Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Now let's all watch the most graceful in the wild kingdom, the panda....."}]

Smile 10 16 24

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

<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Now let's all watch the most graceful in the wild kingdom, the panda.....

Daily Smile: Wednesday, October 16, 2024

 Now let's all watch the most graceful in the wild kingdom, the panda.....

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Public Safety

 for traffic waiting at a construction zone in remote Natrona County, triggering an eight-vehicle crash that killed two people and hurt eight others, no arrest has been made or criminal charges announced.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol says the June 26 crash remains under investigation but isn't saying what work remains or when that may be concluded.

Cowboy State Daily asked the Highway Patrol on Friday whether the investigation remains active, if the case has been referred to the Natrona County District Attorney's Office for a charging decision, whther the tanker driver has been cited or charged, and when the investigation is expected to conclude.

Highway Patrol spokesman Arron Healy did not address those questions specifically, but said that "the crash remains under investigation and we have no update at this time."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Happened"}]

The crash happened at 1:50 p.m. June 26 on U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58.3 in western Natrona County.

A westbound Western Star tanker commercial combination failed to stop for a line of vehicles waiting to enter a one-lane construction zone, wrote the Wyoming Highway Patrol in a crash summary.

The tanker struck seven vehicles: a Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Highlander, Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Impala.

Seventeen people were involved in the crash. Two were killed and eight injured.

The two killed were James Faris Cox, 74, and Susan Horn Cox, 69, of Golden, Colorado. Both were wearing seat belts, according to the Highway Patrol.

The Highway Patrol listed driver inattention as the possible contributing factor in the crash. The weather was clear and the highway was dry.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Chaotic Scene'"}]

The Natrona County Fire District previously described what emergency crews encountered as a "very chaotic scene" of badly damaged vehicles, a large debris field, multiple victims and bystanders already trying to help.

Six patients were transported by ground ambulance to Banner Wyoming Medical Center. Two others were flown to the hospital by helicopter.

Krista Nethercott, a funeral director and mortician, was about five vehicles behind the crash and initially thought traffic had stopped because of the construction zone.

[{"type":"text","text":"When she realized something was wrong, she ran toward the wreckage."}]

"The gentleman was immediately deceased," Nethercott previously told Cowboy State Daily. "The lady probably lived a couple minutes."

Other bystanders searched for fire extinguishers and medical supplies, handed out water and brought camping chairs for survivors.

The fire district later thanked them for providing everything from minor patient care to emotional support before and after emergency crews arrived.

"The true spirit of the 'Wyoming Way' was in full force this day," the district said.

Another motorist, Erin Mills, had also assumed she was simply waiting for construction traffic.

Mills did not witness the impact, but saw the wreckage and debris when traffic ahead of her began turning around. The destruction was so extensive 

, "I honestly was shocked when they said only two people died." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'It's The Scale'"}]

Highway Patrol has previously offered some explanation for why the investigation has taken weeks.

In mid-July, Spokesman Aaron Brown told Cowboy State Daily investigators were dealing with an unusually complicated crash involving numerous vehicles and a large amount of evidence.

"It's the scale," Brown said. "We have a ton of data to sift through to try and get this thing done."

While the criminal investigation continues, one family injured in the crash has already gone to civil court.

Makensi and Chantry Van Patten, individually and on behalf of their two minor children, 

 in Natrona County District Court against Ryan Brothers Trucking Inc. and a John Doe defendant identified as the tanker driver.

The family, which was in the Toyota Highlander, is seeking damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent injuries, loss of enjoyment of life, lost earning capacity and other losses.

The Van Patten family declined an interview with Cowboy State Daily and referred questions to their Casper attorney, Dallas Laird.

"The lawsuit was filed to get this case going and to preserve my client's rights," Laird previously said. 

Asked what his clients hoped to accomplish, Laird said, "A settlement of the case." 

[{"type":"text","text":"As of Friday, no additional filings had been made in the lawsuit."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Fifth Amendment"}]

The civil complaint also alleges the tanker driver invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer investigators' questions.

[{"type":"text","text":"Laird said that information came from Highway Patrol."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Ryan Brothers Trucking also has declined to discuss the pending case."}]

For now, the civil case is moving forward while the question of criminal charges remains unanswered.

Double fatal highway sign 7 1 26

<title>No Arrest Or Charges Yet Six Weeks After Natrona County Double-Fatal Tanker Crash | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Six weeks after a tanker slammed into seven vehicles stopped at a construction zone in remote Natrona County, killing two people and injuring eight, there has been no arrest or charges. "The crash remains under investigation," the Highway Patrol says.

No Arrest Or Charges Yet Six Weeks After Natrona County Double-Fatal Tanker Crash

Courts

A 37-year-old Powell man faces up to 10 years in prison after allegedly attacking a woman he lived with, punching her in the head multiple times and leaving her bruised and with a chipped front tooth because he didn't believe how many steps she walked during the day.

Catlin Stephen Wolfard is charged with the felony aggravated assault and battery along with domestic battery, a misdemeanor. 

Wolfard had his first court appearance Friday morning in Park County Circuit Court, where his bond was set at $10,000. 

It started when the woman returned to the home she shared with Wolfard on Monday evening, cleaned the house and started making dinner, 

per an affidavit written by Powell Police Lt. Dustin DelBiaggio.

[{"type":"text","text":"Around 8:30 p.m., the two sat down at the kitchen table."}]

During dinner, she began talking about the number of steps her phone had recorded while she was at work. Wolfard didn't believe the number was accurate, she told investigators, and what began as a mundane disagreement turned into a heated argument.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Whiskey got involved,\" she later told police."}]

Wolfard began drinking Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, while she had about two shots. She described herself as about a three on a 10-point scale to drunk, but described Wolfard as "extremely angry."

The two separated for a while, and things appeared to settle down, but she said it didn't last. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"White Claw Cans Fly"}]

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the two were back in the kitchen when another argument erupted.

The woman said Wolfard began pulling full cans of White Claw from the refrigerator and throwing them at her, though none connected. 

She told investigators she became worried the argument was about to turn physical after Wolfard walked over and closed the kitchen window, commenting that the neighbors might hear them. 

She bent forward at the waist and put her hands over her head to protect herself as Wolfard approached, she told investigators. He then allegedly punched her two or three times with a closed fist in the back of her head.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Don't beat me,\" she said."}]

"Stop saying I beat you, now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," Wolfard allegedly responded.

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman retreated into the master bedroom, but Wolfard followed."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pushed Into Furniture"}]

When she tried to leave, she said Wolfard repeatedly pushed her backward into the room, using his open hands against her upper chest.

[{"type":"text","text":"She eventually got around him and made it into the living room."}]

There, she alleged, Wolfard began pushing her around for several minutes, causing her to strike furniture.

The living room contained wood-framed chairs, a couch with little padding and an air mattress on the floor, the affidavit says.

She told investigators she managed to get back to the bedroom and lie down, separating herself from Wolfard.

But at about 3 a.m., Wolfard came into the bedroom and told her he was going to sleep there, and she could sleep in the living room.

She claims she left her cellphone in the bed, and when she asked Wolfard to give it back, he refused. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chipped Tooth"}]

Wolfard then allegedly punched the woman twice in the face with a closed fist.

She described one as a glancing blow as she turned away. The other, she said, landed directly on her mouth and chipped the bottom of her left front tooth.

She went into the living room and fell asleep while Wolfard remained in the bedroom.

When she woke later that morning, she grabbed her phone while Wolfard was still sleeping and called the police. 

She said abuse was "normal," but Wolfard had never punched her before that night. 

Police later noticed bruises on the woman's body that appeared to be in various stages of healing.

Some bruising on her chest, she said, came from a separate domestic incident with Wolfard about a week earlier.

Investigators also wrote that the woman discovered a hard mass developing inside her right breast that she attributed to the recent altercation.

Powell Hospital EMS was called, and she agreed to go to the Powell Valley Healthcare emergency room for her injuries and a forensic examination.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Wolfard Said"}]

Wolfard left the residence after waking up around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and was arrested a short time later, according to the affidavit.

He told officers she bruised easily and fell frequently. He also said bruising on her left arm came from the two playing "tug of war" on paddleboards at Deaver Reservoir the previous weekend.

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman disputed both explanations."}]

 wrote that investigators believed Wolfard had attempted to cause the woman serious bodily injury by pushing her into furniture, punching her and breaking her tooth, and repeatedly striking the back of her head.

[{"type":"text","text":"According to the Park County Sheriffs Office, Wolfard remains in custody."}]

Catlin Stephen Wolfard new 8 7 26

<title>Powell Man Accused Of Beating Woman When He Didn’t Believe How Many Steps She Walked | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 37-year-old Powell man could get 10 years in prison for allegedly attacking a woman when he got angry over not believing how many steps she walked that day. "Now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," the woman told police he said to her.

Powell Man Accused Of Beating Woman When He Didn’t Believe How Many Steps She Walked

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

Clair McFarland

Crime & Courts

Wyoming, 14 other states, a handful of gun advocacy groups, and individuals beat the Trump administration in court this week when a Texas-based federal judge called significant portions of the 1934 National Firearms Act unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled Wednesday that major portions of the act are unconstitutional and can’t be enforced on Wyoming’s government and a number of other plaintiffs. 

Those provisions restrict suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and firearms classified as “any other weapons.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gov. Mark Gordon called the ruling a win."}]

“This is a great win for gun owners across the country, including here in Wyoming where our gun rights are an important part of our heritage,” said Gordon in a Friday email statement. “It is absolutely essential that the 2nd Amendment be respected and protected. I am delighted to see a judge recognize overreach when it is this clear.”

Gordon congratulated Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz and Kautz’s team “for their solid work and wish them the best as this case continues moving forward.”

Hendrix stayed his order until at least Aug. 12, in case the federal government wants to appeal. It hadn’t appealed as of Friday morning.

The judge also did not overturn the NFA’s restrictions on machine guns and destructive devices.

Mark Jones, Wyoming resident and national director of Gun Owners of America, told Cowboy State Daily the ruling represents a big win — but not an invitation to go make short-barreled rifles, at least until the dust settles.

“We’re advising people to be very careful about looking at a headline and running out and engaging in practices related to this until we get more information and there’s some decision on this appeal,” said Jones. 

He also said that though Wyoming is a plaintiff, he doesn’t believe the injunction extends to every Wyoming citizen.

But, added Jones, “I still think it’s the biggest win against the NFA in the NFA’s history, and we'll see what happens.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Trump Stance ‘Frustrating’"}]

Gun Owners of America is one of the plaintiffs.

Hendrix’s order bars the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from enforcing the enjoined parts of the National Firearms Act against plaintiffs and the plaintiffs’ “agencies, political subdivisions, members, and customers — both current and future.”

Jones said that leaves protections for Wyoming residents in doubt because “residents” aren’t listed under the people the order protects. But, he said, a Wyomingite who is a member of the Gun Owners of America will be protected if the order is upheld.

It’s been frustrating that the Trump administration has been defending the National Firearms Act, said Jones.

“Very frustrating,” he said. “Because the president ran, obviously, as a strong 2nd Amendment supporter.”

Jones said GOA has been “openly concerned about that: why his administration is defending the National Firearms Act.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gun Control Act Remains"}]

David Kopel, a senior fellow at the University of Wyoming College of Law Firearms Research Center, emphasized that though the NFA will be diminished if the injunction is upheld or remains in place, the Gun Control Act of 1968 is still law.

“Even if the National Firearms Act of 1934 had never been passed, if you wanted to go into a store and buy a short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun or even a suppressor, you’d have to go through the same process as to buy any other gun,” said Kopel. 

[{"type":"text","text":"That includes background checks and federal paperwork."}]

But this ruling removes a noteworthy layer of federal paperwork, requirements and delays, added Jones.

Congress passed the NFA in 1934 to tax and regulate Prohibition-era “gangster weapons,” including short-barreled shotguns and rifles, silencers, and “any other weapons” – a term the government has treated flexibly over the years.

[{"type":"text","text":"The law also covers machineguns and destructive devices."}]

It imposes taxes, but also recordkeeping and registration requirements geared toward enforcing the tax.

A person who violates the law by owning or transferring one of the covered firearms without fulfilling the requirements can face up to 10 years in federal prison and $10,000 in fines, plus the loss of gun rights for life.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1937 upheld the act because the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to tax.

The Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 lifted the taxes from the short-barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers and “any other weapons.”

Hendrix ruled Wednesday that removing the taxes also removes constitutional justifications for law’s other paperwork, registration and recordkeeping requirements, which were ostensibly in place to enforce the tax.

He also wrote that in 1934 the commerce clause — the portion of the Constitution giving Congress authority over interstate commerce — would not have been seen as justifying the NFA in 1934.

But the Gun Control Act of 1968, regulating gun commerce, remains in place. It’s based on the commerce clause.

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyoming’s Defiant Little Law"}]

Wyoming law says a personal firearm, accessory or ammunition manufactured in the state, that stays in the borders of the state is not subject to federal law, taxation or regulation, “under the authority of the United States congress to regulate interstate commerce.”

Kopel had opined, however, that a person who makes a short-barreled rifle in Wyoming still cannot sell it to his next-door neighbor, because intrastate commerce affects interstate commerce.

[{"type":"text","text":"Jones said Kopel is probably right."}]

Gordon Trump 8 7 26

<title>Wyoming Scores 'Win' In Landmark Gun Rights Case Against Trump Administration | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal judge overturned parts of the National Firearms Act this week after Wyoming and other plaintiffs sued the Trump administration, which had defended the act. Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday called it a "great win for gun owners across the country."

Wyoming Scores 'Win' In Landmark Gun Rights Case Against Trump Administration

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Yellowstone National Park is Wyoming’s top tourist attraction, with between 4.5 and 4.8 million annual visitors. It’s also the nation’s No. 1 Google obsession when it comes to national parks. 

It’s pulled ahead of other heavyweights such as the Grand Canyon by an eye-catching margin of roughly 1.42 million more searches over the most recent period from July 2025 to June 2026. 

That’s according to research by airport transportation analysts at 

, which analyzed Google search data for national parks to figure out which are getting the most digital attention. 

The substantial gap in online interest doesn’t seem to have an obvious explanation, especially given that Grand Canyon National Park has about the same number of visitors as Yellowstone. 

Meanwhile, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which didn’t make the Top 10, is the most visited national park, with around 13 million visitors annually.

One possible explanation are Yellowstone’s many viral wildlife encounters, the most recent of which involved a grandfather who was tossed 8 feet into the air by an agitated bull bison while walking with his grandson past the Bridge Bay Campground 

In this case, Carl McDaniel, 65, was not crowding a bison trying to get a photo. He was more than 100 yards away, well beyond the 35 yards by park officials. 

The bison, which earlier had been chasing people in the campground area and mock-charging tents and picnic tables, even appeared to have calmed down by the time McDaniel and his grandson came along. The bison was rolling in a dust wallow. 

A white pickup unexpectedly appeared in the area, however, which appeared to set the bison off again. It went to charge the truck, which drove away, while McDaniel and his grandson hid in some trees. 

When the truck left, the bison was not deterred by the trees. It went straight after McDaniel, who told his grandson, 13, to run the opposite way to keep the animal away from him. 

 when it comes to fueling search engine algorithms. 

The most recent escapade by the latest “touron” of the day — a smashup of the words “tourist” and “moron” — has practically become its own sub-genre for online social media entertainment. 

People can’t seem to get enough of would-be bison paparazzi unwisely crowding an animal that only appears to be docile. A bison can actually run 30 mph — much faster than a human — and it’s afraid of nothing. 

Clueless attempts to retrieve items like hats that have blown into a hot pot of what is essentially a boiling acid spring also attract a lot of attention. 

Entire bodies have disintegrated in less than 24 hours in some of these pools, with only a partial foot inside a floating shoe left behind. 

These kinds of stories can cause a massive short-term surge in search traffic, but it’s attention that fades even as the next news cycle takes over. And it doesn’t completely explain a year-long 1.4 million margin in Google searches, given that winter comes along and such “touron” instances become much fewer and farther between.

The deeper, more consistent driver behind Yellowstone’s digital surge aligns with a major post-pandemic shift in global tourism.

Wellness travel is trending along with the intentional “digital detox,” where travelers turn off their cell phones for an extended period away from anything with a screen.

Airbnb statistics have already spotlighted that many travelers are no longer interested in cooking like lobsters on the beach. 

 where they can find deep, restorative nature experiences to counter burnout — and that’s a trend where Wyoming absolutely comes out on top, Wyoming Office of Tourism’s Hailey Stevens told Cowboy State Daily.

Stevens is seeing these trends reflected in the travel and tourism figures Office of Tourism tracks, which are up 3.5% year over year, along with a 14% jump in visitor spending year over year and 36% month over month. Lodging taxes are up 20%.

“People are really seeking out those vacations where they can just have that disconnection from (modern) lifestyle,” she said. “Yellowstone and Wyoming as a whole are just incredible places to do that, with our wide-open spaces, diverse landscapes, and our wildlife-viewing experiences that you literally cannot have anywhere else.”

Wyoming’s flagship park fits this consumer intent perfectly, with 2.2 million acres of backcountry trails, remote rivers, and wide-open glacial valleys. The park’s lack of cell service and internet coverage, meanwhile, is more a feature than a bug for travelers seeking to disconnect. 

“Yellowstone is also home to one of the largest ecosystems on Earth that remains largely intact,” Stevens said. “Meaning that when visitors are traveling there today, they’re seeing wildlife and other natural spaces that appear just as they have for thousands of years.”

Wildlife consistently ranks among Travel Wyoming’s strongest performing content, Stevens added. 

The massive online interest isn’t necessarily just passive daydreaming from city apartments. There are indicators some of the increased search traffic is translating into more visitors.

Jeremy Barnum with Jackson Hole Airport told Cowboy State Daily they’ve had 6% more commercial flights year-to-date than for the same period in 2025. Year over year for July, they saw a 10% increase in flights. 

Enplanements — the official term used for passengers — are up 13.2% year to date and June is up 4.36% year over year.

“I will say, our parking lot has 1% of its spots available right now,” he said. “And people who park at the airport by definition live within driving distance of the airport. So we’re seeing both, locals and visitors, but there’s certainly an increase in visitors.”

That unofficial indicator correlates well with what Visit Jackson Hole’s Executive Director Crista Valentino is seeing as well. 

“Year over year we are up,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I don’t have the actual numbers in front of me, but I know that when we looked at May visitation over last year, we were up 14%. And when we looked at June visitation over last year, I think we were up maybe 6%.”

Warm weather in May helped bring people to the area sooner, Valentino said.

“It caught everybody a little off-guard,” she said. “Businesses weren’t ready. Everyone was like, ‘Oh, I’m still training my staff.’”

Jackson Hole has seen steady gains since the 2021 spike that followed the COVID-19 pandemic years. 

“We dropped back down to pre-pandemic levels,” she said. “And since then continue on the trend line we were on. That’s increases of 4, 5, 6% almost every year.”

Another factor that could be driving Wyoming tourism is the outsized interest in cowboy culture driven by popular television shows like Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone,” New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson’s “Longmire” series, as well as New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box’s popular Joe Pickett series.

Barnum sees Wyoming and Jackson Hole as the total package.

“They’re obviously coming to enjoy the parks, the public lands that are here, the incredible scenery, the unique wildlife viewing,” he said. “But then we’ve got three ski resorts within about an hour of Jackson Hole that all offer really fun summer activities and sightseeing and all that sort of thing. 

"We’ve got great hotels and places to stay. We have water activities. We’ve got great restaurants and cultural offerings.”

Stevens, meanwhile, said she’s been seeing a “spillover” effect in other parts of the state. 

“There’s been a shift in what people hope to get out of travel,” Stevens said. “People are looking for those places that help them to reconnect with nature, spend more meaningful time together, and return home feeling restored.”

That’s an experience that can be found in lots of communities across Wyoming.

“Yellowstone is a lot of the reason that people are planning a trip to Wyoming,” Stevens said. “But other gateway communities throughout Wyoming are just another reason to stay in Wyoming longer. 

"You can still have those incredible wildlife-viewing experience, get those authentic western experiences, in our small western towns and then just really have an incredible experience to take home and remember for years to come.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tip Of Tourism Spear"}]

For Wyoming’s gateway communities, the 1.42 million search victory over the Grand Canyon is more than a fun trivia point. It can also be part of a leading economic indicator. 

Many people plan trips to Yellowstone as much as a year in advance because hotels are booking up that far ahead, and most people will start their Yellowstone vacation plans with a simple Google search.

“That’s how long it takes for them to get reservations,” Yellowstone National Park spokesperson Linda Veress told Cowboy State Daily. “We book up so early for the campgrounds and the lodging inside the park and in the surrounding communities. 

"So, I’m not sure if they’re Googling to get trip-planning information or for news about the park. It’s hard to say.”

Veress said this summer is so far tracking to be similar to 2025 — which means “another busy summer.”

Yellowstone is America’s No. 1 national park on Google, passing the Grand Canyon. Bison tossing people and bad-behaving visitors help, as people can’t seem to get enough of would-be wildlife paparazzi crowding animals that only appear to be docile.

Daily Smile: Wednesday, October 16, 2024

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