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

<title>Daily Cartoon: Friday, May 1, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Cartoon: Friday, May 1, 2026

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.

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<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

Crime & Courts

Courts

 after a tense standoff sued the City of Casper and several police officers Friday, saying officers wrongfully killed her son and the city failed to train officers to avoid rights violations. 

Brenda Cothron filed a civil complaint in the federal U.S. District Court for Wyoming through her attorney, Christopher King of Worland. 

It hinges on the June 6, 2024, death of Cothron’s son Trae Spurlock, at an apartment complex in the 5,000 block of PayIt Forward Drive in Casper. 

Spurlock had had a tense encounter with police, whom he claimed to be in his home unlawfully, while police tried to investigate a report that Spurlock had shoved his girlfriend and thrown some keys at her earlier. 

It ended with an escalation, in which Spurlock, sitting near a rifle, said he wasn’t afraid of “death by cop.” He made a quick movement; an officer tased him, and he fell. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Here the facts become uncertain. "}]

The officer who had tased Spurlock switched to his handgun and shot at Spurlock seven times, striking him six times. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Police rendered aid, but Spurlock died. "}]

The prosecutor who investigated the case, Natrona County District Attorney Daniel Itzen, wrote in his October 2024 decision letter that 

 doesn’t reveal whether Spurlock had been reaching for his own rifle at that time. 

The shooting officer told another officer on scene that Spurlock had been reaching for the rifle. 

if he had decided to prosecute the officer who shot Spurlock that night, the evidence would not have carried his case.  

Cothron’s lawsuit accuses the involved officers of violating Spurlock’s constitutional rights. 

It asserts that the officers were not provoked, and that the officer who fired on Spurlock while the latter was on the ground lacked a “lawful or justifiable reason.” 

The complaint alleges that the officers “knowingly” violated the law “when they caused Trae Spurlock’s unwarranted and excruciating physical and mental anguish and death.” 

Its second cause of action accuses the city of failing to train its officers, and having customs or policies that led to officers allegedly violating Spurlock’s rights. 

The complaint also claims the officers caused a wrongful death, that the civil defendants owe Spurlock’s mother and estate damages for causing harm, as well as costs and attorney fees. 

Cothron’s lawsuit complaint notes that officers entered Spurlock’s home without a warrant. 

“They could have left the apartment,” wrote King. “If they were determined to arrest Trae Spurlock they could have obtained a warrant, they could have simply waited until the following day and served Trae Spurlock with a citation. There was no-one in danger. There was no reason for the Officers to continue to escalate the situation.” 

A rifle had been sitting on the balcony along with Spurlock when police met him, the complaint concedes. But it alleges that Spurlock did not control the rifle during the incident. 

[{"type":"text","text":"A Little More Background"}]

Multiple Casper Police Department officers responded to the apartment about 9:30 p.m. that evening and spoke with two women – one of them Spurlock’s girlfriend – who said Spurlock shoved her and threw keys at her, according to official reports on the incident. 

Officers knocked at the apartment door, and Spurlock didn’t answer. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The girlfriend offered them the keys. "}]

Officers pointed their flashlights at the living room and balcony, and spotted Spurlock, shirtless and sitting in a camp chair, on the balcony, with an AR-style rifle at his feet.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Someone flicked on a light."}]

Spurlock opened the sliding glass door and said “get out of my house.”

Officers said they were there to ensure the girlfriend was safe as she gathered her things.

Spurlock said they were trespassing and he could shoot them. There was a back-and-forth as to whether he could do that, Itzen’s decision letter notes.

“I don’t care,” said Spurlock, according to the letter. “Death by cop doesn’t sound too bad. What do you want?”

One officer started talking about whether Spurlock had shoved his girlfriend, and Spurlock said he had, says the letter. 

The shooting officer also tried to get Spurlock to come in from the balcony, away from the gun, but Spurlock refused, and noted he was feet away from the rifle, the letter says.

Itzen wrote that the girlfriend had told officers prior she knew of him having three guns: two rifles and a pistol usually kept in the truck.

Spurlock reached behind a wall, picked up a mason jar and drank out of it. Authorities later found his blood-alcohol level to be 0.267%, says the letter.

Officers kept trying to coax Spurlock away from the rifle.

He stepped into the apartment by a couple feet, and shut the door about halfway, leaving enough room for a person to get out.

“I’m not going to jail tonight. That’s why that f***ing rifle is there. I’m not going to f***ing jail tonight,” he said. “Either death by cop or not, I’ve been in plenty of firefights in my life. I’m not afraid of another one.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"He added, “Take that as you will.”"}]

Spurlock told the officers he was highly proficient with a rifle, and if he wanted, the officers would already be dead, the letter and incident video note. The officers spoke with him for about 13 minutes,

Ultimately, the officer moved in to arrest Spurlock for domestic assault. Spurlock shook his head and refused to be handcuffed.

The officer already had his taser drawn then, the letter says.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"To The Door"}]

Spurlock opened the sliding glass door and made a quick movement to the balcony.

The officer discharged his taser for a little more than three seconds.

Itzen wasn’t sure, in his letter, if Spurlock fell down then because of the taser or because he tripped.

At some point the officer dropped the taser and switched to his handgun.

He shot seven times, striking Spurlock six of those times, says the letter.

Police started life-saving measures, but Spurlock died.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"‘Not Going To Jail’ "}]

Itzen said this evidence wasn’t enough to carry a case against the shooting officer through the justice system. 

“As you are aware, the State of Wyoming must prove each element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” wrote Itzen in his letter, which was addressed to a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agent. “By Spurlock’s own words, he admitted the rifle was out because he – Spurlock – was not going to jail. What that ultimately means is unknown, be it suicide or a shoot-out with law enforcement.”

Police were at the apartment due to Spurlock’s own “criminal activity” and were there at the invitation of the leaseholder and for a civil standby, says the letter.

Officers tried to deescalate the situation.

“Once it was clear to Spurlock he was going to jail, he made a quick movement to the area where the rifle was located,” wrote Itzen. “The State would fail in meeting its burden of proof in this case.”

For those reasons, “the State declines (to charge) this case,” wrote Itzen. “Should new facts or circumstances come to light, this decision can be revisited.”

The Casper City Attorney’s Office did not comment by publication. 

Casper officer shooting uncooperative 6 17 24

<title>Mother Of Man Who Suggested "Death By Cop" Sues Casper | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The mother of a man who was fatally shot by police after a tense standoff sued the City of Casper and police officers, saying officers wrongfully killed her son and the city failed to train officers to avoid rights violations. 

Mother Of Man Who Suggested "Death By Cop" Sues Casper

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

A Missouri truck driver is facing criminal charges after an alleged 

 involving a commercial vehicle and failing to demonstrate the English proficiency required of interstate truck drivers. 

What might have been an obscure traffic citation a year ago has become part of a national debate. 

Wyoming lawmakers, the Wyoming Highway Patrol and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, have all spent 

 pushing for stricter enforcement of English-language requirements for commercial truck drivers operating on Wyoming highways. 

Anvarjon Ganiyevich Muminov, whose listed address is in Columbia, Missouri, was charged Monday afternoon in Sweetwater County Circuit Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, commercial vehicle operator non-English proficiency, careless driving and failure to maintain a single lane.

A settlement conference is scheduled for July 14. A jury trial is set for Oct. 15.

[{"type":"text","text":"'Luckily No One Was Struck' "}]

The case began around 5:12 p.m. June 5 when Sweetwater County Sheriff's Deputy Otte was dispatched to Interstate 80 near mile marker 128 eastbound for a reported hit-and-run, says an affidavit filed by Sweetwater County Deputy and Prosecuting Attorney Alex Breckenridge. 

When Otte arrived, he reportedly found a tan Toyota Avalon with Wyoming plates sitting on the shoulder with extensive damage.

[{"type":"text","text":"Investigators learned three people had stopped because of a coolant leak."}]

The driver of the car told deputies he had pulled onto the shoulder and opened the driver's door so he could retrieve coolant from the trunk. A front-seat passenger said she was standing in front of the Toyota and a rear-seat passenger said he was outside near the guardrail.

Then, according to the affidavit, a passing semi-truck struck the driver's side of the Toyota.

The impact shattered glass, left scrape marks and paint transfer, and heavily damaged the sedan's driver-side door and rear quarter panel.

One passenger told investigators she was standing directly in front of the vehicle when it was hit.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Luckily no one was struck,\" Otte wrote."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Truck Driver Says He Didn't See Anything "}]

A witness told deputies he watched the crash happen from about 3 to 4 car lengths behind the semi. Court records show he advised the semi "was on the white line and veering towards the vehicle." 

The witness said he could see a male by the rear driver side door, and when he noticed that he watched the semi "jerk his truck, a kid run back to the rear area of the car, and then the collision happened." 

About 80 miles away, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Luke Lenke located a semi-truck matching the description near mile marker 209. Lenke photographed damage to the truck's grille and passenger side and sent the images to investigators.

Deputies identified the driver as Muminov and requested that he return to Sweetwater County for questioning.

Muminov allegedly told investigators he had been traveling about 75 mph and did not see anything.

When shown a photograph of the damaged Toyota, Muminov "just nodded his head," the affidavit notes. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Failed English-Language Proficiency Test "}]

Muminov told authorities his native language is Russian, "but he would try to communicate in the little English he knew," wrote Breckenridge. 

Without going into detail, the affidavit says Muminov was unable to demonstrate English proficiency during the test following the crash. 

Federal regulations require interstate commercial drivers to be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand highway signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and complete reports.

Muminov has not entered a plea, and the case is scheduled to move forward this summer in Sweetwater County Circuit Court.

[{"type":"text","text":"Political Flashpoint"}]

Federal regulations have long required interstate commercial drivers to be able to read and speak English well enough to understand road signs, respond to law enforcement and complete required records.

The issue gained renewed attention in Wyoming last year when Hageman urged federal transportation officials to strengthen enforcement of the rule, arguing that non-English-proficient commercial drivers posed a safety concern on roads such as Interstate 80.

It continued to gain momentum after President Donald Trump signed an April 2025 

 directing federal officials to reinstate stricter enforcement standards for commercial drivers who cannot demonstrate English proficiency.

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyoming lawmakers soon followed."}]

, expanding authority to enforce English-proficiency standards beyond specially certified state troopers and allowing law enforcement agencies across Wyoming to take action against commercial drivers who fail the test.

The law established a $1,000 penalty for a first offense and additional penalties for repeat violations.

Court records show Muminov was granted a $1,000 appearance bond, meaning he is allowed to remain free pending future court dates. 

Sweetwater county and sheriffs car 5 5 25

<title>Russian-Speaking Trucker Charged With I-80 Hit-And-Run, Failing English Proficiency Test | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Russian-speaking truck driver faces criminal charges after allegedly hitting a disabled car on I-80 and then leaving the scene. Court documents say he failed an English proficiency test and simply nodded when shown the damaged vehicle.

Russian-Speaking Trucker Charged With I-80 Hit-And-Run, Failing English Proficiency Test

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

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

After a string of 90-plus-degree days in early June, the last thing you’d expect to see in Wyoming’s forecast is a chance of snow.

Nevertheless, there’s a good chance of rain and snow showers in Yellowstone National Park between Tuesday night and Wednesday. Daytime highs on Wednesday will be in the high 40s at Old Faithful.

“The peaks will get glistened up with a little bit of white when the heaviest part of the storm comes through over the next 24 hours,” said Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day.

Over the next two weeks, temperatures could drop between 15 and 20 degrees below average, or even lower. Day called it "an interesting pattern" that’ll put a dent in the sunny start of summer.

“This is just the continued weirdness that we've had since November,” he said. “It's summer's trying to start, but it just can't get going yet.”

The source of this unseasonable summer weather is what Day and other meteorologists are calling “a cold trough.” It’s part of the natural ebb and flow of ongoing weather systems.

“We had an upper-level ridge and high pressure overhead last weekend, which helped have those hot 90-degree temperatures,” said meteorologist Molly Gerhardt with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Riverton. “This kind of pattern shift will have a trough, generally the opposite of a ridge, that will help keep temperatures on the cooler side.”

The cold trough will move from west to east over the next few days. Gerhardt anticipates the system will bring cooler temperatures and “some helpful moisture,” but not a lot of it.

“There isn’t an impressive amount of moisture with this system, but it is going to drop some rain, and perhaps some snow in those higher elevations of the Tetons and Wind River Mountains.”

Day agreed that there won’t be much moisture in his system, but the shift is significant. In his words, “the cool is coming.”

“This system is blowing up every seasonal forecast for June,” he said. “Whatever you’ve heard or seen about what’s happening in June, just scratch it.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Unseasonable Start To Summer"}]

Wyoming’s temperature will be on a bit of a roller coaster for the next week.

After Wednesday’s high-elevation snow, Wyoming will jump back into more summer-like temperatures.

“This cold front will drop temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal, but that won't last too long,” Gerhardt said. “We'll get back near to even above normal temperatures, 5 to 10 degrees above normal, by Friday.

By the end of the weekend, temperatures will dramatically shift again in the opposite direction. Day called them “remarkably cool” for mid-June.

“I'm looking at temperature anomalies as much as 20 degrees or more by Sunday and Monday,” he said. “That means take 20 degrees off what the average high is, so you could have daytime temperatures in the 40s and low 50s in Yellowstone.”

The NWS anticipates daytime highs in the 70s for the rest of Wyoming on Sunday and Monday.

That pattern could continue through the week. Gerhardt said the guidance being monitored by the NWS indicates “a pattern shift” toward cooler temperatures.

“Some outlooks are trending toward below normal temperatures, especially for the eastern half of the state, with maybe a slight uptick in precipitation,” she said. “That would be anywhere from the 60s to low 70s, which is generally below normal for this time of year.”

Day wanted Wyomingites to understand how baffling the next week will be across the state. It’ll be a constant back-and-forth that’s decidedly not summerlike.

We have this cool front coming through the next couple of days,” Day said. “There’s going to be a brief warm-up Friday and Saturday, then temperatures reverse and go right back down again starting Saturday night into Sunday, and then the coolness persists for most of next week. It’s blowing up the long-range forecast.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Delayed Reaction"}]

What stood out to Day about the short-range forecast was how it didn’t look like June. If anything, it looks like what May should have been.

While May brought much-needed precipitation to portions of Wyoming, the entire month was 

 for most of the state. The next week’s weather looks more like May than May did.

“Our weather’s behaving like it’s three or four weeks out of sync,” he said. “What we saw in parts of May was really what we should have but didn’t get in March and April, and now June is showing signs of what sometimes happens in May.”

After a string of 90+ degree days, snow is heading for Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday. Meteorologist Don Day says all of Wyoming should expect cooler than usual weather in the next two weeks. “This is just continued weirdness,” Day said.

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