 11 courts to say the DOJ never had the right to ask for ask any state for their confidential voter information.  

The veil of secrecy between Wyoming government and it’s citizens is being ferociously defended at the expense of government transparency.

Wyoming’s Supreme Court was even given an opportunity to pierce that veil in favor of the citizenry, but squirmed their way off the horns of that dilemma on a legal technicality. So, nobody but Gray and Kautz know the legal justification for Gray’s release of the personal information of Wyoming voters to the DOJ, in clear violation of state law.

But, there’s an element of humor in this whole fiasco. The voter rolls that Gray sent to DOJ in August of last year, were obsolete as soon as they were sent. 

Information on Wyoming voters is a moving target, and constantly in flux. State agencies and county clerks are constantly updating voter rolls – removing people who have died or who have moved away, adding new residents and newly registered voters. The Secretary of State doesn’t have that info until those agencies send it to him, and what he sent to the feds is currently incomplete and out-of-date.

Once DOJ realizes that, they’ll likely send Gray another polite request for our updated confidential personal information. It will be interesting to see how he responds.

Or, in their zeal for “election integrity”, the DOJ might merely suggest to Gray, in another friendly letter, that perhaps the federal government should take over the responsibility of conducting elections in Wyoming, since all the Wyoming Secretary of State can produce is out-dated information. 

[{"type":"text","text":"That would really put Li’l Chucky in a pickle and test his loyalties!"}]

Author's note: "Pickle" is a baseball term denoting a player caught in a rundown on the base paths, and tagged out because he didn't stay on base.

Rod Miller can be reached at: RodsMillerWyo@yahoo.com

Rod miller headshot scaled

<title>Rod Miller: Chuck Gray’s Pickle Over Wyoming Voter Info | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Columnist Rod Miller writes, "Why did Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray roll over and so readily provide that information to the feds based on a simple request, and not a formal subpoena?"

Rod Miller: Chuck Gray’s Pickle Over Wyoming Voter Info

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

Andrew Rossi

Around Wyoming

Clyde “The Buffalo” will be the biggest celebrity in Cody for America’s 250th.

 was invited to participate in the Cody Stampede Rodeo and Parades on July 3 and 4.

On Thursday, the famous bison arrived. His first stop was the historic Irma Hotel. 

It might be the first time a buffalo was invited inside Buffalo Bill’s hotel. He was even served a drink at the bar.

“He likes bourbon and margaritas,” Clyde’s owner, Clint Mortenson, told Cowboy State Daily. “He drinks what I drink.”

Clyde will be first in line for the parades Friday and Saturday. He may or may not have a rider on his humped back.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We haven’t decided yet,” Mortenson said."}]

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Mortenson, who owns Mortenson Silver and Saddles in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has raised Clyde since he was two weeks old. He turned his “pet” into a celebrity through the connections he made after several years in the film industry.

“I actually lived in Lusk when I went to saddle-making school, and supplied horses, saddles, and other things for movies in New Mexico,” he said. “That's how Clyde became popular."

Clyde's "acting" credentials include appearances in Paramount's "Yellowstone," the Amazon Prime science-fiction series "Outer Range," and Apple TV’s "Pluribus.”

Clyde has also appeared in commercials for Banana Republic, Bass Pro Shops and YETI.

“When the Oklahoma City Thunder made the NBA Finals last May, Clyde took on the role of "Rumble the Bison" to support the team,” Mortenson said. “He had a place of honor outside the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City.”

Between acting and endorsement gigs, Clyde is a highly sought-after model for all kinds of photo shoots. In November 2025, Mortenson transported Clyde to Jackson for a western-themed wedding shoot.

Mortenson has fully embraced his role as Clyde’s chauffeur, booking agent, and personal assistant. The bison is fully halter-trained, so he’s comfortable going wherever Mortenson leads him.

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When Mortenson and Clyde reached Cody on Thursday, they were invited inside the Irma Hotel by owner Mike Darby. Clyde eagerly accepted Darby's invitation.

Far from being a bull in a china shop, Clyde doesn’t mind small spaces. He's become a bit of a bar fly.

“We've done a lot of photo shoots in saloons," Mortenson said. "I've taken him into little bars in Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Durango, and Silverton, Colorado. I even took him into the White Elephant Saloon in Fort Worth, Texas."

Clyde entered the Irma through the back door and easily navigated the winding, narrow corridors leading to the dining room. He even posed on the front porch.

“He did great,” Mortenson said. “He was confident as we twisted and turned through the hallways to reach the bar. It was super.”

Clyde also made an appearance in front of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. He was not invited inside.

At both places, Clyde got photo-ops with bronze sculptures of Buffalo Bill. Mortenson brought something extra special to add to the ambiance of those shots.  

“The saddle is a one-of-a-kind replica of a Buffalo Bill saddle I made in 1993,” he said. “It's based on one he used in the Wild West Show in Paris, France.”

The actual saddle is on display in the Buffalo Bill Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Mortenson got to take his replica inside to show how closely it resembles the original. 

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Clyde will be making the most of his trip to Cody. In addition to leading off the Cody Stampede Parades, he’ll be making a grand entrance during the Cody Stampede Rodeo.

[{"type":"text","text":"“He’ll be here through July 4,” Mortenson said."}]

Clyde’s other big accolade is that he’s saddle-trained. Mortenson’s son, Wyatt, an actor and stunt performer, broke into show business as “The Buffalo Rider" by sharing photos and videos of himself riding Clyde.

Clyde will be saddled up for the parades and rodeos but might go riderless for the occasion.

The secret to Clyde’s success is his temperament and his self-identity. He might be a big bull bison, but he doesn’t seem to know that, and Mortenson hasn’t tried to persuade his best client otherwise.

"I don't think he knows he's a buffalo," he said. "He's pretty trustworthy with me, so he let me lead him all over, which has made him popular with directors and photographers. But he's always been gentle. He's just like a person."

Clyde the bison wes cody 14 7 2 26

<title>Bison Drinks Bourbon In Buffalo Bill’s Bar In Cody, Wyoming | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Clyde "The Buffalo" arrived in Cody for the Cody Stampede Rodeo and Parades, and his first stop Thursday was for a drink at Buffalo Bill's Bar in the legendary Wild West showman's historic Irma Hotel. "He likes bourbon and margaritas," said Clyde's owner.

Bison Drinks Bourbon In Buffalo Bill’s Bar In Cody, Wyoming

Agriculture

Jeffree Star’s favorite yak has been killed by lightning on his Casper ranch.

The social media personality, entrepreneur and “makeup mogul” 

 a 7-year-old male yak, on Thursday. The yak died June 25 after being struck by lightning on the Star Yak Ranch.

Star said his heart was “completely broken” and described Buster’s death as “one of those things you never think will happen until it does.”

“If you’ve followed my ranch journey, you already know Buster wasn’t just ‘a yak,’” he wrote. “He was the king of the pasture, the biggest lover, the snack inspector & somehow always knew exactly where I was. He had the kind of personality you just can’t explain.  You had to meet him.”

Star hoped his favorite yak was “somewhere up there stealing everyone’s treats and acting like you own the place … because let’s be real, you always did.”

Cowboy State Daily was unable to reach the Star Yak Ranch by publication time.

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Star started the 500-acre Star Yak Ranch in 2021. The ranch claims to have more than 500 yaks, some of which are processed into meat products sold online and at The Jeffree Star Store: Makeup & Meat, which opened in Casper in 2023.

Thirteen camels also live on the Star Yak Ranch. The ranch doesn’t sell any camel products.

Buster was one of the ranch’s breeding bulls. 

 of him giving Buster and some of “his ladies” some treats as recently as two weeks ago.

, Star shared a video of him scratching Buster, with the tagline, “I love animals more than people.”

[{"type":"text","text":"A still from that video was used when Star announced Buster’s death."}]

Cowboy State Daily interviewed Wade Wohl, the general manager of the Star Yak Ranch, 

“I’ve worked on a number of ranches throughout Wyoming,” Wohl said. “Mainly cattle, and I have worked around swine. Yaks have definitely been a learning process, but it’s fun. Yaks are definitely a lot more unique than a regular beef cow.”

Wohl said each of Star’s yaks ate 25 pounds of hay per day, and the herd required 4,000 to 6,000 gallons of water every two days. The Casper Landfill was eagerly taking all the yaks’ waste.

“The landfill has basically told us they will take as much manure as we can possibly give them,” he said. “That’s what they make their compost out of.”

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All livestock are susceptible to lightning strikes, including celebrity animals.

 while out on the Chipeta Ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in July 2025. The camel had been a fixture at several annual events in northern Colorado for years.

“Everybody loved Larry,” Tracy DelliQuadri, a volunteer at the Chipeta Ranch, told Cowboy State Daily. “He was a beloved member of the family, a member of the ranch, and a member of the (Troublesome Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc). He can't be and won't be replaced.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Star seemed to have similar feelings about his dearly departed yak."}]

“Love you forever, Buster,” he wrote. “Thank you for every smile you put on our faces, every memory and every moment.”

Jeffree Starr and Buster composite 7 2 26

<title>Lightning Kills Makeup Mogul Jeffree Star's Favorite Yak On Casper Ranch | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Social media personality and "makeup mogul" Jeffree Star of Casper announced Thursday that he's mourning the death of “Buster,” a 7-year-old male yak that he says "wasn't just a yak." Buster died after being struck by lightning on the Star Yak Ranch.

Lightning Kills Makeup Mogul Jeffree Star's Favorite Yak On Casper Ranch

Daily Darwin

[{"type":"text","text":"This trip through the forest is brought to you by Coors…."}]

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