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With cameras everywhere, it's a risky strategy. But we applaud it.....

Bonus 2 7 28 24

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

<title>Bonus Video 2: Sunday, July 28, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Bonus Video 2: Sunday, July 28, 2024

 With cameras everywhere, it's a risky strategy. But we applaud it.....

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

As the Wyoming Republican Party breaks recent tradition — and arguably state law — to vet and endorse certain candidates before the primary election this year, some candidates are refusing to participate.

An at least one U.S. House candidate, Kevin Christensen, fears the process has devolved into a pay-to-play system. Christensen forwarded Cowboy State Daily a Friday email state GOP executive director Ginger Bennett sent on the party’s behalf, listing “Past donations to the State or County parties” as part of the endorsement vetting criteria the GOP state central committee has approved.

Christensen had participated in the vetting process by sending back the party's questionnaire, which consists of yes-or-no blanks for indicating whether one agrees with each of the 23 state platform planks. Christensen agrees with the planks altogether, his questionnaire says. 

The vetting committee declined to call for his endorsement, Bennett’s email indicates.  

“I am disappointed that the Republican Party would choose to adopt criteria for evaluation candidates that are not explicitly authorized in Article 2 of their bylaws; and that those criteria would include contributions as a measure of, presumably, your loyalty to the party,” he said. “Creating a perception, at least for me, that we now have a pay-to-play system for an endorsement.”

Christensen is running against nine other candidates for GOP nomination to Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat.

The primary election, set for Aug. 18 this year, allows the voters who are registered Republican and Democrat to choose their respective nominees in each partisan office. Wyoming doesn’t let its major parties nominate candidates.

State law also bars the major parties from financially backing one of their registrants over another during the primary cycle.

The state party’s endorsement process of this year, if it involves any expense, may violate that law.

However, the state party is currently waging a federal legal litigation attempt to have that law overturned. It cites noteworthy case law upholding other major parties’ functions as First Amendment rights.

[{"type":"text","text":"The case is ongoing."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Some Loyalists, Some Caveats"}]

Eight U.S. House candidates turned in a questionnaire the party sent them. The questionnaire consists of yes-or-no blanks under each of the state party’s 23 platform planks, as well as lines reserved for additional comment.

Christensen, philanthropist Steve Friess, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Casper businessman Reid Rasner, military veteran David Giralt, and Teton County-based attorney Frank Chapman all marked 100% agreement with the party’s platform.

Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow marked one no, on a plank declaring state primacy over lands in Wyoming that were unappropriated to the state when it entered the union.

“I do not support selling or transferring federal land to the State,” she wrote. Balow agreed with plank 8’s assertion that “Marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman,” but noted in a caveat that current law doesn’t say that.

State Senate President Bo Biteman didn’t send the party back its questionnaire. Neither did Casper-based candidate Keith Goodenough.

Biteman said in a Monday text message, “I can remember when Republicans criticized Democrats for having party insiders and power brokers trying to pick nominees from the top down. I don’t think we should become what we used to criticize.”

“My focus is on earning the support of Wyoming voters, not on internal party politics,” said Biteman, adding that the party should be working to grow its ranks, not predetermine the primary election outcome. “At the end of the day, I trust the voters.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"… And The Spicy One"}]

Richard Dodson sent back a questionnaire full of caveats. He’s not alone in feeling that the platform contains many inconsistencies: that’s 

 GOP candidates during the questionnaire rollout.

The first plank says “All individuals are endowed by their Creator from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death with the rights to Life, Liberty, Property and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Dodson marked agreement. But, he added, “I think vesting property rights at conception is opening a big can of worms.”

Other Republicans have voiced concern with how plank 1’s language suggests opposition to the death penalty.

Plank 23 says “The Wyoming Republican Party opposes any federal takeover or interference of federal, state, or local elections.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Dodson agrees, his questionnaire says."}]

“Which is why I’m puzzled by the sheer number of Wyoming Republicans who support the SAVE Act which is the most egregious takeover attempt of state election authority I’ve ver (sic) seen,” he wrote. “What’s up with that?”

Dodson told Cowboy State Daily in a Monday phone interview that he “didn’t expect much” from this process but is filling out all questionnaires so that he can get voters’ attention in the crowded race. His brand of Republican is “pragmatic,” he said, and he’s finding a base for it.

“I answered the questions based off my true thoughts without much regard to whether anybody else would like them,” said Dodson.

Gabe Saint manages Gray’s campaign, but he spoke to Cowboy State Daily on Monday in his individual capacity.

He’s voiced repeated concerns via Facebook that the party plans to endorse more than one U.S. House candidate.

[{"type":"text","text":"He declined to say Monday what informs those concerns."}]

“The Wyoming Republican party is the best GOP in the  nation,” said Saint. “I think it’s very representative of the people of Wyoming, and I just want to see the party and the grassroots movement rally behind our conservative candidates and only do one endorsement. Don’t split any votes; just take everything to the finish line.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gray did not respond by publication to an email request for comment."}]

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

Bennett’s email telling Christesen he wouldn’t be getting the endorsement had listed other criteria besides donations to the party.

For example, it listed past donations to other parties or candidates, previous involvement with party committees, and legislative record breakdowns according to various sites. Those sites include Washington-DC-based Club for Growth Foundation.

“I talked with (state GOP Chairman) Bryan Miller,” said Christensen. “I said ‘Bryan. We are the election integrity party. It’s front and center…. You use sources outside the state of Wyoming – people who are not allowed to vote in Wyoming – to influence the vote in Wyoming, that is inconsistent with our voter integrity position as the Republican Party.’”

Miller declined Monday to respond to a series of questions sent to him and to Bennett ahead of the GOP central committee’s endorsement meeting Monday evening. Cowboy State Daily will update this story if Miller lends timely comment.

Christensen sent a Saturday email to Bennett and Miller asking the vetting committee to reconsider

The bylaw calling for vetting and endorsement says criteria “shall include but are not limited to: commitment to the Wyoming Republican Party Platform, demonstrated loyalty to the Party’s principles, legal eligibility to hold office, and for incumbents, their voting record.”

Christensen’s time in both military and federal service had barred him from partisan activities as well, he noted.  

“For those Republicans who have served their country in the military and also in federal service, who were restricted from political activity, this criteria… has a chilling effect on bringing some of the most talented people available to run for office,” said Christensen.

GOP convention 5 4 25 26 3

<title>Candidate Worries Wyoming GOP Doing 'Pay To Play' Endorsements | Cowboy State Daily</title>

As the Wyoming Republican Party breaks recent tradition — and arguably state law — to endorse candidates before the primary, some won't participate. “We now have a pay-to-play system for an endorsement,” one candidate worried aloud.

Candidate Worries Wyoming GOP Doing 'Pay To Play' Endorsements

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jake Thomas Canestrini 6 19 26

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

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

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

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

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Someone else filmed the dark-haired duo 

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

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

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

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

 in the park. That hasn’t stopped others from 

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

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

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

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

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

[{"type":"text","text":"“Helpless”"}]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourists grand prismatic spring 7 20 26

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

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

Tourists Again Illegally Walk On Dangerous Grand Prismatic Spring In Yellowstone

Wyoming Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bridge and underpass crashes are rare in Wyoming, but they can cause tremendous disruption to traffic, especially on a highway as busy as I-80. 

It also costs millions of dollars to repair the bridges after these incidents, adding further traffic disruption. 

Usually, incidents are caused when a truck’s load exceeds the clearance height underneath the bridge, damaging the overhead structure. In that case, the blame usually goes to the driver.

, a low-boy truck and trailer carrying the mast of a forklift exceeded the posted clearance height of 15 feet 11 inches of the overpass at Beulah along I-90, damaging several girders and braces.

A preliminary inspection by WYDOT’s bridge engineers revealed that the damage compromised the integrity of the bridge, but it reopened shortly afterward, and traffic resumed without incident.

“It is a driver’s responsibility to make sure there is clearance for their truck and load,” McGee said in October 2025. “When a bridge strike happens, it can affect traffic flow for people and cost transportation companies a great deal of money (for repairs).”

McGee added that many strikes happen due to driver inattention. Many drivers ignore the signage listing height restrictions, leading to these incidents.

Earlier that year, WYDOT finished repairing damage to the same bridge from a similar incident in 2023. It cost $1.9 million.

“Regarding bridge strikes, there are more than anyone wishes,” said former WYDOT executive director Luke Reiner. "It is a responsibility of those who use the road to know the dimensions of their loads, understand the potential friction points, and plan their route accordingly.”

I 80 Semi crash into overpass at Rawlins 751720272 903109525558157 4564473789186149128 n 7 20 26 png

<title>Semitrailer Plows Into Bridge Over I-80 In Rawlins, Causes Extensive Damage | Cowboy State Daily</title>

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

Semitrailer Plows Into Bridge Over I-80 In Rawlins, Causes Extensive Damage

Wildlife

[{"type":"text","text":"How many wolverines are in Yellowstone National Park?"}]

The National Park Service doesn’t have an easy answer for a census of these 

Neither does biologist Jim Halfpenny, but he does have an estimate based on decades of confirmed evidence — and it’s a lot more than most people think.

 seven “documented” wolverines in the region from 2006-2009. Halfpenny’s nearly 50 years of research says there are dozens more, at least 31 verified in the last five years and "83 absolute verified wolverines” since 1990.

That was the story Halfpenny shared recently at the historic Range Riders Lodge in Silver Gate, Montana. Dozens of people attended his presentation on what he calls the “elusive, sparse, and downright rare wolverine.”

“Tonight, I’m dealing with verified reports only,” he said. “No matter how much I trust somebody who says they saw a wolverine, that's not counted. This is where I have positive verification.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bad PR"}]

The wolverine, in Halfpenny’s opinion, has a bad reputation through no fault of its own. He’s spent decades reversing their public image by fastidiously learning more about them.

“We're going to talk about the real wolverine,” he said. “The real wolverine is quite a different creature than the stories you probably grew up with.”

The wolverine has been known by many names, among them “the Devil Bear,” “the Glutton,” and “The Evil One.”

A prominent biologist with 50 years of research says there are dozens more confirmed wolverines in Yellowstone than are reported by the National Park Service. He says there at least 31 verified wolverines in the last five years and 83 since 1990.

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