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

<title>Daily Cartoon 1: Wednesday, December 24, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Cartoon 1: Wednesday, December 24, 2025

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

Clair McFarland

Politics

RIVERTON- Three Wyoming gubernatorial candidates for the Republican nomination took the debate stage against each other late Thursday, for the last time before next Tuesday’s primary election.

State Sen. and former House Speaker Eric Barlow emphasized pragmatic policy approaches and referenced his nearly 14 years in the Legislature and careers as a rancher and veterinarian.

Retired Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien said he entered this race due to Gov. Mark Gordon’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. He voiced enthusiasm, referenced his military career and called for auditing “everything” in state government.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder pointed to her work as the state’s schools chief, and voiced ambitions for Wyoming to lead the nation by litigating, empowering industries at which the state already excels and negotiating strongly with other states. She cast her connection with both President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman as an edge that will help Wyoming advance its own agenda.

[{"type":"text","text":"What If We Got Another COVID?"}]

In response to a question about how she’d respond to another COVID-like phenomenon, Degenfelder said Wyoming should never shut down private businesses or schools.

“I spent time living in Communist China,” she said, reflecting on earning her master’s degree at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. “During the COVID pandemic that’s what it started to feel like.”

In an earlier interview this week, Degenfelder compared her time in China to confronting a lion.

Bien said, “I am standing here right now because of the actions the current governor took in 2020.”

[{"type":"text","text":"He said he’d never shut down the state the way Gordon did."}]

“Without our freedom, we have nothing,” said Bien. “I’ve witnessed the end state of tyranny in multiple theaters.”

In 2020 Barlow was, as now, in the state Legislature. He reflected on how difficult it was to get good information as the pandemic unfolded. 

 he championed into law in 2021, limiting state and county public health officers’ authority to shutter the state to 10 days, and shifting that authority to elected officials after that timeframe.

“Because I understood what I was hearing: frustration,” said Barlow. “People needed to be held accountable. You hold your elected officials accountable, and I ran the bill to make that happen on behalf of all Wyoming citizens.”

Bien answered a question about states’ renegotiation of the Colorado River compact, saying “I’m tired of these other states stepping all over us.”

He said Wyoming should rebuff outside influence, and let “particularly the coastal states” solve their own problems. He listed desalination as an example.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I will fight for that all the way through,” said Bien."}]

Degenfelder said Wyoming needs a strong negotiator. Because the federal government has issued temporary guidelines in this area, Wyoming needs a relationship with the federal government, she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder has been endorsed by both Hageman and Trump."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"She also said Wyoming should invest in its failing water infrastructure."}]

Barlow said the state should protect its “lifeblood” by putting more resources toward scientific and legal advantages.

That’s also been the message of the Wyoming Attorney General’s office, which urged the Legislature this session to equip it to negotiate the compact.

Barlow said he wants Wyoming to build a coalition with the upper basin states and take a strong enough lead in this area to repel the federal government.

“I do not want top-down,” he said. “I do not want the federal government deciding this on our behalf; so we need to have the resources and the people.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyoming Freedom Caucus"}]

A shortened, lightning-round segment opened with the prompt, “Wyoming Freedom Caucus.”

That’s a controversial group of Republicans in the state House of Representatives. Its proponents call it the true voice of the political right, while its detractors say it over-relies on national influence and brings sloppy legislation.

“I’m not interested in labels. I’m interested in results,” said Degenfelder.

Bien said he aligns with the Wyoming Republican platform, and will align with the Freedom Caucus as long as it does too.

Barlow, whom the caucus doesn’t favor, gave a joking, “Who?” in response to the prompt.

[{"type":"text","text":"University Of Wyoming Funding"}]

Bien said of the University of Wyoming, the state needs “to audit the whole thing.”

“Make sure this money’s being spent statutorily and we’re getting the best bang for the buck,” he said.

Many House lawmakers led an effort this year to cut $40 million from UW’s state budget. That effort did not clear the Senate.  

[{"type":"text","text":"Barlow called UW valuable for the future of Wyoming."}]

Degenfelder said she’s a “proud graduate” and believes the school needs to be “a strong land-grant university” and focus on affordability. 

Wyoming’s Turn, which is a Wyoming PAC targeting Barlow with attack ads, has spent at least $1.4 million this election cycle. An issues group registered in Delaware has been attacking him as well.

A Wyoming’s Turn flier asserted this week that Barlow sponsored legislation to raise gas and diesel tax. It cited the 2020 House Bill 63.

Barlow voiced surprise at the claim in a Thursday-morning interview on Cowboy State Daily’s Morning Show With Jake, saying he had not done that.

The 2020 House Bill 63 had proposed a fuel tax hike, but it was sponsored by the Revenue Committee, of which Barlow was not a member. He voted no on that bill Feb. 12, 2020. 

Barlow fielded a question about “dark money” by saying, “if they can’t put their name on it, you don’t  know where it came from – that’s not dark money, that’s black money.”

Wyoming’s Turn PAC lists contributions from the Women For Responsible Government PAC, which hadn’t disclosed its own donors as of Thursday. 

Degenfelder also fielded the dark money prompt with indignation, saying the group attacking her has spent millions helping Democratic candidates.

The Keep Wyoming Working PAC, which has spent $228,534, lists its lone contributor is the Washington DC-based Government That Works PAC. That group’s funding has filtered to multiple Democratic candidates across the nation.

Barlow and Degenfelder both deny involvement with PACs attacking the other.

Bien, who hasn’t been as much of a target, said he’s “absolutely opposed” to dark money.

All three candidates cast themselves as staunchly pro-Second Amendment. Barlow pointed to legislation he championed helping non-violent felons to restore their gun rights.

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder urged Wyoming to be vigilant in this area."}]

Bien said he would have signed the 2026 Second Amendment Protection Act, “without a doubt.”

All 23 Wyoming sheriffs opposed that bill, saying it would bring more local harms from federal agents by making local law enforcement officers hesitant to communicate or work with them at all.

Proponents, conversely, pointed to high-profile and violent street clashes involving immigration enforcers this year, and the Second Amendment generally.

[{"type":"text","text":"Grizzly Bears, Data Centers"}]

Bien and Degenfelder both urged removing grizzly bears from threatened status on the endangered species list.

Barlow said Wyoming should be managing its own grizzly population and is getting much closer to that goal.

Regarding data centers, Bien said he’d like to push for constitutional protections to guard “everyone’s data out here.”

Barlow said Wyoming should work to protect water, electrical rates; and give communities good information on the impacts of data centers. But if they’re using Wyoming coal and natural gas, he added, “that’s not a bad thing.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Degenfelder again urged strong negotiation."}]

“We say you’re not going to take from the water supply. You’re not going to increase electrical rates. You’re going to help us fund trade schools,” she said, “and you’re going to be welcomed by the community.”

In a prompt about the Wyoming Business Council, Barlow called it an important partner with local governments and private business that helps to diversify the economy.

Degenfelder said, “government doesn’t create jobs. The private sector does.” But, she continued, there is a role for economic development, and that institution should focus on infrastructure and return on investment.

Bien said the Wyoming Business Council “needs a serious rudder steer” to return to its mission, or it should be defunded.

[{"type":"text","text":"Your Political Hero"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Bien said his political hero is President Theodore Roosevelt."}]

Degenfelder pointed to Wyoming’s current federal delegation Sens. John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman, the late Gov. Stan Hathaway, and said she sees Vice President JD Vance as “ushering in the next generation of conservative leaders.” 

Barlow said he admires as political heroism the partnership between the late Sen. Al Simpson and his wife, Ann Simpson, who died July 31.

[{"type":"text","text":"And, Your Attorney General"}]

Degenfelder said she wants “bulldogs” in every agency and an attorney general who will lead Wyoming, produce legal filings quickly and have “amicus briefs on my desk the next morning” for key issues.

“We’re not going to be the 10th state in the country to sign onto a lawsuit,” she said. “We’re going to lead.”

She said that’s especially important in a time of “lawfare” and “activist judges” nationally.

Bien said Wyoming will be pleased with his pick for attorney general; and cast the man as having an exemplary personality, and being constitutionally driven and liberty-minded.

Barlow said he wants an attorney general of high integrity and broad legal acumen who is interested in “not just suing people, but negotiating. Getting to meaningful outcomes.”

Gov debate 8 13 26

<title>Three GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Face Off In Final Debate Before Primary Election | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Three Wyoming gubernatorial candidates for the Republican nomination took the debate stage Thursday, for the last time before the primary election. Eric Barlow focused on his experience, Megan Degenfelder on her vision and Brent Bien on righting the government's structure.

Three GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Face Off In Final Debate Before Primary Election

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

The Powder River at Arvada in Sheridan County has essentially stopped flowing for nearly a month, encapsulating severe drought conditions persisting across the West.

The river’s flow levels there have been sitting at zero to near-zero cubic feet per second (cfs) since mid-July, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) communications specialist Cheryl Miller told Cowboy State Daily.

When the river hits 0 cfs, “there could be a little pool there, but it is not moving," Miller said. "There is no water going downstream from there.” 

The Powder River's main steam flows for 375 miles from the Bighorn Mountains into the Yellowstone River near Terry, Montana. It is susceptible to wild fluctuations because it is one of the last free-flowing prairie river systems in the country.

During a typical year, the Powder at Arvada is flowing at 135 cfs, Miller said. 

[{"type":"text","text":"On June 16, it was at 17.5 cfs."}]

When the river reaches zero cubic feet per second, native fish such as sauger, channel catfish and sturgeon chub have evolved to survive in deeper pools.

“This is not unheard of for that site," Miller said of zero cfs, "but it is uncommon.” 

Records dating to 1930 indicate the Powder River has hit a standstill at Arvada about a dozen times, though there are no records for length of time at zero flow. The Powder also reached 100,000 cubic feet per second in 1923.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why So Low?"}]

Unusually light snowpack coupled with a relative lack of rain during the spring and summer have contributed to the scarcity of water this summer, Miller said. Irrigation has also taken water from its tributaries, 

fishing guide Gene Pruett told Cowboy State Daily.

Dry ground along the upper stretches can absorb some of the river’s runoff.

The main Powder River’s tributaries include the North, Middle and South forks, which are still flowing.

The Middle Fork is typically fishable until late June or early July, when the water becomes too warm for responsible angling, said Pruett, owner of the Thermopolis-based Wyoming Trout Angler fishing guide service.

He guides anglers on the North Fork in Outlaw Canyon above Kaycee.

Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart recently told the Legislature’s Select Water Committee that this is one of the 

“Over 83% of the state is in severe or extreme drought,” he said. "Luckily, no parts of the state are under exceptional drought, as of right now.” 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Time To Stop Fishing"}]

Flows along the upstream forks of the Powder River is “generally low,” said Mike Cassidy, fishing guide with Rock Creek Anglers, based out of Saddlestring in Johnson County.

It is probably weakest on the South Fork, he told Cowboy State Daily.

“We shut down our fishing on the Middle Fork because of high water temperatures,” he said.

Stretches of the North Fork on private property remain “fishable” because cold water from tributary springs has kept water temperatures lower, he said.

As a general rule, it’s best to stop even catch-and-release trout fishing once the water temperature hits 68 to 70 degrees because of stress to the fish, Pruett said.

In addition to shutting down his operations on the Middle Fork, Pruett said he’s limited trips to early mornings only on other rivers because of rising water temperatures.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department hasn’t mandated catch-and-release fishing shutdowns but is asking anglers and guides to suspend their fishing on numerous waters.

On the Bighorn, the Green, the Salt, the Snake, and the New Fork rivers, there are voluntary closure signs everywhere,” Pruett said.

“I think it’s the guides’ and the anglers’ responsibility to preserve the resource” and refrain from catch-and-release fishing when the water is too hot, he said.

As for the Powder, it was still near zero cubic feet per second at Locate, Montana, but picked up some water by the time it reaches Moorhead, where the flow was 10-12 cubic feet per second Thursday. 

Arvada 8 13 26

<title>Under Severe Drought Conditions, Wyoming’s Powder River Has Completely Stopped Flowing | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Powder River in Sheridan County has completely stopped flowing for nearly a month due to severe drought conditions and irrigation. During a typical year, the Powder at Arvada is flowing at 135 cubic feet per second, now it's at zero cubic feet per second.

Under Severe Drought Conditions, Wyoming’s Powder River Has Completely Stopped Flowing

Bill Sniffin

Opinion

CSD Columnists

I always saw this year’s U.S. House Republican primary much like this year’s Kentucky Derby.

The favorite was out in front, much like Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has been, for almost the entire race.

Then came a longshot named Golden Tempo, like late entrant Steve Friess.

Golden Tempo started near the back of the pack but kept running and running and running until, in the end, he caught everybody and won the Derby.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That is how I see this political race."}]

Steve Friess started way back in the pack, but he just might finish first.

His supporters are arguing that not since Wyoming sent Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney to Congress, have we had the chance to send someone who can make a big difference like Friess can.

He has run an expensive and aggressive campaign for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Harriet Hageman this year.

I spent several hours talking with Friess Saturday night, one-on-one, and learned a lot. Some important distinctions about his candidacy came to the fore.

First, he knows President Donald Trump personally.

His family is good friends with the president. For example, Trump appointed his mother to the Kennedy Center board. Trump endorsed his dad for Wyoming governor in 2018.

That Trump connection is a huge advantage in a state with just one lonely congressman.

Second, over the past decade, Friess put together the national team that worked on many of those presidential executive orders we saw during Trump’s first and second terms.

He worked with members of Trump’s leadership group.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"These are big issues for Wyomingites."}]

Third, Friess is a good Christian family man who is pro-life and pro-gun and represents values that mean a lot to most Wyoming voters.

Friess was in Lander Saturday with his billboard motorhome and his secret weapon, his powerhouse daughter Ginger.

This 19-year-old dynamo reminded me a lot of Dave Freudenthal’s daughter Hillary, who was one of the masterminds of her dad’s winning gubernatorial campaign in 2002.

Friess came into the campaign late with little name recognition. He admits that a great many Wyoming Republicans pushed him to enter because they simply did not want lightning-rod Secretary of State Chuck Gray representing the state.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Chuck And Reid"}]

As much as these two despise each other, U.S. House candidates Chuck Gray and Reid Rasner should be near the top.

By every measure, Gray should win this race.

He has a solid base and has been running political campaigns for years. He is never out of the news. He has a loyal following.

It would be easy to predict Gray as the winner of this race.

This race has always been Gray’s to lose. But it appears he might be losing support rather than gaining it as we near the finish line.

Meanwhile, his arch-enemy Rasner is a dilemma.

Steve Friess says a few people accused him of hiring Rasner to go after Gray.

“No!” Friess exclaims. “I hardly know the man.”

Reportedly, Rasner has spent more than $2 million, with a large portion of that bashing Gray.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Amazing."}]

And yet, as his negative ads pull Gray down, those ads definitely do NOT push Rasner up.

I predict Rasner will finish fifth and might set a new record by spending more than $200 per vote.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Other Candidates"}]

For a long time, I thought former State School Superintendent Jillian Balow could win this.

As we wind down to less than a week, it just appears that she was unable to get the backing she needed.

The headwinds she faced, including being outspent by roughly 20 to 1, are just too much, in my opinion.

She would be an outstanding congressperson, but first she has to figure out a way to win this election.

State Senate President Bo Biteman is another very good candidate whose campaign does not appear to have the fire needed to get him to the finish line.

I would remind both Jillian and Bo what Moran rancher Frank Chapman said when he bailed from this race after spending $1 million:

“There is no second place. I could not win. I got out.”

Military veteran Kevin Christensen could pull off a huge upset if he finishes near the top of this race.

I think he has spent less than $50,000, but he is a helluva good candidate with a great Wyoming political future ahead of him.

David Giralt is similar to Christensen. Very smart, with good experience.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"But not this time around."}]

Other candidates include Richard Dodson, who has been a non-factor, and longtime Democratic activist Keith Goodenough, who most recently signed up as a Republican.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Study This Campaign"}]

Years from now, political students will study this campaign.

I hope they do, and I hope they can figure out what motivated Rasner to spend so much money attacking Gray.

Overall, the numbers are stupendous. This could be the first $15 million political campaign in Wyoming’s history.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"So much money."}]

And so much of it was spent on smear campaigns.

It makes me embarrassed by the Wyoming political system.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Can Friess Pull It Off?"}]

In conclusion, Friess has a great chance to defeat Gray and the others based on who he knows, what he can do and how he will behave as our congressman.

The big question is: Is he peaking too late?

And finally, thanks to all the candidates who gave their time, their money and their love of Wyoming to their campaigns.

I know first-hand how it feels to run as hard as you can and still finish back in the pack.

This column is not meant to disparage anyone but rather to provide a conclusion for my readers after much time and thought.

Sniffin headshot 7 2 25

<title>Bill Sniffin: Does Steve Friess Have The Momentum To Catch And Defeat Chuck Gray? | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "I saw this year’s House GOP primary much like the Kentucky Derby. The favorite out in front, much like Chuck Gray has been, for almost the entire race. Then came a longshot named Golden Tempo, like late entrant Steve Friess."

Bill Sniffin: Does Steve Friess Have The Momentum To Catch And Defeat Chuck Gray?

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

 who had been living in a sweltering, feces-filled Manderson camper have pleaded not guilty to seven total charges.

Travis Study, 57, the infant's grandfather, pleaded not guilty to five charges during his arraignment Tuesday in Big Horn County District Court. Destynie Study, 22, the baby's mother, pleaded not guilty to two charges in Big Horn County Circuit Court on July 8.

Travis Study faces one felony count of endangering a child through exposure to methamphetamine, along with four misdemeanor charges: Reckless endangerment, endangering a child, possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

Destynie Study faces misdemeanor charges of reckless endangering and endangering a child. Her next court appearance is a pretrial conference scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 25.

A four-day jury trial for Travis Study is expected to be scheduled within 180 days. He remains jailed on a $75,000 cash-only bond. 

The charges stem from conditions investigators say they discovered after the infant's death July 6. 

The family's camper had no running water, a broken air conditioner and sewage system, and measured about 95 degrees inside. Investigators reported human waste, urine and feces throughout the home, along with a urine-soaked crib and drug paraphernalia.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Morning The Baby Died"}]

The investigation began just after 10 a.m. July 6, when agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation were notified of the suspicious, unattended death of an infant.

Destynie Study told investigators she fed and changed her 2-month-old daughter around 1:30 a.m., then put her back to sleep in a crib.

[{"type":"text","text":"She said she awakened around 9:45 a.m. and found the baby unresponsive."}]

Destynie grabbed the infant, got into her father's vehicle and started driving toward Three Rivers Hospital in Basin, calling 911 along the way.

By the time DCI Special Agent Anthony Giles arrived at the hospital, investigators were already documenting what they saw.

Dirt covered Destynie's arms, legs and clothing, according to an affidavit, and investigators reported what appeared to be lice eggs or significant dandruff near her scalp.

The mother and grandfather of a 2-month old baby found dead in a sweltering, feces-filled camper pleaded not guilty Tuesday to numerous charges surrounding the infant's death. Caseworkers say they were told to "get the f*** off the property" earlier in the year.

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