It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, September 22nd. I’m Mac Watson.
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A Wyoming federal lands group is bashing a bill U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman has unveiled that would cap government conservation easements at 30 years. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Hageman says it will balance landowners’ rights, while opponents claim it will harm conservation efforts.
“She actually unveiled this bill back in April that would cap new conservation easements by the Department of Interior at 30 years, and older ones that are past the 30 year mark would come up for review or renegotiation if the landowner wanted. So old bill, but the Wyoming Sportsmen for Federal Lands Group kind of raised the alarm here Sunday and in an interview today saying this is not acceptable, you know. There's wetlands that depend on these for conservation, and I ask the you know I ask the spokesman Earl DeGroot. I said, "Why are you raising the alarm now? He said, "Well, the time is now. She's running for Senate.”
In response, Hageman called the current system lopsided, pointing to the Wyoming Constitution, and called for a balancing of interests.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Casper family is mourning a 24-year-old killed in a shooting Saturday involving his brother, who has since been released from custody. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that their great aunt says, “Those brothers loved each other.”
“24-year-old Quincy Brow was fatally shot in the street by his brother on North McKinley Street over the weekend in Casper. Rose Wallace identifies herself as the great aunt to the two boys who are her nephews. She says that she believes this was an accident as she spoke with the defendant who is now no longer in police custody, and no charges have been filed. And her nephew told her that this was just the result of an argument, and that he never intended to kill his brother.”
Casper PD spokesperson Rebecka Ladd confirmed Brow’s identity Monday, citing an announcement from the Natrona County Coroner’s Office, adding the investigation is ongoing.
Read the full story HERE.
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The One Shot Antelope Hunt, a central Wyoming staple since 1940, is the ultimate challenge for hunters — drop a buck pronghorn with a single shot. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz got to tag along this year and reports hunters discovered near Jeffrey City on Saturday, it’s not easy.
“This thing has, over the years, it's like Chuck Yeager has participated. Roy Rogers, some really high-profile people have participated, and so they had the 82nd one just this past weekend. The rule is that you have two vehicles. Each vehicle has a hunter and a guide in it, and it's a little bit confusing. But the two hunters have to be from different teams. Yet you have three hunter teams, but they don't go out together. They go out separately, and so the hunting party is two hunters from different teams and their respective guides. So I jumped in a truck with one of those folks and went out on the hunt with them, and it was a lot of fun.”
The One-Shot Antelope Hunt has been based out of Lander since 1940 and conducted every year since except during World War II (1942-45) and COVID-19 (2020).
Read the full story HERE.
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The 17th and final illegal driver arrested during the latest Laramie County traffic safety enforcement operation was going the wrong way on a one-way street in front of the sheriff’s office. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that Yatsen Perez-Ramos, originally from Cuba, almost hit a deputy and was on the ICE watch list.
“The Laramie County Sheriff's Office spent the last year doing periodic ‘Truck Around and Find Out’ campaigns. They're pretty much finished with it at the end of the week, and as the deputy was leaving, having finished his shift, and almost got hit by a car that was going the wrong way on a one-way street. He noticed the driver was on his cell phone, and on further investigation, when they stopped and were talking to the guy, number one, he didn't speak in English. He had an expired Wyoming driver's license. And when they called it in to ICE, apparently ICE this guy was on their radar. Moral of the story is if you don't want to catch the attention of law enforcement, don't drive the wrong way right past the sheriff's office and almost hit a deputy.”
This latest Truck Around and Find Out operation rounds out a year of the targeted highway safety efforts for the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office. Like a number of the other illegal drivers turned over to ICE this past week, the wrong-way driver “didn’t speak any English,” and had both an expired visa to be in the country and an expired Wyoming driver’s license.
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 45th Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale in Cody saw big sales for big paintings. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi was there and reports that by the time the Quick Draw ended on Saturday morning, the two live auctions and their accompanying silent auctions had raised at least $1.034 million.
“So the top selling piece was "Last Stand at the OK Corral" by Dustin Payne. It's a bronze depicting the moments during the shootouts at the OK Corral with the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday. The best selling artist of the entire show this year was Thomas Kegler. Kegler's painting Valley of the Giants Romans 1513 won the 2026 Spirit of Buffalo Bill Award and the People's Choice Award. It sold for $22,500, and the next day during the quick draw, a piece that he put together that morning sold for another $17,000 for a grand total of $39,500 between the two days, which is more than any other artist made during that time frame.”
Kegler is a self-taught realist painter, educational film producer, and art educator based in New York. His painting won the 2026 People’s Choice and Spirit of Buffalo Bill Awards.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Colorado fugitive was arrested after a 100-mph chase on U.S. 287 into Laramie that continued on a bare rim until the driver crashed through a cattle gate. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that a roadside witness who took video as the chase raced past cheered, “Go get ’em boys! Go get ’em.”
“Deputies say Jonis Mencia-Cruz continued the chase even after his tire popped, he was driving on a bare rim. Police eventually were able to get him stopped, and when they did, they realized he had a warrant out for his arrest from Colorado. Authorities say that the pickup crashed through a cattle guard and eventually, the pickup crashed at Roger Canyon Road, where the suspect got out and started to run away from police officers. They were able to quickly apprehend him and take him into custody.”
Jonis Mencia-Cruz is now facing property destruction, eluding, reckless driving and interference charges after a Thursday pursuit that topped 100 mph, tore through Laramie and continued at more than 90 mph with a front tire gone. If convicted on all charges, he could spend 12 years behind bars.
Read the full story HERE.
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Some Wyoming legislators are pushing a bill that would let independent power suppliers compete with utilities by selling to companies like trona mines and data centers. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that four House members killed the effort, but it's coming back next week and state Senator Chris Rothfuss is optimistic.
“Faced with just enormous power demands and struggles by at least one power company to meet those, lawmakers are saying, "Why don't we just authorize independent power suppliers who want to sell to large loads to do that. Why do we just let them do that? That bill died. Rothfuss has encouraged one lawmaker who already voted yes on it is on that committee, and none of the lawmakers who voted no on it are on that committee. So it certainly has a chance of being adopted by that committee, and then as an adopted bill, an edge going into the winter lawmaking session.”
Companies can generate power for themselves right now. But they can’t buy it from third-party, non-utility parties, Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, tells Cowboy State Daily. This bill would have defined those independent suppliers as utilities, grafting them into Wyoming’s power supply laws.
Read the full story HERE.
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Guernsey Town Councilman Jeremiah Fields told candidate Sue Fronapfel “the gloves are off” in the town hall parking lot after they clashed during a council meeting earlier this month. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that Fields reportedly told Fronapfel, “It's not a threat, but a promise,”
“Sue Fronapfel accused two council members of not doing their jobs and specifically continually attacking town clerk Hillary Dawson. It's a claim that Jeremiah Fields, Town Council Member Jeremiah Fields, took personally and denies. He felt sure that Fronapfel was talking to him directly and to get outside later and said the gloves are off. Whether or not Fields made a threat is up for debate. Fields said he did not. He simply said the gloves are off, made a statement, and walked away. According to a written police statement, Fronapfel said it was a threat that she did feel threatened, and she went back into the town council chambers and asked what to do, and then ended up calling the police.”
No wrongdoing was found by Platte County attorney Marel Bunker Roth, according to an email from the attorney to the police chief viewed by Cowboy State Daily.
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.
