It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, September 29th. I’m Mac Watson.
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Teton County officials asked developers of a non-luxury neighborhood to pay $3.5 million to help with nearby road construction. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that after some objections about paying the unprecedented “tax” on a largely philanthropic project, the developers now say they'll compromise.
“There was a lot of chatter in September about paying it all up front, and they were like, ‘Whoa, you know, why are we going to do this union of government and private sector, and we still kind of have our project in approval mode, in consideration mode,’ and so they they really bristled and said that having to pay that amount up front would make the project unviable, but then on Monday the developers came around and proposed a compromise where they would end up paying the full 3.5 million to help the community build other roads outside the neighborhood that the county says are linked to its impacts, its impacts on traffic, and in exchange, those payouts would be connected to phases of approval.”
The commissioners are slated to consider the project approval on October 6.
Read the full story HERE.
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Dramatic dashcam video has emerged which shows a semi crashing into a Rawlins bridge on I-80 in July. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that a safety engineer said had the truck not hit the median cable barrier, the result would have been disastrous.
“Nearly three months after a semi-truck demolished one of the beams in a Rawlins bridge, the Wyoming Highway Patrol has yet to release what caused the accident and who was driving the truck. The city of Rawlins closed the Higley Bridge immediately after the wreck, and now three months later, it remains closed. WYDOT’s going to have to address the Spruce Street Bridge in Rawlins as well as Exit 214 in Cheyenne before they can start accepting bids for the newest bridge breakdown.”
The crash happened the morning of July 20 near Exit 214. The Wyoming Highway Patrol reported the semi was westbound when it drifted off the pavement and entered the median.The truck struck the median cable barrier and eastbound guardrail before crashing into the concrete bridge supports, destroying it.
Read the full story HERE.
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In the middle of a nearly six-hour standoff with Gillette police last week, a pair of alleged drunk brothers got a little hungry and ordered food from DoorDash. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that one retired cop says, “What drunks will do has never ceased to impress me.”
“Two guys reportedly really intoxicated, been firing a weapon. out of the back door of the house, which caused six neighbors to call 911 within a five minute period. What wasn't in the affidavit was what was ordered in DoorDash. We don't know. We can only guess what a drunk person at two a.m. in Gillette would order from DoorDash. The standoff lasted almost six hours, and most of it appears in the affidavit that most of it was just just kind of waiting. They were waiting for a search warrant for a judge, because that's what they need. They were able to apprehend these guys without too much trouble.”
Frank Groth, a Gillette resident and retired career law enforcement officer tells Cowboy State Daily that to have a DoorDasher show up in the middle of police waiting out potentially armed suspects “is a new one on me.” He added that he’s seen times when someone in a standoff will demand food be sent in, but not someone ordering it themselves.
Read the full story HERE.
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After a brutal summer where three people were killed on Teton Pass, RV and truck drivers are now required to take a course before driving the road. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that the Wyoming Trucking Association says it's not just a truck problem, and everyone should take it.
“So the word ‘test’ is really a misnomer because for this certificate, all you need to do is watch two videos. They're about two minutes each, and then you need to go through a checklist, just checking off that you have performed all of these things on your vehicle, including checking your brakes ahead of descending the pass. Brandon Guymon is now the safety manager for a landscaping trucking business in Idaho, and he's saying that he thinks it's a step in the right direction, but he has serious doubts about whether this five-minute certificate process is going to make a difference or not. He said, unfortunately, people can cruise through it without even really watching the video, and that there's no way to enforce people to actually absorb what is in said video.”
The Wyoming Department of Transportation’s new WY22 Safe Pass program requires drivers of RVs, vehicles towing any trailer and vehicles weighing or rated for 10,000 pounds or more to complete an online safety course and self-certification before traveling Wyoming Highway 22 over Teton Pass. The certification is free, good for one year, and takes about five minutes to complete.
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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While some might regard road hunters as the lazy bums of the outdoors world, seeking wildlife from a climate-controlled cab has its place, advocates said. But, Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that one avid hunter, Buzz Hettick of Laramie tells Cowboy State Daily, “We all get old.”
“I talked to a few outdoorsmen, and it kind of has a bad reputation for a lot of people. It's kind of the lazy, sloppy way to get out of hunting, but also a couple things is a lot of time for elderly hunters or for you know disabled veterans those types of people it's a great option to just hunt from your truck along the road. You can't unless you have a specific disability permit. You cannot shoot from your truck. You have to make it clear in order to be legal. You have to step out of the vehicle and off the road to take your shot.”
There’s also “hybrid hunting,” in which hunters cruise roads trying to spot animals at great distances and then get out and hunt on foot.
Read the full story HERE.
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A 63-year-old Nevada man was tracked down with Flock cameras after allegedly blasting a Jackson tour bus driver in the face with bear spray. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports the suspect says he was acting in self-defense, while the victim says he was road raging.
“Once the tour bus did park, all the passengers got off. They went into Dairy Queen. The bus driver also gets out and walks to the restaurant, but he stays outside. He's opening up the compartment underneath the bus, you know, the storage compartment, said he's getting some water. While he's there getting it out, he reports he heard this vehicle coming towards him. He looks up, and this guy is driving the truck right next to him. Says that the window's open. The guy's kind of hanging out and points something out the window at him, and he gets hit full in the face with bear spray. The evidence seems to corroborate the bus driver's version of events. Police report in their affidavit, they say that they found a lot of bear spray residue on and around the storage compartment on the bus where he said he was.”
John Frances Harrington was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and battery, which is a felony. He had his initial appearance in Teton County Circuit Court on Friday, and is free on a $2,500 bond ahead of an Oct. 9 preliminary hearing.
Read the full story HERE.
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Shoshoni Mayor Joel Highsmith is blaming AI for Google and Apple Maps telling travelers on Monday that the entire town is closed down. Cowboy State Daily’s Jackie Dorothy reports that the messaging caused drivers to end up on isolated dirt roads which can be impassable for large trailers and campers.
“The police chief of Shoshone actually found out that Google and Apple were misdirecting these people down the remote back roads because they called him and they were complaining. They wanted him to fix it so they wouldn't be going to Monita or to Castle Garden, and that they knew that Shoshone was definitely still open for business. That's the funny part about it is that when you look on Google Maps and you try to route yourself through Shoshone, Google, Apple, all of those navigational tools. They'll redirect you around the town, and you do not want to be redirected around Shoshone. There is really no alternative because you can't get a hold of Google or Apple.”
WYDOT said the detour on U.S. Highway 20/26 traffic on Shoshoni’s east end was so a contractor can replace the Bighorn Divide and Wyoming Railroad crossing.
The work is expected to be finished later this week. But in the meantime, traffic is being diverted, not stopped, when they come to Shoshoni.
Read the full story HERE.
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Since 1938, Snow King has been one of Jackson Hole’s most recognizable ski destinations. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that now after nearly 90 years, it’s been rebranded as “Trailborn Jackson Hole.”
“They've added a cafe where you can get kind of grab-and-go types of things, coffee, cocktails, depending on the time of day. And it's open now directly to the swimming pool, so you don't even have to leave the pool area. That's a nice perk if you've got kids with you. That pool is still open to the public. You can buy a day pass, go in and use the pool. They've also added something they call the alley oop. I think it's kind of like a little family club room.”
The landmark hotel at the base of Jackson’s “Town Hill” was once a scrapbook of community life. It was where local high school sports banquets took place, where state association conferences parked their trucks, and where generations of skiers clomped through the lobby in wet boots.
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.
