It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, August 14th. I’m Mac Watson.
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The Wyoming's Turn PAC that has been attacking Sen. Eric Barlow in his run for governor is the state's biggest-spending PAC in the primary election. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that’s nearly $1 million more than last cycle’s top spender.
“That PAC spent about $1.4 million in this election cycle last year. Some of the biggest spenders we saw were right about half million, or actually closer to 300,000, 400,000. This year we saw Make Liberty Win, often a top spender with just over half million, and so they got beat by the big governor's PAC. There is also a PAC that's spending around $200,000 that has been attacking Degenfelder.”
Wyoming’s Turn PAC reports receiving over $1.5M in contributions this year, meaning it has a little over $95,000 remaining in the final week before Tuesday’s primary election.
Read the full story HERE.
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The mother and grandfather of a 2-month old baby found dead in a sweltering, feces-filled camper pleaded not guilty Tuesday to numerous charges surrounding the infant's death. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that caseworkers did have contact with the family earlier in the year.
“DFS had tried to go and see inside of the camper and check on the baby's welfare, and Travis' study basically told them to leave his property and would not give them access to come inside. After a high risk pregnancy, the baby soon lost 11% of its body weight. When one caseworker went to the house, she noticed signs of debris everywhere, including a strong odor of cat urine coming from one of their vehicles. DFS tried to make contact, and when they came up to the camper, Travis Study told them to leave and would not give them access to come inside or to check on the baby.”
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. 22-year-old Destiny Study faces only misdemeanors, and she will have a pre-trial conference in November. 57-year-old Travis Study also pleaded not guilty, so now the case awaits the trial date.
Read the full story HERE.
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The national social media influencer Libs of TikTok blasted a Laramie High School counselor on Thursday for saying he wishes Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman had been aborted. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports the influencer wrote, “Would you want this person in charge of your kids' mental health?”
“She blasted a commenter who also happens to be a Laramie High School counselor for saying he wishes House Speaker Chip Neiman had been aborted. So Neiman said the comment was horrific, undermines the pro-choice argument. But he also said he feels for the counselor.”
When asked to comment about Jason Uitterdyk’s post, Albany County School District No. 1 declined to comment via its communications coordinator Madison Green.
Read the full story HERE.
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A dimwitted tourist posted a video of himself illegally climbing above the Upper Falls of the Grand Canyon in Yellowstone earlier this week. He bragged about the “risky view” and how it gave him adrenaline. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that the unidentified, for now, hiker’s Instagram post could result in charges.
“You are not allowed to go off trail in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Off-trail travel in that area is prohibited, and climbing onto the perch over the upper falls of the Grand Canyon is considered off-trail travel. Climbing falls under that jurisdiction, so certainly should not have been where he was. And the worst thing you can do if you're going to do something like that in Yellowstone is post about it on social media, which he also did. So not only is that discouraging because it might encourage other people to do the same thing, it's self-incriminating.”
Rock climbing isn’t prohibited in Yellowstone, but going off-trail is. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of those areas. The exact language of the prohibition can be found in the Yellowstone Superintendent’s Compendium, which is reviewed annually and updated as needed.
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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The Bureau of Land Management plans to round up about 1,800 mustangs in the Red Desert Complex of central Wyoming this fall, claiming that overpopulated horses are at risk for starvation. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that wild-horse advocate Carol Walker doesn’t believe that.
“The BLM starting this fall, maybe in October, they want to go in and their end goal is to round up about 1,800 horses out of there and get their numbers back down. Their claim is if we don't get in there and reduce that population significantly, some horses could start starving. I talked to a wild horse advocate who told me that in her words, she says that's baloney. She said that from what she's seen out on the range, the horses are all in good shape. They're all looking fat and looking like they have plenty to eat.”
The roundups are set to begin in the fall.
Read the full story HERE.
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Hulett's Ham and Jam is supposed to be a one-day party. Ride in, have a Bloody Mary, eat a pork sandwich, and roar off into the distance toward Sturgis. But Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the event has become such a popular event, the 30,000 bikers who visit every year have extended their stay.
“It's a great, beautiful ride in Wyoming's northeastern Black Hills, and so in order to attract more of those riders, a lot of the towns that are on this loop, like Hewlett, have come up with you know things to attract some of the Sturgis rally goers. Captain Ron, the guy that owned Ron's Rodeo Bar, came up with the idea to serve a free pork sandwich to Sturgis rally goers at his bar, and he had free music and you know, of course, drinks you buy, but free pork sandwich.”
Captain Ron’s Rodeo Bar server Kelly Maher-Wolfensperger has just a few rules for the annual Ham and Jam party that happens in Hulett each year, when 30,000 or so bikes roll into town for a free pork sandwich and the fixings from Captain Ron’s Rodeo Bar. She tells Cowboy State Daily, “We do not mince, muddle, or blend – so don’t ask.” Her no-nonsense rules mean the bar doesn’t make Old Fashioneds, mojitos, or mules during the weeks of the Sturgis rally.
Read the full story HERE.
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A grizzly and wolf initially had a tense standoff over a bison carcass in Yellowstone, but opted to resolve it peacefully. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that the photographer who filmed the interaction said they're smarter than people think because the animals know fighting could be costly.
“I talked to a photographer, Marcela Herdova.she just got some cool footage of a wolf and a grizzly bear. There, there was a carcass nearby, and they were kind of getting close to each other and posturing and doing the tough guy thing, but they didn't actually fight. More often than not, it turns out how it's shown in that video, where the animals will posture and kind of you know puff up and then one will eventually give up and walk away. Fights are risky, you know. If a person breaks an arm, you go to the doctor to get it fixed. If a wolf breaks his leg in a fight, then he's screwed. Probably going to die, you know. And they seem to know that.”
The worst it got was the bear giving the wolf a grumpy “side eye,” Herdova tells Cowboy State Daily, who was among numerous visitors who saw the drama in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley.
Read the full story HERE.
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Two South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers were nearly struck by lightning while on a manhunt Wednesday evening. Body cam video captured the lightning strike followed by an immediate yell. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that lightning struck a little too close for comfort for the troopers.
“The South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers were not injured, though it was the shock of their lives. They were only a few yards away from the lightning strike. It does tend to be true that lightning strikes the tallest point in an area, but that's not a guarantee. It strikes ground all the time, as we see in Wyoming. That's how we get wildfires. The best thing you can do if you're in an area where you're anticipating a lightning strike because you hear thunder, it's not to go prostrate on the ground. Don't do that. The goal is to make yourself as short and as small as possible. So crouch down and get it so that only the slightest bits of your toes are actually touching the ground, because then you're conducting less electricity.”
The troopers were searching for someone with “a purple shirt” when lightning suddenly struck the ground just south of Rapid City, according to a video the highway patrol posted.
Read the full story HERE.
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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
