It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 23rd. I’m Reece Cowan, filling in for 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!
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Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero’s welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the Rawlins police chief said “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there.”
“Six weeks after Sergeant Zach Burns was shot three times by a gunman in bags, he returned home on Wednesday, and and the people in Rollins just gave him a real hero's welcome. They were out on the streets. They had signs for him, and and his his brothers in blue law enforcement, other first responders. They followed him all the way from Colorado, about 230 miles. A long procession of police cars, sheriff's vehicles, ambulances, all with lights and sirens going, gave him a long procession all the way across Wyoming and home into Rollins. So it was really impressive, and and it was a true hero's welcome.”
For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won’t have to.
Read the full story HERE
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U.S. House candidate Bo Biteman is one of many criticizing the Republican Party's decision to endorse candidates. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports he called Chuck Gray, who sought and received the endorsement, the establishment. "Well Chuckie-boy you’re the insider, buddy," he said.
“Technically, it's illegal for the party to financially back one Republican over another in the primary. That has been interpreted by some as been also on endorsements since that's indirect funding. One of many critics, was Senate President Beau Beitman, who is running in the U.S. House race? He did not seek the party's endorsement at all. He did not turn in its threshold questionnaire. Secretary Gray has repeatedly derided an unspecified group of insiders in his statements. And Senate President Beau Beitman, who did not put in for the Republican Party endorsement, was reflecting on it. He said that it is galvanizing a group of insiders, and he said, "Well, Chucky boy, you're the insider, buddy.”
State Party Chair Bryan Miller has countered in both a press release and an email interview, saying the party respects the “fiercely independent, discerning” voter base.
Read the full story HERE
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Officials concluded Tuesday that a 33-year-old man likely surprised a grizzly in the dark before he was killed in Glacier National Park in May. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that running into a bear in the dark is a “nightmare scenario,” said an outdoorsman who was in the park at the time.
“They try to use the trails when they know people typically aren't going to be there. If it's dark and you're by yourself, even if you're trying to make noise, you might not make enough noise, and there's just that chance where you're going to come up on a grizzly. Boom, you know, instant encounter, close range. Evidently the guy did use his bear spray, but the investigators say it probably happened so fast at such close range, they're not even sure he was able to hit the bear with the spray at that point. It was just kind of a confluence of everything going wrong, all at the same time and very quickly, and it ended up costing this guy his life.”
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s report on the investigation of the site indicates that the attack, by an adult male grizzly, was brief and intense. His body was found about 69 feet below the trail and about 2.5 miles from the trailhead.
Read the full story HERE
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Wyoming ranchers are struggling with an existential problem out of their control. Hay has become harder to find, harder to grow, and more expensive to buy. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that some say this will hasten the end of family farms and ranches that can’t afford to feed their animals.
“With the lack of rain in the spring and the lack of snowpack in the winter, Wyoming can't grow enough hay to meet its own demand. So, ranchers who are in the routine of growing enough hay to feed their livestock might be struggling this year, and a lot of them are. In order to feed their livestock, they're having to pay a lot of money for hay. A year ago you could get a bale of hay for $150 per ton. Now you're lucky if you can find it for $300 per ton, and are selling for a lot more than that. And ranchers are already having to make the decision, it's either they find the money somehow or they start selling their livestock.”
Right now, the hay feeding Wyoming’s livestock is probably from out-of-state. Jason Watts, co-owner of HayWerks in Buffalo said importing hay from neighboring states “might” be enough to stabilize Wyoming, if only temporarily.
Read the full story HERE
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I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.
Cowboy State Daily News continues now….
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A police sergeant urged the Green River City Council Tuesday to reconsider license plate reader cameras, two weeks after vocal residents blocked the project. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that he says they are a valuable tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people.
“A group of vocal opponents to license plate reader cameras opposed the city getting $112,000 federal grant to put them in at city entrances two weeks ago, and they were so vocal that they got the project shut down. Rhere was a little bit of a counterpoint where Council Member Gary, who had been the lone nay vote in favor of the the grant for the cameras two weeks ago, said seems like the people opposing these don't understand this issue fully, and Dennis Laughlin, vice chair of the Libertarian Party, countered saying, 'I would say Killpack doesn't understand what the people of Green River obviously want.'”
Green River Police Chief Shawn Sturlaugson had noted the grant was characterized as an anti-terrorism effort, but he said the cameras would also be a tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people, as well as answering other real-time investigations.
Read the full story HERE
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Ornery Yellowstone bull bison have now tossed a grandpa 8 feet in the air, chased a man around cabins and popped a car tire, because they're in their annual rut, says one bison biologist. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that a bison rancher says one solution is a face full of bear spray.
“Sometimes a bison will display displacement behavior, which is he kind of likened it like if if somebody's driving in a car and they get cut off and the other driver makes them mad, but they can't take it out directly on that person, so they turn around and yell at their kids. Bison will do that sometimes. The bison rancher said he goes through cases of bear spray, and generally he only has to use it once. Like if if an animal's having really bad attitude, he'll hit it with bear spray once, and that's it. They learn their lesson. Bear spray isn't just good for bears; it's good for anything with with an olfactory system.”
Ken Klemm past president and a lifelong member of the National Bison Association said that when bison display those sorts of behaviors, there should be consequences, such as getting hit with bear spray. “If those bulls knew that there was a risk associated with going after people, they would find something else to take their frustration out on.”
Read the full story HERE
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A Bar Nunn woman has agreed to plead guilty to six felonies for embezzling $206,000 from Special Olympics Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that her attorney told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that she is "very remorseful for her actions and deeply regrets them.
“According to court records made available this week in Natrona County, 50-seven-year-old Christine Marie Rodriguez has accepted a plea deal for felony theft charges after being accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from the Special Olympics Wyoming nonprofit organization. Investigators are calling the scheme sophisticated. It took place over years while Rodriguez worked at the organization, falsifying financial records, forging checks, and concealing missing cash. Rodriguez was initially charged with nine felonies as part of the plea agreement. The courts have decided to drop three, and she will plead guilty to six. She could still face up to 20 years in prison, and as part of the plea agreement, she is expected to fully repay restitution.”
Special Olympics Wyoming CEO Jen Haines declined to comment on the specifics of the plea agreement, saying the organization does not want to jeopardize the proceedings and plans to speak more openly once the case is resolved.
Read the full story HERE
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Soft seats, catered food, and a commanding view — Cheyenne Frontier Days’ premium skybox experience already has fans. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that your eyes stretch from one end of Cheyenne’s historic outdoor arena to the other, with no obstructions.
“I gotta say, it's it's better than even I expected. You are like on top of the world up there, looking down on creation. They've got the sound wired directly into the box. You know, it's so clear and loud. I thought it might be really hot up there, but the way they've designed it, the wind is like constantly kind of breezing through there. It feels almost like air conditioning. Before they had like 20 to 20-five people, sponsors who could fit in the box that they had above shoot nine, and they maybe had a rooftop that would allow 70 people. This has room for 450 people.”
Until now Cheyenne Frontier Days has lacked a true, modern skybox experience. While the grounds previously offered limited, basic, upper-level VIP areas, the new complex marks a much bigger leap into premium hospitality.
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 Reece Cowan, in for Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
