It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, October 1st. I’m Mac Watson.
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A Cody photographer heading to Yellowstone found three dead grizzly cubs on the North Fork Highway on Tuesday morning. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that Timothy O’Leary says the bears were struck along a curve and the driver probably didn’t see the bears until it was too late.
“I talked to a local photographer who found one of the carcasses, and then called in Game and Fish, and with the assistance of a Game and Fish person and some dogs. They found two other carcasses. Apparently, we can surmise it's probably triplets. They are probably a set of triplets that got hit and killed. No, no sign of the mother bear in both the photographer who was on the scene and Game and Fish confirmed that they didn't. They didn't find any sign of the mother or any indication that she had been hit, so I guess it's just a sad situation where a mama bear lost three of her cubs in one vehicle strike.”
The cubs were hit just past the Shoshone National Forest boundary on US Highway 14/16/20, the North Fork Highway.
Read the full story HERE.
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A proposed partial ban of license plate readers is a first step at regulating the devices, but may already fall short, a researcher told Wyoming lawmakers Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the expert said devices also can now track faces, cellphones and radio frequencies.
“Matthew Cavadon, a researcher at the Cato Institute, was saying, "Hey, great first effort at a partial ban on license plate readers here in Wyoming, but this definition is a little lacking because, hey, guess what? They're lifting radio frequency data, and there's tech that is capable of facial recognition now. And and you know, lawmakers didn't really run with that one on Tuesday, but they do have another meeting where they're supposed to vet this bill in November.”
Cato criminal justice project director Matthew Cavedon’s remarks unfolded during a meeting of the Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology held Tuesday in Laramie. The Cato Institute is a nonprofit group focused on advancing liberty-oriented causes, its website says.
Read the full story HERE.
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A 6-year-old horse named Evie has taken up with a herd of bison in Yellowstone since July. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports the Park Service wants her out before winter, but the horse has resisted all attempts to wrangle her.
“The owner wants the horse back, and the National Park Service wants the horse out. So they're trying to figure out how to do that. But a domesticated horse might come up to its owner or for some feed. A wild horse isn't going to, so they're going to have to get creative to figure out the most successful way to get this horse out of the park before it starts snowing. Because wild horses can survive in the snow, but this horse came from the southwest U.S. so there's now no way there's no way of knowing if this horse has what it takes to survive a Yellowstone winter.”
Yellowstone National Park tells Cowboy State Daily that park officials are aware of the loose horse and are working with the owner to recover it.” For now, Evie is just fine with hanging out with her new bison friends.
Read the Full story HERE.
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Power demands by data centers, energy and manufacturers have spawned multiple proposed Wyoming law changes, spread to three legislative committees and filled hours of testimony. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that some lawmakers vow to make power utilities compete with independent suppliers by 2027.
“The Corporations Committee is dealing with this idea that we need to strap more energy providers either onto the grid or alongside it. And now the blockchain committee spent like four hours on that also Tuesday. So it's one of these things where this need to strap big energy suppliers either onto the grid or alongside it is just dominating at least three legislative committees and hours and hours of testimony and probably lots of work behind the scenes.”
The Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee narrowly killed a bill in August that would have let independent power suppliers sell electricity to any one customer using no less than 25 megawatts. That would introduce competition into the power-supply world, which now comprises tightly regulated monopolies.
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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Wildlife officials this week killed 14 black bears that were reportedly being fed on a property near Bozeman, Montana. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that one local resident says bear activity in and near Bozeman is off the charts this year.
“Apparently on a property near Bozeman, there somebody was allegedly deliberately feeding bears, and it got so bad that the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks had to step in, and they euthanized 14 black bears across all from cubs all the way up to adults. They were able to trap and save one cub that they're trying to get placed with the zoo, and that was the 15th bear on that property.”
Because the case is still under investigation and charges could be pending, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks declined to reveal the exact location of the property or names of the owners. Feeding wildlife is generally forbidden under Montana statutes. Penalties can include fines up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail and a loss of hunting and fishing privileges.
Read the full story HERE.
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Branden Burbank still doesn’t know why the driver of the blue GMC pickup tried to run him down while tearing up the Cheyenne Country Club golf course Monday. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports the assistant golf pro told Cowboy State Daily he has no idea what set the guy off.
“He said the guy wasn't playing on the course, so we all know how frustrating golf can be. But apparently that wasn't what set him off. He'd never seen him before. But apparently that wasn't what set him off. But one thing that the golf course said was that it was pretty apparent to him that this guy wanted to cause some damage. He, for some reason, wanted to cause some damage to the course. He was doing that, and then when he saw someone was seeing him do it and had his phone, decided, okay, I better get out of here, and then took off.”
Burbank tells Cowboy State Daily that he noticed 49-year-old Denver resident Gust Martinez Jr. hopped the curb and made a hard right onto the golf course, then put his car in his path, because people were on the course at that time. Burbank added “Then when he saw me, he revved up at me and made a run for me.” That’s when Burbank said he called 911.
Read the full story HERE.
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A week after accounts were restored at Hilltop Bank following a massive cyber security breach, customers are reporting unauthorized and unfamiliar charges on their accounts. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports customers also report balances that don't match what they expected to have available.
“One Hilltop bank customer told me about a $519 that is just floating. The charges that she was looking at had already gone through, according to the merchants. However, Hilltop said that they were still pending. So there's a lot of confusion, a lot of questions. Hilltop spokesperson Bill Salvin told me that customers who have kept accurate records will not be affected by this. He said there's been no evidence any customer data or accounts have been compromised since they've been restored.”
Hilltop has acknowledged it was processing transactions that accumulated while its systems were offline. During the restoration process, the bank said its teams were working to process backlogged transactions.
Read the full story HERE.
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Powell’s annual city auction includes a hodgepodge of old firearms and suppressors accumulated over the years. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that one national expert on police evidence said in California he’d advise against selling the weapons, but in Wyoming, “it’s what they do.”
“Powell City Administrator Zach Thorington says that the proceeds of this sale will go to the general fund. They've put 11 guns, one dart gun, and several silencers up for auction on Wednesday. Police Chief Jim Rhea stressed that these guns were not seized or forfeited. They've come across them over the years for safekeeping, and eventually they get so many that the department has to figure out what to do with them. So the question has always been: Do they sell them or do they destroy them?”
Among the more memorable firearms was a .32-caliber tranquilizer gun.
Read the full story HERE.
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As Chinese EVs head to Canada and President Trump signals openness to domestic production, Wyoming EV owners and industry insiders are mixed on whether they could get traction in the Cowboy State. Cowboy State Daily’s Emma Jane Jackson spoke with one Tesla owner who said flatly, "It'd have to be a better ride.”
“For TJ Doan, a self-proclaimed Tesla fanboy in Cheyenne, it would not only have to be a better ride, but a cheaper price and with better self-driving. But for most Americans, it's just a matter of different laws. Right now, under Biden era regulation, Chinese automakers aren't allowed to manufacture or sell passenger cars in the U.S. Mike Yin, a state rep from Jackson, said that these cars are able to be produced faster. The technology develops quicker, and they're cheaper to buy. It's something he said he's brought up to American manufacturers because he's worried that America is not going to be competitive as the Chinese EV industry continues to grow.”
Chinese electric vehicles aren’t available in the United States yet but they are headed to Canada, and President Donald Trump has said he'd be fine with Chinese automakers building them in the U.S.
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.
