One More For The Road

This man has the best anti-theft carjacking device you can have....

One more for 3 4 25

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<title>One More For The Road: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

One More For The Road: Tuesday, March 4, 2025

 This man has the best anti-theft carjacking device you can have....

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, August 5th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

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A Laramie man who pleaded guilty Tuesday for saying he might assassinate Gov. Mark Gordon says his Facebook rant has cost him his apartment, job, and college future. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that Dawson Cooley says he regrets his actions.

“Back in April, Dawson Cooley was accused of making death threats online to Governor Mark Gordon. Cooley wrote on Facebook, ‘Gov.Gordy. If I have to talk to you with a gun in your office, so be it.’ He added, ‘and I might assassinate you.’ Cowboy State Daily spoke to Cooley after his sentencing, and he expressed deep remorse for his actions. He says he knows what he did was wrong, and if he could take it all back, he would.”

Dawson Cooley was sentenced Tuesday in Albany County Circuit Court after pleading guilty last week to a reduced misdemeanor charge of sending a death threat electronically. 

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Numerous Wyoming Republicans are claiming some degree of credit for a trans sports ban championed by Sen. Wendy Schuler. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Schuler says she's happy if they think they helped but it was the Legislature that got the bill "across the finish line.”

“It became a debate when Senator Tara Nethercott did a post saying, ‘Hey, let's give credit where it's due,’ because she was recognizing that a lot of people and their caucuses were campaigning on the issue. She did not directly name the Freedom Caucus, but the Freedom Caucus is one that is taking some credit for the trans sports bans. When I asked Senator Wendy Schuler, she didn't really want to speculate on whether it would or would not have happened without the Freedom Caucus, but she did say ‘it takes a village.’”

Schuler’s first blanket trans sports ban failed the state House of Representatives in 2022. Her second ban, for grades 7-12, passed the Legislature with 79 Republican lawmakers in favor.  So did her third girls’ sports bill extending the ban to college. 

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Seven months after allegedly kidnapping her 11-month-old son, fleeing the state, then killing the infant during a standoff with law enforcement, a trial has been set for Madeline Daly. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the baby’s father says  “There’s a special kind of evil at work here.”

“The father is being pretty guarded. He doesn't want to say too much before the trial because you know he wants to let that process come through. and he says quite frankly he would prefer that she's being tried in a federal court because in New Mexico there is no death penalty and in the federal court there is.”

Since there is no death penalty in New Mexico, life in prison also can mean a convicted felon could be up for parole after 30 years.

Nearly 200 people showed up Monday to discuss the safety of Teton Pass following a dump truck crash last month that killed two people and an out-of-control RV that barreled down the pass a week later. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that crashes have increased by 20% on the roadway in five years.

“That meeting happened on Monday and drew about 200 people to talk about possible solutions to make Teton Pass safer, because people have said enough's enough. Gary Kofinas, who I talked to, one of the organizers said this was not a government meeting. This was a community meeting, kind of formed on an ad hoc basis. So there's no specific solution, no specific step moving forward. It's a matter of just proactively thinking and trying to come up with ideas. There, there is a group that will continue to brainstorm and keep the public informed.”

Teton Pass, which carries traffic between Jackson and eastern Idaho, is one of the steepest highway grades in the continental United States, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Traffic reaches roughly 10,000 vehicles per day in winter and about 15,000 daily during the summer tourism season.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

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Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

In the span of a week, Teton County will host a 500-person, invite-only, digital-asset “Davos.” That will be followed by the Federal Reserve’s elite annual retreat. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that each event is another round in a high-stakes wrestling match over the future of money.

“The guys behind this conference have had conferences in Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, London, Singapore. You know all the big major metropolitan places in the world, and Jackson is on that short list here in Wyoming, so that was kind of point one, and then you know seven days after they clear out, here comes Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, with 120 of the traditional gatekeepers of legacy finance. The theme for this year's Federal Reserve is financial innovation implications for payments and policy. So both of these are clearly about the future of money. It's all happening in Jackson Hole.”

The fact that a digital asset conference with so much global heft is happening in Jackson Hole is not an accident, even if its timing with the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium might be coincidental. Wyoming has spent the better part of a decade quietly rewriting its laws to court this kind of moment.

Sublette County residents came out mostly against proposed mountain biking trails near Pinedale on Tuesday, telling commissioners they worry about harming a vital migration corridor for some 20,000 mule deer. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that opponents say the trails won't overlap.

“What is a big deal for some people, is that they say that it would imperil the migration route for mule deer through their for the sublet sublet mule deer herd about a herd of about 20,000 mule deer that that use that that path to migrate back and forth between summer and winter range, and so opponents of this proposed bicycle trail system say it would you know it put a bunch of people right in the deer's territory a bunch of people in human activity and so could disrupt the migration patterns.”

Supporters told the commission the project is planned in a way that it wouldn’t disturb the deer and could provide much-needed recreational access for locals and visitors. The final decision rests with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees the roughly 600 acres involved. 

A Utah auto dealer accused of using forged Wyoming titles to turn hail-battered cars into clean-title bargains is now facing 15 felony counts and up to 30 years in prison. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that prosecutors say the scheme involved nearly $2 million worth of damaged vehicles.

“Pryor allegedly obtained these vehicles through an online salvage auction from vehicles that were totaled in an August 2025 historic hailstorm in Cheyenne. Not only did Pryor obtain cars in Wyoming, he's being accused of buying these cars that were damaged throughout the nation. The defendant is currently out of jail on a $5,000 signature bond. He's expected to appear before a judge again for an arraignment in the coming weeks.”

After a preliminary hearing Monday, Scott Keith Pryor, 50, owner of The Good Car Dealer in Salt Lake City, was bound over on 15 felony counts of altering, forging or counterfeiting a certificate of title. Laramie County Circuit Court Judge Antoinette Williams found prosecutors presented enough evidence for the case to proceed.

Scott Artis was just trying to get a video of a thunderstorm for his dad when he captured the lightning strike that started the Kohns Fire in Campbell County on July 27th. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that when the fire started roaring, his wife jumped into action.

“Scott saw the lightning strike. A few minutes later, he saw the red glow on the horizon, and his wife called in to 911. And while the Campbell County Fire Department was responding to multiple fires that day, they hadn't heard about that one until they called. So not only did they see the instigating incident, they were responsible for letting the county know that there was a fire that they needed to address. They contained it at 2,700 acres.”

Artis, along with his wife, moved to Wyoming from California's Bay Area, and is a former molecular biologist.

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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 8 5 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wednesday's headlines include:
* Everyone Running On Trans Law
* Man Regrets Death Threat On Gordon
* Jackson Is Epicenter For Economic Gurus

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Coy Knobel

Don Day Weather

Sunny, smoky in Wyoming on Wednesday and smoky overnight. Highs from the upper 70s to near 90. Lows from near 40 to upper 50s.

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Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 88 mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 52.

Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 90 and mostly clear overnight with widespread smoke mainly before 8 p.m. and a low near 53.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 89 mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 55.

  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 83 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 46.

  Patchy smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 50 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

 Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 84 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 39.

 Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 79 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 42 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

 Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 84 mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 45.

  Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 39 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

 Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 78 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 46 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 83 mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 44.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Widespread smoke mainly before 8 a.m., sunny today with a high near 75 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 41.

Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 56 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

:  Widespread smoke mainly before 2 p.m., sunny today with a high near 83 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 56.

  Widespread smoke mainly before 8 a.m., sunny today with a high near 82 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 52.

   Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 81 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 56.

  Patchy smoke after noon, mostly sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 50.

:   Patchy smoke after 9 a.m., mostly sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 52.

Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

   Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 80 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 56.

:  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph.

  Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke before 9 p.m. and a low near 58.

  Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke before 11 p.m. and a low near 54.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 87 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 53 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

   Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 80 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke before 7 p.m. and a low near 53.

  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 49.

  Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 47.

   Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 53.

   Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 46.

   Patchy smoke, mostly sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 50.

Daycap 8 5 26 small

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sunny, smoky in Wyoming on Wednesday and smoky overnight.  Highs from the upper 70s to near 90. Lows from near 40 to upper 50s.

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

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

Clair McFarland

Energy

Wildlife

The Montana judge who threw out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases in June over sage-grouse habitat concerns has declined to let the Trump administration and the state take a newer environmental challenge to a Wyoming judge instead. 

In a case environmental groups filed against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management this year — again in Montana — the state of Wyoming asked U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris to dismiss the issues pertaining to the case or send them to a federal court in Wyoming. 

The Montana Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society and the Defenders of Wildlife argue in their lawsuit against the BLM, which Wyoming has joined in opposition, that the BLM’s “permissive approach” to oil and gas development is out of step with sage-grouse environmental science. 

The BLM asked Morris in a hearing last month to send the whole case to Wyoming. The federal agency argued, in part, that the more southerly state’s federal courts are less congested, and the agency manages between two to three times more sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming than Montana. 

The Wyoming Attorney General’s office also argued that Montana wasn’t the proper venue for decisions pertaining to the Cowboy State’s oil and gas leasing. 

“The Court recognizes that Wyoming has a strong interest in having its localized controversies decided at home,” wrote Morris in a July 29 order. 

He acknowledged the state’s keen interest in the oil and gas economy, and its efforts to conserve sage-grouse.

[{"type":"text","text":"But that’s not enough to switch the case southward, Morris wrote. "}]

“Wyoming provides no authority, however, to support the contention that its interests in oil and gas extraction, or its concentrated efforts on sage-grouse management, should outweigh Plaintiffs’ choice of forum,” said Morris, referencing the environmental groups choosing to file the case in his court. 

Morris’ June 12 order in an environmental groups’ 2018 case had blocked the oil and gas leases, sold under the Trump administration, due to sage-grouse habitat concerns. 

 it would force the state to return $50 million in payments and imperil $180 million in future revenue for schools and other services. 

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

Wyoming oil and gas drilling 2 1 24

<title>Judge Who Tossed Oil And Gas Leases Declines To Let New Case Move To Wyoming | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Montana U.S. District Court Judge who threw out 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases due to sage-grouse concerns has declined a request to send a newer case to Wyoming. "Wyoming provides no authority” for its argument, he wrote.

Judge Who Tossed Oil And Gas Leases Declines To Let New Case Move To Wyoming

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

Courts

A 34-year-old Upton man denies allegations he pulled a gun on a group of people at a Gillette hotel and threatened to “put a bullet in everybody’s head.”

That’s what Gillette Police Department investigators allege a reportedly intoxicated Dakota Adams did during a Saturday confrontation with his girlfriend while their children were present at the National 9 Inn on the east side of the city.

Police were contacted by a bystander at the hotel who reported Adams, who “appeared to be intoxicated and extremely aggravated” and arguing with a woman, while another man and her older children were behind her, according to an affidavit of probable cause written by GPD Officer Kimberly Hockman.

“Dakota had a revolver in his hand and threatened to ‘put a bullet in everybody’s head,’” the affidavit says.

The witness “explained it appeared to be a family dispute between Dakota and a female,” Hockman wrote, adding that Adams and the woman were in a five-year relationship, but that she wanted out.

In fact, she was at the hotel with another man, identified in the affidavit as her new boyfriend.

By the time police arrived at the National 9, Adams had “placed the revolver in his waistband and left the area in a gray Ford Edge with no rear plate … (and) with two children in the back seat,” the affidavit says.

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Because Adams may have been armed and the children in the back of the car — which belonged to his father, and who was in the car with Adams — police were prepared to conduct a “high-risk stop,” Hockman wrote.

They wouldn’t need to, as Adams pulled into a gas station, where police caught up to him, according to the affidavit.

Hockman then arrived with the girlfriend, who “explained she had come to Gillette to cash her paycheck,” and that her “vehicle was parked outside of the National 9 because her new boyfriend resided there,” she wrote.

The woman had been getting repeated phone calls and text messages from Adams, then he spotted her car at the hotel, the affidavit says.

“When (the woman) came outside to roll up her windows, Dakota was in the passenger seat of (his father’s) vehicle watching her,” the document continues. “Dakota got out and started walking towards (her) and her two older children.”

Believing Adams was trying to get to the two older children to take them with him, the girlfriend told police that he “repeatedly said, ‘Get the f*** out of my way’ and tried pushing past (the woman),” according to the affidavit.

She said she told Adams to leave because of how he was behaving and she didn’t want him scaring their kids.

Adams eventually retreated back to his father’s car, then emerged with a gun.

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The woman told police that she heard his father say, “Cody, don’t,” and explained that they all sometimes would call Adams “Cody.”

That’s when she “looked back and saw Dakota pointing the gun directly at her,” the affidavit says. “Dakota said something to the effect of, ‘Why don’t I just cut everybody in this mother f***er down’ while waving the gun around.”

Adams allegedly backed off when he realized that others were watching the confrontation and that at least one bystander had called police.

The woman also said that Adams “was a chronic alcoholic and this was not the first time Dakota had become belligerent and aggressive towards her,” Hockman wrote, “even stating this was not the first time he threatened her with a gun.”

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For his part, Adams denies threatening anyone and initially claimed he didn’t pull a gun. He later admitted he did get a gun from the car and had it in his hand, but denied pointing it at anyone, the affidavit says.

“Dakota advised he was in town from Upton with his father and two children to do some grocery shopping and to run a few errands,” the affidavit says. “One of those errands was shopping at Gun Traders, where he stated he purchased a ‘defective’ Taurus handgun revolver.”

[{"type":"text","text":"He also said the gun wasn’t loaded."}]

Adams knew his girlfriend was at the hotel because she was having trouble cashing a check and was there.

The woman “came outside yelling at him, saying she wanted to end their relationship,” according to the affidavit. “While (she) was yelling at Dakota, she ‘nudged’ him away; however, Dakota never expressed that he felt threatened.”

The Upton man also told police that “he realized what he did was ‘dumb’ and put the gun back,” the affidavit continues.

The man who initially called 911 told police that Adams allegedly confronted him about calling police and that he “believed he may be shot by Dakota at this time,” Hockman wrote.

That’s when Adams then opened the cylinder on his revolver and said there were no bullets in it, got into his car and left the hotel.

Adams was arrested Saturday and had his first appearance in Campbell County Circuit Court on Monday.

A preliminary hearing to determine if there’s enough evidence to continue with a felony prosecution is set for Monday.

If convicted of aggravated assault, Adams could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

National 9 Inn Gillette 8 4 26

<title>Upton Man Denies Pulling Gun, Threating To ‘Put A Bullet In Everybody’s Head’ | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 34-year-old Upton man denies he pulled a gun on a group of people at a Gillette hotel Saturday and threatened to “put a bullet in everybody’s head.” Police say the threat was made during a confrontation with his girlfriend and her new boyfriend.

Upton Man Denies Pulling Gun, Threating To ‘Put A Bullet In Everybody’s Head’

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

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Jackson Hole isn’t the first place most people think of for a wrestling match, but that’s what is about to quietly unfold in Teton County over the next few weeks. 

Two events, one week apart, will place opposing visions of money within the same valley.

While the two opponents won't share the same stage, they will feature opposing visions of money within the same valley. And each will host different sets of financial titans — neither of which are likely to pull any punches.

First up is the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Aug. 17-20, an invitation-only, three-day gathering in Teton Village that will draw 500 billionaire founders, institutional investors and top-tier policymakers for what amounts to a digital-asset Davos. 

The guest list includes top-level regulators such asSEC Chair Paul Atkins and billionaire CEOs such as Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Galaxy’s Mike Novogratz and BitGo’s Mike Belshe. Venture capital titans such as Morgan Stanley head of Emerging Markets Amy Oldenburg, Nasdaq senior executive Kevin Kennedy, and Skybridge Capital Managing Partner Anthony Scaramucci are also attending.

Then, seven days later, after the crypto and fintech crowd clears out, a considerably smaller group of 120 traditional gatekeepers of legacy finance will arrive at Jackson Lake Lodge for the Federal Reserve’s annual economic retreat — led by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh. 

His banner for the equally closed-door event Aug. 27-29, is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.”

If all this sounds like it’s just coincidence, it’s one that mirrors events of the past 17 years, ever since Satoshi Nakamoto published his Bitcoin white paper amid the 2008 global financial crisis — just two weeks after the government announced a $2 trillion bailout for banks deemed “too big to fail.”

The argument between the two camps boils down to one core question: Who will control the future of money, and what shape should that future take? 

As crypto advocates see it, government should not be trusted with this power. Exhibit A in their book is the continual printing of money, devaluing everyone’s savings. Computer code can be programmed to limit the money supply automatically, without fear or favor.

The Federal Reserve, on the other hand, is angling for more central control. They believe a group of human experts should control the money supply, to print or restrict money in ways that steer the economy, prevent crashes and manage inflation. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wyoming’s Digital Asset Bet"}]

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, one of the architects of Wyoming’s digital asset framework, is among those in the Cowboy State watching all of this unfold. 

“It’s an interesting little battle,” he said. “Those traditional financial institutions obviously want to win and want to be in control of financial systems, regardless of the financial system type. So it’s going to be a continued battle.”

Rothfuss hopes that despite the federal battles Wyoming has had to fight for its regulatory framework, that some of the financial institutions are finally coming around.

“I’m hopeful that the hard work we’ve invested in will pay off,” he said. “I think we are still better positioned than any of the alternative solutions — really any of the federal solutions, when it gets right down to it. Because the federal regulatory structure is very subject to political will and the politics of Washington, D.C.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Keeping More Wyoming Youth?"}]

Former state legislator and Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm also helped pioneer the state’s digital asset laws. He sees the digital asset sector as a chance at economic diversification that might help retain more of the state's youth.

“The reality is not everybody wants to grow up to be a cowboy or a coal miner,” Lindholm said. "So, what are we going to do to provide that opportunity for those homegrown Wyoming kids who do want to chase self-actualization and become their best selves and work in the trade they want to work in? Wyoming needs to find a way. We have to find a way to be attractive to different types of industries, because if we keep going down the path we’re going down, Wyoming is going to continue to just look like a retirement state.”

Rep. Daniel Singh, R-Cheyenne, has also been active in digital asset legislation. He is optimistic about the future — and proud of how Wyoming has handled the digital asset space.

“We didn’t have to give any special tax breaks or handouts to these industries to make them think Wyoming is attractive,” he said. “All we had to do was lean into our strengths, which was recognizing the rights of the people, that coming in the form of recognizing property rights in the digital age. We were the first state to go forward and do that, and because we were the first ones to create that legal clarity, so many entities are coming into the state of Wyoming now.”

Some of those entities are already stepping up to give back, Singh added. 

“The largest single entity in Wyoming is Kraken, and they are the ones who have pledged to fund the Trump accounts for our next generation,” he said. “That’s creating a whole other opportunity for the next generation of kids who are going to be here, and they did that voluntarily.”

Others in the space are less optimistic, pointing to the “leap-frogging” the Fed’s delay has made possible by banks in financial centers like New York..

“As a result of that, the big financial institutions have stayed mostly in New York,” Custodia Bank’s Caitlin Long told Cowboy State Daily. “Because the powers that be were able to block Wyoming as an upstart … So Kraken is the only big company that has not just registered in Wyoming, but has relocated to Wyoming and has jobs on the ground.

”It’s not going to be what we had at one time hoped it would be. And there’s one simple reason for that. It’s the Federal Reserve.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"An Annual Wyoming Fixture"}]

The fact that a digital asset conference with so much global heft is happening in Jackson Hole is not an accident, even if its timing with the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium might be coincidental. 

Wyoming has spent the better part of a decade quietly rewriting its laws to court this kind of moment.

Starting in 2018, lawmakers passed a series of first-in-the-nation statutes to define digital assets clearly and to recognize them as a form of personal property. That legal clarity came with special charters for things like digital asset “SPDI” or speedy banks, to securely hold digital assets and cash them out, and DUNAs, which allow Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) to enter into contracts, hold assets, hire contributors and pay taxes. 

The latter Wyoming model has since been copied by other states such as Alabama and West Virginia. 

SPDIs, however, were choked out at the federal level by regulators — despite lawmakers engaging in at least 100 meetings with the Kansas City Federal Reserve to hammer out a SPDI law that would be pleasing to the Fed.

The state has also backed its own government-issued stable token, the Frontier token, pitched as a way to modernize public finance, while helping the state bolster its education system and its property tax base. 

The strategy, Rothfuss and other lawmakers have said, was taking a page from another lightly populated state's playbook. Decades ago, South Dakota successfully diversified its economy by embracing a nascent credit card industry, collaring several companies that still have significant operations there today, among them Citibank and Wells Fargo. 

That’s had mixed success, with the Biden Administration’s Federal Reserve blocking Wyoming’s SPDI banks, but Rothfuss does see notable successes, like Kraken’s decision to plant not only its incorporation papers but its headquarters in Wyoming. 

Founded in 2011, the cryptocurrency exchange and fintech platform serves more than 15 million users in 190 countries, facilitating billions in trading volume and posting $2.2 billion in annual revenue.

It’s No. 3 on the inaugural Fortune Crypto 100 list, tracking the most influential infrastructure builders in the digital asset world. 

“A big part of the reason we have SALT is Kraken and their recognition of (Wyoming’s) framework,” Rothfuss said. “And then we have other entities coming to Wyoming, utilizing our DUNA Act and utilizing other resources like the speedy that we have. We’re trying to get traction with our Frontier Stable tokens, so I think we’ve got all the right tools in place.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"In Global Company"}]

That backstory explains how and why the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, whose sister SALT Conference is held in places like Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, New York, and London, has kept the Cowboy State on its short list for three years running. 

“Wyoming, in particular, has shown leadership within that (digital) asset class,” SALT CEO John Darsie told Cowboy State Daily. “So this event is built around being an annual fixture in Wyoming.”

It does bring a large economic impact to Teton County and by extension Wyoming. 

Darsie will secure as large a hotel room block as possible in Teton Village, which essentially means the Four Seasons Teton Mountain Lodge, Faraway Jackson, Gravity House, and Hotel Terra.

“All told, the event is meant to be a 500-person event and is supposed to be somewhat exclusive in nature — by application or invitation only,” he said.

SALT will spend thousands on catering for those 500 out-of-state guests as well as different types of events meant to be a crash course in the Wyoming experience.

“Each year we’ve done a reception at Snake River Ranch at the gray Barn facility in Teton Village,” Darsie said. “We’re doing a big reception at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village this yea, and, then, for the third straight year, we’re doing a concert at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in downtown Jackson.” 

The event has sometimes been closed to media, but not this year.

“In year one, we did take more of a Chatham House rule approach,” Darsie said. “But we’ve decided that we want to open it up. There’s nothing that’s going on that we don’t want to share with the world. So we’ve opened it up to media in subsequent years.”

In the span of a week, Teton County will host a 500-person, invite-only, digital-asset “Davos.” That will be followed by the Federal Reserve’s elite annual retreat. Each event is another round in a high-stakes wrestling match over the future of money.

One More For The Road: Tuesday, March 4, 2025

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