You Still Here

[{"type":"text","text":"Walgreen's vs Walgreen's pharmacy....."}]

You still here 11 25 25

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

<title>You Still Here? Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Walgreen's vs Walgreen's pharmacy.....

You Still Here? Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Agriculture

Wyoming ranchers must accept that electronic ear tags for cattle are here to stay, Wyoming Livestock Board Director Steve True told lawmakers Tuesday. 

A hoped-for executive order from President Donald Trump rescinding the electronic tag requirement “didn’t happen,” he said.

The requirement for certain cattle to have electronic tags before they cross state lines out of Wyoming is still in place, True told legislators in Casper. 

He spoke before the Legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands, and Water Resources Committee. The committee took no action on the matter.

The electronic ID tag requirement for interstate cattle transport was finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Nov. 4, 2024, the day before Trump was elected to his second term.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Trump Rumor Squelched"}]

In recent years, there’s been pushback against the transition from metal ear tags for cattle to electronic ID tags, which can be instantly read with a scanner.

Some ranchers argue electronic tags are too expensive, at about $3 each. Metal ear tags cost 10 to 15 cents apiece.

Others worry data collected through the tags could lead to government intrusion.

There’s no indication the electronic ID tag (EID) rule will change, True said.

“I do want to nip one story in the bud that I’ve heard quite a bit, that President Trump was writing some executive orders that would repeal the EID rule,” he said. "Didn’t happen.

“So, you all can let that go, if you’re thinking that happened. Because it didn’t, and it’s probably not gonna, with the screwworm problem we’ve got going on.”

At least five cases of New World screwworm infections were confirmed earlier this year in domestic animals in Texas and New Mexico.

There are concern that infestations could spread to other states, including Wyoming.

And hunters worry that screwworm infestations could jump to deer and other wildlife.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Rule Requirements"}]

Electronic ID tags are required for several classes of cattle before they can be transported out of Wyoming, True said.

Some of those include breeding cattle, sexually intact cattle 18 months or older, exhibition cattle and dairy cattle.

It’s hoped that electronic tags can streamline the detection, tracking and containment of livestock diseases, such as brucellosis.

A tag signifies, for instance, that an animal has been vaccinated against brucellosis.

Wyoming got clearance from the USDA to carve out an exception, allowing ranchers to use metal ear tags to certify vaccination for brucellosis.

Ranchers can use either new yellow ear tags or leftover orange vaccination certification tags, True said.

Yellow tags can be purchased from manufacturers. The orange tags should be available until supplies run out, as production ceased after Nov. 4, 2024, he said.

However, those metal tags are good only within Wyoming state lines. Electronic tags will still be mandatory for animals within the required categories that cross state lines, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Still Seems Unfair"}]

Marta Mossburg of Riverton told Cowboy State Daily she’s opposed to mandating electronic cattle tags.

She is a research fellow at the Mountain States Policy Center and in November 2024 published a guest column in Cowboy State Daily expressing her hope that then-President-elect Trump would scrap the electronic ID requirement.

Among other things, she expressed concern over government intrusion.

“With the heightened surveillance of tags will come the ability for the federal government to expand its reach into ranchers’ operations,” Mossburg wrote. "Knowing exactly how many cattle ranchers own means the ability to tax cows based on their greenhouse gas emissions, as has been enacted in Denmark, to start in 2030. It could also mean forced slaughter if, for example, the USDA decided that the number of head in a particular operation was adversely impacting federal lands or violating climate policy.” 

On Tuesday, she said electronic ear tags would be expensive and unnecessary for small ranches in Wyoming.

Larger ranches might find electronic tags more efficient than old-style metal tags, Mossburg said, but they should have the option of using them voluntarily, not through a government mandate,.

RFID tag 7 28 26

<title>No Trump Executive Order: Livestock Director Says Electronic Cattle Tags Here To Stay | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wyoming Livestock Board Director Steve True told state lawmakers in Casper on Tuesday that electronic ear tags for cattle are here to stay. A hoped-for executive order from President Trump rescinding the electronic tag requirement didn’t happen, he said.

No Trump Executive Order: Livestock Director Says Electronic Cattle Tags Here To Stay

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

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

DOUGLAS — Saying through his court-appointed public defender that he’s afraid for his life if he shows his face, a Converse County man facing 72 felony child sex and pornography charges failed to show up for his plea hearing Tuesday afternoon.

By no-showing his arraignment in Converse County District Court, John Charles Smallbone also forfeits the $250,000 cash someone posted on his behalf to get out of jail June 24. 

“I waited a couple more minutes (to begin the hearing), and your client is not here,” Judge F. Scott Peasley said to Smallbone’s public defender, Denny Harts.

“He has expressed fear for his life,” Harts responded as about 25 people gathered in the second-floor courtroom at the Converse County Justice Center. 

“I reassured him he would be safe, but he is not here,” Harts added.

Peasley then issued a new warrant for Smallbone’s arrest for missing his hearing, while Converse County Deputy Attorney Nathan Shumway said he had just filed new charges on top of the 72 Smallbone already faces.

Those new charges weren’t yet in the court system immediately after the hearing, which from start to finish took about three minutes.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"On The Run"}]

Already a wanted man, Smallbone should have already been in police custody and available for Tuesday’s arraignment, Shumway said.

The prosecutor referenced an incident in Colorado last week when a 

Fort Collins magistrate allowed Smallbone to walk out

 of the Larimer County Detention Center on his own recognizance instead of holding him on a fugitive warrant out of Wyoming.

“There were issues with executing our warrant in Colorado,” Shumway said, echoing the frustration Converse County Sheriff’s Office officials have expressed since Smallbone was released on Thursday.

Instead of having a man accused of committing dozens of illegal sex acts with kids in custody, “We’re out looking for him again,” Converse County Undersheriff Chris Walsh 

told Cowboy State Daily after Smallbone’s Colorado release.

 “And we’re going to find him again. The freedom clock on him is running out.”

Walsh said whatever snafu allowed a wanted man to be released didn’t happen on Converse County’s end of the transaction. He was just as surprised as everyone to learn Smallbone was released.

“We’d been working with investigators there in Larimer County; we provided them with all of our warrant information, all our affidavits,” Walsh told Cowboy State Daily on Friday.

Add the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office in Colorado to the list of agencies unhappy with the magistrate’s decision.

“Mr. Smallbone was taken into custody on a valid and active warrant out of Wyoming, which included dozens of allegations of sexual crimes against children,” agency spokesperson Kylie Masserman said in a Monday email to Cowboy State Daily.

Masserman confirmed Walsh’s account that “all required information to set bond was provided to the court.”

She said her office also asked Magistrate Heather Siegel to also issue a $250,000 cash-only bond for Smallbone. 

That’s because the objective was “to keep him in custody until he could be transferred back to Wyoming to face his charges,” she said in the statement. “This request was consistent with what the Wyoming authorities requested and consistent with our practices on cases of this severity.”

Masserman said that instead, the personal recognizance bond was issued “contrary to our request.”

“The District Attorney’s Office strongly believes that this bond setting is dangerous and has put the communities in both Colorado and Wyoming at risk,” she said. “Giving a free pass to dangerous out-of-state offenders fleeing to Colorado sets a terrible precedent and risks further harm to the victims in the Wyoming case.’

When contacted by Cowboy State Daily on Friday to inquire about Smallbone’s bond, a staffer in Siegel’s office said the magistrate didn’t have that paperwork in front of her at the time of the hearing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Ready For Anything"}]

Meanwhile, Converse County officials were ready and waiting in case Smallbone did show up for his Tuesday hearing, or for any trouble that might ensue because of the nature of the allegations against him.

Sheriff Clint Becker was leaning on a rail outside the justice center ahead of the scheduled hearing, flanked by five deputies. 

Three more deputies manned the security station just inside the front doors, and two Douglas cops were hanging out inside the courtroom.

While there were no emotional fireworks, Becker said he and his deputies were ready “just in case.”

It was the same inside the courtroom, which looked a bit like a shotgun wedding, with the 30 or so people watching from the gallery choosing to sit behind the prosecutor’s table.

Of the three people on the other side behind the public defender, two were reporters seated there for a better view of Smallbone in case he was in attendance.

Along with relaying his client’s fear for his life, public defender Harts also will have to continue representing Smallbone, at least for now.

While the Converse County Public Defender’s Office has filed a motion with Peasley to withdraw from the case, the judge said Tuesday he needs to talk to Smallbone in person before making a decision.

Smallbone was appointed a public defender to represent him when he was first charged with the 72 felony charges because he claimed he couldn’t afford an attorney on his own, according to the motion.

But after someone walked into the jail with a quarter of a million in cash to get him out of jail, he doesn’t qualify, the motion says.

“The defendant had the ability to post two hundred fifty thousand ($250,000) dollars cash in bond,” says the motion to reconsider the court appointment. “The defendant stated on his application for court-appointed counsel he had no ability to borrow money for his legal defense.”

Smallbone 7 28 26

<title>No-Show! Douglas Man Wanted On 72 Child Sex-Related Charges Doesn't Show Up To Court | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Wyoming man facing 72 felony child sex charges was a no-show for his plea hearing Tuesday in Douglas. John Smallbone was released on his own recognizance by a Colorado court last week. Law enforcement officials are angered that he was set free.

No-Show! Douglas Man Wanted On 72 Child Sex-Related Charges Doesn't Show Up To Court

Outdoors

Several side roads at a popular recreation area north of Evanston have been closed by state and federal officials after landowners complained about their land being “torn up” by unauthorized motorized use.

Some recreationists balked at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department posting "road closed" signs on several roads and two-tracks in the Woodruff Narrows/Bear River Divide area.

It includes a Game and Fish public access area.

However, agency personnel told Cowboy State Daily the roads in question cross private property, and landowners were fed up.

"The landowners are sick of having their land torn up," Bureau of Land Namangement Wyoming spokeswoman Courtney Whiteman told Cowboy State Daily.

The episode encapsulates the complexities of public recreation areas set on easements across private land.

The 16.3-acre Woodruff Narrows Public Access Area offers fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, boating, and wildlife viewing, according to Game and Fish. Just to the northeast is the roughly 12-acre Bear River PAA, which offers camping, fishing and hunting.

Game and Fish works with landowners to establish PAAs at similar places, such as walk-in hunting and angling areas and hunter management areas.

In exchange for public access, Game and Fish establishes and enforces conditions set by landowners, including dates of use, access points, limits on motorized travel, and the like.

Phil Pierson of Wichita, Kansas, stated in a social media post that Woodruff Narrows is one of his favorite places to visit. So, he was taken aback when he went there recently and discovered several roads he likes to use were posted as "closed" by Game and Fish.

He said that it wasn't right to be denied access to "public lands."

Pierson could not be reached for further comment.

Local outdoorsman Landon McGuire told Cowboy State Daily he hunts mule deer at Woodruff Narrows.

He added that the reservoir also draws anglers, who fish either from boats or along the shoreline.

He noted that the jurisdiction of the land can be confusing because it's in an area of "checkerboard" public and private land parcels, with square parcels of BLM and private land.

In much of the area, hunting is allowed only on foot, he said.

"Those (road closed) signs go up every fall" to remind hunters where they can and cannot drive, he said.

The "actual designated routes" for public travel are clearly marked on hunting GPS apps, such as onX, McGuire said.

He added that he understands why Game and Fish must regulate travel as part of its agreement with private landowners.

It's Game and Fish's duty to manage both the wildlife and human activity in the area, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Complex Management"}]

Landowners' rights and concerns must be respected in public access areas, Game and Fish spokeswoman Anne Hodnett stated in an email to Cowboy State Daily.

"The Bear River Divide is unique compared to most PAAs in our state due to its scale and complex, 'checkerboard' landownership pattern, which includes a mix of private, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and state lands," she said. "When private landowners opened access and enrolled their lands into our access program, they requested specific protections to prevent motorized damage and unauthorized access on their specific parts of their property." 

Game and Fish "worked directly with these landowners" to decide which roads to close to the public, Hodnett added.

She said protecting private property rights helps ensure that landowners continue to allow public access to the recreation area.

"Standard PAA regulations prohibit off-road travel and ATV/ORV use throughout the area to protect habitat and prevent property damage," Hodnett added.

Road closed 4 7 28 26

<title>State Closes Popular Evanston Recreation Roads After Private Lands 'Torn Up' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

After angry landowners near a recreation area north of Evanston complained of their property being "torn up," state officials closed the roads. "The landowners are sick of having their land torn up," BLM spokeswoman Courtney Whiteman said.

State Closes Popular Evanston Recreation Roads After Private Lands 'Torn Up'

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

An Afton attorney who previously served as a Lincoln County deputy prosecutor and was recently a finalist for a Wyoming judgeship is facing a misdemeanor solicitation charge in neighboring Idaho after investigators allege he offered to pay for a sexual encounter through an anonymous dating app.

John Bowers, 66, was charged July 22 in Bear Lake County with one misdemeanor count of solicitation for commercial sexual activity.

A probable cause affidavit says the investigation began June 24 after a private citizen contacted the Montpelier Police Department about messages exchanged with Bowers on Sniffies, a location-based social networking app. 

The reporting party, who described himself in the affidavit as someone who reports suspected criminal activity to law enforcement, told police Bowers offered $300 to "party" and said he would bring "party supplies." Investigators interpreted the messages as an offer to pay for a sexual encounter.

[{"type":"text","text":"Bowers has pleaded not guilty."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'This Charge is Frivolous' "}]

Bowers' attorney, Richard Blok of Pocatello, declined to comment to Cowboy State Daily, saying the Rules of Professional Conduct limited what he could say.

However, he said a statement he previously provided to an Idaho news outlet remains accurate.

"Mr. Bowers is innocent of the charge,” Blok said in the statement. "This charge is frivolous and should never have been brought."

[{"type":"text","text":"A pretrial conference is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Bear Lake County."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Search Leads To Wyoming Office"}]

On May 21, investigators with the Montpelier Police Department, assisted by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, contacted Bowers outside his Afton law office while executing a search warrant for his electronic devices. After returning to the office, Bowers agreed to speak with investigators and surrendered his cellphone.

The affidavit notes investigators later recovered digital evidence they believe linked Bowers to the account used in the conversations, including a Gmail account allegedly created the same day under the name "Jack Black" that received a Sniffies activation email.

During the interview, Bowers acknowledged using the app and exchanging messages but denied intending to solicit prostitution.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I truly didn't think I was soliciting,\" Bowers told investigators."}]

Bowers also described his conduct as "morally wrong and inappropriate" while maintaining he never intended to arrange a commercial sexual encounter.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Well-Known Wyoming Attorney"}]

Bowers has practiced law in western Wyoming for decades and previously served as a deputy prosecutor in the Lincoln County Attorney's Office.

Last November, he was one of three finalists selected by the Wyoming Judicial Nominating Commission for a Lincoln County Circuit Court judgeship. Gov. Mark Gordon ultimately appointed Judge Thomas Deering to the bench.

Cowboy State Daily also contacted the Wyoming State Bar seeking information about Bowers' status as a licensed attorney and whether the bar had taken any action in response to the Idaho criminal charge.

Deputy Bar Counsel Brandon Booth declined to answer questions about Bowers specifically.

Asked generally about the bar's policy when a licensed attorney is charged with a misdemeanor, Booth said attorneys have reporting obligations "depending on the result of the allegations."

Afton bowers 7 28 26

<title>Afton Attorney, Former Deputy Prosecutor, Charged With Solicitation In Idaho | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Afton attorney John Bowers, once a Lincoln County deputy prosecutor, is facing a solicitation charge in Idaho after investigators say he offered to pay for a sexual encounter through an app. He says his conduct was "morally wrong" but denies solicitation.

Afton Attorney, Former Deputy Prosecutor, Charged With Solicitation In Idaho

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

Andrew Rossi

Around Wyoming

When a Jeep got stuck up to its axles in mud driving on the bottom of Palisades Reservoir on the Wyoming-Idaho border, a pair of trucks owned by family friends came to the rescue.

[{"type":"text","text":"Then they also got mired in muck up to their fenders."}]

That’s when Alpine’s Redneck Rescue responded to the call to somehow pull all three vehicles out of a multi-person rescue effort that had gone wrong twice already.

“The first vehicle, a Jeep, was driving across the lake bottom, noticed that it was getting soft, went to turn, and got buried,” 

 Nick Cummings said about the call he got about two weeks ago.

Once they realized their vehicle was stuck, the occupants called some family friends to help them out, he said. As their Chevy was on its way to rescue them, it also got stuck in the muddy bottom. Then came a black Ford F-150, which also became mired in the muck.

That’s when they called Redneck Rescue, which “goes to a lot of places the tow trucks don't want to go,” Cummings said.

With remote-controlled winches, a custom-built winch foot, and hundreds of feet of tow straps, Redneck Rescue is equipped to handle situations other tow trucks can't.

“This is a normal situation for us,” Cummings said. “Getting cars out of the mud is a pretty popular call in the summertime.”

Cummings was alerted to the incident by Palisades Towing, another local company that often sends more difficult calls to Redneck Rescue. The company frequently gets recommendations from local agencies when they know there’s a vehicle in a tough spot, he said.

Unlike the stranded drivers, Cummings knew exactly what they were getting into at Palisades Reservoir. It’s a notoriously muddy spot.

“We call it sand on peanut butter,” he said. “Once you break through that sand, you end up in the peanut butter, and you get stuck.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Anchoring And Angling"}]

Once Redneck Rescue reached the three stuck vehicles, Cummings “had to get creative.”

“That's one of the fun parts about this job,” he said. “We don't do any on-road stuff, so each call is its own challenge.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The first was deciding where to anchor and angle."}]

“When you get into situations in the mountains where you're trying to pull something from an angle where you can't park your vehicle to wench from, (the equipment) makes all the difference.”

Cummings parked his F-250 over 500 feet away from the Jeep. The Chevy was used as the anchor to get the Jeep out.

The Jeep was the easiest and didn’t have to drive far to find solid ground. Then, the attention turned to the Chevy and the F-150.

“That Chevy was stuck pretty good,” Cummings said. “Once we got the Jeep out, I went ahead and laid out 360 feet of Rhino straps to my vehicle, winched out the Chevy, and then pulled the F-150 out.”

With high-quality tools and creativity, all three vehicles were pulled out of the peanut butter of Palisades Reservoir in less than two hours, Cummings said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Getting Creative"}]

Cummings knew getting his truck anywhere close to the stranded vehicles would result in another stuck truck. That’s why he came prepared.

“I've got the 30-foot-long, four-inch strap from Rhino USA,” he said. “Those are rated for around 30,000 pounds, and their soft shackles are rated for 44,000 pounds. I like to overdo my equipment versus the load.”

Cummings also has remote-controlled winches that make it safer to operate. Instead of being mounted to a vehicle, they’re receiver hitches attached to a clevis with an adapter, so they’re mobile and, in many situations, more useful because of it.

“Instead of having to put my winch into a receiver hitch, I can actually just hook it to rigging like a strap, a tree, or another vehicle that's stuck, and then use jumper cables that will power that winch off of any vehicle.”

But “the key to (Cumming’s) success” is the custom-built winch foot. On the front of his 1994 Ford F-250 “Miranda.”

“I built it to go in my plow mount,” he said. “That’s the anchor that transfers all the energy to the ground, as opposed to my vehicle. I can pull one-ton dually diesels that are out in the mud with my F-250, as long as I'm on solid ground.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Inevitably Unsuccessful "}]

Cummings noted that this wasn’t the first time he’d saved one of these vehicles.

“The black F-150 was a previous customer from last fall over in Bondurant,” he said. “I had to wench myself out of that situation for the first time ever because it was on a steep, snowy hill.”

Redneck Rescue has “yet to be unsuccessful” with any of its calls, Cummings said. He chalks a lot of that up to being over-prepared with the right equipment but anticipates the inevitable call that won’t go according to plan.

“I'm sure it'll happen one day, but it has yet to happen,” he said. “I would rather take a little bit of extra time and do extra rigging to make sure things don't go south.”

Every Redneck rescue is a learning experience that can be carried forward for future calls, Cummings added.

“Through these experiences, and getting to know different locations, you can really set yourself up for success,” he said. “Even if I'm not the answer, I like to have an answer for somebody because I want to help others out.”

Ultimately, Cummings wants Redneck Rescue to be the best call for people stuck in the mud in and around Alpine. It’s not only about being good at what you do, but respecting everyone and everything involved.

“We do pride ourselves on not damaging equipment and vehicles,” he said. “We rescue snowmobilers in the backcountry and off-road vehicles stuck in the mud, and we’re all about helping others (while) trying to keep it affordable. We treat your stuff like it was our own.”

Trucks in mud 7 27 26

<title>Wrecker Pulls 3 Trucks Stuck To Their Axles In Mud From Hundreds Of Feet Away | Cowboy State Daily</title>

How do you get vehicles stuck up to their axles in mud on the bottom of a lake bed? You call a tow company that has remote-controlled winches, a custom-built winch foot, and hundreds of feet of tow straps. “This is a normal situation for us,” the owner said.

Wrecker Pulls 3 Trucks Stuck To Their Axles In Mud From Hundreds Of Feet Away

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

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Business

CHEYENNE — Cutter Davis figured Wednesday during Cheyenne Frontier Days would be just another day of the week when he popped into his favorite local coffee shop for breakfast.

The oil field worker from Louisiana couldn’t have been more wrong.

Cheyenne Frontier Days is basically a 10-day party with concerts, rodeo and other events, but the party isn’t confined to the CFD grounds. It spills out into Wyoming’s capital city, where bars and restaurants can do double their normal business.

You Still Here? Tuesday, November 25, 2025

In case you missed it

More in You Still Here

Today In Adapting: Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Today In Food: Wednesday, July 29, 2026

You Still Here? Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Bonus Video 1: Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Most read