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<title>Bonus Video 2: Sunday, October 12, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Bonus Video 2: Sunday, October 12, 2025

 When you take your baby to meet her 103-year old-great grandmother and it was better than you could’ve ever imagined....

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Three of the Republicans hoping to become Wyoming’s next governor answered questions at a Tuesday forum in Cheyenne that were tailored to, and delivered in front of, a largely Christian audience.

Wyoming Family Alliance, an advocacy group that emphasizes Biblical principles and Christian ideals, also hosted U.S. House and U.S. Senate candidates at the forum.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Col. Brent Bien, and former state House Speaker and current Sen. Eric Barlow took the stage in the packed Metropolitan in downtown Cheyenne.

Wyoming Family Alliance president Nathan Winters posed questions about parental rights and autonomy, the role of faith in governance, education, abortion and religious freedom.

The governor’s candidates displayed minor policy and philosophical differences - yet greater disparities in tone.

Bien spoke in bold tones, pulled from his past experiences in active duty in Bagdad and elsewhere, and called for Wyomingites and every level of government to wage war on evil and usher in a revival of good.

Degenfelder, assertive in tone, pointed to what she cast as her own strong Christian faith, her studies of the Bible, her Wyoming roots and work as superintendent.

Barlow, the most conversational in tone, leaned on his work in the Legislature, spoke of his faith in personal terms as a matter of daily living, and brought an edge of pragmatism to the highly idealistic debate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"On Abortion"}]

A rare policy difference between the three candidates surfaced when Winters asked a question about whether abortion ends a human life, and whether the candidates would support any exemptions to an abortion ban.

All three candidates agreed that abortion ends a life. Degenfelder and Bien said they wouldn’t accept any exceptions.

“I can’t accept any exception when it comes to life,” said Degenfelder, adding that a Jan. 6 decision by the Wyoming Supreme Court - proclaiming that abortion is a health care right - “has gotten it wrong.”

Bien said, “I unequivocally support zero, no exceptions, all the way across the board.”

When serving in Iraq, said Bien, a 6-year-old child had been shot in the head. He and his fellow service members were trying to get the kid to Bagdad in the middle of the night, but he bled out, said Bien. He said he was pro-life before that, but, reflecting on how dependent even 6-year-olds are on their parents, he said, “something about that made me absolutely resolute.”

Barlow said in his heart, he would not want exceptions to an abortion ban- except possibly an exception to spare the life of a mother in a medical emergency. But he warned that the Legislature gets messy when crafting laws.

“I believe in life and I voted multiple times for life in the Wyoming Legislature,” he said.

Some of the many abortion bans and restrictions Wyoming has tried to pass since 2022 contained exemptions, like abortion allowances for women who’ve suffered rape or whose unborn children are a product of incest.

That’s because the Legislature is a collaboration between numerous people, Barlow said.

“Because in the legislative process, you actually have to bring people on board. You actually have to advance policy,” said Barlow.

The governor’s role on abortion policy is limited. He or she can sign, passively enact, or veto abortion legislation. But, more pivotal right now, he or she chooses the state Attorney General - who then defends Wyoming in abortion litigation from pro-choice groups.

The state has been facing - and losing - abortion lawsuits for about four years. It is taking a fresh start now under the leadership of Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz, who has said in court that his office seeks to bring evidence that a state ban on abortion is justified. It’s a high bar given the court’s broad protections of abortion, but technically not impossible under the legal definition of those protections. To overcome those protections, the government would have to show a compelling state interest for a ban, and that its ban is narrowly tailored to meet that interest. 

Deciding Who Leads The University Of Wyoming

Winters asked about how a governor should approaching choosing trustees to lead the University of Wyoming.

Minor differences between candidates emerged here as well.

Degenfelder said UW should return to its rightful mission of being a land-grant university and feeding the Wyoming economy and job demands in useful and meaningful ways, rather than educating people for “women’s studies” and “careers that don’t exist.”

It’s time to find efficiencies in the university’s workings as well, she indicated.

She talked of her work to help rid the institution of diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, and her own time at UW and as a member of the College Republicans.

Barlow said people ask him the UW trustee question a lot while he’s on the road.

In choosing trustees he’d emphasize finding people of character, he said.

“People who actually have a heart, and an ear for Wyoming. Who will listen to the interests and needs of… Wyoming’s people,” he continued. “And who abide by the constitution” and work well with other people.

UW is so “foundational,” he added, the Wyoming Constitution carves out its existence.

Community colleges, the K-12 school system, and industries all work in conjunction with UW as well, he said.

“UW may be a culmination for many folks,” said Barlow. “But there are many other opportunities” outside of UW as well.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Elect Them"}]

Bien said he’d like to see UW trustees face election, rather than the governor’s appointment process - but that that would require a change to the state Constitution.

He said he graduated from UW’s college of engineering in 1991.

“Since then, things have changed a lot, and I have not been pleased,” he said. Like Degenfelder, he expressed dislike toward the more modern-social-movement degrees available and urged UW to “get back to our roots.”

He’d appoint people who understand Wyoming’s job needs, show leadership, and “understand what this state is all about,” said Bien, adding that they should also be people of sound moral judgment.

He said he’d like to strive for UW to be a top institution in the nation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The American Library Association"}]

Winters asked a question about a decision that falls uniquely under the purview of the Wyoming governor: whether Wyoming’s state librarian should be in league with the American Library Association.

The Montana State Library cut ties in 2023 with the American Library Association over the ALA president of the time self-identifying as a Marxist.  

The group has also garnered controversy for touting and defending sexually explicit books that are marketed toward kids and youth.

Montana was the first state to break from the 147-year-old organization.  

Unlike Montana, Wyoming doesn’t have a state library board, rather, a state library director under the governor’s direction.

 when Cowboy State Daily pressed the state library director and the governor’s office on the issue after Montana’s break from the ALA.

“My hat’s off to Montana,” said Bien at the Tuesday event. “We stop funding anything that promotes any type of hypersexualization.”

Degenfelder said that by taking ALA book suggestions in libraries and schools, Wyoming has let an organization that had been led by a Marxist determine material in them, and that that system is “broken.”

She agreed with Bien that the state shouldn’t pay dues to that group, and said state leaders should take the issue further, by equipping school boards with policy guidance, and letting parents know what problematic materials are in the libraries now.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Barlow pointed to the power of the purse."}]

Though the Legislature determines the state’s budget, the governor starts that process by proposing the budget, and he also can line-item veto certain provisions in the final budget.

“And then… there’s that red pen that says, nope, we’re not doing this,” he said. Certainly, he added, the governor can direct one person under his purview to do something or not do it. But the budget is a bigger tool, and “you hold (agencies) accountable to it.”

He also emphasized the need for parents’ to be involved in their children’s library access, and said he’d encourage that as governor.

Gov debate 6 9 26

<title>How Wyoming Gov Candidates Handled Questions From The Christian Lobby | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Gubernatorial candidates Eric Barlow, Brent Bien, and Megan Degenfelder fielded questions on Tuesday at a forum in Cheyenne before a largely Christian audience. Policy differences emerged on abortion, university leadership, and library policy.

How Wyoming Gov Candidates Handled Questions From The Christian Lobby

[{"type":"text","text":"Can a swimming pool stop a 50 cal sniper rifle?"}]

You still here 6 10 26

<title>You Still Here? Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Can a swimming pool stop a 50 cal sniper rifle?

You Still Here? Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

A barefoot Michigan man accused of threatening two women, smashing windows and running from police through downtown Jackson allegedly told officers, "Please just kill me," moments before a foot chase that ended with him being tased.

Kadin James Decker, 24, made his initial appearance in Teton County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon after being charged with two counts of property destruction and one count of interference with a peace officer.

An affidavit filed by Jackson Police Officer Liam Fowler shows the incident unfolded shortly before midnight June 5 in the heart of Jackson's busy downtown district.

[{"type":"text","text":"Foot Chase Thru Townsquare"}]

Court records show a flurry of 911 calls came in shortly after Decker, his girlfriend and another woman spent part of the evening drinking at Jackson's Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.

Dispatchers told officers a shirtless man wearing black shorts and no shoes was yelling in the street near Jackson's Town Square. Callers reported the man had access to a firearm and was threatening to shoot people and himself.

When Fowler arrived, he found Decker walking eastbound near East Broadway and South King Street.

The officer noted Decker appeared to be bleeding from multiple injuries and had a large cut above his right elbow.

Fowler said he activated his emergency lights, stepped from his patrol vehicle and ordered Decker to stop.

[{"type":"text","text":"Instead, Decker looked toward the officer and replied:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Please just kill me.\""}]

What followed was a foot pursuit through downtown Jackson as officers tried to catch the 6-foot-4, 220-pound man.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police say Decker repeatedly ignored commands to stop."}]

Officer Chase Decker — no relation to the defendant — eventually joined the pursuit. The affidavit says officers warned Decker several times that he would be tased if he continued running.

[{"type":"text","text":"He allegedly kept going."}]

Even after being tased, police say Decker continued resisting commands before finally being taken into custody.

[{"type":"text","text":"Broken Window And Threat"}]

Court records suggest the trouble began sometime after Decker and his girlfriend, Lucy Wadaga, spent part of the evening in downtown Jackson, including a stop at the Cowboy Bar.

Witnesses told police Decker became increasingly agitated and emotional as the night wore on.

After the women left the Cowboy Bar and returned to their car parked near East Broadway, Decker allegedly followed them and began shouting profanities.

Decker threatened to kill his girlfriend and repeatedly referenced having access to a gun, wrote Fowler.

The confrontation escalated when Decker reportedly punched the passenger-side window out, shattering the glass and scattering debris onto the street.

Witnesses described his demeanor as volatile and unpredictable. One told police Decker could appear calm and apologetic one moment before abruptly becoming angry and destructive the next.

After smashing the window, investigators say Decker crossed East Broadway and punched the glass door of Jackson Hole's Old Time Photos.

The damage to the vehicle and storefront was estimated to exceed $1,000, forming the basis for the two felony property destruction charges.

[{"type":"text","text":"Gun Recovered After Arrest"}]

Several witnesses reported hearing Decker make references to having a gun.

One woman told investigators she was particularly alarmed because Decker had access to a firearm inside their vehicle.

She said as she positioned herself between Decker and the car, she feared he might retrieve the weapon.

After Decker was arrested, officers searched the car and recovered a Sig Sauer P365 pistol from a black fanny pack.

The handgun contained a loaded magazine but did not have a round chambered, says the affidavit. 

Court records show he was released from custody June 8 after posting a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

As conditions of his release, Decker is prohibited from contacting the two women identified as victims in the affidavit.

[{"type":"text","text":"He is also barred from returning to Jackson Hole's Old Time Photos. "}]

The court did not require Decker to remain in Teton County, allowing him to return to Michigan as the criminal case moves forward.

Million dollar cowboy 6 9 26

<title>Michigan Tourist Accused Of Drunken Window-Smashing Rampage In Downtown Jackson | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Police say a drunken, shirtless, barefoot Michigan man threatened two women, smashed storefront windows and led authorities on a foot chase in downtown Jackson last week before getting tased. Court documents say he threatened to shoot people and himself.

Michigan Tourist Accused Of Drunken Window-Smashing Rampage In Downtown Jackson

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

Renée Jean

Business

It was yet another data-center dominated night for the Cheyenne City Council at its regular session Monday night, with intense, sometimes emotional public testimony on a proposed, roughly 3,460-acre annexation south of the Sweetgrass subdivision and east of South Greeley Highway. 

City staff and Microsoft representatives who were present confirmed the annexation is being advanced to support future expansion of data centers.

No annexation vote was taken. The routine item, which was initially part of a consent agenda, was a referral to the Public Service Committee.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Out-Of-Date Plan"}]

Ward 1 Councilman Larry Wolfe requested the council take the proposed annexation off the consent agenda so it could be discussed separately. 

The area, Wolfe contended, should not be treated the same as a 2-acre parcel of land. He questioned annexing so much territory into the city at once when there are no specific plans yet attached to it, even as the city is getting ready to update its long-range planning, which Wolfe suggested is 12 years out of date.

“As you look at this giant annexation, and as you look at all of the hullabaloo about it that we have faced as a city council, and your office has faced, did it occur to you all to think maybe this annexation could proceed in a couple of steps?” Wolfe asked Cheyenne Planning and Development Department Director Charles Bloom. “Maybe it might even be better off to just be considered in the future, two, three years from now, when you, in fact, have updated Plan Cheyenne?”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Not Staff’s Job"}]

Mayor Patrick Collins interceded, saying it’s not appropriate for staff to dictate the timing of an annexation. 

“The state law says that if they bring a petition to us, we must look at that petition,” Collins said. “And if it meets the criteria, shall by ordinance annex that property. And so I don’t know that it’s staff’s position to censor applications. That’s our job.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"On that point, Wolfe agreed."}]

“It’s your job to take a look at something of this magnitude and make a judgment about whether or not it ought to proceed through our regular processes,” Wolfe said. “Or, in fact, we might think hard about an annexation of this size for a topic of this controversy, and treat it in some different kind of manner. That’s my point.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Collins, on that point, demurred. "}]

“I think if you were to poll your colleagues here and say that I have the authority to decide what comes before this governing body, I think you’d lose probably eight to one in that vote,” he said. “I think the job is we’re separate but equal, and when those applications come, we’re part of — all of us together, are the legislative body, the governing body. It should be done as a joint decision.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Just Map Color Is Changing"}]

Collins also said he felt the discussion itself is conflating annexation with the development action, which are two separate items.

“Annexation doesn’t do anything but change the color of the map,” Collins said. “What you’re concerned about is what happens once it’s annexed, and that is another process the governing body goes through. That is when we do the zoning for it, when we do the final plat for it, when we do those types of actions. If we were to just annex this property and it sits there for a decade or so, it doesn’t really change anything does it?”

“In 10 years, a couple of things may change,” Wolfe replied. “And I take some guidance from what our good governor just said to us last week in his executive order on data centers. You know, he says local authority and community investment, we’re keeping power close to —”

“Point of order,” another council member interjected. “Are we on annexation? Or are we on data centers?”

“Madam Councilwoman,” Wolfe replied. “You cannot possibly separate them today.”

And so the conversation would roll throughout the public debate, with citizens and officials wrestling over points and points of order all along the way.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Sounds Like “Extortion”"}]

Wolfe said he wants to see developers like Microsoft invest in local housing, charity and infrastructure, and believes annexation is the beginning of the right time to start talking about that.

“We shouldn’t kid ourselves that we are in fact looking at just the annexation,” he said. “This is the time for this council, for this government, for Mr. Bloom to actually take ahold of these issues and make them reality.”

A community benefit requirement, Collins replied, is “too much like extortion.”

“I just don’t agree,” he added. “At this point in time, what we’re doing is annexing a piece of property. If, in fact, the companies want to do some things like we have later on in our agenda, I think that’s well-welcomed, but to condition annexation on that, I think is a slippery slope, sir.”

“Mr. Mayor, it’s not a slippery slope, it’s in fact the slope that we are on right now,” Wolfe replied. “It’s not extortion. I’m talking about something that I’m going to call a mutually beneficial partnership agreement with Microsoft.”

“You can be annexed if you give us what, a rec center or something like that?” Collins said.

“No, no, my proposal is going to be 3% of the total cost of the project,” Wolfe replied.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“So two rec centers,” Collins said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Questions About Scale, Benefits"}]

Members of the public also came to the podium, both for and against, to discuss their own points and their own frustrations with city processes. 

Harmony Meadows resident Heather Madrid questioned the council’s use of an outdated land-use map.

“How is this protecting the health, safety, and welfare of people?” she asked. “If people don’t live there yet, it’s not really protecting anybody. In fact, I would argue that it’s harmful to that area.”

Such a large annexation, meanwhile, is going to affect the entire city, Madrid said, not just people who may live within 300 feet of the facility. 

“If there’s no plan of what’s going to happen over the next 10 years, how is it even possible that the criteria in Wyoming statute … has been met?” she asked. “At the Planning Commission, Microsoft was asked how many buildings and they didn’t know. 

“So how is it even possible to say that that statute has been met if there is no plan?”

The city should update everything before proceeding, Madrid added, and consider “not only what benefits global corporate billionaires who are trying to land grab in rural America.”

Speaking for the annexation was Brian Napier, a Cheyenne resident who has worked for Microsoft since 2016.

“I’ve been with Microsoft for 10 years and everything I’ve ever seen with the company has been positive, working with the community and trying to be a good neighbor,” he said. “If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you here, on their behalf, today.”

Napier said the company has hired 100 people in the past three years, jobs that he characterized as “good” with “great benefits.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Largest Annexation In City History"}]

The annexation which drew so many comments is the largest Cheyenne has ever seen at 3,459 acres land, 46% of which is contiguous to city limits. 

The only annexation to rival it in size, according to city officials during the meeting, was the Sweetgrass annexation. Records show that was a 2,269-acre project, brought into the city in 2018 near the intersection of East College Drive and Avenue C, south of Laramie County Community College.

It took another 1,000 acres to get to the project to annex it, Cheyenne planner Connor White said during the council meeting, making the two comparable in size.

The plan for that was a buildout over 50 years, White added.

“The main reason they did it all at once is because they wanted a unified development program for the Sweetgrass development,” he said. “The PUD (Planned Unit Development) has changed a few times. You’ve changed it probably within the last few months. So it changes, yes.”

At the time, it represented a major growth spurt for Cheyenne at one-sixth the city’s size, one that was going to require more staff members for various city departments to take care of the land. 

“That was … a higher impact on city services, fully built out,” he said. “But we had a greater standard of review on that larger annexation than we did with say someone annexing single-family homes to connect to sewer. So I just wanted to shed light on what’s happened in the past.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Microsoft’s Turn"}]

Microsoft officials said it has identified the annexation area as a logical future expansion for the Bison Business Park, and decided it’s best to pursue that with Cheyenne.

For long-range planning, it’s important the company knows the zoning for the area.

After that, it can begin transportation, cultural, environmental, noise, and other studies.

An open house was held for the project with neighboring landowners, which was attended by three people. 

A more general community forum was also held during that general timeframe, which drew around 150 people to learn more about Microsoft’s plans in Cheyenne.

Rachel Irwing, land development and permitting manager for Microsoft, said the size of the Highlands project represents a long-term commitment from the company to plan and grow responsibly in Cheyenne. 

“Large contiguous parcels with the infrastructure characteristics needed for future development are increasingly rare,” she said. “Planning comprehensively now allows us to have growth occur thoughtfully and with the city’s input and with the public’s input over time, rather than incrementally and reactively, parcel by parcel.”

That doesn’t mean that all of the 3,050 acres Microsoft will own is being developed all at once. 

“Complete and full build-out of the site would likely be a 10- to 20-year phased development,” she said. “The larger planning area provides flexibility to responsibly coordinate infrastructure, transportation, utilities, buffering, environmental concessions, and future community needs over many years, and in alignment with market demand and infrastructure readiness.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Long-Term Commitment To Cheyenne"}]

These efforts further reflect a long-term commitment by Microsoft to Cheyenne, Microsoft Community Affairs Senior Manager Lucas Downey said.

“Microsoft is not new to Cheyenne,” he said. “We’ve called Cheyenne home since 2012 and from the start we’ve tried to be good neighbors, not just a company with a footprint here, but a partner in the community’s future.”

Downey said more community forums are planned in the future, so collect feedback from the public about what matters to them, and to ensure that those concerns are appropriately addressed.

“We want to keep listening, keep showing up, and keep addressing your feedback directly,” he said. “We’ve also tried to back up our words with investment. Since 2018, Microsoft has supported 56 community projects across 28 local organizations, and we’ve donated $4.7 million to local nonprofits and organizations across Wyoming.”

Those groups range from Boys and Girls Club Cheyenne and Laramie County Community College to Habitat for Humanity, Climb Wyoming, Cheyenne Frontier Days and many more.

Microsoft is committed to paying the full cost of its electricity bill so that residential rates are not affected and to minimizing water use and being good stewards of the water shed. 

The company’s commitment to Cheyenne also includes creating jobs, investing in local training and nonprofits, and contributing to local taxes that support public services.

“In 2025, Microsoft was the No. 1 taxpayer in the city of Cheyenne,” Downey said. “We know trust is earned, not announced. 

"We’re committed to earning it this summer and for years to come,” he added. "We’re not just proud of the 14 years we’ve been a part of the community, we’re genuinely excited for the decades that are still to come. Cheyenne isn’t just where we operate, it’s where we intend to keep growing, contributing, and building in partnership with the community.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Not Just Changing Map Colors"}]

“We don’t make decisions like this, haven’t before, and certainly not in such a politically charged atmosphere, with so many nearby aspects,” Councilman Pete Laybourn said toward the end of the discussion. “And I don’t think we can look at this in that narrow view that’s been suggesting tonight that we’re changing the color on the map, Mr. Mayor. 

We’re not changing the color on the map,” he continued. “We are adopting the rules and regulations of the city. That’s a really serious thing.”

The needs of South Cheyenne, which is immediately adjacent to the proposed land that’s being annexed, need to be fully considered in context with the annexation, Laybourn suggested. 

“I believe there’s contributions that should be considered to help that neighborhood,” he said. As well as other issues here in the city.”

Given the public interest and concerns surrounding data centers right now — and Microsoft’s expansion plans in particular — Laybourn suggested it’s actually a huge problem that the most recent minutes from the Planning Commission, which dealt with recommendations related to the annexation, are unavailable to the council, even in draft form.

“When we don’t have the minutes, we don’t have a real chance to discuss the action they took,” he said. “And they took several votes. I personally don’t want to call on my recollection.

"I think we need to go to the record. I think that’s a very important part of this. And certainly 

those minutes can be dispersed as draft minutes,” Laybourn added. "We (shouldn’t) have to wait a month for them to be approved by the next meeting of the commission. There’s got to be some middle ground on this.”

Larry wolfe city council 6 9 26

<title>In Emotional City Council Meeting, Cheyenne Weighs Record Microsoft Annexation | Cowboy State Daily</title>

It was yet another data-center dominated night for the Cheyenne City Council on Monday, with intense, sometimes emotional public testimony on what would be the largest annexation in Cheyenne history. The annexation will support expansion of data centers.

Bonus Video 2: Sunday, October 12, 2025

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