It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Thursday, April 10th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by Wyoming Community Gas. The Choice Gas selection period ends on Wednesday April 23rd – This is your opportunity to select your Natural Gas Provider for the coming year. For more information, visit Wyoming Community Gas dot ORG.”
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A scheduled three-week trial for a former award-winning foster parent accused of sexually abusing four female victims under his care got underway Wednesday in Natrona County District Court.
Steven Marler faces 26 charges, including two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and 11 counts of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck was in the courtroom for the first day of arguments in the case.
“Steven Marler and his wife had adopted eight foster children as their own, plus there were other foster children in the home, and he painted a picture of a home that initially was from the outside looked great… but then it just devolved into a place where there was severe discipline, lack of food, and then just it devolved further into encounters and massages with Marla, they're alleging, and those became sexual contacts with individual female children in the home. And he also faces charges of child endangerment and battery related to discipline, including allegedly kicking one of his adopted sons off a roof.”
The trial will include details from over 15 years, from when Marler first took in foster children until last year, when the investigation began.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Senate committee voted 10-9 along party lines Wednesday to advance Brian Nesvik’s nomination to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Nesvik had a long career with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, ascending to the agency’s top post. He is also a decorated military veteran with many years of service in the Wyoming National Guard, retiring as a brigadier general.
Nesvik sailed through the Senate EPW Committee’s March 26 confirmation hearing, with few concerns raised by Democrats. But Cowboy State Daily’s Sean Barry reports that his nomination made it out of the committee Wednesday by only the narrowest of margins.
“People fully expected Brian Nesvik’s nomination to be approved, and there would be some Democrats opposed, but no one, no one saw a strict party line vote, because the hearing on March 26 showed no evidence of that whatsoever… this is a 19 member committee, and… It's a good thing the Republicans all showed up to vote on that Senate Environmental Public Works Committee, including Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming… there's some bipartisanship in Congress here and there on some things. And after all, another EPA nominee was just approved by the same committee today 15 to four. So that's pretty bipartisan, but Brian Nesvik squeaked by on a 10 Nine count.”
EPW’s strictly party-line vote sends the nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation at a date not yet scheduled. With the GOP holding a 53-47 edge in the chamber, final approval is not in doubt.
Read the full story HERE.
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Gov. Mark Gordon isn’t pleased about a new law that gives the Legislature and public more oversight of the rules that Wyoming’s state government agencies make, and on which he has the final say to approve or deny.
Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that during a Board of Land Commissioners meeting last week, Gordon said he’ll honor the spirit of the new law, Senate Enrolled Act 59, which he attempted to veto - but he pointed out that the law may slow down rulemaking at the state level.
“He does not plan to sign off on any new Administrative Rules until the majority of the legislature says they approve them too… he does not want to have the legislature overturn what a rule that he has passed, and basically what he sees as amounting to increasing administrative oversight… Senator Brian Boner of Douglas… said that he appreciates that the governor is really respecting kind of the intent of the law, but he also says he's kind of going above and beyond what the original purpose was. Secretary of State Chuck Gray was even more pointed during the meeting and said that Gordon is kind of trying to cover up for criticizing conservative actions.”
During the upcoming interim session, the Management Audit Committee will study the new law and how it changes the current administrative rule process.
Read the full story HERE.
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Many Western communities have a resident herd of mule deer that hang around in backyards or other wildlife that totally disregard private property boundaries as they roam about town.
In West Yellowstone, Montana, the local wildlife is considerably larger, dangerous and more obstinate. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi spoke to one wildlife photographer who has to beware of the local bison herd that’s decided his driveway and yard is a good spot to hang out.
“A mule deer, you can, you know, honk a mule deer away. You can walk past a mule deer and not have to worry about your safety. You can get within 25 yards of a mule deer without much difficulty. Bison are bigger, they can be more temperamental. They're more obstinate. They don't like to move, and they only move on their own schedule. And some of these bison might have their calves in tow. So it can be a pretty precarious situation… if there's a bison in your driveway and you have to take your car out to go somewhere. You can't. What are you going to do? You have to wait until the bison decides it's ready to go. So I guess it might be one of the only spots in the nation, if not the world, where you say, I can't. I was late to school because there was a bison blocking my driveway.”
The National Park Service asks visitors to stay 25 yards away from bison in Yellowstone National Park. That can be a difficult distance to maintain in West Yellowstone, where an entire bison herd could be in the 10 yards between you and your garage.
Read the full story HERE.
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A team of geologists in Casper set out to find uranium deposits in an area north of the city around Pine Ridge and Pumpkin Buttes a dozen years ago.
That venture started to pay off Wednesday, when a Canada mining venture announced a $30 million investment in the Pine Ridge Uranium Project, north of Glenrock. Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that Winnipeg-based Snow Lake Energy, which runs its Buffalo Uranium Mine 50 miles south of Casper, is partnering with Global Uranium and Enrichment Limited, giving new life to an idea that started 12 years ago, and is now moving forward with plans for the next three years.
“Their exploration of the Pine Ridge area, about 20 miles north of Glenrock, started about 20 something years ago, and so now the good news broke that a partnership between a couple of big mining companies has resulted In a $30 million investment in this dream that these two geologists had to start doing in situ uranium extraction… Naturally, over the eons, water has washed these uranium deposits into the sandstone in this area around Pine Ridge, and the in situ process essentially turns that back into a liquid solution, and then extracts uranium through pipes where it's then transformed into yellow cake… and then enhanced into fuel.”
A representative from GUE told Cowboy State Daily that on-the-ground operations could begin sometime in the next few months.
Read the full story HERE.
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Despite being nearly eight months away, Wyoming lawmakers are already thinking about how they plan to meet the state’s needs in next year’s biennial budget in a significantly altered economic landscape impacted by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and overall economic policies.
Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the tariff war Trump is currently engaging in could significantly alter Wyoming’s revenues by causing extreme market uncertainty in the short run, while showing signs of potential gains for Wyoming industries in the long view.
“Really specifically, the price of oil has been consistently going down for some time. Now. It's down to about $60 per barrel, and Wyoming gets nearly 50% of its revenue from fossil fuel production. So if this continues dropping as precipitous decline, it's going to mean less money for Wyoming, which could be kind of a tough pill for the state government to swallow… The Senate leadership also said they want to scrutinize to make sure that every dollar is spent as efficiently as possible… I also spoke to Representative John bear, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He said that he's not necessarily looking to be making cuts, but he wants to slow the growth of Wyoming government as much as possible.”
The Trump administration has also slashed or paused many federal grants, a move that had a significant impact on many of the state agencies that provide services to residents.
Read the full story HERE.
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A 21-year-old Pinedale man who shot and killed his friend unintentionally during a duck hunt last year was sentenced Wednesday to three years’ supervised probation in Goshen County District Court.
Gaige Zook unintentionally shot 19-year-old Maurizio Dadin in January 2024 while the pair were hunting ducks with a third friend on the North Platte River. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that even the prosecuting attorney was conflicted about this case.
“Sometimes I hear prosecutors, and they sound torn, they sound tormented. They sound Uh, wrestle weary, and that was how Goshen County attorney Eric Boyer sounded on Wednesday. Just otherwise, a great kid. Otherwise, everything went right, but in this one irreversible moment, a gun was pointed at a human being, and you don't do that when you're a person handling a gun. So he, you know, there was a point of discretion where he could have not charged it. He chose to charge it, and then at the end of the day, he did choose the deferral and the probation term.”
Zook was also ordered to pay court costs and fines, and $3,420 in restitution to reimburse the state of Wyoming for money it doled out to the family of Maurizio Dadin for his cremation.
Read the full story HERE.
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A U-Haul truck traveling through Evanston took an unexpected detour as it passed under Wyoming Highway 150 on Tuesday afternoon. The truck drove over the curb and up under the overpass before wedging itself on the concrete slope between the steel undercarriage and the supports of the bridge.
Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi spoke to the Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper who investigated the scene.
“There was a couple and their two year old child. They were … taking their U haul between Nevada and Missouri. They took a left to go into Evanston, off I 80, and the driver said the steering seized up. She panicked, and instead of hitting the brakes, she hit the gas, and that sent the U haul up a concrete embankment, and it wedged itself under the I 80 bridge in Evanston. So not the not the place where they anticipated parking, but that's where their U haul sat. Thankfully, nobody was injured.”
As responders worked to free the stuck truck, many passing by the scene took second looks and occasionally yelled some not-so-helpful advice to the U-Haul’s driver: “You can’t park there!”
Read the full story HERE.
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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 Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for tuning in - I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
