One More For The Road

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

<title>One More For The Road: Monday, June 17, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

One More For The Road: Monday, June 17, 2024

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Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Business

Protesters will gather on the Wyoming Capitol steps Saturday as Cheyenne joins a nationwide day of demonstrations opposing the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centers.

“We’re just being inundated by them,” said M. Lee Hasenauer, a 37-year Cheyenne resident and candidate for Laramie County commissioner.

The Cheyenne rally, planned for 1 p.m., is one of more than 120 protests planned in 41 states, according to Humans First, the conservative advocacy organization behind the nationwide event. More than 50 cities are participating. Cheyenne is the only Wyoming community hosting an organized event.

The group says the demonstrations are being planned because local communities should have greater control over where massive AI data centers are built.

The organization says the protests are intended to "call on local, state and federal politicians to protect our hometowns, our wallets and our way of life."

As artificial intelligence fuels unprecedented demand for computing power, communities across the country are increasingly pushing back against the large facilities needed to support it.

Opponents cite concerns ranging from increased electricity demand and water consumption to traffic, noise, environmental impacts and declining property values. Supporters counter that the facilities are essential to keeping the United States competitive in the global AI race while bringing investment and jobs.

The debate has become particularly heated in Cheyenne, where Microsoft is pursuing multiple data center developments.

[{"type":"text","text":"Petition Drive Planned"}]

Organizers plan to use Saturday’s rally to launch a petition drive aimed at overturning recent City Council actions on roughly 3,200 acres slated for Microsoft data center development. 

They intend to begin collecting signatures Sunday.

The petition seeks to block annexation and rezoning of the land. Organizers have 20 days to gather 3,000 signatures to force a repeal vote.

Organizers will have 20 days to gather the required 3,000 signatures to move forward with a measure to repeal. Hasenauer said he also hopes the signatures would be enough to put the repeal up for a vote by Laramie County residents.

"Our goal is going to be to turn in 5,000 to 6,000 signatures," Hasenauer told Cowboy State Daily.  

Saturday’s protest will be an opportunity to spread the word about the petition, he said, but it will also give disgruntled residents a voice.

"What we'll be doing at the rally is giving people who are so angry a chance to hold up signs and say no to data centers," he said.

Hasenauer argued that major annexation decisions should be decided by voters rather than elected officials.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I want the will of the people,\" he said."}]

Dr. Taylor Haynes, a Cheyenne urologist who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2018, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. He did not return Cowboy State Daily's call before publication.

[{"type":"text","text":"National Pushback Growing"}]

Saturday's demonstrations come as opposition to hyperscale data centers expands well beyond Wyoming.

Earlier this week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced what state officials described as the nation's first statewide pause on new hyperscale data center approvals. The pause is meant to allow time for regulators to study data centers’ impacts on electric infrastructure, environmental resources and consumer utility costs.

The move drew sharp criticism from Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, who argued in a Cowboy State Daily 

 Thursday that Wyoming should embrace technological growth rather than slow it.

Quoting a saying he attributed to his great-uncle, Gen. George Patton – "Lead, follow, or get out of the way" – Gordon called New York's decision "political faintheartedness."

"America has had enough of 'Build Absolutely Nothing Near Anybody' dogma," Gordon wrote.

Rather than imposing a moratorium, Gordon has argued Wyoming should continue welcoming data center investment while ensuring projects comply with the state's existing laws and regulations.

“Right now, we have far too much wringing of hands, saying no to almost everything, and not enough leading,” he wrote.

[{"type":"text","text":"Different Visions For Wyoming"}]

Hasenauer rejects the notion that opposition to data centers is resistance to progress.

"Protests are driven by common sense," he said, arguing that local officials have stopped listening to residents.

He suggested the industry should pay additional taxes – 15% of all profits – to help fund local infrastructure and emergency services.

[{"type":"text","text":"Modern-Day Luddites"}]

Cowboy State Daily political columnist Rod Miller sees the debate differently.

 in Cowboy State Daily Friday, Miller described data center opponents as modern-day Luddites.

He said he saw a news piece about the national protest online but was not aware that Cheyenne had a place in the national event.

He said he doesn’t have a feel for the traction a protest against data centers could get nationally, but in Wyoming, people are resistant to change.

[{"type":"text","text":"“That’s Wyoming,” he said. “We resist new things.”"}]

In his column, Miller argued that Wyoming has repeatedly benefited from embracing major industrial development while insisting it occur on the state's terms.

He pointed to former Gov. Ed Herschler's "Growth, on our terms" philosophy during Wyoming's energy boom in the 1970s. Miller worked for Herschler for nearly a decade.

"It seems like every new advance in human technology is met with fear, trepidation and pearl-clutching skepticism," Miller wrote.

Still, Miller said legitimate questions remain about how data centers affect Wyoming's electrical grid and water resources.

"We don't want Wyoming ratepayers subsidizing Mark Zuckerberg," Miller told Cowboy State Daily. "We want it to go the other way."

If data centers can pay their own way, comply with Wyoming's water laws and avoid shifting costs onto residents, Miller said, "I've got no problem with them."

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Box Of Rocks\""}]

Miller laughed heartily when told Hasenauer was one of the chief organizers of the event.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"He's dumber than a box of rocks,\" Miller said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I wasn't going to go but maybe I will now,\" he said, while laughing."}]

State Rep. Landon Brown (R-Cheyenne) said Hasenaeur's involvement in the protest damages the credibility of the event.

"I think having him as the point person is not a good look for the valid concerns that citizens have with data centers and I think it takes away from the credibility of the effort in general," Brown said.

"I think the voices of Laramie County would be better served with a more rational voice on these matters," he added.

For protesters gathering Saturday in Cheyenne, the immediate goal is less about shaping national AI policy than influencing the future of their own community.

Texas has the most protests planned as part of the national event, with 17. Three protests are planned in Colorado, with two in Montana, two in Nebraska and one in Utah.

Data center protest 7 17 26

<title>Cheyenne To Join National Protest Against Data Centers; Detractors Laugh | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Protesters will gather on the Wyoming Capitol steps Saturday as Cheyenne joins a nationwide day of demonstrations opposing data centers. Organizers say it's a way to protect "our way of life" while detractors lampoon them as "modern-day Luddites."

Cheyenne To Join National Protest Against Data Centers; Detractors Laugh

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

More than 50 years after he admitted using dynamite to blow up a Fremont County undersheriff's patrol car, and nearly four decades after federal prosecutors convicted him of running a major methamphetamine trafficking enterprise, Alfred "Buzz" Apodaca is once again headed to federal prison.

Apodaca, 72, of Riverton, was sentenced July 6 to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne.

The sentence closes a case that began with a 

 by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Fremont County.

Federal prosecutors say investigators identified Apodaca as one of the area's primary meth suppliers. Agents completed two controlled purchases totaling more than 52 grams of methamphetamine before executing search warrants on his pickup, camper trailer and storage unit.

The searches uncovered about four pounds of methamphetamine, more than 1.6 pounds of marijuana, drug distribution materials, records of suspected drug transactions and two loaded handguns. Because Apodaca is a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Apodaca was indicted Sept. 16, 2025, and pleaded guilty April 14. The investigation involved DCI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.

For many longtime Wyoming residents, Apodaca's name is inseparable from one of the state's most infamous crimes.

As a teenager in 1973, he admitted planting dynamite that destroyed the Fremont County undersheriff's patrol car. The explosion became one of the most memorable acts of violence against law enforcement in Wyoming history. No one was injured.

The bombing cemented Apodaca's notoriety, but it wasn't the end of his criminal record.

In the early 1980s, federal authorities accused him of leading a large methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution operation spanning central Wyoming.

In 1988, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his convictions under the federal Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute — often referred to as the federal "drug kingpin" law — finding prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence that he organized or supervised at least five participants in the operation.

[{"type":"text","text":"Back In Federal Court"}]

Federal authorities say the latest investigation showed Apodaca had returned to trafficking methamphetamine decades after those earlier convictions.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the evidence recovered during the searches demonstrated continued drug distribution activity, along with illegal firearm possession by a convicted felon.

U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said repeat offenders remain a priority for federal prosecutors.

"Methamphetamine traffickers who repeatedly ignore the law will be held fully accountable," Smith said in a statement. "This defendant's lengthy criminal history, combined with his continued trafficking of dangerous drugs while illegally possessing firearms, posed a serious threat to Wyoming communities."

ATF Special Agent in Charge Chris Ashbridge said the case highlighted cooperation among federal, state and local investigators.

"Firearms are all too frequently used by violent offenders to facilitate other illicit crimes," Ashbridge said. "This case is a prime example of how seamless collaboration with our local and federal partners delivers significant sentences and tangible results that builds safer communities."

With the sentence now imposed, Apodaca will spend the next decade in federal prison.

Mix Collage 17 Jul 2026 01 32 PM 3549

<title>Decades After Bombing A Patrol Car With Dynamite, Riverton Man Back To Prison For Meth | Cowboy State Daily</title>

More than 50 years after he admitted using dynamite to blow up a Fremont County patrol car, and four decades after being convicted of running a major methamphetamine trafficking enterprise, Buzz Apodaca, 72, is once again headed to federal prison.

Decades After Bombing A Patrol Car With Dynamite, Riverton Man Back To Prison For Meth

 to bring a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl back to Wyoming has pleaded no-contest to three felony charges, ending the criminal case short of trial and leaving prosecutors free to seek the maximum possible sentence.

Christopher Steven Gravenmier, 31, entered no-contest pleas Wednesday in Lincoln County District Court to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count of kidnapping.

Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred and Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Ember Oakley prosecuted the case.

Rather than agreeing to a negotiated prison term, the plea leaves sentencing open, allowing both sides to argue for the punishment they believe is appropriate.

"We're really pleased with this because we can argue up to the maximum," Oakley told Cowboy State Daily. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Sentencing is scheduled for July 29."}]

If the court orders the sentences to run consecutively, Gravenmier faces mandatory prison terms of 25 to 50 years on each of the two first-degree sexual abuse convictions, along with up to 20 years on the kidnapping conviction — a combined maximum of 120 years in prison.

[{"type":"text","text":"No-Contest Plea "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Several other felony counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement."}]

Although a no-contest plea differs procedurally from a guilty plea, it has the same legal effect in a criminal case.

"'No-contest' is legally the same as a guilty plea," Allred said. "No-contest pleas basically mean the defendant does not contest the charges against him, but it acts the exact same way as a guilty plea. He's still convicted of those counts. It's procedural. He says, 'I don't contest those charges,' but it acts the same way as a guilty plea."

By entering the plea, Gravenmier gave up his constitutional right to a trial, and the case now moves directly to sentencing.

[{"type":"text","text":"Taken From Home"}]

 April 22 when the girl, who had been reported missing from Oklahoma days earlier, called her grandmother from a Wyoming gas station and said she had been abducted.

Investigators initially encountered Gravenmier after the girl said she had borrowed his cellphone. But once she was safe, authorities say she identified him as the man who had brought her to Wyoming.

The girl told investigators she had communicated with Gravenmier for months on Snapchat before he drove from Kemmerer to Oklahoma. She alleged he told her he knew where she lived, prompting her to leave home with him because she feared what might happen if she refused.

Prosecutors allege Gravenmier drove the girl back to Wyoming, where he sexually abused her during the trip and after arriving in Kemmerer. Charging documents also allege he threatened her, attempted to prevent anyone from tracking her cellphone and warned her not to report what had happened.

Gravenmier was arrested later that day and charged with multiple felony counts. Several of those charges were dismissed as part of Wednesday's plea agreement.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police Station"}]

At the police station, Gravenmier admitted to investigators that he had driven to Oklahoma and picked up the girl several days earlier.

The affidavit says agents noticed that he became "very emotional" during questioning and appeared nervous, grabbing at his shirt, wiping his face and developing a noticeably dry mouth.

[{"type":"text","text":"After requesting an attorney, the interview ended."}]

While investigators obtained search warrants for his home and vehicle, Gravenmier remained at the police station.

The affidavit states he was crying, slumped over in his chair and told agents he was "really sorry for what happened."

Gravenmeier and Lincoln County courthouse 4 30 26 1

<title>Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Kemmerer man accused of driving 16 hours to Oklahoma to bring a 12-year-old girl back to Wyoming pleaded no-contest to kidnapping and two sex abuse charges and now faces up to 120 years in jail. The affidavit said he told police he was "really sorry."

Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest

Wyoming Life

A routine drive over Teton Pass turned into a white-knuckle spectacle Wednesday when the RV appeared to lose its brakes and barreled downhill, weaving through traffic before somehow reaching the bottom without crashing.

The frightening descent was captured on video (without audio) by Jeff Bernhard, who was traveling from Victor, Idaho, to Jackson when the motorhome suddenly came flying up behind his vehicle in the oncoming lane.

"My driver's exact words were, 'Oh, shit, here it goes again,'" Bernhard told Cowboy State Daily. "It was kind of surreal."

Watching through his phone, Bernhard feared he was witnessing another deadly crash.

"It was hard to film, honestly," he said. "I had an eerie feeling that I've had a few other times where it feels like someone's about to die. I'm just so grateful that's not how this turned out."

The video shows the motorhome racing downhill, passing slower traffic while the driver appears focused entirely on keeping the vehicle on the roadway.

[{"type":"text","text":"Remarkably, everyone walked away unharmed."}]

Bernhard said the motorhome continued through Wilson, crossed the bridge into Jackson and eventually pulled safely off the road. Later that day, he saw what appeared to be the same motorhome traveling south of Jackson.

"I was concerned after we left that maybe his brakes caught on fire or something," he said. "But that doesn't appear to be the case."

Cowboy State Daily has asked the Wyoming Highway Patrol whether troopers responded to the incident, whether the driver suffered a mechanical failure and whether the agency is investigating.

[{"type":"text","text":"Still Fresh In Drivers' Minds"}]

Bernhard's reaction reflects what had happened on the same stretch of highway about a week earlier.

On July 7, a dump truck hauling asphalt descended Teton Pass after losing its brakes. 

 the truck crossed into oncoming traffic, struck five vehicles — including two pickup trucks, a motorcycle and a Subaru — before overturning.

The crash killed Nicholas Besobrasow, 66, of Idaho, and David Page, 57, of California. Four other people were injured.

Survivor Caleb Batista told Cowboy State Daily he 

 thrown off the mountainside after the truck hit his motorcycle.

Another witness, Dumitru Cebotari, described seeing smoke pouring from the truck while its engine screamed down the grade, realizing almost immediately the driver could not stop.

[{"type":"text","text":"For Bernhard, Wednesday's video looked frighteningly familiar."}]

"That was where his mind went — and mine too" he said, in reference to the earlier tragedy. 

[{"type":"text","text":"A Mountain That Demands Respect"}]

Drivers who regularly travel Teton Pass often describe it with two seemingly contradictory words: beautiful and intimidating.

[{"type":"text","text":"Bernhard is one of them."}]

"It's a beautiful area," he said. "But driving and towing especially can be really consequential."

The pass carries thousands of commuters between Victor and Jackson, along with commercial trucks, RVs, motorcycles and tourists unfamiliar with steep mountain driving. Its long downhill grade and tight switchbacks leave little margin for mechanical problems.

[{"type":"text","text":"Bill Sniffin knows that firsthand."}]

A veteran motorhome owner with more than 50,000 miles behind the wheel of RVs and the author of numerous columns about driving them, Sniffin said he immediately recognized the danger when he watched Bernhard's video.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I've had that experience,\" he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Even experienced drivers, he said, don't take Teton Pass lightly."}]

"I've gone down Teton Pass before, and it is scary to death," Sniffin said. "In my case, I'm driving a 32,000-pound rig and towing a car, and the traffic is terrible, and the hairpin turns. You're literally white-knuckle. Your life is passing before your eyes."

[{"type":"text","text":"When Brakes Aren't Enough"}]

Sniffin said many larger diesel motorhomes are equipped with what's known as a Jake brake — an engine braking system that slows heavy vehicles on long descents without relying heavily on conventional brakes.

Smaller motorhomes often don't have that equipment because of the added expense, forcing drivers to depend much more on their service brakes.

"I used to have a smaller rig that didn't have Jake brakes," Sniffin said. "It was terrifying because you could start smelling your brakes when you came down a pass. When that happened, you knew you were borderline. You had to stop and let them cool down, and if there was no place to stop, you were in trouble."

Sniffin emphasized he has no way of knowing what happened to the motorhome in Wednesday's video.

But he said long mountain descents have a way of exposing problems that may never reveal themselves on flatter highways.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It's very lucky that there wasn't a horrible collision,\" he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Another Reminder"}]

Whether the motorhome suffered brake failure or another mechanical problem remains unknown.

But for commuters who travel Teton Pass every day, Wednesday's close call served as another reminder of how quickly a routine drive can become an emergency.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It demands more respect than what most people give it,\" Bernhard said."}]

"You've got to think twice. Unfortunately, you've got to kind of know how scary it is. Otherwise, people just sort of hope for the best."

[{"type":"text","text":"On Teton Pass, that difference can come down to only a few seconds."}]

Teton pass video 7 17 26

<title>Holy Cow: Motorhome Appears To Lose Brakes On Teton Pass, Motorist Captures Video | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A routine drive over Teton Pass turned into a white-knuckle spectacle Wednesday when an RV appeared to lose its brakes and barreled downhill, weaving through traffic before somehow reaching the bottom without crashing. One motorist captured the video.

Holy Cow: Motorhome Appears To Lose Brakes On Teton Pass, Motorist Captures Video

Outdoors

A Wyoming hunter is on a mission to untangle confusion over public and private land boundaries after repeatedly encountering "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs where the public should legally be allowed to travel or recreate.

Cheyenne resident Jon Farris says the issue isn't about advocating for hunters to ignore private property rights. It's about making sure public lands remain accessible when they legally should be.

"I want other people to be able to enjoy public lands the same way I do," Farris told Cowboy State Daily.

To help, Farris has created an email address where hunters, anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts can report locations they believe may be incorrectly marked as private. 

He hopes to research each case using county records, state maps and conversations with local officials before forwarding legitimate concerns to the appropriate agencies.

"If we can streamline that process, maybe we can get some of these corrected," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Signs That Sparked Questions"}]

Farris said his interest in the issue began in 2024 while traveling in Carbon County.

A county road led toward national forest land, but along the route he encountered a sign declaring the road was crossed and private property.

"That was really what got me started in wondering how often this type of thing occurs," he said.

Since then, he said he has noticed similar situations in Carbon, Goshen and Laramie counties.

One example, he said, involved state land in Laramie County that was eventually reposted as public after previously being marked private.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Sometimes they won't be marked right,\" Farris said."}]

He said he also believes about 160 acres of state trust land within the historic Whitaker Ranch in Laramie County is marked in a way that could confuse visitors into believing it is entirely private.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Public Land Doesn't Always Mean Public Access"}]

Even when land is publicly owned, that doesn't necessarily mean the public can legally reach it.

That's one point emphasized by Rob Weppner of the Whitaker Ranch, where nearly 40,000 acres of ranchland include parcels of state trust land.

Weppner acknowledged there are "No Trespassing" and "No Hunting" signs throughout portions of the property.

"The disconnect that I see in our area — I talk to a lot of hunters — is that in various places there's state land," he said. "But to have state land (for hunting), you need to have public access to it."

Many state trust parcels are effectively landlocked, surrounded by private property that cannot legally be crossed without permission.

"Knowing which roads in this county are actually public is really challenging," Weppner said. "It's very difficult to know what's what, which roads actually have legal access and which roads don't."

He said while a county road passes through part of his ranch, portions beyond that become private property, making the transition difficult for visitors to identify.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Do Your Homework"}]

Farris said he never encourages people to ignore posted signs or assume property is public. Instead, he urges hunters to verify land ownership before setting foot on questionable ground.

"Don't take 'No Trespassing' signs at face value," he said. "Go home and do your research."

His first stop is typically OnX, the popular digital mapping platform widely used by hunters and outdoor recreationists.

Farris photographs signs he encounters in the field, then compares their locations with OnX mapping and the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments' GIS maps.

Because no mapping system is perfect, he said he compares multiple sources before drawing any conclusions.

A Wyoming hunter is on a mission to undo confusion after repeatedly encountering "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs where the public should legally be allowed. "Knowing which roads are actually public is really challenging,” said a landowner.

One More For The Road: Monday, June 17, 2024

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