Same Guys Dancing

[{"type":"text","text":"Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry"}]

Mix Collage 07 Sep 2024 02 31 PM 2334

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

<title>Sunday Morning Dance Party: Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry

Sunday Morning Dance Party: Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Public Safety

Residents in the Baggs of Carbon County area were ordered to shelter in place Monday afternoon as law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired and searched for what authorities described as an "active assailant."

At about 1:50 p.m., residents received an emergency alert that read: "Active assailant in Baggs area. Please shelter in place."

Details about the incident remained scarce Monday afternoon as multiple law enforcement agencies converged on the small south-central Wyoming community near the Colorado border.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Aaron Brown said that troopers were responding to a report of shots fired in the area.

"None of the troopers have been injured," Brown said, although it’s not known if any other law enforcement responders have been injured.

Brown declined to provide additional details, saying the incident is under the jurisdiction of the Carbon County Sheriff's Office.

“There is a heavy law enforcement presence, and we are asking the public to please avoid Highway 789 between I-80 and Baggs,” according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'It's Not Good'"}]

Baggs Mayor Matthew Howell also confirmed an active situation was unfolding, but said he was unable to discuss specifics.

"I wish I could say more, but there is an active situation — and it's not good," Howell said.

After a brief pause during the interview, Howell added, "I'm actually being told to leave right now."

The response appeared to draw law enforcement resources from across Carbon County.

Rawlins resident Raymond Moses said he observed numerous law enforcement vehicles heading toward Baggs.

"They cleared all on-duty police officers in Rawlins and looked like all of the sheriff and highway patrol that was on duty," Moses said. "I got back to Rawlins and seen all the law enforcement heading that way."

Cowboy State Daily has not independently verified the number of officers involved in the response or if anyone has been hurt.

As of Monday afternoon, authorities had not released information about possible injuries, a suspect description or the circumstances surrounding the reported gunfire.

Cowboy State Daily has reached out to the Carbon County Sheriff's Office and Carbon County Emergency Management seeking additional information about the reported shooting and active assailant alert. Neither agency had responded to requests for comment as of publication.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Baggs Wyoming Brian Parker via Alamy 12 28 25

<title>Baggs Area On Lockdown As Manhunt Underway For Active Shooter: ‘It’s Not Good’ | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Multiple agencies are responding to Baggs in Carbon County on reports of shots fired, and an emergency message is advising: “Active assailant in Baggs. Please shelter in place.” “There is an active situation — and it's not good," said the mayor of Baggs.

Baggs Area On Lockdown As Manhunt Underway For Active Shooter: ‘It’s Not Good’

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

Courts

CASPER — A 40-year-old Casper man who police allege stabbed another man multiple times for paying off a drug debt with counterfeit money faces up to 10 years in prison.

William Tyler Midgett had his initial appearance Friday on a charge of aggravated assault and battery. He was given a $100,000 cash bond and set for an as-yet unscheduled preliminary hearing, according to court documents made available Monday.

Court records show the investigation began when the Casper Police Department was called to Banner Wyoming Medical Center at 3 p.m. on April 11 after a man was brought in with multiple stab wounds. 

The inside of the Cadillac that transported him to the hospital was covered with blood, and police also found a rolled up counterfeit $100 bill in a cup holder of the car.

When police arrived, the stabbing victim was being attended to by emergency room medical personnel and  told an officer that he did not know who stabbed him and “did not know who would know,” according to an affidavit of probable caused filed in Midgett’s case.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Investigation Unfolds"}]

The investigation led police to an apartment complex in the city and a parking lot where the stabbing is alleged to have happened. The apartment complex was not identified in the affidavit.

A video from a Ring camera at an apartment in the complex showed the victim and another man walking into the parking lot from the north and Midgett approaching from the south.

The affidavit states that children were playing in the area, walking around and riding scooters.

Once the victim and another man walked in together casually from the north, Midgett appeared from the south of the parking lot and took on a fighting stance. 

Midgett and the victim started fighting, and the video showed Midgett trying to swing in a way that indicated he had a weapon in his hand, the affidavit says.

The video showed Midgett fall to the ground and the victim jump on top of him and they rolled on the ground.

“Midgett stabbed (the victim) in his left side with his right hand multiple times,” the affidavit states the video showed. “There was a pause while Midgett was on top of (the victim) and then Midgett’s left hand moved up and down indicating he stabbed (the victim) multiple times again.”

The video showed three other men get Midgett to stand up and after that the victim stood also. 

Midgett walked to the south out of the video frame and the victim and a woman got into the silver Cadillac and drove away, the affidavit states.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Unnamed Sources"}]

“Unnamed sources” told officers that the stabbing was the result of a more than $50,000 drug debt that the victim owed. 

The victim had put his Cadillac up for collateral “and then paid the debt in counterfeit money,” the affidavit states.

One informant told police that the victim’s girlfriend owned the Cadillac, but the victim stated it was his.

“It was believed (the victim) won’t talk to police because it makes everything square and his debt would be erased,” the affidavit states.

Another unnamed informant told police that there are messages and photographs from the victim’s phone showing black-and-white Canon printers used to print the money and photographs of different denominations of suspected fake bills, the affidavit states.

One of the messages supplied to police allegedly sent to the victim’s phone stated that the man had put up the car for collateral and that “we did this because you said you were good for it.”

“Bruh you owe me $54 bands,” the sender allegedly wrote the victim. “I know things are hot but I don’t want some greasy Mexicans showing up on top of it.”

A Casper police investigator interpreted the message that the victim owed the sender $54,000 and the sender was worried that “a Hispanic male would come to collect if they did not pay him back,” the affidavit states.

On April 28, Casper investigators obtained a search warrant for the victim’s phone, and a forensic download of it revealed a message from the phone on March 26 to a woman complaining about the “fake money.”

On April 3, several photos of $20 bills were sent to the victim’s phone by a female contact.

Police also found a message from the victim to a phone number on March 26 that stated a woman had just brought him the money and to let him know when the person was outside.

“I’ll come grab it if it’s there so I can get and go,” the message stated.

Other messages police recovered from the victim’s phone were between the victim and Midgett arguing about the weight of something put in a bag.

During an interview with Midgett on April 11, he denied stabbing the victim. 

A warrant allowed police to collect swabs from what appeared to be blood spots on his jeans and on the back of the sleeve of his shirt.

When Midgett took off his shirt, police saw “a large cut on the back of his left arm near his triceps” with fat and muscle exposed.

Police obtained search warrants for the Cadillac that transported the victim to the hospital and for Midgett’s Dodge Avenger. 

In the Avenger, they found a knife with a blade on both ends and a handle in the middle. The knife had blood on it, the affidavit states.

A witness to the stabbing told police that he went to the apartment complex to visit his mom and after the visit found Midgett standing near his car. 

He knew Midgett from having worked with him. 

He told police that as he was saying “what’s up” that Midgett handed him his glasses and hat.

The witness told police that Midgett asked the victim: “What are we going to do?” And then started fighting him. 

“(The witness) saw Midgett with a knife, and Midgett stabbed (the victim) multiple times in the side of the ribs,” the affidavit states. “Then Midgett stabbed (the victim) in the chest multiple times. 

"That was when Midgett put a knife to (the victim’s) throat and started saying, ‘I’m going to kill you …”

The witness told police another man grabbed Midgett to try and get him away from the victim, while he (the witness) questioned Midgett about what he was doing.

The aggravated assault and battery charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. 

Midgett remains in the Natrona County Jail. A preliminary hearing date has not yet been set.

William Midgett 6 8 26

<title>Casper Man Accused Of Stabbing Man For Paying Off Drug Debt With Fake Money | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 40-year-old Casper man was in court Friday, accused of stabbing another man for paying off his drug debt with fake money. "I’m going to kill you,” a witness told police about the attack, which also was captured on video.

Casper Man Accused Of Stabbing Man For Paying Off Drug Debt With Fake Money

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

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

Two German tourists had to call Big Horn County Search and Rescue (BCSAR) for help after Google Maps led them astray.

The tourists were were visiting the Medicine Wheel in the Bighorn Mountains when they decided to head to Shell on May 31, BCSAR reported Sunday. Instead of recommending U.S. Highway 14 either westbound or eastbound, Google Maps sent them down a backcountry road that blew out two of their tires.

The pair was evacuated by BCSAR volunteers on ATVs that evening, but their Jeep Compass was stuck in the mountains until the tires could be replaced.

“They were on a road that they shouldn't have been in the car that they were driving,” said Adam Potter, owner of Big Horse Point S Towing in Greybull. “If you're going to be in the Bighorns, don't trust Google.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Mission 26"}]

This was BCSAR’s 26th mission so far  in 2026. Potter wasn’t officially dispatched to rescue the German tourists when they got stuck, but he expected to be sent into the mountains at some point.

“I got a call from one of my buddies with the Big Horn County Sheriff's Department who told me BCSAR might be calling, so I sat tight,” he said. “Two of the guys who work for me in my shop are BCSAR volunteers, and they said the same thing.”

Potter didn’t get the call he was expecting until the next morning. The driver of the Jeep, named Matthias, asked if he could get his rental car out of the mountains.

Potter said Matthias and his wife were trying to take Alkali Road from Medicine Wheel to Shell. When they encountered a locked gate, Google Maps recommended an alternate route that they weren’t equipped to travel.

“They were on a road made for ATVs,” he said. “Matthias was probably about 10 miles down there when he realized that that wasn't going to work. He couldn’t get that Jeep Compass down there.”

Matthias managed to turn around and start going back the way he came. As he did so, his low-profile Jeep scraped against a large, sharp rock that punctured two tires.

The stranded Germans contacted the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, which sent BCSAR volunteers to pick them up. The Jeep Compass was left where it was, as there wasn’t anything that could be done right away to save it.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Down, Up, Down, Up Again"}]

Once Matthias and his wife reached Greybull, he called Potter about getting the vehicle out of the mountains, which was stuck near South Trapper Rim, an area that Potter’s familiar with.

“At this time of year and hunting season, we’re up there quite a bit,” he said.

Potter knew there was no point in trying to tow the Jeep out, as he wasn’t sure his tow truck could get to the spot. Instead, he had Matthias guide him to the stranded vehicle.

“It was just the tires,” Potter said. “The rest of the suspension looked good, and he never hit anything on the undercarriage, but we can’t replace a tire on a rim on the side of the road out in the mountains.”

The solution was to jack up the Jeep, remove the punctured wheels, and take them back down to the tow shop. By that point, it was already getting dark.

[{"type":"text","text":"“It was a four-hour round trip to reach that spot, Potter said."}]

On Monday morning, Potter and Matthias went back up again to replace the tires and get the vehicle going. Then, Matthias drove it out of the mountains, shadowed by Potter.

“He drove himself up out of there,” Potter said. “He got himself down there, so it wasn't too hard for him to get back out. I just worked him up the road.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Do You Know, Google?"}]

Google Maps is one of the most popular web mapping platforms in the world. However, Wyoming consistently tests its reliability.

When the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park opens every year, Google Maps tends to 

 and redirects drivers several hours out of their way to the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana. When Yellowstone’s South Entrance opens, Google Maps has the same issue.

When Interstate 80 shuts down for winter weather, Google Maps occasionally tries to send drivers down closed, 

 because they’re still on the map and, as far as Google Maps is concerned, are still viable shortcuts.

“It's hard for Google to navigate change,” Rick Howe, president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, told Cowboy State Daily. “It works when things are consistent, but seasonal openings and closures of specific locations are really hard for the current platform to handle, and there’s no clear way to change that.”

Matthias and his wife were back on well-traveled roads after they got their rented Jeep out of the Bighorns, and they’re on their way back to Germany.  

Potter ensured they wouldn’t have any more navigational issues for the final stretch of their journey.

“I pointed him in the right direction on the maps and websites that clarify ATV roads versus groomed, maintained roads,” he said. “Google Maps doesn’t know the difference.”

Stuck German tourists 6 8 26

<title>German Tourists Get Stuck In Bighorns After Following Google Maps | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Big Horn County Search and Rescue had to rescue two German tourists after Google Maps got their rented Jeep stuck on a backcountry road. “If you're going to be in the Bighorns, don't trust Google,” is the takeaway, said a Wyoming tow truck driver.

German Tourists Get Stuck In Bighorns After Following Google Maps

Bill Sniffin

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

ARLINGTON, Texas – There are not many Sunday afternoons when Wyoming feels like the center of the baseball universe.

Being down here in the big, air-conditioned comfort of the Texas Rangers’ ballpark on Sunday, it sure did.

I am writing after attending a big-league baseball game in Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth.

And if you are from Cheyenne, or anywhere in Wyoming for that matter, you would have been proud. It was fun wearing my gold Wyoming Cowboy hat to help celebrate our home-grown hero.

The Rangers celebrated their right fielder with a full-blown promotion with bobblehead dolls, a pregame ceremony, and a nod to a past that feels about as Wyoming as it gets.

The bobbleheads showed Nimmo not just as a ballplayer, but as a bull rider. That’s right. Before he was chasing down fly balls in right field, Nimmo perhaps dreamed of riding bulls.

That little detail tells you just about everything you need to know about the kid.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"First, Bull Riding"}]

He grew up in Cheyenne, where rodeo isn’t a hobby, it’s a way of life.

Like a lot of Wyoming boys, Nimmo probably spent his early years thinking about chutes and corrals, dreaming maybe someday he would also make his name at Cheyenne Frontier Days instead of a Major League ballpark.

He has said in prior interviews that his dream as a kid was to be a professional bull rider.

But along the way, baseball won out — and thank goodness for that, especially if you were in the stands here on Sunday.

The Rangers even had a rodeo clown walking around the stadium celebrating Brandon, rodeo, and Wyoming.

The Rangers honored Nimmo in a way that had to tug at his heart.

They brought his 90-year-old grandfather, Darrel Nimmo, out to throw the ceremonial first pitch. It was a moment that felt genuine and grounded, the kind of thing that cuts through all the noise of modern sports.

You could almost see the story in that one toss, from a Wyoming upbringing to the big leagues in Texas.

Nimmo has become, quietly but surely, Wyoming’s most prominent current Major League Baseball player.

That’s no small thing for a state that doesn’t exactly churn out big leaguers.

When one of ours makes it, we tend to follow closely. And when one of ours thrives, we take a little ownership in that success.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Winning Play"}]

On this day, Nimmo gave folks plenty to cheer about.

Batting in the lineup and patrolling right field, he looked right at home.

He smacked a double, the kind of clean, confident swing that shows why the Rangers believe in him.

Out in the field, he made a couple of outstanding defensive plays, tracking balls, covering ground, doing the little things that don’t always make highlights but win ballgames.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"And win they did."}]

The Rangers rolled to a 10-0 victory over Cleveland, and while it was a total team effort, Nimmo was right in the middle of it.

It is not hard to see why the Rangers have embraced him. He plays the game the right way, no flash for the sake of flash. Just solid, dependable baseball.

There is a workmanlike quality to him that feels very Wyoming.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"He Earned It"}]

You get the sense he would be just as comfortable fixing fence or loading hay as he is standing in the batter’s box in front of 34,851 people.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That background matters."}]

Nimmo’s journey was not the fast track. Although by Wyoming standards he was a standout, he was not a can’t-miss, five-star phenom who had the baseball world at his feet from Day One.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"He had to earn it."}]

From East High School in Cheyenne, then grinding his way through the minor leagues, he built his career the hard way.

 overall by the New York Mets in 2011, which was highest in Cowboy State history. Now 33, he was called up to the big in 2016 and played 10 years with the Mets before joining the Rangers this season.

His parents, Ron and Patti Nimmo of Cheyenne, always believed in Brandon.

They even built a heated and insulated indoor batting cage in their barn for him to practice hitting during those long Wyoming winters.

Those who watched him early remember a kid who competed in everything he did. Baseball or whatever was in front of him, he was all in. That kind of mindset doesn’t go away. It just gets refined.

Now here he is, wearing a Rangers uniform and getting his own bobblehead night.

The scene at the ballpark had a little bit of everything.

It was festive and loud, with kids clutching their Nimmo bobbleheads like treasures. The food was good, the crowd was lively, and there was that sense you get on a perfect baseball day when everything just clicks.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Not everything, of course."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Rangers Crowd Was Excited"}]

At one point, a foul ball found its way into the stands a few rows below us and struck a young fan.

It looked serious, maybe even a broken arm, as attendants quickly moved in and escorted the child out. It was a sobering reminder that even on a day of celebration, the game can turn in an instant.

But the crowd recovered and the energy returned. This day still belonged to Nimmo.

For fans back in Wyoming, this is the kind of story you hold onto. A kid from Cheyenne who once may have dreamed of riding bulls now making a name for himself in Major League Baseball.

His bobblehead doll bridged two worlds: rodeo and baseball, small-town roots and big-league lights.

And he hasn’t forgotten where he came from.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That might be the most important part."}]

In an era where athletes can sometimes feel distant, Nimmo still carries Wyoming with him. You can see it in the way he plays, in the way he handles himself, and in moments like today when his family is front and center.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Grandpa Threw Out First Pitch"}]

His grandpa throwing out that first pitch wasn’t just a ceremonial act. It was a symbol of family, of roots, and of the long road from Cheyenne to Arlington.

If you were sitting here on this night, you would have felt it. And if you are reading this back home in Wyoming, you should feel it too.

Because Brandon Nimmo isn’t just playing for the Texas Rangers, he’s playing for all of Wyoming.

Bill Sniffin can be reached at: Bill@CowboyStateDaily.com

Brandon Nimmo Getty Images 2280365562 6 8 26

<title>Texas Rangers Salute Wyoming’s Brandon Nimmo With His Own Bobblehead Night | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wyoming's own Brandon Nimmo was honored by the Texas Rangers on Sunday with his own bobblehead night. Brandon's 90-year-old grandpa threw out the first pitch. "If you're from Wyoming, you would have been proud," writes Bill Sniffin, who attended the game.

Texas Rangers Salute Wyoming’s Brandon Nimmo With His Own Bobblehead Night

A woman born in Casper and raised on a ranch near Riverton, along with her young son, were among the more than 900 people who died at Jonestown, Guyana, in November 1978, when self-styled pastor turned messianic figure Jim Jones infamously commanded them to drink a poisoned potion.

Wanda Shirley Swinney moved to Jones’ People's Temple compound in Guyana in August 1977, reuniting with her husband and son. 

How Swinney’s life went from her Wyoming beginnings to ending with the command of a cult leader in Jonestown is a tale of family tragedy, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, a father’s introduction, and years of brainwashing from the cult’s exalted leader.

The bottom line is Swinney was devoted to Jones. 

In a letter to him written in Guyana, she thanked her “precious Father” for providing their life in Guyana.

“There is no limit to what we can do if we follow your teachings and put them into practice,” she wrote. “Thank you Father for the privilege of being here with you.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"When It Came Tumbling Down"}]

A California congressman, along with journalists, flew to the jungle community in November 1978 to check on his constituents and other Americans who were at Jones’ compound, dubbed “Jonestown."

U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan had heard that people wanted to leave, but were not allowed.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"There was no heavenly outcome."}]

Headlines and history record 918 deaths in Guyana that included Ryan’s assassination and the murder of journalists who accompanied him at the hands of Jones’ deluded followers. Of those, 909 died by drinking the “potion."

Jones died by either self-inflicted gunshot or at the hands of an obedient assistant. Some followers slit their throats, but most of his congregants drank a cyanide-laced potion at his command.

In his now-infamous “Death Tape,” Jones tells his followers “how much” he loved them and tried to give them “the good life.” 

, he characterized Ryan’s visit as a betrayal by “a handful” of sect members “who have made our life impossible.”

Ryan and his party were to fly out with some cult members and children that Jones characterized as “stolen” from Jonestown. 

Jones said the actions of angry sect members at the airport to get their children back using weapons meant the only solution for the rest of the congregation was not to “commit suicide,” but to “take the potion as a revolutionary act.”

He quoted scripture “that no man takes my life from me, I lay it down” and then referred to himself as a communist.

A woman born in Casper and raised on a ranch near Riverton, along with her young son, were among the more than 900 people who died at Jonestown, Guyana, in November 1978, when self-styled pastor Jim Jones infamously commanded them to drink poison.

Sunday Morning Dance Party: Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry

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