You Still Here

[{"type":"text","text":"Innocent victim attacked by rogue shopping cart....."}]

One more for 2 20 25

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

<title>You Still Here? Thursday, February 20, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Innocent victim attacked by rogue shopping cart.....

You Still Here? Thursday, February 20, 2025

 Innocent victim attacked by rogue shopping cart.....

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

Andrew Rossi

Business & Tourism

Dozens of horses might have been exposed to a highly contagious disease recently at the Park County Fair in Powell.

On Tuesday, Smallwood Horses announced it was placing its Powell facility under a voluntary two-week quarantine after one of its horses presented symptoms of an infection of the bacterium Streptococcus equi, also known as Strangles.

“This horse presented no symptoms before, during, or immediately after (the) fair,” Ashley Smallwood said 

. “Veterinarians contacted about possible exposure suggest that the horses attending the fair be monitored for symptoms.”

Britt Whitt of Whitt Veterinary Services in Powell released a statement saying strangles is “a highly infectious disease” with “high morbidity and low mortality.”

“In the case of an outbreak, many animals that are exposed will develop the disease, but very few will die from the disease,” Whitt said.

Whitt was not available for additional information at the time of publication. Smallwood told Cowboy State Daily she would “absolutely not” discuss the exposure and quarantine.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"How Serious Is Strangles?"}]

Erin Brus is a Certified Equine Massage Therapist (CEMT), veterinary technician, and horse owner working in Park County. She had strong feelings about the strangles exposure at the Park County Fair.

“On a personal level, there are a lot of words I cannot use,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “On a professional level, I’m severely disappointed.”

Brus explained that strangles affects horses like a combination of “pneumonia and a really bad head cold.” Symptoms include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes, nasal discharge, lethargy, and loss of appetite.

What concerns Brus and other horse owners is how easily strangles can spread.

“It is, by far, one of the most contagious sicknesses there is,” she said. “It’s as easy as sharing a water or feed bucket with a friend, and owners can transfer it off their boots, jeans, shirts, and hands.”

Brus said she’s constantly disinfecting her equipment and herself to prevent spreading any infections to the horses she owns and works with.

“I’m a paranoid horse owner that when I heard about this, I immediately texted the vet I work with to see if I needed to do anything,” she said.

Around 75% of horses infected with strangles come out of it within two weeks and develop an immunity within three to six weeks, according to Brus. The infection can be fatal, but usually only for foals or immunocompromised adults.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Where’s The Outrage?"}]

Brus has been following the spread of strangles this summer. According to the data she’s reviewed, via 

, the impact has stretched across Wyoming.

“We have 12 confirmed cases in Wyoming across seven different counties this summer,” she said.

 said that strangles cases had been confirmed in Albany, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Park, Sweetwater, and Weston counties.

In her statement, Smallwood said, “We can all use this as a learning experience about biosecurity when traveling,” and that “when we do take our horses places, they can be exposed to disease without knowing.”

Brus took some exception to that, calling out “the horse community as a whole" for not testing their horses before taking them to fairs, rodeos, and other events throughout the country.

“If you are taking your horse anywhere 

 the fair, across state lines, to a sale 

 you need to be doing a full panel for everything,” she said. “You need to see if your horse has any diseases, sicknesses, or issues before you do anything.”

Brus said she believes the Park County Fairgrounds and other Wyoming venues with horse-related events should implement mandatory bacterial cultures, blood tests, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests before any horses are allowed on the grounds.

If the horse comes back clean, off to the fair. If it doesn’t, the horse can be quarantined at home without the risk of infecting other horses at a high-density event like a fair or rodeo.

“It's the wisest decision, especially in (Park County),” she said. “You have rodeo people coming in and out all summer. It’s 90 days of people in and out consistently. If you’re going anywhere with your horses, more people need to do it.”

, an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and EHV-4 was reported in four states. If infected animals aren’t treated, the respiratory illnesses can progress into equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, a serious neurological condition with a 75% mortality rate.

The source of the outbreak was a horse at the World Championship Barrel Racing Finals in Waco, Texas. Around 1,000 horses attended the event.

Like strangles, EHV-1 and EHV-4 can be spread by horse-to-horse contact as well as via shared buckets and people's clothes and equipment.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Better Safe Than Sorry"}]

Of all the thoughts and emotions Brus had when she heard about the strangles exposure at the Park County Fair, she wasn’t surprised.

“Professionally, I am disappointed in the horse community as a whole,” she said. “Getting horses tested needs to be at the forefront of their minds, and many aren’t doing it.”

Brus doesn’t see the strangles situation at the Park County Fair as an unfortunate accident. Even if the infected horse wasn’t showing symptoms, it clearly had been exposed to strangles at some point.

“The best way to beat this thing is when it hasn’t fully developed in their system,” she said. “If you share a water bucket with a friend, now both your horses have strangles because one of them was a carrier without symptoms. Even if you’re taking your horse to visit a friend’s house, you don’t know if they’ve gotten their horse tested.”

In Brus’ opinion, the lesson from the Park County Fair incident is the consequences of irresponsibility.

If someone’s horse is going to mingle with other horses from around the state, it should have a clean bill of health, even when it isn’t showing symptoms. Brus said that isn’t happening, which is how strangles and other equine diseases spread so far and quickly.

“If you’re smart, you’ll get ahead of it,” she said. “PCRS don’t cost that much. Microbial cultures are two-day, low-cost. When you get your horse tested, it clears everything up.

Brus also shared her concern about upcoming fairs. Several are already underway, and the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas starts Aug. 11.

Could a horse exposed to strangles at the Park County Fair show up and spread the infection at other fairs? Brus said there’s a good chance it could happen, and might already be underway.

“From what I've heard, they're keeping it under wraps because they don't want to panic the community,” she said. “Fairs are a huge thing right now, and with a Park County outbreak, we don't know what state fairs are even going to look like.”

Prevention is the best way to protect horses from strangles, she said. That’s why Brus wishes, and hopes, more horse owners will start regularly testing their horses before taking them anywhere.

“It’s like going to a walk-in clinic for a cold and getting antibiotics early,” she said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Park county fair horse 7 30 26

<title>Worry That Dozens Of Horses Exposed To Highly Infectious Strangles At Park County Fair | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Dozens of horses might have been exposed to strangles, a highly contagious equine disease, at the Park County Fair in Powell. Smallwood Horses announced Tuesday it placed its facility under a two-week quarantine after a horse presented symptoms.

Worry That Dozens Of Horses Exposed To Highly Infectious Strangles At Park County Fair

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Nineteen Republican state leaders, including a former Wyoming governor, have endorsed Steve Friess for U.S. House, the candidate’s team told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.

Friess is in the final three weeks of a fiery race for the Republican nomination to the House seat Rep. Harriet Hageman is leaving to run for U.S. Senate.

Of the 14 endorsers Cowboy State Daily was able to reach Thursday for interviews, all touted Friess’s merits. A minority of four specifically voiced a desire to see someone beat Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who is one of Friess’s eight GOP opponents.

Former Gov. Jim Geringer said he’s endorsing Friess “because he’s the right guy.”

Geringer also pointed to Gray’s upbringing in California and said, “I don’t see him as being connected and aware enough of national issues to be able to handle what Steve Friess has already done.”

Friess has said that he organized a group of top Washington, D.C., attorneys to craft ready-made executive order proposals for President Donald Trump ahead of his first inauguration in 2017. The Friess family also kick-started Charlie Kirk’s group Turning Point USA and a host of other conservative groups and causes.

Gray was elected to the state Legislature in 2016 and served for six years. He was elected Secretary of State in 2022 and has repeatedly pushed the Legislature for election reform, resulting in the passage of several new election laws.

[{"type":"text","text":"Both men point to pro-life victories."}]

Gray and Friess also face state Senate President Bo Biteman, Casper businessman Reid Rasner, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, former legislator Keith Goodenough, singer/actor Richard Dodson, and military veterans David Giralt and Kevin Christensen.

[{"type":"text","text":"The primary election is Aug. 18."}]

“Steve has a lot of skill. ‘Hochma’ is the word in the Old Testament: wisdom,” said former legislator Nathan Winters. 

Winters said that wisdom manifests in Friess’s four children, whom he cast as well-educated and thoughtful.

“As I’ve watched Steve, he’s just a remarkable person to run for that office,” said Winters.

Winters runs a Christian-issues advocacy group, Wyoming Family Alliance. But he said he gives his endorsement in his private capacity, not in connection with any group.

Most of the endorsers matched Winters’ attitude of praise. A minority of four added negative comments about Gray.

“Oh, I mean I’m not going to get into personal attacks,” said former Senate President Tony Ross, a Republican from Cheyenne, when saying why he wants someone to beat Gray. “I mean I think it’s self-evident. Jeez-Louise.”

Former state Rep. Elaine Harvey, a Big Horn County Republican, went further. On the one hand, she praised Friess on a nuanced policy level, saying she agrees with his approaches to public-lands management, health insurance and energy policy.

On the other hand, Harvey said she’s “disgusted” with Gray, in particular for his recurring spats with Gov. Mark Gordon in state board meetings.

[{"type":"text","text":"The other endorsers are:"}]

The four who voiced specific desires to see someone beat Gray were Geringer, Ross, Harvey and Ron Micheli. The rest were silent on that topic, sticking to Friess’s merits.

[{"type":"text","text":"‘Tired Class Of Political 1% Insiders’"}]

Gray in a Thursday text message called the endorsers a “tired class of political 1% insiders.”

“It’s not a surprise that Jackson Hole socialite Steve Friess is receiving the support of the same 1% insiders who want woke data centers and woke wind projects,” wrote Gray.

Not all of Friess’s endorsers have voiced a position on wind farms and data centers. Dockstader was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted against 

giving tax breaks to large data centers in 2010

Gray has come out against data centers, while Friess has said state and county governments – not Congress – should lead data center permitting decisions in ways that protect Wyomingites.

[{"type":"text","text":"Both men tout a pro-traditional-energy stance."}]

“Jackson socialite Steve Friess has rounded up the same tired class of political 1% insiders who have spent years trying to stop the silent majority and who are upset that I’ve been so successful in advancing common sense election integrity measures,” Gray continued.

Bebout rebutted that, saying "I call B.S." Bebout said he dislikes wind farms insofar as they're associated with government subsidies; and he approves of much of Gray's advocacy for election reform. He said he disapproves of Gray's approach to state land boards, where, Bebout said, he'd "try to make a stand or try to be, just ridiculous. And he doesn't fit." 

Gray alleged a “silent majority of Wyoming will see through this attempt by the insiders, with their media allies at Cowboy State Daily – which is owned by Friess allies in Jackson – to get behind a Jackson based insider candidate.”

Gray asserted that Friess is trying to “manufacture” momentum but “isn’t even in 2nd place in this race.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Then Give The Jackson Money Back, Says Friess"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Friess countered in his own interview."}]

“Now isn’t Chuck the insider, with the new GOP trying to put the thumb on the scale for him?” he asked.

One of Gray’s recent slogans has been for people not to “let Jackson buy” the race.

Friess had the biggest war chest as of July 1 with $2.5 million, followed by Rasner at $2 million and Gray at nearly $1.4 million. Each of those three has loaned himself more than $1 million.

“I’m curious then, if he’s interested in returning the checks he’s received from donors in Jackson Hole,” said Friess. “If Jackson money is a bad thing.”

Donations from Jackson residents to Gray’s campaign committee as of July 1 totaled $59,000, or just over a quarter of his individual contributions, according to the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC).

[{"type":"text","text":"But Not Tom Lubnau"}]

Former House Speaker and Cowboy State Daily columnist Tom Lubnau didn’t join the list of Friess endorsers.

He speculated that for an endorser list that big to emerge suddenly, someone is purposefully coordinating endorsements for Friess.

Lubnau theorized that Friess is trying to benefit from an “Anyone-but-Chuck” mantra that’s surfaced within the past couple weeks among some Wyomingites.

 last week that he and Gray are tied in the polls and it’s a “two-man race.” 

 that Friess’s argument is, “hold your nose and vote for me, or else your U.S. Representative might be Chuck Gray.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Lubnau clarified in a Thursday interview."}]

“It wasn’t a comment about Steve Friess. I was commenting on what the campaign tactic looked like – by coming out and saying ‘We’re (Friess and Gray) both at 16% so vote for me.’”

[{"type":"text","text":"Lubnau said he hadn’t seen that strategy used in a statewide campaign."}]

Even in the 2016 primary election where Liz Cheney narrowly won the nomination to U.S. House against eight other Republican contenders, Lubnau said, he can’t remember one of the candidates using a unite-against-Liz strategy.

To the columnist, Friess’s messaging looks like, “Abandon your affection for the candidate you’re in love with and vote for me – as part of the ABC (anyone-but-Chuck) movement.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Lubnau called it an “interesting tactic.”"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"So We Asked Friess"}]

Friess doubled down in his interview, saying his polling shows a vote for anyone other than him is a vote for Gray.

“I really want to unite the Republican Party and then to focus on making lives better in Wyoming,” he said.  

“I need the 70% of Republicans who are not fans of Chuck to consolidate, and we will win in a landslide,” added Friess.

He voiced gratitude to his endorsers, and disappointment in the state Republican Party for picking sides among its own registrants before the primary election.

When the party started the vetting process, Friess said he believed it was about vetting and exposing any unsavory candidates – similar to when the Republican National Committee galvanized against white supremacist David Duke.

“I was stunned when (party leadership) came out with a singular selection,” said Friess.

While the Wyoming Republican Party leaders are endorsing Gray as a candidate, they’re also suing his office – to overturn a state law that bars the party from financially backing one Republican over another in the primary election.

Some interpret that ban as a ban on endorsements, since it bars both direct and indirect financial backing. It’s unclear if the ban goes that far.

The party argues that the ban violates its First Amendment rights, and has produced case law to support its point. That case is ongoing.

Mix Collage 30 Jul 2026 03 01 PM 2190

<title>Friess Gets 19 High Profile Endorsements, Gray Calls Them Tired Political 'Insiders' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

U.S. House candidate Steve Friess received 19 endorsements Thursday by Republican lawmakers, former legislators, energy industry leaders and Gov. Jim Geringer. Chuck Gray called them "a tired class of political 1% insiders" who support "woke wind projects."

Friess Gets 19 High Profile Endorsements, Gray Calls Them Tired Political 'Insiders'

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

A Newcastle police sergeant pleaded not guilty Thursday to six charges 

 during a series of confrontations that stretched nearly a year and involved a police cruiser, a department K-9, an officer's baton and a knife threat.

One affidavit describes the allegations as escalating from verbal abuse to physical violence. 

During one encounter, Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Ed Rosier described allegations that escalated from verbal abuse to physical violence. 

One alleged confrontation involved Kaminski threatening the woman with a knife if she refused to get into his patrol vehicle. 

Nicholas Joseph Kaminski, 36, entered not guilty pleas Thursday in Weston County District Court to two counts of aggravated assault and battery, one count of felonious restraint and three counts of domestic battery.

Kaminski was employed by the Newcastle Police Department but is suspended pending the outcome of the criminal case, according to previous statements from city officials.

A request for comment from Newcastle Police Chief Derek Thompson was not returned.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Where It Began "}]

Rosier's affidavit shows Kaminski and the alleged victim's relationship began in early 2024.

Kaminski became verbally abusive early in the relationship, degrading the woman, criticizing her appearance and leaving bruises during confrontations, per statements in the affidavit. 

The first alleged physical incident happened in July 2025 after Kaminski became angry that another man had stayed overnight at the woman's home.

Because she did not want Kaminski around her children, she agreed to meet him at a Newcastle gun range instead.

Witnesses told investigators Kaminski pulled her from her vehicle by her arms, threw her keys into a nearby field and shoved her against the vehicle.

The affidavit notes Kaminski struck her head, back, and body against the vehicle while forcing her back inside and used his police nightstick to intimidate her.

Investigators also say Kaminski later used a department K-9 to locate the keys he had thrown into the field.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Knifed To Death' "}]

The woman told police that five months later Kaminski demanded she meet him again, so she drove to the Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center because it was public and well-lit.

She said Kaminski followed her in a marked patrol vehicle, took her keys, ordered her into his patrol car and physically pulled her from her SUV when she refused.

Rosier wrote that Kaminski then "started cutting his own arm and told her that he would do the same thing to her if she didn't get into his cop car."

The woman later told investigators she believed Kaminski would have "knifed her to death" if she refused.

According to the affidavit, Kaminski then drove her toward the refinery outside Newcastle, where he continued screaming at her.

Those allegations form the basis for one count of aggravated assault and battery and one count of felonious restraint.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Brass Knuckles"}]

The final allegations unfolded at Weston County Health Services, where the woman worked as a nurse.

On May 10, investigators say Kaminski arrived at the hospital while on duty after transporting an unresponsive patient and demanded to speak with the woman.

Hospital surveillance video reviewed by DCI shows Kaminski grabbing the woman's arm and wrist, pulling her down a hallway and backing her into a corner while dressed in full police uniform.

Another witness told investigators Kaminski entered a room, shut the door and said, "I know there's no f*cking cameras in here."

The witness reported seeing Kaminski throw the woman into cabinets during the confrontation.

The allegations are separate from another May incident that led to Kaminski's arrest.

According to an earlier affidavit, Kaminski spent hours outside the hospital sending increasingly threatening text messages demanding the nurse come outside.

Among them were: "Hey ur f***ing ass outside. Or I'm coming in," "U have 3 minutes to either come out here or answer the phone," and "U made this worse by not coming outside."

Just before 4 a.m., the nurse was escorted to her vehicle by a law enforcement officer after finishing her shift.

Investigators say Kaminski emerged from a nearby parking lot, cursed at the officer after being told the woman did not want to speak with him and sprinted toward her vehicle as she drove away.

Thompson later stopped Kaminski and arrested him. Investigators say they found a loaded Glock 48 pistol with a round chambered tucked into his waistband, along with a folding knife and brass knuckles.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Arraignment In District Court"}]

Kaminski pleaded not guilty to all six charges Thursday, and the District Court judge set the case for trial.

[{"type":"text","text":"He posted a $35,000 bond July 10 and has remained out of jail since. "}]

During the hearing, defense attorney Ryan Titus told the court Kaminski had found new employment that requires travel to Converse County, Cheyenne, Sheridan County and even Montana. He asked the judge to modify Kaminski's bond conditions to allow him to leave the Sixth Judicial District for work.

Crook County attorney DaNece Day did not object, telling the court it was important Kaminski remain employed given the potential financial obligations if he is convicted. The judge granted the request.

If convicted on all six charges and ordered to serve consecutive sentences, Kaminski could face up to 27½ years in prison. 

Sgt Nicholas Kaminski in March 2025 6 19 26 1

<title>Suspended Newcastle Cop Pleads Not Guilty To Assault, Domestic Battery Charges | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A suspended Newcastle police sergeant pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges alleging a yearlong pattern of abuse toward a woman including threatening her with a knife if she refused to get into his patrol vehicle. He faces up to 27 1/2 years in prison.

Suspended Newcastle Cop Pleads Not Guilty To Assault, Domestic Battery Charges

Public Safety

A motorcyclist has died after an accident on the Beartooth Highway on Thursday morning.

Information acquired via WyoLink confirmed that a motorcycle incident was reported near the junction of U.S. 212 and Wyoming Highway 296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, around 10 a.m..

Details of the incident are still unclear, but one communication mentioned an individual was “down an embankment.”

A First Flight of Wyoming helicopter landed near the scene at 11:15 a.m. By then, first responders had been doing CPR on the victim for more than 50 minutes.

[{"type":"text","text":"By 11:22 a.m., a coroner from Red Lodge, Montana, was on the scene."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"No additional information was available as of noon."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Multiple Confirmations"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Cowboy State Daily confirmed this information through multiple sources."}]

Red Lodge Fire Rescue sent a fire truck and ambulance to the scene. A source with Red Lodge Fire Rescue confirmed they had responded to a report of an accident involving one motorcycle, but their first responders were still on the scene and couldn't provide any updates.

Monte McClain, a spokesman with the Park County Sheriff's Office, confirmed one fatality at the scene. He didn’t have any additional information, as the response and investigation were taken over by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) was not available for additional information at the time of publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tragic Warning"}]

There's been a growing concern about the number of motorcycle incidents on the Beartooth and Chief Joseph Highways this summer. Cowboy State Daily published a story about these specific concerns 

Earlier this month, Park County Fire District 2 issued a statement urging motorcyclists to “consider the challenges” before embarking on the narrow, winding mountain passes. WHP spokesman Aaron Brown agreed, confirming a notable increase in motorcycle incidents on both highways this summer.

“The WHP has seen five motorcycle crashes on the Beartooth Highway this year, and all of them have been in July,” he told Cowboy State Daily on July 24. “A few had minor injuries and at one reported had serious injuries, but no fatalities.”

Colloquially, Brown has heard about the increase in motorcycle crashes from WHP troopers stationed in northwest Wyoming.

“One trooper was telling me they've heard reports of even more motorcycle crashes up there,” he said. “We don’t have all the reports because some of those were county responses.”

Brown said he believed there were multiple contributing factors to these accidents, including the narrow curves of the highways and excessive speed. However, he also believed many motorcyclists could be overestimating their abilities. 

 “I think, at the end of the day, we're seeing a lot of riders trying to go outside of their skill set,” he said. “That’s not to say they’re not good enough to do the Beartooth and Chief Joseph, but they need to ride within their skills. If you’re going to do the Beartooth or Chief Joseph, ride within your skills and slow down. It’s not a place you want to be crashing out on.”

This is an ongoing story. Updates will be provided as additional information is confirmed.

Beartooth highway 7 30 26

<title>Motorcycle Accident Results In Fatality Thursday Morning On Beartooth Highway | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Cowboy State Daily has confirmed that a motorcyclist died in an accident Thursday on the Beartooth Highway near the junction of U.S. 212 and WY 296. This comes after growing concerns about motorcycle safety on the Beartooth and Chief Joseph passes.

You Still Here? Thursday, February 20, 2025

In case you missed it

More in You Still Here

Today In Bears: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Today In Parenting: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Today In Sports: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Bonus Video 2: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Most read