Daily Smile

This is Bruno and Rocket. Rocket insists on making a grand entrance. Bruno is happy to help with that......

Smile no play 7 22 26

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

<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Smile: Wednesday, July 22, 2026

 This is Bruno and Rocket. Rocket insists on making a grand entrance. Bruno is happy to help with that......

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Courts

A 37-year-old Powell man faces up to 10 years in prison after allegedly attacking a woman he lived with, punching her in the head multiple times and leaving her bruised and with a chipped front tooth because he didn't believe how many steps she walked during the day.

Catlin Stephen Wolfard is charged with the felony aggravated assault and battery along with domestic battery, a misdemeanor. 

Wolfard had his first court appearance Friday morning in Park County Circuit Court, where his bond was set at $10,000. 

It started when the woman returned to the home she shared with Wolfard on Monday evening, cleaned the house and started making dinner, 

per an affidavit written by Powell Police Lt. Dustin DelBiaggio.

[{"type":"text","text":"Around 8:30 p.m., the two sat down at the kitchen table."}]

During dinner, she began talking about the number of steps her phone had recorded while she was at work. Wolfard didn't believe the number was accurate, she told investigators, and what began as a mundane disagreement turned into a heated argument.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Whiskey got involved,\" she later told police."}]

Wolfard began drinking Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, while she had about two shots. She described herself as about a three on a 10-point scale to drunk, but described Wolfard as "extremely angry."

The two separated for a while, and things appeared to settle down, but she said it didn't last. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"White Claw Cans Fly"}]

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the two were back in the kitchen when another argument erupted.

The woman said Wolfard began pulling full cans of White Claw from the refrigerator and throwing them at her, though none connected. 

She told investigators she became worried the argument was about to turn physical after Wolfard walked over and closed the kitchen window, commenting that the neighbors might hear them. 

She bent forward at the waist and put her hands over her head to protect herself as Wolfard approached, she told investigators. He then allegedly punched her two or three times with a closed fist in the back of her head.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Don't beat me,\" she said."}]

"Stop saying I beat you, now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," Wolfard allegedly responded.

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman retreated into the master bedroom, but Wolfard followed."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pushed Into Furniture"}]

When she tried to leave, she said Wolfard repeatedly pushed her backward into the room, using his open hands against her upper chest.

[{"type":"text","text":"She eventually got around him and made it into the living room."}]

There, she alleged, Wolfard began pushing her around for several minutes, causing her to strike furniture.

The living room contained wood-framed chairs, a couch with little padding and an air mattress on the floor, the affidavit says.

She told investigators she managed to get back to the bedroom and lie down, separating herself from Wolfard.

But at about 3 a.m., Wolfard came into the bedroom and told her he was going to sleep there, and she could sleep in the living room.

She claims she left her cellphone in the bed, and when she asked Wolfard to give it back, he refused. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chipped Tooth"}]

Wolfard then allegedly punched the woman twice in the face with a closed fist.

She described one as a glancing blow as she turned away. The other, she said, landed directly on her mouth and chipped the bottom of her left front tooth.

She went into the living room and fell asleep while Wolfard remained in the bedroom.

When she woke later that morning, she grabbed her phone while Wolfard was still sleeping and called the police. 

She said abuse was "normal," but Wolfard had never punched her before that night. 

Police later noticed bruises on the woman's body that appeared to be in various stages of healing.

Some bruising on her chest, she said, came from a separate domestic incident with Wolfard about a week earlier.

Investigators also wrote that the woman discovered a hard mass developing inside her right breast that she attributed to the recent altercation.

Powell Hospital EMS was called, and she agreed to go to the Powell Valley Healthcare emergency room for her injuries and a forensic examination.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Wolfard Said"}]

Wolfard left the residence after waking up around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and was arrested a short time later, according to the affidavit.

He told officers she bruised easily and fell frequently. He also said bruising on her left arm came from the two playing "tug of war" on paddleboards at Deaver Reservoir the previous weekend.

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman disputed both explanations."}]

 wrote that investigators believed Wolfard had attempted to cause the woman serious bodily injury by pushing her into furniture, punching her and breaking her tooth, and repeatedly striking the back of her head.

[{"type":"text","text":"According to the Park County Sheriffs Office, Wolfard remains in custody."}]

Catlin Stephen Wolfard new 8 7 26

<title>Powell Man Accused Of Beating Woman When He Didn’t Believe How Many Steps She Walked | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 37-year-old Powell man could get 10 years in prison for allegedly attacking a woman when he got angry over not believing how many steps she walked that day. "Now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," the woman told police he said to her.

Powell Man Accused Of Beating Woman When He Didn’t Believe How Many Steps She Walked

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

Clair McFarland

Crime & Courts

Wyoming, 14 other states, a handful of gun advocacy groups, and individuals beat the Trump administration in court this week when a Texas-based federal judge called significant portions of the 1934 National Firearms Act unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled Wednesday that major portions of the act are unconstitutional and can’t be enforced on Wyoming’s government and a number of other plaintiffs. 

Those provisions restrict suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and firearms classified as “any other weapons.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gov. Mark Gordon called the ruling a win."}]

“This is a great win for gun owners across the country, including here in Wyoming where our gun rights are an important part of our heritage,” said Gordon in a Friday email statement. “It is absolutely essential that the 2nd Amendment be respected and protected. I am delighted to see a judge recognize overreach when it is this clear.”

Gordon congratulated Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz and Kautz’s team “for their solid work and wish them the best as this case continues moving forward.”

Hendrix stayed his order until at least Aug. 12, in case the federal government wants to appeal. It hadn’t appealed as of Friday morning.

The judge also did not overturn the NFA’s restrictions on machine guns and destructive devices.

Mark Jones, Wyoming resident and national director of Gun Owners of America, told Cowboy State Daily the ruling represents a big win — but not an invitation to go make short-barreled rifles, at least until the dust settles.

“We’re advising people to be very careful about looking at a headline and running out and engaging in practices related to this until we get more information and there’s some decision on this appeal,” said Jones. 

He also said that though Wyoming is a plaintiff, he doesn’t believe the injunction extends to every Wyoming citizen.

But, added Jones, “I still think it’s the biggest win against the NFA in the NFA’s history, and we'll see what happens.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Trump Stance ‘Frustrating’"}]

Gun Owners of America is one of the plaintiffs.

Hendrix’s order bars the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from enforcing the enjoined parts of the National Firearms Act against plaintiffs and the plaintiffs’ “agencies, political subdivisions, members, and customers — both current and future.”

Jones said that leaves protections for Wyoming residents in doubt because “residents” aren’t listed under the people the order protects. But, he said, a Wyomingite who is a member of the Gun Owners of America will be protected if the order is upheld.

It’s been frustrating that the Trump administration has been defending the National Firearms Act, said Jones.

“Very frustrating,” he said. “Because the president ran, obviously, as a strong 2nd Amendment supporter.”

Jones said GOA has been “openly concerned about that: why his administration is defending the National Firearms Act.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gun Control Act Remains"}]

David Kopel, a senior fellow at the University of Wyoming College of Law Firearms Research Center, emphasized that though the NFA will be diminished if the injunction is upheld or remains in place, the Gun Control Act of 1968 is still law.

“Even if the National Firearms Act of 1934 had never been passed, if you wanted to go into a store and buy a short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun or even a suppressor, you’d have to go through the same process as to buy any other gun,” said Kopel. 

[{"type":"text","text":"That includes background checks and federal paperwork."}]

But this ruling removes a noteworthy layer of federal paperwork, requirements and delays, added Jones.

Congress passed the NFA in 1934 to tax and regulate Prohibition-era “gangster weapons,” including short-barreled shotguns and rifles, silencers, and “any other weapons” – a term the government has treated flexibly over the years.

[{"type":"text","text":"The law also covers machineguns and destructive devices."}]

It imposes taxes, but also recordkeeping and registration requirements geared toward enforcing the tax.

A person who violates the law by owning or transferring one of the covered firearms without fulfilling the requirements can face up to 10 years in federal prison and $10,000 in fines, plus the loss of gun rights for life.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1937 upheld the act because the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to tax.

The Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 lifted the taxes from the short-barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers and “any other weapons.”

Hendrix ruled Wednesday that removing the taxes also removes constitutional justifications for law’s other paperwork, registration and recordkeeping requirements, which were ostensibly in place to enforce the tax.

He also wrote that in 1934 the commerce clause — the portion of the Constitution giving Congress authority over interstate commerce — would not have been seen as justifying the NFA in 1934.

But the Gun Control Act of 1968, regulating gun commerce, remains in place. It’s based on the commerce clause.

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyoming’s Defiant Little Law"}]

Wyoming law says a personal firearm, accessory or ammunition manufactured in the state, that stays in the borders of the state is not subject to federal law, taxation or regulation, “under the authority of the United States congress to regulate interstate commerce.”

Kopel had opined, however, that a person who makes a short-barreled rifle in Wyoming still cannot sell it to his next-door neighbor, because intrastate commerce affects interstate commerce.

[{"type":"text","text":"Jones said Kopel is probably right."}]

Gordon Trump 8 7 26

<title>Wyoming Scores 'Win' In Landmark Gun Rights Case Against Trump Administration | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal judge overturned parts of the National Firearms Act this week after Wyoming and other plaintiffs sued the Trump administration, which had defended the act. Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday called it a "great win for gun owners across the country."

Wyoming Scores 'Win' In Landmark Gun Rights Case Against Trump Administration

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

Greg Johnson

Law Enforcement

CHEYENNE — A man trying to run away from police after crashing a car near downtown Cheyenne in the early hours of Thursday morning made the chase easy for law enforcement by unknowingly trying to break into the Laramie County jail.

“You ever wonder what happened to that kid that always lost at hide-and-seek?” asks an amused Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak in a video response to the incident.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I think he’s in our jail,” he quips."}]

Kozak goes on to explain that the man came onto the radar of sheriff’s office deputies when they saw him running around the detention center at the intersection of 20

 Street and Pioneer Avenue in downtown Cheyenne.

The man seemed frantic and was trying all the doors around the building, trying to get in, he said.

“On the camera system, they saw some guy running from door to door on the outside of our jail trying to get in — wiggling the doors and just trying to get in the jail,” the sheriff said.

Those watching the cameras alerted jail deputies, “who went outside and found this guy hiding near the intake door,” Kozak said. “You know, where the police officers drive into the sally port to book people into the jail.”

The man was “hiding there in a corner” when deputies found him, then gave a false name when asked for identification, Kozak said.

‘Didn’t Have Far To Take Him Into The Jail’

That’s when the deputies learned that there had been a vehicle crash a few blocks away, “and the police department was looking for the suspect who fled,” the sheriff said.

So, the Cheyenne Police Department was contacted to arrest the guy, after which they “didn’t have far to take him into the jail, so that’s one good thing,” Kozak said.

The driver, later identified as a 44-year-old transient named Adam Scott, was arrested on suspicion of falsely identifying himself, driving under suspension, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, no proof of insurance, and hit and run, reports CPD spokesperson Alexandra Farkas-Schulz.

Cheyenne police were dispatched just before 12 a.m. Thursday to a report of a vehicled that crashed near the intersection of West 19th Street and Brent Avenue, she says in an email to Cowboy State Daily.

"The preliminary investigation shows the vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction on West 20th Street before attempting to turn south onto Brent Avenue," Farkas-Schulz wrote. "The driver failed to make the turn, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and strick a building.

"The vehicle continued into a parking lot south of the building, where it came to a stop."

Scott, fled the scene and asked a passerby to report the crash, and he was later found outside the jail. He was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for an evaluation before being booked into the local jail.

Kozak said that besides the incredibly bad luck of trying to get away from police by attempting to break into the jail, the suspect may have been guided there.

“I’m guessing maybe what happened was he saw the flashing ‘VACANCY’ sign and thought maybe it was a hotel,” he said. “But it wasn’t.”

 that’s perpetually flashing above the northeast door to the jail.

“However, he did find out the ‘vacancy’ thing – that’s legit,” the sheriff added. “So, he’s in our jail.”

Vacancy at jail IMG 2027 1 8 24

<title>Oops! Man Running From Cheyenne Cops Tries To Break Into Laramie County Jail | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A man trying to run from police in Cheyenne early Thursday morning made the chase easy by unknowingly trying to break into the Laramie County jail. “You ever wonder what happened to that kid that always lost at hide-and-seek?” the sheriff asked.

Oops! Man Running From Cheyenne Cops Tries To Break Into Laramie County Jail

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, August 7th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, demolition derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at 

. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

Although campaigning against data centers, Chuck Gray voted yes on a data center generation facility easement in June. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Gray indicated Thursday that his aye-vote was Gov. Mark Gordon's fault.

“What the governor actually said is he's sounding like a jackass in a tin barn, a rather visceral quote referring to Gray, indicating that Gray's ‘aye' vote on granting an access easement to a data center feeding facility was essentially the governor's fault. He's saying that Gordon has a way of hiding the nature of these votes, and board members aren't properly apprised. And you know, there wasn't a clear understanding of this data center vote in June. The governor responded, noting that the State Board of Land Commissioners has access to the documents at least a week before the meeting, and they also get the chance to confer with their administrative office before the meeting. He said that Gray appeared distracted by his phone in Thursday's meeting, falls short of the expectation of Wyoming elected officials.”

In his campaign against eight other Republicans for the GOP nomination to U.S. House, Gray is the only candidate voicing outright opposition to data centers. Many of his opponents have said it’s the state and local governments’ role, not the role of Congress, to dictate policies on data centers.  

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

During a vote at the State Board of Land Commissioners to allow Tri-State Generation access to a power substation, Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced he would block it. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports Gray changed his mind after Curt Meier brought up that Tri-State supplies “power to practically every irrigator and farmer in the state.”

“During the meeting, people indicated they didn't know at that point it was an existing substation. Secretary Chuck Gray worried aloud. You know he asked for information like, does this access road have anything to do with data centers, wind projects, solar projects? And during this discussion, Treasurer Curt Meier said, you know, something to the effect of, ‘We're going to block access roads for a power generator now that serves Wyoming irrigators, are we just doing a futile attempt to stop capitalism?’ And Secretary Gray came back and voted for the access road. He said that's because of the assurances he received that it wasn't for data centers or wind or solar projects.”

Tri-State is a wholesale power supplier serving eight electric cooperatives in Wyoming including High Plains Power, Carbon Power and Light and Big Horn Rural Electric Company. Tri-State applied for a five-year, temporary-use permit for a 288-foot access road in remote Natrona County for $250 a year.

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

The Wallop family's legacy Quarter Circle Lazy B Ranch in Sheridan County is for sale for the first time in 135 years, listing for $24.5 million. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the ranch hosted Queen Elizabeth II, supplied cavalry horses to Britain, and helped build Wyoming's polo scene.

“This is kind of a continued trend of, you know, we've seen this wave of legacy ranches that have been in families for multiple generations-three, four, sometimes five generations-coming to market. This is just a continued progression of that trend where people are retiring out of agriculture, and the next generation coming up doesn't want to give that a whirl. It's not a very easy business to get started in. It's pretty expensive, and families are seeing that. Hey, you know, we can cash this out.These guys have been the stewards of this ranch for four generations. It is a ranch with a lot of history. The original guy who came over from England and homesteaded this in, like, 1889.”

The historic ranch is tucked just under the Bighorn Mountains at the mouth of Little Goose Canyon. Its sale will mark the end of an era for one of Wyoming’s best-known legacy ranches.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"–"}]

Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart told state legislators Thursday that if the seven Colorado River Basin states can’t come to terms over a dwindling water supply, lawsuits or federal intervention could result. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that Gebhart is hoping the states can solve the issues, not Congress.

“He appeared before the legislature's Select Water Committee to kind of give them an update on what's going on, and the big question one of the members of the committee posed to him was, you know, he said, 'I keep hearing about there's going to be lawsuits over this.' There's going to be lawsuits, and Gebhart's answer was, if we could just keep talking, keep negotiations going between all seven states, he's really hopeful that we can still avoid that. Gebhart is worried that it's either going to end in lawsuits between the states or Congress is going to step in, and he doesn't want either one of those things to happen. ”

The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, recently released its final Environmental Impact Statement for Colorado River operations, including plans for operations from 2027 to 2036. That proposal doesn’t include any immediate cuts for the Upper Basin states: Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.   

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

President Donald Trump endorsed governor candidate Megan Degenfelder for the fourth time Thursday in a rally held by phone. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Trump touted Degenfelder as a staunch conservative and said voters would look back and say, “President Trump gave me a good idea.”

“This is the fourth, at least, at least the fourth time the president has endorsed Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder in her run for governor. She's had the original Trump endorsement since January, but on Thursday, Trump also held a tele-rally where he really touted her as a staunch conservative and said that she was going to cut property taxes and that she was going to protect children and foster a love for America in schools, among other goals.”

The rally kicked off with the Lee Greenwood song “Proud to Be An American” and ended with the moderator asking attendees to push one to signify if they’re voting for Degenfelder, who is the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, or push two if they’re not voting for her.  

If stern warnings and rules won’t keep kids from bringing their cellphones and devices to school, maybe cash fines will get their attention. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that’s the idea behind a new Lincoln County rule that will fine students $25 if they keep bringing them to school.

“Kemmerer Junior-Senior High School Principal Shawn Roberts said that he hopes that, you know, they won't get to that point, that students will not commit the offense three times. Reaction on social media was mixed. Some parents are saying they're in full support of this policy because students really need to be learning and focused at school, and cell phones are a distraction. Other parents said, you know, it's a matter of personal property, and their phones belong to them, and they want to be able to reach their kids anytime during the school day, and what happens if there's some emergency like a school shooting or something? How do they get a hold of their kids?”

School districts across the state are enacting smart-device policies after the Wyoming Legislature passed a bill earlier this year requiring the adoption of formal policies to address the possession and use of smart devices by students while on school grounds.

However, district board chair Kristi Dearden said she is not aware of any other school districts whose policies include a fee for repeat offenders.

Wyoming is among 27 states that were hit by a recent salmonella outbreak traced to jalapeños served at chain Mexican restaurants. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports one Park County health officer says, “it’s just the cost of doing business” in today’s modern food system.

“This outbreak is different from the cyclospora outbreak that Cowboy State Daily reported on over three weeks ago in the cyclospora outbreak that was linked to contaminated lettuce that was distributed to several fast food chains. Park County Health official Dr. Aaron Billen says that this is the cost of doing business in today's modern world. Because of large-scale food systems, one contamination can now spread so quickly to different parts of the country.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that 345 people have been sickened by the outbreak strain of 

. Thirty-six have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

The Montana Department of Livestock said it could take action against Meadow Gold Dairy Products of Billings after "black mold" in cartons and prematurely spoiled milk were reported. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that Meadow Gold also stocks shelves in northwest Wyoming.

“The Montana Department of Livestock is pretty rigorously investigating this. They've actually pursued a suspension of Meadow Gold's license in Billings, and we're not sure how the company is going to respond to that. None of this has been reported in Wyoming yet, although we have confirmation that someone in Cody purchased a milk carton where the mold developed in the same time frame is the ones they're reporting in Montana. If anyone has any of these cartons, or they had a carton that was forming black mold, you need to report it to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture so they can respond, then investigate, and take necessary actions if needed.”

According to reports, Meadow Gold received the notice on Tuesday and had 48 hours to respond.

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

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

Thumbnail 8 6 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Friday, August 7, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Friday's headlines include:
* Gordon: Gray Sounds Like ‘Jackass In A Tin Barn'
* Wallop Family Ranch For Sale For First Time In 135 Years
* More Explosive Diarrhea: This Time It’s Mexican Jalapeños

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Friday, August 7, 2026

Around Wyoming

Wyoming is among 27 states reporting illnesses from a recent salmonella outbreak linked to imported jalapeño peppers.

While federal health officials say there is no ongoing risk to customers who eat at Chipotle or QDOBA chain Mexican restaurants, a Wyoming health official says the outbreaks are a reminder of the tradeoffs that come with the modern food system.

"I think it is part of the cost of doing business for our industrialized society," Park County Health Officer Aaron Billin told Cowboy State Daily. "We get our foods in bulk. 

"One hundred years ago, people had small farms, grew a little bit of everything, but now people specialize just in jalapeños and sell on a massive scale. And if that food supply gets contaminated, that's a problem."

The FDA's public case map places Wyoming in a category with five or six reported illnesses.

Chipotle and QDOBA have removed their affected products.

Although the last known illnesses began in July, the outbreak is only now drawing widespread attention after federal investigators completed weeks of patient interviews and supply-chain tracing that identified a common grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, as the likely source.

The salmonella outbreak comes as Wyoming continues to monitor another foodborne illness investigation.

 of Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that causes prolonged watery diarrhea, stomach cramps and fatigue.

State health officials said five of those cases were associated with international travel while one remained under investigation.

Billin said foodborne outbreaks are an unfortunate reality of an interconnected food system.

"We trust that our food, either bought at the supermarket or bought at a restaurant, is safe," he said. "But we have these outbreaks every once in a while."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tracing The Source"}]

According to the FDA, 177 of 191 people interviewed — about 93% — reported eating at a Mexican-style restaurant before becoming sick. Those restaurants included Chipotle Mexican Grill and QDOBA.

[{"type":"text","text":"Billin said outbreaks like this happen."}]

"Across the United States, we have probably half a dozen salmonella outbreaks every year," he said, noting previous outbreaks have been linked to eggs, backyard poultry, produce, pet reptiles and commercial food supplements.

While Wyoming has reported about six illnesses in the current outbreak, he said none are believed to have resulted in hospitalization.

Billin said contaminated produce can originate from several sources, including infected workers handling food after using the restroom, contaminated irrigation water or contaminated wash water used during processing.

"The more they wash it, the more contaminated it becomes," he said of the latter scenario. 

Because produce today is grown and distributed on such a large scale, a single contamination event can quickly spread across the country, he added.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Restaurants Responded"}]

After learning of the outbreak, Chipotle and QDOBA removed the affected jalapeño peppers from their restaurants.

Chipotle said its ingredient traceability system allowed it to quickly identify peppers from the affected grower and replace them with jalapeños from different suppliers.

"The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority," the company said in a statement. "The recalled jalapeño peppers are no longer in Chipotle restaurants. Given these actions, the CDC and FDA have said they do not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from Chipotle restaurants in this outbreak."

The FDA said QDOBA also stopped serving the affected jalapeños July 28, and Coast Citrus Distributors has agreed to recall the remaining peppers linked to the outbreak.

Wyoming is among 27 states that were hit by a recent salmonella outbreak traced to jalapeños served at chain Mexican restaurants. It’s just “the cost of doing business” anymore in today’s modern food system, said a Park County health officer.

Daily Smile: Wednesday, July 22, 2026

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