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[{"type":"text","text":"This man ended up sleeping on the terrace....."}]

Marriage 7 21 26

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

<title>Today In Marriage: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

This man ended up sleeping on the terrace.....

Today In Marriage: Tuesday, July 21, 2026

 This man ended up sleeping on the terrace.....

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

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

Law Enforcement

A Rock Springs woman is accused of leaving her baby alone in a parked car while she spent hours drinking at a local bar.

It was about 2:16 a.m. Saturday when “officers were in the area of a local bar on an unrelated call when they heard frantic yelling coming from the parking lot,” Rock Springs Police Department spokesperson Phylicia Lukacik says in a Monday report about the incident.

When officers responded, a witness ran to them reporting that “a woman had left a baby inside a parked vehicle,” the report says.

They found the infant alive, alone and strapped into a rear-facing car seat. The baby was taken into the custody of the Wyoming Department of Family Services.

“Officers were eventually able to reach the child’s mother and asked her to return to the scene,” Lukacik says in her report. “When she arrived, officers observed numerous signs of intoxication.”

While talking with police, the woman allegedly admitted to leaving her baby unattended while she went inside the nearby bar, the report says.

The report doesn’t say if the vehicle was locked or unlocked or the condition of the baby.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Left For Hours"}]

While investigating, officers reviewed surveillance video from the bar, which showed the woman and another adult “arriving together and leaving the infant in the vehicle before entering the bar,” according to the report.

“The footage showed no one returning to check on the child until officers became involved,” the report adds.

Investigators determined the baby had been left unattended in the vehicle for several hours.

The mother was arrested on suspicion of abandoning or endangering children and booked into the Sweetwater County Detention Center.

While the report doesn’t identify the mother, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office shows a woman named Kaylie Jo Rowe, 31, was arrested Saturday and is being held in the jail on those same charges.

[{"type":"text","text":"Rowe also is the only inmate listed with those charges."}]

“Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle is never safe,” Lukacik says in her report. “Children can quickly become victims of heat, cold, medical emergencies, or other dangers when left alone.”

Rock Springs Green Sign 1 Matt Idler 3 27 26

<title>Rock Springs Mom Accused Of Leaving Baby In Car For Hours While She Drank In Bar | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Rock Springs woman is accused of leaving her baby alone in a parked vehicle while she spent hours drinking at a local bar Saturday. Police say the woman appeared intoxicated and admitted to leaving her baby unattended while she went inside a nearby bar.

Rock Springs Mom Accused Of Leaving Baby In Car For Hours While She Drank In Bar

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Around 18 months before he won the Republican nomination to a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2022, Daniel Singh told a podcaster friend that he was pro-choice, progressive, and believed hard drugs should be legal.  

The Cheyenne man, who is now eyeing a contested state Senate seat, said he wanted to build a network of progressives in Cheyenne, according to 

 Cowboy State Daily first accessed Friday.

Singh first won the GOP nomination for House District 61 on Aug. 16, 2022, over two other candidates. He went on to win the general election and was sworn into office in early 2023.  

 of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus during his freshman term.

The caucus is a bloc of House Republicans whose website says they “plan together, work together, and pray together in pursuit of policies that promote truth by protecting life, private property rights, and Judeo-Christian family values.”

 but still aligns with it generally — in about January of this year.

[{"type":"text","text":"‘Far-Right Fascist Figure'"}]

About two years before entering office, Singh had described himself as a pro-choice progressive willing to legalize hard drugs. 

He specifically denied being a conservative. That’s according to the podcast by Singh’s longtime, and former, friend Toby Thompson, who is also from Cheyenne but now lives in Georgia.

Upon request, Thompson sent Cowboy State Daily a screenshot of the recording’s data that indicates it was recorded Feb. 28, 2021.

“I have a good one for you today,” begins Thompson’s voiceover introduction to the podcast interview, which he did not publish until Sept. 20, 2024 — after Singh’s second primary election win.

“What you’re about to hear is an interview I conducted with Wyoming House District 61 Representative Daniel Singh,” said Thompson. “This was actually supposed to be the first episode of (podcast) 'Nobody Talks Religion and Politics,' but Daniel asked me to shelve it at the time because he believed it would make it harder to manipulate Republican voters into electing him.”

Thompson said that as Singh’s friend, he complied with that request.

“But after watching him devolve from a progressive leader I could believe in into a far-right fascist figure, I feel my responsibility as a writer and proud Wyomingite outweighs Daniel’s request as my friend,” said Thompson. 

He said he wasn’t publishing the podcast to sabotage Singh and didn’t believe he had enough listeners to influence what was then the upcoming general election.

Thompson said he was publishing it, rather, so Singh would listen to it “and be reminded of the man he was at the start of his political journey.”

[{"type":"text","text":"In a Friday phone interview, Thompson doubled down."}]

“I think Daniel Singh is excellent at political maneuvering and like, reading the writing on the wall,” said Thompson, adding that he believes Singh aligned with the Freedom Caucus to ride “the rise of MAGA politics,” and that he will “ride whatever political wave will keep him in power.”

[{"type":"text","text":"‘I’m Definitely Committed To The Republican Party'"}]

Singh countered in a Friday phone interview, noting that he doesn’t now associate with Thompson, and insisted that he does not hold the views captured in that interview.

“I’m definitely committed to the Republican Party,” said Singh, adding that being pro-life and other party planks aren’t just stances, they’re “timeless truths.”

Singh said he recorded that podcast before getting involved with the Republican Party, and he’s changed his views over time as he’s learned what matters to his community.

“Ronald Reagan started out as a Democrat, and became one of the most influential conservatives of our time,” said Singh. “And people change their minds.”

Singh registered to vote as a Republican in Laramie County in 2016 and has not changed his party affiliation, the Laramie County Clerk’s office confirmed Monday.

[{"type":"text","text":"Singh is 29. He was 24 during the interview with Thompson."}]

 Singh is now running for state Senate in a primary election contest against Republican incumbent Sen. Evie Brennan. The election is Aug. 18. 

Singh’s 2022 and 2024 GOP campaign opponent Matt Malcom told Cowboy State Daily he believes Singh doesn’t believe the Freedom Caucus’ positions.

“I think he’s putting on a show in order to galvanize more support around the issues he cares about,” said Malcom.

Malcom said he campaigned on more moderate positions than Singh in their races.

Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, cast Singh’s Freedom Caucus alignment as a political opportunity.

“It’s really disheartening to see someone throw their personal political beliefs away because they saw an opportunity to join the Freedom Caucus,” said Provenza. “This out-of-state machine that will help them get elected — assuming that’s what Daniel’s beliefs are, or were.”

Provenza added, “It just begs the question of if this system works at all? It’s just sad.”

The Freedom Caucus amassed significant momentum in 2024, telling the public it had gained control of the House. It is part of a larger national network of Freedom Caucus chapters.

House Appropriations Chair and former Freedom Caucus leader John Bear, R-Gillette, ventured a cautious guess on the contrast between Singh’s interview and his generally conservative voting record.

“I would guess he wasn’t masquerading (as a conservative in the Legislature) because he hasn’t changed his voting significantly from when he was more aligned … with the Freedom Caucus,” said Bear.

Singh also made comments during Thompson’s podcast about being an atheist and a stoic. Bear voiced confusion over that, saying his view of Singh’s personal life has indicated Christian missionary activities.

[{"type":"text","text":"“That doesn’t make sense,” said Bear."}]

Singh told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that he is a Christian now, having “had to humble myself and learn firsthand not only what it is I believe, and my personal relationship with God. But how does that apply to my political theory.”

Thompson asked early during the podcast interview what issues matter most to Singh.

“I find myself talking a lot about women having access to abortion, gun laws ... “ began Singh.

[{"type":"text","text":"Thompson interrupted, telling Singh to talk about abortion."}]

“Women have to have access to the medical procedure of an abortion,” said Singh. 

He said that pro-lifers have good intentions, but women denied legal access to abortions will get them illegally and reap worse medical consequences.

“It’s a medical practice and women’s lives are on the line, and this is a decision an individual needs to be able to make,” he said.

During his first legislative session in 2023, Singh cosponsored the Life Is a Human Right Act — a near-total ban on abortion into which the Senate added exemptions for rape and incest — along with a similar ban on abortion pills. 

The Wyoming Supreme Court declared both bans unconstitutional on Jan. 6 of this year, citing the Wyoming Constitution’s promise of health care autonomy.

Singh told Cowboy State Daily on Friday, “I’m definitely pro-life, 100% pro-life. I feel like my voting record reflects that.”

He has voted in favor of pro-life legislation every year since his election.

During his interview with Thompson, Singh voiced passion for gun rights, saying people should be able to have whatever weapons they can afford, and that if everyone is armed, then people may be safer altogether.

While different Republicans vary, the party tends to favor gun rights and gun access.

Singh had told Thompson, according to the podcast recording, that former President Richard Nixon’s war on drugs was a “waste of resources obviously” and an embarrassment.

“Why should the government have a problem if someone smokes some weed on their couch, or does some mushrooms on their weekend in the forest, or even like, smokes some crack in their garage?” Singh had told Thompson. “If they’re not hurting — not doing something that’s actually a crime other than like the drug itself — why are we treating them like animals?”

Society should treat drug addiction like a health problem instead, he said.

In his interview Friday, Singh said he wants the state to reform its drug classifications and “we need to at least get to where President Trump has moved cannabis.”

The president has reclassified many marijuana products as schedule III, meaning they’re recognized as having a medical purpose. Wyoming has chosen against following suit, keeping the drug in the schedule I, non-medical class.

Singh said there are people in Wyoming who use marijuana and aren’t a danger to society, and that, “I don’t think we should treat them like criminals.”

That matches his legislative record. He’s repeatedly tried to run legislation to allow and regulate “consumable hemp” products.

[{"type":"text","text":"Singh differed Friday from his 2021 stance on “crack,” or cocaine."}]

“Crack is a problem. We don’t want crack,” Singh said with a laugh. “Crack actually destroys communities.”

He added, “But using the war on drugs to infringe upon civil liberties is something I disagree with.”

[{"type":"text","text":"On Party Politics"}]

Singh told Thompson in 2021 that he’d like to see the establishment of an explicitly progressive party in Cheyenne. He criticized the national mainstream Democratic establishment.

He also said “a bunch of, like, 60-year-old ranch hands that have a very, like, particular view of how the world works” have had the power to dictate what it means to be from Wyoming.

“But the people who don’t agree with … the Judeo-Christian, white nationalistic view of what America is but would rather see America be different,” said Singh, “our voices are pretty much suppressed.”

Wyoming’s political binary isn’t between Republican and Democrat, but between Republicans and “progressives with the support of the Democratic party,” said Singh. 

He said progressives can often explain their stances to conservatives “if you frame your arguments right.”

“If we want political change we need energy, we need bravery, we need boldness, we need charisma; like, we need to fight as if we’re fighting for real political power and we have a chance to win it,” said Singh. “Because we do have a chance to win it.”

Singh voiced support for nuclear energy, a nationwide high-speed rail system, and automating farming. He said he’s not opposed to the government owning land, “if it’s for, like, state parks. Stuff like that.”

Singh in recent months has voiced a strong Christian faith on his political Facebook page. He told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that is sincere.

In 2021, he told Thompson he identified as a stoic, meaning: “living according to virtue, and according to nature.” 

He described the value of focusing on one’s actions rather than his plight.

He denied the existence of God and the human soul. He said a human’s life is a gift one shouldn’t waste.  

“I think I wrestled with (faith) for a long time when I was young,” said Singh in his Friday interview. “I think a lot of young people wrestle with that. 

"And as life has gone on, it’s just been so absolutely crystal clear to me that there’s a God out there, and Jesus specifically died on the cross for my sins.

[{"type":"text","text":"‘Nazi Shit’"}]

In Thompson’s 2024 voiceover on the podcast, he addressed Singh, called Singh’s 2021 statements “beautiful,” and said, “It’s never too late to stop doing Nazi shit.”

Thompson elaborated in a Friday email to Cowboy State Daily, defining “Nazi shit” in part as: “targeting/scapegoating of racial and gender minorities,” “targeting public library and education systems in what amounts to the contemporary equivalent of book burning.” 

Thompson added, “hyper-nationalism and blind allegiance to a single executive figurehead that has been unconstitutionally centralizing power in his own hands could also fit the fascist bill.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Thompson did not point to any legislation specifically.  "}]

Singh was the lead sponsor on the 2024 House Bill 193, which sought to ban local Wyoming governments from implementing immigration sanctuary-city policies. He voted in favor this year of the failed House Bill 10, which sought to regulate sexually graphic books in school and public libraries.

The bill did not call for book burning or bans, but would have given disgruntled community members an avenue to sue if librarians refuse to move sexually explicit books to the adult section or, in the case of school libraries, out of the library.

Thompson said the friends parted ways after a rift that was both personal and political.

Singh said in a Monday phone interview, “Toby’s free to have his opinions.”

He referenced the old political aphorism, “If you’re not a socialist at 20, you have no heart; if you are a socialist at 40, you have no head.”

“That really resonated with me,” added Singh. “I think it’s good people are able to grow and learn.”

Daniel Singh 7 20 26

<title>GOP Rep Says He's Changed Since He Identified As Progressive, Pro-Choice, Atheist | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Rep. Daniel Singh, an incumbent Republican from Cheyenne who was once a member of the Freedom Caucus, says he's changed since identifying as a pro-choice, progressive atheist in a recently surfaced 2021 podcast interview. "People change their minds," he said.

GOP Rep Says He's Changed Since He Identified As Progressive, Pro-Choice, Atheist

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

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

Two tourists were seen getting dangerously and illegally close to Grand Prismatic Spring on Sunday in Yellowstone National Park, enraging hundreds of spectators and millions of internet onlookers.

Tanya Saueressig of Livingston, Montana, was visiting Yellowstone with a friend when she witnessed the incident. She was standing on the Grand Prismatic boardwalk around 7 p.m. during what was otherwise a pleasant evening.

“It was a really nice crowd,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “People on the boardwalk were being lovely, giving each other space, and being quiet. It was a really nice experience.”

Saueressig was getting her final look of the evening when she saw something moving across the expansive microbial mats toward Grand Prismatic.

“I stopped in my tracks and was like, ‘Is that people? That can't be people. Nobody's that dumb,’” she said. 

[{"type":"text","text":"After all, temperatures in the spring run from 145 - 188 degrees. Deadly."}]

But, it was people. Two women, who appeared to be approaching the massive hot spring from the Fairy Falls Trail, which runs along the western edge of Grand Prismatic.

Saueressig's lovely evening quickly soured, as she was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of different emotions.

“I started getting scared because I thought they were going to fall in and get really, really hurt,” she said. “I worried people at the overlook were going to watch someone die that day. They were out there where nobody could help them.”

Concern quickly turned to anger. As she watched the women nonchalantly walk along the edge of Grand Prismatic, within 50 feet of its scalding-hot water, she got “so furious that I literally had tears in my eyes.”

“You could tell they were just strolling along, taking their selfies, without a care in the world,” she said. “They were totally oblivious to what was right under their feet. You're causing so much damage with every step you take, and you don't care.”

Someone else filmed the dark-haired duo 

. That video has been viewed millions of times in less than 24 hours. 

There’s no word on whether the individuals in the videos were identified or reported to Yellowstone's law enforcement rangers.

“I was so angry,” Saueressig said. “It was so mind-boggling to me that they would be out there in the first place.”

Walking on the fragile microbial mats around Grand Prismatic Spring and Yellowstone's many thermal features is a crime, punishable by fines, incarceration, and a multi-year ban from Yellowstone.

 in the park. That hasn’t stopped others from 

Greg Jackson, a former deputy chief for the National Park Service’s Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services in Washington, D.C., called this type of tourist “the 0.1%.”

“Some people see the world differently than the mainstream,” he said. “You build an infrastructure that's dedicated to the 99.9% of people that don’t do this, and then you get people who don’t see that infrastructure or decide it doesn’t apply to them.”

Many people plead ignorance when charged with thermal trespass, saying they weren’t aware they were violating any rules or that they saw no signs in the immediate area where they were caught.

In Jackson’s opinion, it doesn’t matter how much the National Park Service does to prevent this kind of behavior. Nothing stops the 0.1%.

“I’ve seen people climb over guardrails to keep them from falling off a cliff for a better picture,” he said. “You can create as much of a deterrent as you can, but some people aren’t deterred by what would deter most people. Those outliers walk among us.”

[{"type":"text","text":"“Helpless”"}]

Saueressig wanted to immediately report the Sunday evening incident to a Yellowstone ranger. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find one.

“There weren't any rangers on the boardwalk, which there rarely are,” she said. “I think they only show up if an incident is called in, because they have so many other places to be and there's so few of them.”

That left Saueressig even more despondent in the moment. She felt “helpless” to do anything about the egregious act she was witnessing.

“You can help them or stop them because it’s already happening,” she said. “I didn’t have cell reception, so I couldn't call anybody. There wasn't anybody I could run up to and notify. I didn’t know what to do.”

With no other options, Saueressig did the best thing she could by filming and sharing the video on social media. While not a guarantee, it could lead to the identification of the perpetrators.

[{"type":"text","text":"Still, it did little to comfort her in the moment."}]

“The anger I was feeling was awful, and feeling helpless made it worse,” she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"How Vs. Why Not?"}]

Can anything be done to stop “the 0.1%”? Jackson doesn’t see a viable solution that hasn’t already been tried.

“If I could find a way of fixing that, I certainly would,” he said. “It creates a problem for everyone.”

In Jackson’s view, the National Park Service has made “reasonable and good efforts” to curtail the brazen behavior of the small number of tourists who choose to do these things. After all, the vast majority of Yellowstone’s visitors enjoy the park without incident.

[{"type":"text","text":"Would more signage, boardwalks, and barricades help?"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Yes, but in Jackson’s experience, only to a point."}]

“I think they’ve done everything they can, but somebody's always going to think in a way you hadn't thought of before,” he said. “If you build a barricade, people will jump over it. If you build a wall, someone will hang-glide or parachute in.”

Having a ranger in the vicinity, visibly keeping an eye out for miscreants, might help stop this behavior. However, Jackson still didn’t think that would be enough.

“I’ve seen people do things right in front of me that you wouldn't think they would do, and they don’t have a clue,” he said. “A ranger might deter some people, but some people aren't deterred by the things that would deter most people.”

Most people, including Jackson, don’t think like this. That’s why trying to prevent this behavior is often futile.

“We can't see how, and they can't see why not,” he said. “That’s what makes people different. It’s a strange world we live in.”

When Saueressig started filming the two tourists, there was more on her mind than justice.

She recalled the incident at Grand Prismatic in June 2025, when 

 and was scalded to death by the 160-degree thermal water. One wrong step or a small crack in the thin crust could quickly prove fatal.

 to the microbial mats surrounding Grand Prismatic. These delicate living masses of thermophilic bacteria are what give the pool its vibrant colors.

“If they didn’t die, they were leaving permanent scars on the microbial mats,” she said. “They were causing so much damage with every step they took, and they literally didn’t care at all.”

People charged with thermal trespass can, and often do, plead ignorance. That usually isn’t enough to get them off the hook for fines, although it can be enough to avoid a few days at the Yellowstone Detention Center at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Ultimately, the damage is already done. No amount of money or jail time can remove the footprints and other scars left behind by people walking on Yellowstone’s thermal features.

“Ignorance may be a reason, but it’s no excuse,” Jackson said. “The resource doesn't care whether it's been damaged by people who are unaware or malicious. It’s still damage.”

Even the worst sentences can be seen as lucky breaks. Several people have been seriously injured or killed after getting too close to Yellowstone’s thermal features.

One would think a high risk of death might be enough to dissuade tourists from tempting their luck. That mentality’s been proven, time and time again, to not be enough to stop “the 0.1%”

“People still die whether they’re aware they’re intentionally violating the law or not,” Jackson said. “Sometimes, life's a little harder if you're clueless or decide the danger doesn’t apply to you.”

Tourists grand prismatic spring 7 20 26

<title>Tourists Again Illegally Walk On Dangerous Grand Prismatic Spring In Yellowstone | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Two tourists got dangerously and illegally close to Grand Prismatic Spring on Sunday in Yellowstone. Montana resident Tanya Saueressig, who filmed them taking selfies right next to the scalding water, said she "was so furious" she had tears in her eyes.

Tourists Again Illegally Walk On Dangerous Grand Prismatic Spring In Yellowstone

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

CHEYENNE — There are plenty of theories swirling around about just how a $5 bill seemed to appear out of nowhere and float onto the bar at VFW Post 1881, ranging from the practical to supernatural.

If you ask post member Dan Dial, it was the ghost of Darrel Anderson, a longtime VFW member who died about 10 years ago.

Anderson was just buying Dial another beer for old time’s sake, he said.

“Yeah, I like to think of it as Darrell just bought us a beer,” Dial told Cowboy State Daily about the unsettling experience last Wednesday night.

A video from surveillance cameras inside Post 1881 captured the scene, where Dial is standing at the bar with another member when an errant $5 bill seems to float in out of nowhere and land right next to him on the bar.

“It certainly was surprising, because there was nobody behind us or around us,” Dial said. “The first inclination was there used to be this old veteran who I used to take care of who passed away about 10 years ago.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That was Anderson."}]

Judging by the video, maybe that was Dial’s second thought. His first seems to be total bewilderment, along with his drinking partner.

The bill floats in, lands on the bar, and the two men turn in tandem to look behind them with confusion on their faces.

“You could certainly see our surprise,” said Dial, who’s since reviewed the video multiple times.

A male voice on the video laughs as he comments, “it just come from nowhere, bro. Isn’t that the damnedest thing?”

Jason Harper, the post’s senior vice commander, was next to Dial at the bar when the ghost bill appeared.

[{"type":"text","text":"Harper said he was every bit as bewildered as the video shows."}]

“I thought maybe somebody was behind us throwing money at us,” he said. “But nobody was there, it was just a ghost who came out of nowhere.”

There are plenty of theories about just how a $5 bill seemed to appear "out of thin air" and float onto the bar at Cheyenne VFW Post 1881. “I like to think of it as Darrell just bought us a beer,” said a member about another who died years ago.

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