You Still Here

[{"type":"text","text":"Instant car-ma, as narrated by MMA announcer Steve Inman......."}]

Inman 12 21 24

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

<title>Steve Inman: Saturday, December 21, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Instant car-ma, as narrated by MMA announcer Steve Inman.......

Steve Inman: Saturday, December 21, 2024

 Instant car-ma, as narrated by MMA announcer Steve Inman.......

Bill Sniffin

Opinion

CSD Columnists

A week ago, Friday, I was sitting in my daughter’s backyard in a Dallas suburb. It was 94 degrees, thick with humidity, and still clinging to the dampness of a brief shower. The kind of heat that just wraps around you and won’t let go.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Then came Sunday morning."}]

We woke up at our home in Lander to a crisp 44 degrees. A 50-degree swing in less than 48 hours. Now that is what I call a welcome home.

My wife Nancy and I love going to Dallas. It has been very good to us, especially because of the outstanding medical facilities there. And, of course, our daughter Amber spoils us shamelessly, which doesn’t hurt one bit.

But there is something special, something almost medicinal, about returning to Wyoming. The cool temperatures, the low humidity, the steady breeze that reminds you you’re alive. You don’t appreciate that until you’ve spent a few days in a Texas summer.

A couple of years ago, we hosted our Dallas granddaughter’s wedding in our backyard. Nearly 100 Texans made the trip, and it was fun just listening to their reactions. The evening temperature hovered around 72 degrees, and several of them described it as “outside air conditioning.” They weren’t kidding. The humidity was about 20 percent. It was one of those perfect Wyoming evenings. Something we take for granted but probably shouldn’t.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Travel Tips"}]

We’ve made that trip to Texas enough times now to know the drill, and it can be a bit of an adventure.

We fly United, and for reasons known only to the airline gods, they often land their Dallas flight at the A concourse in Denver. United’s main hub there is the B concourse. It is a long, long ways away. And wouldn’t you know it, our little regional jet back to Riverton is always parked at the far end, usually around B90.

That means a trek of more than a mile and a half.

Nancy requires a wheelchair, and with my bad hip acting up, this time I did, too. The gentlemen pushing the wheelchairs had their work cut out for them. It is no small haul through that airport. I tipped them $20 each, and it was money well spent. There is no way we could have made that connection on foot in the time we had.

Interestingly, both men were from Africa, one from Ethiopia and the other from Mauritania. They had been in the United States for five and seven years and spoke excellent English. I’ve noticed over time that most of the wheelchair attendants seem to come from that part of the world. They work hard, they are courteous, and they keep things moving.

Whenever Nancy flies, we’ve come to rely on these folks. They make what could be a very stressful situation manageable.

Airports are also great places for Wyoming reunions.

We ran into Dr. Sandy Mossbrook, formerly of Riverton. She is the widow of Wyoming.com founder Steve Mossbrook. Sandy has recently sold her Wyoming home and is now living in California, but she had rented a place in Lander to spend the July 4 holiday with family.

Then there was author Sam Lightner of Lander, just returning from some mountain climbing in Scotland. He looked like a man who had crossed a few time zones, bleary-eyed but still going strong. He had been scaling some world class rock walls with Mike Lilygren of Lander.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"And then there was the cowboy hat."}]

We were having lunch in the Dallas airport next to an older fellow wearing a hat that just didn’t quite look Texan. Sure enough, he turned out to be Chuck Bidonde from Buffalo, traveling with his wife Sandra and her little dog.

They had been in Texas for a week watching their grandson compete in bareback riding at the Texas State High School Rodeo. Small world: he knew Jim Hicks, of course. Wyoming connections are never far away.

Hicks told me: “Chuck is a genuine hand. His dad was Basque and tended bar at one of my favorite watering holes back in the day when 2am bedtime was reasonable a couple of times a week.”

They were on our flight to Denver but then headed on to Gillette, with a drive home to Buffalo waiting for them.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That’s Wyoming travel for you."}]

When it works, our air service is pretty remarkable. The planes are fast, comfortable, and a real lifeline for a rural state like ours. But it does not come cheap.

Here in Fremont County, voters will soon decide on a three-quarter cent sales tax to help fund revenue guarantees for that air service, along with ambulance and local bus service. These are not glamorous things, but they are essential. In a place like Wyoming, connections, both medical and transportation, can make all the difference.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wyoming Summer"}]

There is an old joke that Wyoming has four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction.

Well, folks, we are now officially in construction season.

Orange cones are blooming like wildflowers, and highway crews are making up for lost time. But given the unusually mild winter we just experienced, perhaps some of these projects got a head start. One can hope.

In the meantime, we will take our cool mornings, our breezy afternoons, and those perfect summer evenings that feel like nature’s version of air conditioning.

After all, not everyone gets to come home to that.

Bill can be reached at Bill@cowboystatedaily.com

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<title>Bill Sniffin: Texas Humidity To Wyoming Coolness – A Wonderful Summer Transition | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Columnist Bill Sniffin reminds: “Traveling by air from Wyoming is always an adventure. It has been a truism that even when you die and go to heaven, you still have to go through Denver first.”

Bill Sniffin: Texas Humidity To Wyoming Coolness – A Wonderful Summer Transition

Kerry Drake

Wyoming Life

Entertainment

CHEYENNE — The blinking red neon “Vacancy” sign that Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak installed outside the county jail 18 months ago and national attention from his 

 sweeps of commercial drivers has attracted some potential new, temporary jail visitors — a film crew from the Discovery Channel show “120 Hours Behind Bars.”

Kozak told Cowboy State Daily that producers of the gritty reality show first approached him about filming an episode here about six months ago. 

Kozak is excited about the opportunity to showcase the jail for a national audience, but he’s still waiting for permission from the Laramie County Board of Commissioners. 

In a letter to commissioners Tuesday, Kozak wrote that the show’s producers took a tour of the Laramie County Detention Center and were impressed by his department’s proactive 

The show premiered in January and its first season features jails in Washington, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia and Nevada that are examples of how bad the housing and living conditions are in some of the 3,000 county jails across the nation. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Combined, they house more than a half-million prisoners."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Refreshing Change Of Pace"}]

A promotional trailer for the show explains that, “Running a prison is tough. Surviving one is ever tougher.”

“They’ve been in other jails that struggle with budgets and high crime areas, and I think this was a refreshing change of pace for them,” Kozak told Cowboy State Daily. “They said everything is well-managed here.”

Kozak said one thing that sets the location of the Cheyenne jail apart from others featured in previous episodes is “the cowboy culture that we’ve incorporated in our agency.”

“When they come to work, the jail deputies wear cowboy hats,” the sheriff said. “(The producers) liked that a lot and want to portray it in the show.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Kozak said he was already a fan of the series."}]

“What I like about it is they bring out the humanistic side of things,” he said. “When a deputy tries to help an inmate get out of a particular situation that they’re in jail for, and connect them to the right community resources, it shows that the staff is really doing the best that they can.”

On the other side of the bars, Kozak said the series also shows "that an inmate may be a good person who made a mistake, but they have to live with the consequences.”

“That’s what I like about the show, they’re not looking for high action, like some of these TV cop shows are,” he added. “They just want the real story.

“I’ve had a lot of shows ask about coming here to film and I’ve turned them all down until now. I feel good about this one.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Good Reviews From Sheriffs"}]

Kozak noted that other sheriffs who have participated in the show speak highly of the experience. He added that one of his core commitments is transparency, and promised he will oversee filming to ensure Laramie County is accurately represented.

The production company Blue Titanium Media seems to be serious about its request to take the nation behind the bars of the Laramie County Detention center. It's already registered as a Wyoming business and meets the state’s legal requirements to film here.

Kozak thinks the show could help his department recruit on a national level. 

“Several networks have picked up the show, and it gets the message out there,” Kozak said. “If someone is looking to work for a good sheriff’s office, it might lead to them calling us.”

The sheriff said he doesn't anticipate having to take any additional safety precautions when the film crew is working at the jail. 

He said all jail employees and inmates will need to sign waivers to appear on the show, but mentally ill patients — even if they want to sign — won’t be allowed to because of concerns for their health and privacy.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Actively Seeking Fugitives"}]

 on the north side of the jail, which has received national attention since first reported by Cowboy State Daily, was Kozak’s idea. 

He said it was installed to send a message that the jail has space and the Sheriff’s Office is actively seeking fugitives.

With the jail located in downtown Cheyenne right across from the Laramie County courthouse on one of the busiest intersections in the city, it’s highly visible.

County commissioners seemed interested in the idea of filming both staff and inmates at the facility, but commission Chairman Gunner Malm said he wants to give the public a chance to comment before making a decision.

The commission unanimously agreed to table the issue until its next meeting. It was unclear whether that will be on June 30 or July 7, but a formal public notice will be sent out by the board.

The need for the commissioners’ approval is perhaps more compelling since Kozak and the sheriff’s office 

by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming and three local organizations for allegedly exceeding statutory authority by unilaterally entering into three agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The lawsuit centers on Kozak’s decision to enroll Laramie County in three models of a program that effectively deputizes local law enforcement to perform federal immigration duties during the “Truck Around and Find Out” sweeps of unsafe and illegal drivers.

The ACLU maintains that by bypassing the Laramie County commissioners and the public process, the sheriff violated state laws designed to ensure democratic oversight and separation of powers.

When the lawsuit was filed, Kozak told media organizations that it’s the department’s policy not to comment on pending claims.

Asked if he thinks the commissioners will approve the request of “120 Hours Behind Bars” to film at the Laramie County jail, Kozak said simply, “I don’t know.”

If the show is approved, it would be broadcast later this summer on streaming services, including Hulu, Discovery Plus and HBO Max. Episodes are filmed over a five-day period to produce one 45-minute episode.

On IMDB, a popular internet entertainment site, “120 Hours Behind Bars” has a viewers’ rating of 7.1 out of 10, which is considered high for a reality TV series.

The response has been even better on another website, Rotten Tomatoes, where viewers have given some episodes scores in the 80s and 90s. 

Viewers have described the series as unpredictable and eye-opening, although some have found on-camera situations and the behavior of inmates frustrating and difficult to watch.

Kerry Drake Can be reached at: Kerry@CowboyStateDaily.com

Sheriff Brian Kozak and Vacancy sign IMG 6721 copy 6 20 26

<title>Discovery Channel Wants To Film Reality Show In Laramie County Sheriff Kozak's Jail | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Discovery Channel wants to film an episode of its reality show "120 Hours Behind Bars" in the Laramie County jail. It's the latest bit of national attention Sheriff Brian Kozak has received since his "Truck Around and Find Out" sweeps made national news

Discovery Channel Wants To Film Reality Show In Laramie County Sheriff Kozak's Jail

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

A Rock Springs man accused of holding his girlfriend captive for days, cutting her with a razor blade, stabbing her with a kitchen fork and threatening to kill her is being held on a six-figure bond.

Jake Thomas Canestrini, 24, made his initial appearance Thursday afternoon in Sweetwater County Circuit Court, where he was charged with a handful of felonies, including kidnapping, three counts of aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon, strangulation of a household member, interference with a peace officer, three counts of domestic battery and cruelty to animals.

Court records show bond was set at $300,000 cash or surety, or $100,000 cash-only.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Parents Leave Town"}]

The alleged abuse began after the victim's parents left town on May 30, according to an affidavit written by Rock Springs Police Officer Tiffany Harris.

The victim and Canestrini had been in a relationship for about three years and were living together at her parents' home in Rock Springs.

Shortly after her parents left, Canestrini allegedly threw her to the ground multiple times and prevented her from leaving the residence, the affidavit says.

"Canestrini held her on the ground for several hours and continued to hit her on the head," Harris wrote.

Every time the woman tried to get up and run, "Canestrini would yank her by the hair to keep her down," according to the affidavit.

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

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

The victim described a series of assaults involving household items that investigators later sought when executing a search warrant at the home.

According to court records, Canestrini reportedly used a razor blade to make cuts on her thighs, hips, stomach, and arm. She also reported being stabbed in the upper back and "butt cheek" with a kitchen fork.

The alleged victim told investigators that during one confrontation, Canestrini held a kitchen knife against her throat while threatening to kill her.

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

At one point during the ordeal, Canestrini reportedly told the woman he loved her and "did not want to do this but because she was being a bitch to him, she deserved the punishment,” the affidavit says.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Extensive Injuries"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The victim told investigators he also threatened her family and pet."}]

"I will murder your cat. I will murder your f***ing family if you get the cops involved,” he allegedly said, according to the affidavit. "I will wait 20 years so I can kill you."

Court records indicate Canestrini reportedly strangled the woman multiple times during the ordeal. She told investigators there were times she could not breathe and feared for her life.

Medical records cited in the affidavit indicate a physician later advised her she had suffered a concussion.

Investigators documented bruising across much of the woman's body. Photographs attached to the case file show injuries to her face, arms, shoulders, legs, and knees, along with dried blood on her lips.

Other photographs show razor-blade cuts on her stomach, thighs and hips; puncture wounds allegedly caused by a fork and long scratches running down her back, the affidavit says.

The victim told investigators she was eventually able to escape only after waiting for Canestrini to fall asleep.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Animal Cruelty"}]

The cruelty to animals charge stems from allegations involving the woman's cat.

According to court documents, she reported Canestrini picked up the cat and was "squeezing the f*** out of him."

[{"type":"text","text":"When the cat cried out in pain, she reportedly begged him to stop."}]

Canestrini responded by "picking the cat up by the throat and slamming it to the floor," according to the affidavit.

The woman told investigators he then said, "I will treat this cat however the f*** I want."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Search Warrant"}]

Before investigators arrived to execute a search warrant at the residence, neighbors reported seeing Canestrini leave the area on foot carrying a duffle bag, the affidavit says.

When detectives searched the home, they recovered a kitchen fork, a knife and items believed to contain blood evidence. The affidavit notes detectives detected a strong odor of bleach in one of the bathrooms.

On Tuesday, a detective reportedly spotted Canestrini riding in a vehicle registered to his father. During a traffic stop, Canestrini identified himself and was taken into custody that day. 

Canestrini remains jailed pending a Wednesday preliminary hearing in Sweetwater County Circuit Court.

[{"type":"text","text":"He is represented by Rock Springs attorney Joseph August Hampton."}]

If convicted of kidnapping, Canestrini could face 20 years to life in prison under Wyoming law, while the aggravated assault charges carrying potential penalties of up to 10 years each.

Jake Thomas Canestrini 6 19 26

<title>Rock Springs Man Accused Of Torturing Woman For Days With Razor Blade And Fork | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Rock Springs man was in court Thursday, accused of holding a woman captive for days and torturing her with a razor blade and fork. "I will murder your cat,” police say he told her. "I will murder your ... family if you get the cops involved."

Rock Springs Man Accused Of Torturing Woman For Days With Razor Blade And Fork

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Hunting

While investigating a poaching case against a Utah hunting guide, wildlife officials found a video on his cellphone showing him shooting a compound bow at cattle.

In the video, one of the cows jumps after he releases an arrow, as if it might have been struck. The condition of the cattle remains “unknown,” Chase Pili, captain of administrative services for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), told Cowboy State Daily. 

Pili said he wasn’t sure when the video — which was

 — was taken, but charges were filed in the case in February. 

DWR didn’t release the name of the man, who was convicted of attempted destruction of wildlife.

 District Court of Garfield County, Utah. The clerk of court could not be reached for comment. 

The man was under investigation for allegedly poaching a deer, DWR reported. Investigators executed a search warrant on his cellphone and discovered a video of him shooting at cattle.

“In addition to significant legal fees, the suspect now faces a long-term suspension of both his hunting and guiding licenses,” the agency says.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘It’s Appalling’"}]

The video depicts next-level unethical behavior, archery hunter Steve Martin of Rock Springs told Cowboy State Daily.

“It’s appalling, and as a bowhunter, it’s even worse,” said Martin, who represents Bowhunters of Wyoming. “The public will think we’re just out there shooting arrows at everything and that’s not good."

Martin said he’s unaware of any such incidents happening in Wyoming.

“My hope is that would never happen in Wyoming, because that sort of outfitter would never get a license in Wyoming,” he said. 

Mark Eisele, a Cheyenne-area rancher and former president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said cattle abuse is rare in Wyoming.

“I have seen some of it,” he said. “It’s been a little better more recently.”

Most of the cases he’s aware of didn’t seem to involve hunters; rather, they involved people who took their opposition to cattle grazing on public land to extremes.

“At the height of it, when activists were raising a fuss, we had cattle shot alongside the road,” he said. “We’ve had cases where people rammed into cattle with their vehicles and broke the cattle’s legs."

There were also instances of vandalism, such as fences being cut or holes shot in water tanks, Eisele said, adding that things have calmed down considerably. 

“I think some of the activists feel that maybe cattle on public lands are a good thing,” he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Disregard For Life’"}]

Eisele said that most hunters are well-behaved. 

“They almost always ask for permission for access, and we almost always grant it,” he said. 

The behavior depicted in the video is an anomaly, Eisele added. 

“Some people do it because they want to watch something die,” he said. “That just blatant. That’s just disregard for property and disregard for life.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Careless Shooting"}]

Evanston-area rancher Vance Broadbent told Cowboy State Daily that he hasn’t had problems with his cattle being shot.

“I haven’t experienced anything like that here,” Broadbent said. "We coordinate with an outfitter, so hunters on our property have a guide with them and they are monitored closely."

Shooting cattle is a rarity in Wyoming, Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, told Cowboy State Daily. 

“We do get occasional reports of it,” he said. 

“It’s not so much formal hunters as it is people out target practicing and maybe hitting a cow by being careless,” Magagna said.

Shoots cows with arrow 6 19 26

<title>Utah Hunting Guide Accused Of Poaching Also Caught Shooting At Cows With Bow | Cowboy State Daily</title>

While investigating a Utah hunting guide for poaching a deer, wildlife officials came across a video of him shooting at cows with a bow. “It’s appalling,” says a Rock Springs bowhunter. “That sort of outfitter would never get a license in Wyoming."

Utah Hunting Guide Accused Of Poaching Also Caught Shooting At Cows With Bow

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

Andrew Rossi

Wildlife

When a massive bull bison died next to a busy road in Yellowstone National Park, the park’s rangers, bear management team, and maintenance crews had to get creative to quickly and safely dispose of it.

April Mead, a wildlife photographer based in Gardiner, Montana, spent three hours watching 

 unfold near Canyon Village on Friday morning. A front-end loader was needed to lift the 2,000-pound bison and drop it into a dump truck.

Meanwhile, the bear management team kept everyone safe from the hungry eyes of a determined grizzly.

“The grizzly came back while they were in the process of moving the carcass,” she said. “She was circling the hillside and the corrals. They had to haze her a couple of times before she left.”

Mead has seen and shared images of Yellowstone’s carcass removal process before, but this one was notably different. It seemed as if the park’s experienced staff were improvising the best way to get the job done quickly and safely.

“It’s different from all the others I’ve seen,” she said. “They spent a lot of time strategizing before they got it done.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Carcass Chaos"}]

Mead got to the carcass around 6 a.m. Friday. She’d heard that there was a dead bison alongside the road near Artist’s Point, south of Canyon Village, one of the busiest sections of Yellowstone once the day starts.

“I’d heard that (the bison) might have gotten hit by a car Thursday night,” Mead said.

Mead wasn’t the first one on the carcass that morning. A grizzly was already helping itself to the free meal, and a lone wolf also stopped by for a bite of breakfast.

Once Yellowstone’s rangers and the bear management team arrived, the wolf and the grizzly ran off. The grizzly didn’t go far.

“She lingered down the road for quite some time,” Mead said. “She ended up traveling back and coming down toward (the carcass), so they had to haze her a few times.”

With a massive bison carcass that had already attracted Yellowstone’s top predators, the Yellowstone crews had to work fast to get the bison away from the road.

“They had to move quickly,” Mead said. “It’s a tight area with a lot of traffic.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That proved to be more difficult than they had anticipated."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Carcass Creativity"}]

Animal carcasses are frequently moved and relocated in Yellowstone to put some distance between scavenging wildlife and the thousands of tourists who always congregate around them.

. The park’s staff have the process down to a science, usually using two trucks and a winch to get the job done.

Yellowstone rangers used a front-end loader and creativity to get a 2,000-pound bison carcass away from a busy road near Canyon Village on Friday. A wildlife photographer said a grizzly was circling the area determined to have the roadkill for breakfast.

Steve Inman: Saturday, December 21, 2024

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