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Virtue signaling card denied, as narrated by MMA announcer Steve Inman....

Inman 6 14 24

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

<title>Steve Inman: Friday, June 14, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Steve Inman: Friday, June 14, 2024

 Virtue signaling card denied, as narrated by MMA announcer Steve Inman....

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

Andrew Rossi

Public Safety

 has been identified as Terry Zaske, 48, of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Zaske was riding his motorcycle on U.S. Highway 14/16/20 on Wednesday when he was struck by a Ford pickup truck that swerved into his lane near Wapiti, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said.

Zaske died at the scene. Zaske's wife, Candis, was LifeFlighted to a hospital in Billings, Montana, where she is recovering from serious injuries.

Kaitlyn Zaske, Terry’s daughter, also from Rapid City, 

 to pay for her father's funeral and cover her stepmother's medical bills. She described her father as a jovial soul and a doting grandfather, taken from her family too soon.

“My dad was so many things to so many people,” she wrote. “He was a son, father, grandpa, brother, uncle, and friend. He was my dad and losing him so unexpectedly has left a hole in our family that words cannot describe.”

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

Zaske and three other motorcycles were traveling west on U.S. 14/16/20 toward Yellowstone National Park when the eastbound pickup truck drifted into the opposite lane. The truck struck two motorcycles directly, including Zaske’s, which caused the motorcycles behind them to crash as well.

A Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) vehicle, traveling behind the motorcycles, attempted to swerve to avoid the oncoming truck. The truck clipped the WYDOT vehicle’s tailgate and continued into a field before coming to a stop.

Ten people and six vehicles were involved in the incident. Five people were seriously injured.

“One person was taken by helicopter to Billings for medical treatment,” said Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesperson Aaron Brown. “Another was taken by ambulance to Cody before being flown to Billings as well. Two others were taken by ambulance to Cody with non-life-threatening injuries, where they were treated and released.”

The Highway Patrol said the driver of the Ford pickup was responsible for the accident. Driver inattention and driver fatigue/asleep were the contributing factors.  

As of Friday, it’s unknown whether any charges have been or will be filed against the pickup driver.

U.S. 14/16/20 was closed for 5 1/2 hours as first responders treated the victims and cleared the highway of debris.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Permanent Pain"}]

Candis Zaske is still receiving medical care in Billings. Kaitlyn said her stepmother has “a long road ahead” that will keep her from working.

Knowing the costs of her father's funeral and stepmother's medical bills will be immense, Kaitlyn is turning to friends, family, and other motorcyclists for support.

“While no amount of money can ever take away this pain, we are asking for help to ease some of the financial burden that has suddenly fallen on our family,” she wrote. “Nothing is expected, but everything is appreciated.”

As of Friday, the GoFundMe had reached more than $8,000 of its $14,000 goal.

Kaitlyn shared that she and her father were attempting to repair their relationship after years of conflict when he died. She “will forever wish we had more time.”

“We were just starting to find our way back to each other,” she wrote. “Regardless of everything, he was still my dad. He was still a grandpa, and he loved all of his kids and grandkids with everything he had.”

Kaitlyn will remember her father’s humor and how much he enjoyed doting on his grandchildren. The accident “unexpectedly changed (our family) forever.”

“He had a way of cracking a joke and making anyone laugh, but one of the things I will always remember most was how much he loved his grandchildren and how much he loved to spoil them,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out, prayed for us, shared their love, or offered support during this heartbreaking time. It means more to our family than you will ever know.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The Zaske family could not be reached at the time of publication."}]

Mix Collage 14 Aug 2026 05 36 PM 4823

<title>South Dakota Grandfather Identified As Man Killed In Multi-Vehicle Wreck Near Yellowstone | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Terry Zaske, a grandfather from South Dakota, has been identified as the motorcyclist killed in a multi-vehicle wreck near Wapiti on Wednesday. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says the driver of a pickup truck caused the six-vehicle accident. 

South Dakota Grandfather Identified As Man Killed In Multi-Vehicle Wreck Near Yellowstone

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

A predawn burglary spree through Lander in April left businesses ransacked, windows smashed and a convenience store clerk with three stab wounds in her back. Now, one of the two people accused in the rampage has agreed to plead guilty to a felony.

Amanda Phillips, 21, signed a plea agreement filed Aug. 12 in Fremont County District Court, resolving her part of a case that began with stolen booze and cigarettes.

[{"type":"text","text":"The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison."}]

In exchange, Fremont County Attorney Micah Wyatt has agreed to dismiss Phillips' two remaining charges — accessory after the fact to aggravated assault and battery and fleeing.

[{"type":"text","text":"No agreement was reached, however, about what her punishment should be."}]

The agreement specifically describes it as a "cold" plea, meaning both prosecutors and Phillips' defense attorney, public defender Zachary H. Mahlum, remain free to argue for whatever sentence they deem appropriate.

Phillips also agrees to pay restitution on all of the original charges, including those prosecutors have agreed to dismiss.

[{"type":"text","text":"Ultimately, the sentence will be up to the judge."}]

Phillips' co-defendant, 18-year-old Lorenzo Hopper, remains charged with attempted first-degree murder and five other crimes. He is scheduled for a jury trial Nov. 16.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Smashed Windows "}]

The incidents began around 3:40 a.m. April 21, when police say Hopper jumped the counter at the Loaf N' Jug on Main Street, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and took off.

The clerk called police and gave officers a description of Hopper, but a search of the area came up empty.

Over the next hour, several Lander businesses were broken into and vandalized, with alcohol, cigarettes, cash and other property reported stolen.

Phillips allegedly drove Hopper to several locations that morning. She later told investigators she was looking at her phone and didn't see what he was doing.

Among the businesses hit was the County 10 radio station, where investigators say an oxygen bottle was used to smash the front-door window. Surveillance video showed Hopper entering the building, where a commemorative Gerber hunting knife was among the items reported stolen.

Police would later find computer screens, oxygen bottles, an oxygen mask and plumbing equipment inside the vehicle Phillips was driving, according an affidavit of probable cause. 

Then, around 4:37 a.m. — nearly an hour after the first call — police were sent back to the Loaf N' Jug.

[{"type":"text","text":"Hopper had returned."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Three Stab Wounds"}]

The affidavit says Hopper went inside the store and confronted clerk Dayle Mefford, who called 911.

Investigators allege he attacked Mefford with a stolen knife, stabbing her three times in the back.

[{"type":"text","text":"Mefford was seriously wounded and was LifeFlighted for treatment."}]

Her daughter, Aiko Miller, later told Cowboy State Daily that strangers who happened upon the violence rushed in to help her mother.

One person used a vehicle to frighten off the attacker as the assault escalated, Miller said. Others tended to Mefford's wounds until emergency medical crews arrived.

[{"type":"text","text":"Miller said her mother believed their intervention saved her life."}]

"We are beyond grateful to the good Samaritan that stepped in and scared that man off and administered wound care," Miller said. "It saved my mom's life."

[{"type":"text","text":"Mefford has since been recovering from her injuries."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Plea Deal"}]

Although Phillips and Hopper were arrested together April 21, the criminal cases against them took different shapes.

An initial Lander Police Department announcement said both were facing attempted-murder charges while investigators were still sorting through what happened.

Once formal charges were filed, however, prosecutors did not charge Phillips with attempted murder.

Instead, she was charged with accessory before the fact to burglary, accessory after the fact to aggravated assault and battery, and fleeing or attempting to elude police.

Hopper faces six charges: Attempted first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, two counts of aggravated assault and battery, interference with a peace officer and theft.

Both pleaded not guilty during separate arraignments May 21 in Fremont County District Court.

[{"type":"text","text":"Phillips is now moving toward resolving her case without a trial."}]

Under the Wednesday agreement, she will plead guilty only to accessory before the fact to burglary. Prosecutors will ask the court to dismiss the other two charges once her guilty plea is entered and accepted.

Because the agreement contains no sentencing recommendation, Phillips could still face a sentence within the range allowed by Wyoming law.

[{"type":"text","text":"Her existing bond will remain in effect while she awaits sentencing."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hopper Headed To Trial"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Hopper's trial in November will be in Fremont County District Court."}]

The attempted first-degree murder charge is by far the most serious allegation against him and could expose him to decades in prison.

Shortly after his preliminary hearing this spring, Hopper wrote a handwritten letter to the judge in which he expressed remorse and said he hoped someday to apologize to Mefford "face to face."

He wrote that he was finished drinking and wanted people to see something in him beyond the crimes he is accused of committing.

Phillips' plea agreement also still must make its way through the court. Filing the agreement does not itself constitute a guilty plea. Phillips must formally enter that plea and the judge must accept it before the agreement takes effect.

Lander loaf jug with police cruiser 8 14 26

<title>Driver In Wild Lander Crime Spree That Ended In Triple Stabbing Takes Plea Deal | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A woman accused of driving during a Lander burglary spree that ended with a Loaf N’ Jug clerk getting stabbed three times pleaded guilty to a felony. She faces up to 10 years, while the man accused of the stabbing is headed to trial for attempted murder.

Driver In Wild Lander Crime Spree That Ended In Triple Stabbing Takes Plea Deal

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

Clair McFarland

Politics

RIVERTON- Three Wyoming gubernatorial candidates for the Republican nomination took the debate stage against each other late Thursday, for the last time before next Tuesday’s primary election.

State Sen. and former House Speaker Eric Barlow emphasized pragmatic policy approaches and referenced his nearly 14 years in the Legislature and careers as a rancher and veterinarian.

Retired Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien said he entered this race due to Gov. Mark Gordon’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. He voiced enthusiasm, referenced his military career and called for auditing “everything” in state government.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder pointed to her work as the state’s schools chief, and voiced ambitions for Wyoming to lead the nation by litigating, empowering industries at which the state already excels and negotiating strongly with other states. She cast her connection with both President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman as an edge that will help Wyoming advance its own agenda.

[{"type":"text","text":"What If We Got Another COVID?"}]

In response to a question about how she’d respond to another COVID-like phenomenon, Degenfelder said Wyoming should never shut down private businesses or schools.

“I spent time living in Communist China,” she said, reflecting on earning her master’s degree at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. “During the COVID pandemic that’s what it started to feel like.”

In an earlier interview this week, Degenfelder compared her time in China to confronting a lion.

Bien said, “I am standing here right now because of the actions the current governor took in 2020.”

[{"type":"text","text":"He said he’d never shut down the state the way Gordon did."}]

“Without our freedom, we have nothing,” said Bien. “I’ve witnessed the end state of tyranny in multiple theaters.”

In 2020 Barlow was, as now, in the state Legislature. He reflected on how difficult it was to get good information as the pandemic unfolded. 

 he championed into law in 2021, limiting state and county public health officers’ authority to shutter the state to 10 days, and shifting that authority to elected officials after that timeframe.

“Because I understood what I was hearing: frustration,” said Barlow. “People needed to be held accountable. You hold your elected officials accountable, and I ran the bill to make that happen on behalf of all Wyoming citizens.”

Bien answered a question about states’ renegotiation of the Colorado River compact, saying “I’m tired of these other states stepping all over us.”

He said Wyoming should rebuff outside influence, and let “particularly the coastal states” solve their own problems. He listed desalination as an example.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I will fight for that all the way through,” said Bien."}]

Degenfelder said Wyoming needs a strong negotiator. Because the federal government has issued temporary guidelines in this area, Wyoming needs a relationship with the federal government, she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder has been endorsed by both Hageman and Trump."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"She also said Wyoming should invest in its failing water infrastructure."}]

Barlow said the state should protect its “lifeblood” by putting more resources toward scientific and legal advantages.

That’s also been the message of the Wyoming Attorney General’s office, which urged the Legislature this session to equip it to negotiate the compact.

Barlow said he wants Wyoming to build a coalition with the upper basin states and take a strong enough lead in this area to repel the federal government.

“I do not want top-down,” he said. “I do not want the federal government deciding this on our behalf; so we need to have the resources and the people.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyoming Freedom Caucus"}]

A shortened, lightning-round segment opened with the prompt, “Wyoming Freedom Caucus.”

That’s a controversial group of Republicans in the state House of Representatives. Its proponents call it the true voice of the political right, while its detractors say it over-relies on national influence and brings sloppy legislation.

“I’m not interested in labels. I’m interested in results,” said Degenfelder.

Bien said he aligns with the Wyoming Republican platform, and will align with the Freedom Caucus as long as it does too.

Barlow, whom the caucus doesn’t favor, gave a joking, “Who?” in response to the prompt.

[{"type":"text","text":"University Of Wyoming Funding"}]

Bien said of the University of Wyoming, the state needs “to audit the whole thing.”

“Make sure this money’s being spent statutorily and we’re getting the best bang for the buck,” he said.

Many House lawmakers led an effort this year to cut $40 million from UW’s state budget. That effort did not clear the Senate.  

[{"type":"text","text":"Barlow called UW valuable for the future of Wyoming."}]

Degenfelder said she’s a “proud graduate” and believes the school needs to be “a strong land-grant university” and focus on affordability. 

Wyoming’s Turn, which is a Wyoming PAC targeting Barlow with attack ads, has spent at least $1.4 million this election cycle. An issues group registered in Delaware has been attacking him as well.

A Wyoming’s Turn flier asserted this week that Barlow sponsored legislation to raise gas and diesel tax. It cited the 2020 House Bill 63.

Barlow voiced surprise at the claim in a Thursday-morning interview on Cowboy State Daily’s Morning Show With Jake, saying he had not done that.

The 2020 House Bill 63 had proposed a fuel tax hike, but it was sponsored by the Revenue Committee, of which Barlow was not a member. He voted no on that bill Feb. 12, 2020. 

Barlow fielded a question about “dark money” by saying, “if they can’t put their name on it, you don’t  know where it came from – that’s not dark money, that’s black money.”

Wyoming’s Turn PAC lists contributions from the Women For Responsible Government PAC, which hadn’t disclosed its own donors as of Thursday. 

Degenfelder also fielded the dark money prompt with indignation, saying the group attacking her has spent millions helping Democratic candidates.

The Keep Wyoming Working PAC, which has spent $228,534, lists its lone contributor is the Washington DC-based Government That Works PAC. That group’s funding has filtered to multiple Democratic candidates across the nation.

Barlow and Degenfelder both deny involvement with PACs attacking the other.

Bien, who hasn’t been as much of a target, said he’s “absolutely opposed” to dark money.

All three candidates cast themselves as staunchly pro-Second Amendment. Barlow pointed to legislation he championed helping non-violent felons to restore their gun rights.

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder urged Wyoming to be vigilant in this area."}]

Bien said he would have signed the 2026 Second Amendment Protection Act, “without a doubt.”

All 23 Wyoming sheriffs opposed that bill, saying it would bring more local harms from federal agents by making local law enforcement officers hesitant to communicate or work with them at all.

Proponents, conversely, pointed to high-profile and violent street clashes involving immigration enforcers this year, and the Second Amendment generally.

[{"type":"text","text":"Grizzly Bears, Data Centers"}]

Bien and Degenfelder both urged removing grizzly bears from threatened status on the endangered species list.

Barlow said Wyoming should be managing its own grizzly population and is getting much closer to that goal.

Regarding data centers, Bien said he’d like to push for constitutional protections to guard “everyone’s data out here.”

Barlow said Wyoming should work to protect water, electrical rates; and give communities good information on the impacts of data centers. But if they’re using Wyoming coal and natural gas, he added, “that’s not a bad thing.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder again urged strong negotiation."}]

“We say you’re not going to take from the water supply. You’re not going to increase electrical rates. You’re going to help us fund trade schools,” she said, “and you’re going to be welcomed by the community.”

In a prompt about the Wyoming Business Council, Barlow called it an important partner with local governments and private business that helps to diversify the economy.

Degenfelder said, “government doesn’t create jobs. The private sector does.” But, she continued, there is a role for economic development, and that institution should focus on infrastructure and return on investment.

Bien said the Wyoming Business Council “needs a serious rudder steer” to return to its mission, or it should be defunded.

[{"type":"text","text":"Your Political Hero"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Bien said his political hero is President Theodore Roosevelt."}]

Degenfelder pointed to Wyoming’s current federal delegation Sens. John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman, the late Gov. Stan Hathaway, and said she sees Vice President JD Vance as “ushering in the next generation of conservative leaders.” 

Barlow said he admires as political heroism the partnership between the late Sen. Al Simpson and his wife, Ann Simpson, who died July 31.

[{"type":"text","text":"And, Your Attorney General"}]

Degenfelder said she wants “bulldogs” in every agency and an attorney general who will lead Wyoming, produce legal filings quickly and have “amicus briefs on my desk the next morning” for key issues.

“We’re not going to be the 10th state in the country to sign onto a lawsuit,” she said. “We’re going to lead.”

She said that’s especially important in a time of “lawfare” and “activist judges” nationally.

Bien said Wyoming will be pleased with his pick for attorney general; and cast the man as having an exemplary personality, and being constitutionally driven and liberty-minded.

Barlow said he wants an attorney general of high integrity and broad legal acumen who is interested in “not just suing people, but negotiating. Getting to meaningful outcomes.”

Gov debate 8 13 26

<title>Three GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Face Off In Final Debate Before Primary Election | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Three Wyoming gubernatorial candidates for the Republican nomination took the debate stage Thursday, for the last time before the primary election. Eric Barlow focused on his experience, Megan Degenfelder on her vision and Brent Bien on righting the government's structure.

Three GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Face Off In Final Debate Before Primary Election

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Wildlife

Tourists might like the idea of watching Yellowstone National Park’s top two predators locked in a bloody battle royale, but when it comes down to it grizzlies and wolves would rather work things out. 

That was evident when a young wolf and a grizzly reached what a witness described as a “gentleman’s agreement” over a bison carcass in the Yellowstone River recently, wildlife photographer Marcela Herdova told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. 

About the worst it got was the bear giving the wolf a grumpy “side eye,” said Herdova, who was among numerous visitors who saw the drama in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley. 

The grizzly “eventually made one swipe with a paw but didn’t seem to have any intent of actually slashing the wolf,” she said. 

Retired Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist Mark Bruscino told Cowboy State Daily that wolves and grizzlies generally get along better than people might think.

“These kinds of interactions probably happen very frequently,” he said. 

Biologist Doug Smith, who led the Yellowstone wolf program for nearly three decades, said wolves and bears have adapted to each other. 

"This is a common interaction. They both respect each other. The bear us stronger, the wolf is quicker. Hence neither want to do anything dramatic,” Smith said. “They (wolves) just go slow, watch the other and see what they can get. If the bear wants to control you carcass it can, but the wolf can nimbly dart in when opportunity arises.” 

The grizzly apparently was a large, older bear and seemed confident in laying claim to the carcass, Herdova said. 

The bear at one point dug a bed next to it and went to sleep, apparently completely confident it wouldn’t be bothered. 

Then two young wolves, from the Wapiti pack, approached. 

The bolder of the two walked up the grizzly and, for a while, it appeared there might be trouble, Herdova said. 

“We watched it unfold, but there was no direct conflict,” she said. “This went on for a long time, the way they were just dancing around each other.”  

Eventually, the wolf capitulated and sat nearby. The grizzly went back to feasting off the carcass, she said. 

The encounter was ended not by the animals but by an irresponsible human, Herdova added. 

“Somebody flew a drone over the grizzly and ran it off,” she said. 

It’s illegal to fly drones in Yellowstone. In June 2025, a tourist was caught and 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Avoiding Fights"}]

After the grizzly left, the wolves moved in to eat from the carcass, Herdova said. 

Next in line were eagles and ravens, which took over after the wolves left, she added. 

Animals can usually work out a pecking order without coming to blows, Bruscino said. 

“I think animal behaviorists would say animals almost always prefer to work out dominance through body language, vocalizations, non-contact aggression, or a combination of those. Fighting can have serious consequences, injury or death, for the participants,” he said. 

After viewing a video clip that Herdova took of the encounter between the bear and the wolf, he said it was a prime example of wildlife settling things without violence. 

“I think that bear is communicating that he doesn't want to fight but he doesn't want to give up the carcass during that short moment that is filmed,” he said. 

‘One Of The Greatest Things I’ve Ever Seen’

Herdova said watching the wolf and bear part ways peacefully was “one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in Yellowstone.”

“They’re a lot smarter than we give them credit for. They know that conflict is costly,” she said.

Bear wolf 8 13 26

<title>Wolf-Grizzly Drama Over Carcass Shows Yellowstone Visitors How Predators Coexist | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A grizzly and wolf initially had a tense standoff over a bison carcass in Yellowstone, but opted to resolve it peacefully. The photographer who filmed the interaction said they're smarter than people think. "They know that conflict is costly," she said.

Steve Inman: Friday, June 14, 2024

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