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[{"type":"text","text":"How to drive your husband insane....."}]

Bonus vid 2 9 11 25

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

<title>Bonus Video 2: Thursday, September 11, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

How to drive your husband insane.....

Bonus Video 2: Thursday, September 11, 2025

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 by endorsing Gray last week.

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'

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Agriculture

A sweeping class-action lawsuit accusing the nation's four largest meatpackers of conspiring to manipulate cattle and beef prices is moving forward after a federal judge in Minnesota certified several classes of plaintiffs earlier this month.

The lawsuit alleges that JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef coordinated to restrict beef supplies and inflate prices between June 2015 and February 2020, harming ranchers who sold cattle while forcing wholesalers, grocers, consumers, restaurants and caterers to pay more for beef.

Together, the four companies control more than 80% of the U.S-fed cattle processing market, giving them wide influence over cattle prices and the nation's beef supply.

[{"type":"text","text":"U.S. District Judge John Tunheim issued his ruling July 16."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"From The Big 12 To The Big Four"}]

For Wyoming ranchers who have watched consolidation reshape the industry over decades, the lawsuit is about far more than the five-year period covered in the complaint.

"The packers have controlled the destiny of beef for decades upon decades," Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm told Cowboy State Daily. "It's getting to the point where people are starting to push back."

State Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, said the current market is the product of decades of declining competition.

"Our federal government has allowed our federal packing industry to go from the big 12 to the big 10 to now the big four," Driskill said.

With a dozen major packers competing, coordinating prices would have been far more difficult, he said. Today, with only four dominant players, ranchers are left with few options for selling cattle.

"It really is high time for the government to step in and say we have to get a process that treats everybody fairly," Driskill said. "We're not asking for an upper hand. We're looking for everyone to be treated fairly."

Driskill blamed what he called a "very, very failed federal bureaucracy" for allowing market concentration to reach its current level.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not Every Rancher Is Convinced"}]

Not everyone in Wyoming's cattle industry believes the allegations will hold up.

Laramie County rancher Mark Eisele said he remains skeptical that the major packers have engaged in coordinated misconduct.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this lawsuit," Eisele told Cowboy State Daily. "I would like to see what comes from this."

After decades in the cattle business, Eisele said he has never seen evidence of retaliation or deliberate manipulation by the major packers.

[{"type":"text","text":"Court filings paint a different picture."}]

According to the plaintiffs, economic modeling shows ranchers were underpaid by nearly 7% during the period covered by the lawsuit because the packers coordinated slaughter schedules and managed beef inventories to suppress cattle prices while increasing wholesale beef prices.

Lindholm said he believes market behavior itself supports those allegations.

He pointed to the Trump administration's approval of roughly 2 million additional pounds of beef imports from Argentina, saying a significant increase in imported beef should have softened domestic prices if the market were functioning normally.

"By all expectations, having an insane amount of beef imported from a country should have moved the beef prices here. It did not," Lindholm said. "Some might call that a conspiracy. But the proof is there. You can see it in the market."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"More Harm Than Good?"}]

Eisele, however, questioned whether repeated class-action lawsuits are driven more by financial incentives than by wrongdoing.

If plaintiffs prevail, attorneys could receive more than one-third of any award, he noted.

[{"type":"text","text":"Activists often follow the same pattern of suing and settling, he said."}]

He suggested that previous settlements, including one involving JBS, reflected business decisions rather than admissions of wrongdoing.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It was a pressure point,\" he said."}]

Meanwhile, Eisele worries the industry faces another challenge altogether: shrinking cattle supplies.

Some large packing plants are already slowing production or closing facilities because there simply aren't enough cattle moving through the system, he said.

"Cattle producers need to be real careful of what they wish for," Eisele said.

If additional plants close, ranchers could find themselves with even fewer places to process cattle.

"We're starting to paint ourselves into a dangerous corner on this," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Difficult Case To Win"}]

Even if the allegations are justified, Driskill said he believes proving them in court will be difficult.

"They have deep pockets," he said of the meatpackers. "They're going to have the better lawyers."

Price-fixing cases are notoriously difficult because plaintiffs must show competitors acted together rather than making similar business decisions independently.

Regardless of the lawsuit's outcome, Driskill said Congress should revisit the Packers and Stockyards Act to strengthen protections for independent producers and smaller regional packing plants.

He would also like to see policymakers encourage enough competition to return the industry to something closer to the days when 10 or 12 significant packers competed for cattle.

"Let's break it up and get rid of these huge multinational conglomerates," he said.

Lindholm said the only way to do that is to look at the existing regulatory structure. The Federal Meat Inspection Act currently blocks states from controlling the meatpacking industry.

“What is allowing these big four to capture so much (business) under one umbrella?” Lindholm said. “That’s the key … Congress needs to go break the back of the packers.”

Driskill added that only a substantial financial penalty would change corporate behavior.

"A $30 million fine on a $10 billion company is like me getting a 10-cent speeding ticket," he said. "I would just pay the ticket and be on my way."

Cowboy State Daily reached out to JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef for comment. None had responded by publication.

Lindholm 7 30 26

<title>Federal Judge OKs Cattle And Beef Price-Fixing Suit Against 'Big Four' Meatpackers | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal judge has OK'd a class-action price-fixing lawsuit against the nation’s four largest meatpackers. "The packers have controlled the destiny of beef for decades," Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm said. "People are starting to push back."

Federal Judge OKs Cattle And Beef Price-Fixing Suit Against 'Big Four' Meatpackers

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

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

Andrew Rossi

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.

Bonus Video 2: Thursday, September 11, 2025

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