It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, February 12th. I’m Mac Watson.
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Rep. Mike Yin claimed on Wednesday that Teton County GOP leader Rebecca Bextel distributed checks on the floor of the state legislature. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Yin’s accusation prompted outrage and a formal protest.
“Representative Mike Yin was saying, Hey, I don't want to make any accusations specifically, but a person from Teton, county that is championing bills was distributing checks on a legislative chamber floor during this session, and we should not vote on bills that she supports because of the implications…Representative John Bear challenged him on a point of order. And then later, House Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams filed – she made an official complaint against him that went into the record. Bextel texted me, ‘I haven't written any campaign checks this year.’ I asked if she had distributed any checks at all or anything else, and what those things were, she said, ‘None of your business.’ However, she's taken to Facebook to say that she was distributing checks, but then there was nothing illegal about it.”
Bextel didn’t respond to a later inquiry about whether she requested Bear or the House to run House Bill 141.
Read the full story HERE.
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Wyoming lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday to allow hand-counted recounts despite county clerks warning it wouldn’t work under tight deadlines. Sec. of State Chuck Gray testified in favor calling it “one of the most vetted election bills in this session.”
“This legislative session, there have been a lot of election reform bills. Some have been voted down. Some have advanced, like a bill today that would spell out a requirement for hand counting ballots in certain situations when a recount is desired. The Secretary of State Chuck Gray argued that right now, or all a recount does is it reruns the ballots through the machine, and he's not satisfied by that stand. And the bill that he's backing would say, ‘No, county clerks, you've got to hand count these.’ Well, the county clerks are saying, Hold on a second. This is going to take a lot of time.’ The clerks are okay with doing that. They just want a realistic structure to the mandate that would come down. They want to be able to execute whatever is required by law. And according to them, this House Bill sets them up for failure.”
Secretary of State Chuck Gray told the committee he was in complete support of the bill, calling it “probably one of the most vetted election bills in this session.”
Read the full story HERE.
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A lawyer for Cody Roberts wants to bar testimony about him allegedly running a wolf down with a snowmobile or taping its mouth shut. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that attorney Robert Piper wrote that these were “prior acts” in his motion filed Monday in Sublette County District Court.
“His defense lawyer made another motion this week, this time to exclude testimony that relates to him running down the wolf with a snowmobile or taking his mouth shut. He claims those are prior acts compared to what the prosecution is going after him for, and therefore should not be they should not hear testimony about that. It's kind of an interesting motion, because those alleged details are pretty much launched. Is his case to international status as far as people noticing and being, you know, following his prosecution…His trial is still scheduled to start March 9, so it's less than a month away. So it will be interesting to see what the response to this latest motion is from the prosecutors.”
After reportedly running down the wolf with a snowmobile, a practice called wolf-whacking, Roberts was initially cited by Wyoming wildlife officials for possessing a wild animal.
Read the full story HERE.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association's proposed new 35-acre location in Cheyenne was revealed during a legislative reception on Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that PRCA CEO Tom Glause spoke publicly for the first time about his vision for the PRCA in Wyoming.
“Glouse was there, and actually came to the podium and talked about, you know, that he sees this as integral to the PRCA vision. He's really excited about moving to Cheyenne. He also talked about his time in Wyoming, and I guess I didn't realize just how extensive it was. I knew that he had been here for some time and had been like the insurance commissioner, but he moved to Wyoming as soon as he graduated from high school, and he got a college scholarship to go to Casper College and rodeo. And then he transferred to the University of Wyoming…So this guy really has spent a lot of time in Wyoming, and knows Wyoming very well. He knows rodeo very well.”
The site is just north of the Horse Palace Swan Ranch and just south of the Little America Hotel and Resort. The PRCA’s 35-acre section is one of 13 lots shown in the overall development, suggesting an overall vision that is larger than just creating a new campus for the PRCA headquarters and its associated Hall of Fame and Museum.
Read the full story HERE.
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I’ll be back with more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.
Cowboy State Daily news continues now…
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When Elon Musk called out Wyoming lawmakers on social media for voting against an anti-child-grooming bill this week, he may not have known the penalties House Bill 9 were harsher than a sentence for second degree murder. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the bill is being amended.
“One of the people who voted against introducing the bill, Representative Lyndon Brown, was like, ‘Hey, it's nothing against this concept.’ It's got some really gray areas, some sloppy writing about where the age limitations are, and it's got these weird penalties that take judicial discretion away from judges by setting super steep minimums, like we saw with one of the provisions had a 25 year minimum, whereas Wyoming second degree murder charge has a 20 year minimum.”
Laramie County District Attorney Sylvia Hackl, testifying on behalf of the Wyoming County and Prosecuting Attorneys Association, tells Cowboy State Daily that the bill would plug a gap in the law.
Read the full story HERE.
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An Evanston man was charged with a felony Tuesday, accused of driving his truck into a woman trying to save a parking space at a Costco in Salt Lake. He claims she fell after he revved his engine, but witnesses and video say he accelerated into the woman.
“He's accused of basically running down a woman who was standing in an empty space in a Costco parking lot in Salt Lake City. She was saving the space. You know, people do that. She's saving the space. He wanted the space and started pulling in. She blocked him and said, No, you can't park here. And according to the arrest, the affidavit in his case file, he then accelerated, hit her, she was thrown back and her head hit another car. He claims that he never accelerated into her. He said that his story was that she put her hands on his hood and that when he revved his engine, she fell backward. However, surveillance video from the Costco store, another witness, two other witnesses actually also corroborated the first story about him.”
67-year-old Frank Mysliwiec of Evanston was charged with the third-degree felony in the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake City on Tuesday, more than a month after the Jan. 4 incident at the Costco store in Salt Lake City. The victim did survive the assault but no word on the extent of her injuries.
Read the full story HERE.
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Wyoming lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill to let voters recall mayors and other local officials as there is no mechanism in place now. Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that supporters cite accountability, while critics worry about and politicized recalls.
“In Wyoming, there is currently not a mechanism for an official recall of a city council person, town council person, or mayor. The legislature worked on a draft of a bill that advanced, and it provides that mechanism. So they're working out the details. It had strong support, and I guess it's good news for communities out in Wyoming, where there's been a history of frustration, and now there could be some relief.”
The bill would require petitions signed by registered voters and a general statement of grounds for removal.
Read the full story HERE.
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Jaelin Kauf of Alta, Wyoming, earned her second career Olympic silver in moguls on Wednesday as she and teammate Liz Lemley made history. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports the two Olympians are the first U.S. 1-2 finish in women’s freestyle skiing at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
“Jaelin Kauf is from Alta, Wyoming and her teammate, Lemley is from Vail, Colorado. What's remarkable about their wins on Wednesday is that they each got a gold and a silver. So Kauf got the silver and Lindley got the gold. And that is the first time in Olympic history that a US team has snagged both gold and silver in the women's moguls…Jaelin Kauf is the daughter of Scott Kauf and Patty Sherman Kauf, and both of her parents are professional mogul champions from the 1980s and 1990s.”
Kauf has been called the fastest woman on the moguls circuit. She clocked the fastest time in Wednesday’s women’s moguls competition at 24.88 seconds during one of her runs.
Read the full story HERE.
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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
