David Madison

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

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Renée Jean

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Justin George

One More For The Road

[{"type":"text","text":"How they clear the roadway for the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade....."}]

One more for 7 18 26

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>One More For The Road: Saturday, July 18, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

How they clear the roadway for the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade.....

One More For The Road: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Government & Politics

Politics

Second-quarter campaign finance reports for Wyoming’s GOP primary House race are in, and four candidates have loaned themselves more than $1 million each.

Steve Friess has amassed the largest war chest with $2.5 million, which includes a $2 million self-loan. Reid Rasner is second, loaning himself $1.7 million out of $2 million, while two others, Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Teton-County-based attorney Frank Chapman, also hit above the $1 million mark with self-funding. 

Those four will face off against six other Republican contenders for the GOP nomination in Wyoming's Aug. 18 primary election in the hopes of winning the state's lone U.S. House race soon being vacated by Rep. Harriet Hageman. 

Friess has “invested $2 million of his own money in the effort,” as his Wednesday statement describes the self-loan. 

That puts Friess’s principal campaign committee Friess For Wyoming at nearly $2.2 million after another $92,361 in other contributions and $81,136 in transfers from other authorized committees.  

While U.S. Federal Election Commission reports for the second quarter surfaced this week, Friess’s financial lead is more notable because he declared his run later than most candidates in April.

Recognizable names appear in Friess’s donations receipts, such as National Museum of Military Vehicles founder Dan Starks and major 

The joint fundraising committee Friess Wyoming Victory Fund also raises money for the Friess campaign and has logged $363,626 in receipts, all from individuals.

Those include conservative media giant Tucker Carlson, Turning Point USA board member Doug DeGroote, and Friess’s mother Lynne.

Friess’s principal committee has $606,907 cash on hand — the most of any candidate.

[{"type":"text","text":"He’s spent about $1.49 million so far."}]

Friess's spokesman Tim Edson noted that within the past three months, Friess has outraised all opponents combined. 

"Republicans are rallying around Steve because they want a political outsider and businessman who can't be bought," wrote Edson in a Friday text message. "With a month to go, Steve has the money and the momentum — he's now tied for the lead and poised to overtake Chuck Gray and win this race." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Next Up, Reid"}]

For total receipts, Rasner is second at nearly $2.044 million for his primary committee, Reid Rasner for Wyoming.   

That includes a nearly $1.71 million self-loan and $328,762 in other contributions.

Rasner’s committee’s ending cash on hand is $81,017.78, and he’s spent nearly $2 million.

His campaign did not return a Thursday text message request for comment by publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chuck Gray"}]

Gray’s committee Citizens for Chuck Gray has logged $1,378,842 in receipts, including $230,936 in contributions and a $1.147 million self-loan.

[{"type":"text","text":"He’s spent about $852,365 so far."}]

Gray’s individual receipts show giving by Drake Hill, who is a Cheyenne-based attorney and husband to former Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill; Gray’s father Jan Charles Gray; and Gore-Tex heiress Susan Gore, among others.

Gray told Cowboy State Daily in a Thursday text message that his campaign is “in the lead, is gaining momentum and remains in a strong financial position.”

“Thank you to the people of Wyoming for your support,” wrote Gray, who said he has a proven track record of advancing Wyoming values “and will continue that work as a member of Congress.”

He added a critique that surfaces in many of his public statements against the media and an undefined group of “insiders.”

“That track record is why our campaign is in the lead, and it’s why the leftwing media and the insiders continue to attack me,” wrote Gray.

The PAC Protecting Wyoming Values dispatches mailers regularly in Gray’s favor. Its receipts total $657,009, all contributions from Gray’s father.

Gray’s committee’s cash on hand nearly rivals Friess’, at $526,476.60.

To Matt Micheli, a longtime politico and former chair of the Wyoming Republican Party, Gray’s name recognition and Friess’s momentum are honing the race.

Micheli donated money to another contender, Senate President Bo Biteman, but has since endorsed Friess.

“Listen, money matters in elections, and you need to have enough money to get your message out to voters,” Micheli said Thursday. “We’re at the point now people are starting to pay attention.”

Micheli added, “Right now, I see it as a two-person race. I think it really comes down to Steve Friess or Chuck Gray. They’re the two candidates right now that have a chance of winning this race.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chapman"}]

Chapman told Cowboy State Daily he believes his campaign is doing “very well finance-wise in the race.”

“You’ve got four main, you know, candidates that have gone out and raised money or contributed money to make themselves viable in responsible campaigns,” said Chapman, listing himself among Friess, Gray and Rasner.

His main campaign committee Chapman for Congress lists just over $1.09 million in receipts with $31,622.89 in contributions and a $1.06 million self-loan.

Chapman’s cash on hand notation tallies $495,161.33 — the third most after Friess and Gray. He’s spent at least $596,462.50 from his principal committee, says the FEC.

Chapman noted that independent political action committees (PACs) may also play a huge role in the race.

 has dropped $2.5 million into the super-PAC Fighting For Wyoming, which has 

 “a conservative rancher ready to fight with President Trump for the people of Wyoming.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Chapman said strategy is also important."}]

“When you’re running a campaign, a responsible candidate will buy the last three weeks (of TV ads) three months out,” said Chapman, adding that his campaign did that for prominent Wyoming TV channels. He also spoke of going to forums and gaining momentum in the field.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"David Giralt"}]

The other six candidates in this 10-way primary election are Biteman, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, military veterans David Giralt and Kevin Christensen, former lawmaker Keith Goodenough and Richard Dodson.

Giralt has raised at least $184,529.88, including one $64,691.48 self-loan, and spent $31,449, the FEC says.

[{"type":"text","text":"He narrowly outpaced Balow for that fifth-place earner slot."}]

He said he’s honored to have donations and support from members of Congress, but more humbled when he’s out door-knocking and a Wyomingite “decides to wrap a contribution check for $50 in an envelope and send us on our way with it.”

“As someone who’s new to politics I’m very proud of the work, the momentum we’ve been able to build,” he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Giralt said he was out knocking doors during his Friday phone interview."}]

“As someone starting on this journey as a bit of an outsider I’m just very humbled to out-fundraise people who’ve been in the political realm for years or even decades, for some,” he said, adding that people’s giving is more touching since he started out his campaign as “a long shot.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Jillian Balow"}]

Balow’s primary campaign committee Jillian Balow for Wyoming has raised $166.451.09 as of the July FEC filing deadline. That includes $41,449 in individual contributions and $125,000 of her own money.

The FEC shows her at $124,051 cash on hand and $42,399.75 in expenses as of the July report cutoff.

“I’m incredibly proud of the groundswell of support that is providing my campaign with the critical resources I need to connect with undecided voters,” said Balow in a Thursday text message. “I’m the only candidate in the House race with Wyoming roots, a conservative record as a leader, and the tenacity to fight hard and win for Wyoming.”

Balow added, “Slick television ads and endless family wealth will not win this race. Shoe leather and grit will.”

Both Balow and Biteman have garnered donations from multiple former state lawmakers.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bo Biteman"}]

Biteman promised this year that he would not declare for higher office at least until the legislative session was over, saying he wanted to focus on leading the Senate rather than campaigning. 

As a result, he declared his run later than Rasner and Gray, but still a few days earlier than Friess.

He’s raised $94,342.45 as of his second-quarter FEC report, nearly all donations from individuals.

The FEC lists his cash on hand at $20,407.69 and his expenditures at nearly $74,000.

“We also have a number of outstanding donor commitments that were made after the close of the reporting period or have not yet been received, so this report doesn’t reflect all the support behind our campaign,” said Biteman in a Thursday text message.

He said his campaign has been disciplined with its spending out of respect for the donors who “expect us to be good stewards of every dollar.”

“I’d rather be known for running an efficient campaign than an expensive one,” Biteman said. “Every dollar we save today is another dollar we can invest in reaching voters when it matters most. 

"Campaigns aren’t built to accumulate cash — they’re built to communicate with voters and earn support, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Biteman said many donors are watching to see how the crowded primary contest develops before making larger commitments, but said his campaign is budling support across Wyoming, adding volunteers and meeting with voters every day.

“I feel very good about where this campaign is headed because we have the experience, the record, and the grassroots support to win,” he said.

At a Wednesday morning coffee gathering in Riverton, Biteman had quipped at the incongruity of some candidates spending more than $2 million to win a nearly $180,000 a year job.

“That was simply to say that public service should be about serving the people, not building a career in politics,” said Biteman.

He said he prefers to deliver his message in person, “not through a $125,000 mailer or a late night Roku ad buy, as most Wyomingites don’t want to believe that this election can be outright bought or that the voters can be enticed by shiny objects over proven, consistent and effective leadership.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Kevin Christensen"}]

The Christensen campaign has raised $13,258.21. That’s $10,258.21 in contributions and $3,000 of Christensen’s money.

[{"type":"text","text":"The FEC lists him as having $4,573.98 cash on hand."}]

Christensen acknowledged in a Thursday phone interview that he can’t match many others’ fundraising.

“I’m going off of, you know, people that know me and people who are Wyoming residents. I haven’t accepted any PAC money,” he said. “But you know for value on the dollar, I’m doing very well for the amount of money I’m bringing in.”

Christensen said he believes is campaign is gaining momentum, and he’s looking forward to proving it.

FEC reports for Dodson and Goodenough were not publicly available as of publication time.

Mix Collage 17 Jul 2026 05 49 PM 9333

<title>FEC Report: Four Wyoming House Candidates Loan Themselves More Than $1 Million Each | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Second-quarter campaign finance reports for Wyoming’s GOP primary House race are in. Steve Friess has amassed the most with $2.5 million, which includes a $2 million self-loan. Reid Rasner is second, loaning himself $1.7 million out of $2 million.

FEC Report: Four Wyoming House Candidates Loan Themselves More Than $1 Million Each

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

 to bring a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl back to Wyoming has pleaded no-contest to three felony charges, ending the criminal case short of trial and leaving prosecutors free to seek the maximum possible sentence.

Christopher Steven Gravenmier, 31, entered no-contest pleas Wednesday in Lincoln County District Court to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count of kidnapping.

Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred and Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Ember Oakley prosecuted the case.

Rather than agreeing to a negotiated prison term, the plea leaves sentencing open, allowing both sides to argue for the punishment they believe is appropriate.

"We're really pleased with this because we can argue up to the maximum," Oakley told Cowboy State Daily. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Sentencing is scheduled for July 29."}]

If the court orders the sentences to run consecutively, Gravenmier faces mandatory prison terms of 25 to 50 years on each of the two first-degree sexual abuse convictions, along with up to 20 years on the kidnapping conviction — a combined maximum of 120 years in prison.

[{"type":"text","text":"No-Contest Plea "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Several other felony counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement."}]

Although a no-contest plea differs procedurally from a guilty plea, it has the same legal effect in a criminal case.

"'No-contest' is legally the same as a guilty plea," Allred said. "No-contest pleas basically mean the defendant does not contest the charges against him, but it acts the exact same way as a guilty plea. He's still convicted of those counts. It's procedural. He says, 'I don't contest those charges,' but it acts the same way as a guilty plea."

By entering the plea, Gravenmier gave up his constitutional right to a trial, and the case now moves directly to sentencing.

[{"type":"text","text":"Taken From Home"}]

 April 22 when the girl, who had been reported missing from Oklahoma days earlier, called her grandmother from a Wyoming gas station and said she had been abducted.

Investigators initially encountered Gravenmier after the girl said she had borrowed his cellphone. But once she was safe, authorities say she identified him as the man who had brought her to Wyoming.

The girl told investigators she had communicated with Gravenmier for months on Snapchat before he drove from Kemmerer to Oklahoma. She alleged he told her he knew where she lived, prompting her to leave home with him because she feared what might happen if she refused.

Prosecutors allege Gravenmier drove the girl back to Wyoming, where he sexually abused her during the trip and after arriving in Kemmerer. Charging documents also allege he threatened her, attempted to prevent anyone from tracking her cellphone and warned her not to report what had happened.

Gravenmier was arrested later that day and charged with multiple felony counts. Several of those charges were dismissed as part of Wednesday's plea agreement.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police Station"}]

At the police station, Gravenmier admitted to investigators that he had driven to Oklahoma and picked up the girl several days earlier.

The affidavit says agents noticed that he became "very emotional" during questioning and appeared nervous, grabbing at his shirt, wiping his face and developing a noticeably dry mouth.

[{"type":"text","text":"After requesting an attorney, the interview ended."}]

While investigators obtained search warrants for his home and vehicle, Gravenmier remained at the police station.

The affidavit states he was crying, slumped over in his chair and told agents he was "really sorry for what happened."

Gravenmeier and Lincoln County courthouse 4 30 26 1

<title>Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Kemmerer man accused of driving 16 hours to Oklahoma to bring a 12-year-old girl back to Wyoming pleaded no-contest to kidnapping and two sex abuse charges and now faces up to 120 years in jail. The affidavit said he told police he was "really sorry."

Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest

 to a DUI charge and was fined and sentenced to probation issued a public apology Friday. 

Rep. Bill Allemand, R-Midwest, was arrested Dec. 28 in Buffalo on suspicion of driving drunk from at least an interstate outlet intersection to the Miller's Travel Center gas station. 

More than seven months of a highly publicized, hotly contested case followed. He pleaded guilty Wednesday in Buffalo Circuit Court and was sentenced to pay a $500 fine and spend a year on unsupervised probation.

[{"type":"text","text":"If he fails probation, 88 days of jail time could follow."}]

“I would like everyone to know that I do owe you an apology for my offenses,” began Allemand in a public video posted Friday to Facebook. “I would like you to know also that throughout the duration of these proceedings and under the advisement of my legal representation, I was told to offer no apologies, that could affect the case that I was contesting.”

Allemand continued: “I do apologize for drinking while driving on a public road. I do acknowledge my actions could have been much worse, with much consequences.”

He said he’s never denied “that it was illegal and was honest up front.” 

Just after the legislative session ended in March, he said, he entered a counseling program without anyone ordering or pressuring him to do so. He completed that program and continues counseling, and hasn’t consumed alcohol since his arrest, said Allemand.

Allemand said he fought the charge because “I do not believe that the amount of beer consumed (had me) nearly as intoxicated as reported.”

Case prosecutor and Johnson County Deputy Attorney Josh Stensaas reported Allemand at a 0.24% blood-alcohol concentration. Allemand’s attorney, Mike Vang contested that finding during that case, and the BAC dispute wasn’t resolved by the time the case settled.

 “As the case developed, I felt I was not being given a fair opportunity to use the legal system to defend myself,” said Allemand. “There are many details that you weren’t all privileged to know and only chosen information was published by the media.”

Contacted by phone Friday, Allemand clarified to Cowboy State Daily that he was referencing details the media didn’t know. 

[{"type":"text","text":"These may surface later, he added. "}]

He declined to comment beyond that and beyond the statements in his apology video.

“I ultimately made the decision to plead guilty because I was wrong for drinking and driving,” he said in the video. “It also seemed to be a major consensus that I couldn’t ignore.”

He said he hopes his decision doesn’t impact others’ ability to exercise their rights under the system. He also said he’s served the  people with fidelity and will continue to do so.

Allemand faces a Republican opponent, Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer, at the Aug. 18 primary election. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Grateful He Apologized"}]

Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, had called for Allemand to apologize about one hour before Allemand’s apology video published.

“The silence is deafening from not only Rep. Allemand on his guilty plea but also from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus,” said Brown in a Friday Facebook post to his political page. “Accountability for his actions should be demanded by every single member of our body.”

Allemand is a member of the populist-leaning Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which is a controversial group of House Republicans that Brown often opposes.

Its proponents cast it as the true voice of Wyoming conservatives. Its foes accuse it of groupthink and sloppy legislating.

Brown told Cowboy State Daily in a Friday interview after Allemand’s apology that he’s “incredibly grateful that he did apologize.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That shows accountability, said Brown."}]

“I am a little disturbed that he still continues to push back against the judicial system, and it seems to be that is a growing concern from the Freedom Caucus in general; that they have little to no faith in the judicial system,” he said. “And it undermines our ability as a nation to believe in one of our three branches of government.”

The Freedom Caucus has not called outright for the election of judges. Its members have criticized multiple judicial rulings in recent months, including a Jan. 6 ruling by the Wyoming Supreme Court, proclaiming abortion access a fundamental health care right throughout Wyoming.

Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Rachel Williams, R-Cody, who is also campaigning for secretary of state, did not immediately respond to a Friday text message request for a response to Brown’s statements.  

Brown said now that Allemand has taken accountability, he hopes people show him grace.

“Because none of us are infallible, and I believe we all deserve grace when we take accountability,” said Brown.

Brown had, in his Facebook post, referenced having been in the public eye, made mistakes, and taken accountability himself.

Brown had given a favorable testimony in at the 2024 sentencing hearing of a former law enforcement officer who was convicted of sexual assault. He had described the former Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper, Gabriel Testerman, as a good candidate for probation.

, and said he supports the judicial process and the outcome in this case.

The prosecutor in Testerman’s case, Sweetwater County Attorney Daniel Erramouspe, had told the court at sentencing that, “There are two Gabe Testermans” – meaning one society at large and another of dark behaviors.

[{"type":"text","text":"More About Allemand’s Case"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Allemand spent about two days in jail after his Dec. 28 arrest."}]

Through his attorney, Allemand asserted that the arresting deputy, Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Campbell, didn’t have enough evidence of wrongdoing to make the initial stop.

Campbell contacted Allemand at the gas station parking lot, citing a claim that Allemand had made a stop at a stop sign, but then lurched forward improperly and almost hit another vehicle.

Allemand also contested Campbell’s decision to ask him incriminating questions while Campbell had him handcuffed – reportedly for officer safety reasons due to the sighting of Allemand’s gun – during the stop. 

Buffalo Circuit Court Magistrate Jeremy Kisling ruled that Campbell had enough evidence to make the stop, but should not have asked potentially incriminating questions during Allemand’s 12-minute confinement in handcuffs on scene. So the Johnson County Attorney’s Office couldn’t bring the 12 minutes of body camera video to the trial – which is now cancelled – as part of its main case.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office released the body camera video to the media, however, which Allemand’s attorney called inappropriate. That's another dispute left unsettled by the case's conclusion. 

Allemand apology 7 17 26

<title>Rep. Allemand Issues Public Apology For Drunk Driving | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Rep. Bill Allemand issued a public apology Friday for driving drunk last December. The state legislator pleaded guilty Wednesday to a DUI charge and was fined and sentenced to probation. “I do apologize for drinking while driving on a public road," he said.

Rep. Allemand Issues Public Apology For Drunk Driving

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Wildlife

A study of levels of the stress hormone cortisol in cattle exposed to wolves in California suggest that just having wolves around stresses the cows.

Ranchers in Wyoming and California told Cowboy State Daily that the study’s apparent findings don't reveal anything that they didn’t already know.

And, they said, it bolsters ranchers’ longstanding argument that the cost to them of having wolves around goes well beyond just the price of the cows the predators kill.

 found that cortisol levels in hair samples from cows indicate that cattle exposed to wolves experienced different levels of seasonal cortisol fluctuation, compared to those not exposed to wolves.  

“Our study provides the first evidence of disrupted cortisol regulation in beef cattle exposed to gray wolf presence, measured through hair cortisol analysis. Our preliminary findings reveal important research gaps for understanding predator reintroduction ecology,” according to the authors.

“These preliminary results point toward a potential physiological mechanism by which predator reintroduction may indirectly affect prey, with implications for understanding how recovering carnivores could influence prey physiology, animal welfare, and productivity,” the authors stated.

All that is a fancy way of saying that having wolves around can cause fear to ripple through a cattle herd, said Mitch Benson, who ranches near the Wind River Indian Reservation.

“I think it took somebody with credentials to draft a story,” for the matter to gain attention, said Benson, who has seen the study.

“We ranchers have known about this for years. Why do you think our great-great grandfathers eradicated them (wolves)?” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘In La-La Land’"}]

Ranchers in Sierra County, in northeast California, admonished state wildlife officials last spring that they were 

 by a wolf pack that had settled there and started attacking cattle.

Wolves had been gone from California for about a century when they started drifting in from Oregon on their own in 2011.

The state now has several established wolf packs. Another recent study, apart from the one done on cattle cortisol levels, suggests that California wolves have been feeding mostly on cattle.

Paul Roen is a county official and rancher in Sierra County.

During a telephone interview with Cowboy State Daily on Thursday, he said that while the wolf pack was there, ranchers reported 160 attacks on cattle, 94 of which were confirmed to be wolf kills.

Unlike ranchers in Wyoming, California ranchers aren’t allowed to shoot wolves.

State wildlife agents last fall killed four of the eight wolves thought to be there.

“The killing of cattle stopped immediately. That night,” Roen said.

“Anybody who says that lethal removal (of wolves) is not part of the solution is in la-la land,” he said.

The surviving wolves fled when the four were killed. But at least one of them might have returned and started attacking cattle again, Roen added.

California had a fund to compensate ranchers for cattle killed by wolves, but it was drained in “about 45 days,” he said.

And the compensation payments never took into account the full scope of losses to ranchers, Roen said.

Ranchers in Wyoming said a new study that shows cattle get stressed out by wolves is something they've been saying all along. “We ranchers have known about this for years. Why do you think our great-great grandfathers eradicated them?" one rancher said.

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