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Daily Darwin: Monday, February 13, 2023

I'm a trained electrician, I know what I'm doing...

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Daily Darwin: Sunday, February 12, 2023

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Daily Darwin: Friday, February 10, 2023

I used to watch Evel Knievel, I know what I'm doing...

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Daily Darwin: Thursday, February 9, 2023

I promise it will be a good idea to hold the wedding ceremony right next to the lake...

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Daily Darwin: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

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Daily Darwin: Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Hey, I got you some flowers....  Hold it, is that ice???

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Daily Darwin: Monday, February 6, 2023

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Daily Darwin: Sunday, February 5, 2023

No need to stop. The door will stay open, right???

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Daily Darwin: Friday, February 3, 2023

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Daily Darwin: Thursday, February 2, 2023

No, I don't need any help. I've got this...

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Daily Darwin: Wednesday, February 1, 2023

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Daily Darwin: Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Coy Knobel

Mostly sunny in much of Wyoming on Friday with a chance of afternoon rain, smoky in some areas. Partly cloudy overnight. Highs in the 80s and 90s. Lows mainly in the 50s and low 60s.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "}]

Areas of smoke, chance of rain mainly after 4 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 92 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Breezy, gradually becoming clear overnight with a low near 58 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 90 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 59.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

 Sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 50.

  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 91 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 55.

Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 5 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 56 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

 Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 84 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 49.

 Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 89 and wind gusts as high as 28 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 51.

  Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 29 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 49.

 Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 83 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 50 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

  Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 89 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 50.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 46.

Areas of smoke, slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 95 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 62 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

:  Areas of smoke, slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 92 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Breezy, gradually becoming clear overnight with a low near 62 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 93 and mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 59 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

   Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m., areas of smoke, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 61.

  Slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 96 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 57.

:   Slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 95 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 59.

Mostly sunny today with a high near 91 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph. Mostly cloudy, becoming clear overnight with a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

   Sunny today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 62 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph.

:  Sunny today with a high near 85 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph.

  Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny and hot today with a high near 92 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 60.

  Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., increasing clouds and hot today with a high near 91 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 60.

  Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise sunny today with a high near 90 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 58 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

   Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 57.

  Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 51.

  Sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly cloudy, gradually becoming clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m. and a low near 57.

  Sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 56.

   Mostly sunny today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 51.

   Sunny and hot today with a high near 91 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 50.

Daycap small 7 31 26

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

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Friday, July 31, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Friday, July 31, 2026

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Agriculture

A sweeping class-action lawsuit accusing the nation's four largest meatpackers of conspiring to manipulate cattle and beef prices is moving forward after a federal judge in Minnesota certified several classes of plaintiffs earlier this month.

The lawsuit alleges that JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef coordinated to restrict beef supplies and inflate prices between June 2015 and February 2020, harming ranchers who sold cattle while forcing wholesalers, grocers, consumers, restaurants and caterers to pay more for beef.

Together, the four companies control more than 80% of the U.S-fed cattle processing market, giving them wide influence over cattle prices and the nation's beef supply.

[{"type":"text","text":"U.S. District Judge John Tunheim issued his ruling July 16."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"From The Big 12 To The Big Four"}]

For Wyoming ranchers who have watched consolidation reshape the industry over decades, the lawsuit is about far more than the five-year period covered in the complaint.

"The packers have controlled the destiny of beef for decades upon decades," Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm told Cowboy State Daily. "It's getting to the point where people are starting to push back."

State Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, said the current market is the product of decades of declining competition.

"Our federal government has allowed our federal packing industry to go from the big 12 to the big 10 to now the big four," Driskill said.

With a dozen major packers competing, coordinating prices would have been far more difficult, he said. Today, with only four dominant players, ranchers are left with few options for selling cattle.

"It really is high time for the government to step in and say we have to get a process that treats everybody fairly," Driskill said. "We're not asking for an upper hand. We're looking for everyone to be treated fairly."

Driskill blamed what he called a "very, very failed federal bureaucracy" for allowing market concentration to reach its current level.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not Every Rancher Is Convinced"}]

Not everyone in Wyoming's cattle industry believes the allegations will hold up.

Laramie County rancher Mark Eisele said he remains skeptical that the major packers have engaged in coordinated misconduct.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this lawsuit," Eisele told Cowboy State Daily. "I would like to see what comes from this."

After decades in the cattle business, Eisele said he has never seen evidence of retaliation or deliberate manipulation by the major packers.

[{"type":"text","text":"Court filings paint a different picture."}]

According to the plaintiffs, economic modeling shows ranchers were underpaid by nearly 7% during the period covered by the lawsuit because the packers coordinated slaughter schedules and managed beef inventories to suppress cattle prices while increasing wholesale beef prices.

Lindholm said he believes market behavior itself supports those allegations.

He pointed to the Trump administration's approval of roughly 2 million additional pounds of beef imports from Argentina, saying a significant increase in imported beef should have softened domestic prices if the market were functioning normally.

"By all expectations, having an insane amount of beef imported from a country should have moved the beef prices here. It did not," Lindholm said. "Some might call that a conspiracy. But the proof is there. You can see it in the market."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"More Harm Than Good?"}]

Eisele, however, questioned whether repeated class-action lawsuits are driven more by financial incentives than by wrongdoing.

If plaintiffs prevail, attorneys could receive more than one-third of any award, he noted.

[{"type":"text","text":"Activists often follow the same pattern of suing and settling, he said."}]

He suggested that previous settlements, including one involving JBS, reflected business decisions rather than admissions of wrongdoing.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It was a pressure point,\" he said."}]

Meanwhile, Eisele worries the industry faces another challenge altogether: shrinking cattle supplies.

Some large packing plants are already slowing production or closing facilities because there simply aren't enough cattle moving through the system, he said.

"Cattle producers need to be real careful of what they wish for," Eisele said.

If additional plants close, ranchers could find themselves with even fewer places to process cattle.

"We're starting to paint ourselves into a dangerous corner on this," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Difficult Case To Win"}]

Even if the allegations are justified, Driskill said he believes proving them in court will be difficult.

"They have deep pockets," he said of the meatpackers. "They're going to have the better lawyers."

Price-fixing cases are notoriously difficult because plaintiffs must show competitors acted together rather than making similar business decisions independently.

Regardless of the lawsuit's outcome, Driskill said Congress should revisit the Packers and Stockyards Act to strengthen protections for independent producers and smaller regional packing plants.

He would also like to see policymakers encourage enough competition to return the industry to something closer to the days when 10 or 12 significant packers competed for cattle.

"Let's break it up and get rid of these huge multinational conglomerates," he said.

Lindholm said the only way to do that is to look at the existing regulatory structure. The Federal Meat Inspection Act currently blocks states from controlling the meatpacking industry.

“What is allowing these big four to capture so much (business) under one umbrella?” Lindholm said. “That’s the key … Congress needs to go break the back of the packers.”

Driskill added that only a substantial financial penalty would change corporate behavior.

"A $30 million fine on a $10 billion company is like me getting a 10-cent speeding ticket," he said. "I would just pay the ticket and be on my way."

Cowboy State Daily reached out to JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef for comment. None had responded by publication.

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<title>Federal Judge OKs Cattle And Beef Price-Fixing Suit Against 'Big Four' Meatpackers | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A federal judge has OK'd a class-action price-fixing lawsuit against the nation’s four largest meatpackers. "The packers have controlled the destiny of beef for decades," Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm said. "People are starting to push back."

Federal Judge OKs Cattle And Beef Price-Fixing Suit Against 'Big Four' Meatpackers

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

What began as an act of kindness for a pregnant woman new to Casper ended in months of anonymous threats, fake phone numbers and a digital trail investigators say stretched across Facebook, Google and multiple texting apps, prosecutors say.

A Natrona County woman is accused of stalking the foster mother who once drove her to prenatal appointments, took her grocery shopping and later cared for her infant son while she received mental health treatment.

Daji Carter, 27, was bound over to district court Tuesday after a preliminary hearing on two felony counts of stalking and two misdemeanor counts of violating a stalking protection order. She posted a $3,500 surety bond July 15 and was released from custody. 

Investigators say Carter spent months using anonymous texts, fake online accounts and spoofed phone numbers to continue contacting Ashley Monroe and members of her family after a court ordered Carter to have no contact with her.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'She Was My Friend'"}]

For Monroe, the allegations are especially painful because the relationship began with compassion.

[{"type":"text","text":"She met Carter in June 2024 while Carter was pregnant and new to Casper."}]

"I would have considered her one of my friends," Monroe told Cowboy State Daily. "She didn't have any mode of transportation, so I always offered to take her grocery shopping. We took her to do shopping for stuff she would need for the baby once he was born. She was fun to be around. She had a good sense of humor."

Monroe, a licensed foster parent, said she wasn't expecting to become Carter's foster placement.

[{"type":"text","text":"Instead, she simply wanted to help someone she knew was struggling."}]

"I was just trying to be there to support her and keep the baby safe if she needed help," Monroe said.

According to Monroe, she became concerned about Carter's well-being and requested a welfare check. After Carter agreed to seek help, the Department of Family Services arranged a voluntary placement, and Monroe began caring for the infant. Monroe said the arrangement was intended to be temporary, allowing Carter to regain custody when she was ready.

[{"type":"text","text":"The baby returned home within weeks."}]

Not long afterward, Monroe said Casper police contacted her after Carter made statements suggesting the infant had died. Officers eventually located the child safely, Monroe said, and the Department of Family Services placed him in her home again. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'That's When Things Turned South'"}]

Monroe said the relationship unraveled during a visitation dispute around Halloween 2024.

She recalled Carter becoming upset over visitation scheduling during one of the baby's medical appointments.

"She tried to take the baby and run with him from the doctor's office," Monroe said.

[{"type":"text","text":"That night, Monroe said, the messages began."}]

She said the first texts said "You're a c---, this is Daji," along with a knife and blood emojis.

The criminal affidavit similarly alleges Monroe began receiving threatening messages from anonymous Wyoming and Alabama phone numbers, many sent through internet-based texting services rather than traditional cellular numbers.

Investigators say the harassment continued for months and eventually spread to Monroe's husband and mother.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Living In Fear"}]

According to the affidavit, the messages escalated from vulgar insults to explicit threats. Monroe told investigators she received texts accusing her of taking Carter's child and messages warning that she was "going to die." 

[{"type":"text","text":"Monroe said the emotional impact reached far beyond her own safety."}]

At the time, she was caring not only for Carter's infant but for other foster children, in addition to her own family.

"I didn't sleep," she said. "Every time one of my dogs would bark ... is that Daji outside my door?"

She said the alleged harassment forced her family to install additional security measures and left her anxious.

"I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder, hesitant to engage in routine activities and struggling with stress and sleep disturbances," Monroe said.

"I didn't even feel safe letting my kids go to school," she told Cowboy State Daily.

The Department of Family Services ultimately moved Carter's son to another foster home in hopes the threats would stop.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"They did not,\" Monroe said. "}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Digital Trail "}]

Court records show the alleged stalking became an extensive digital investigation involving numerous search warrants.

The affidavit describes detectives obtaining records from Facebook, Google, TextNow, Pinger, AT&T and T-Mobile while also conducting forensic examinations of multiple electronic devices.

The various anonymous phone numbers, Gmail accounts and online messaging services ultimately pointed back to Carter, says the affidavit. 

During an interview with investigators, Carter acknowledged sending Monroe what she described as "mean" messages but denied sending many of the anonymous communications detailed in the affidavit.

"When you piss me off, I say what's on my heart," Carter allegedly told investigators.

Detectives also interviewed witnesses, reviewed phone records, and manually examined several electronic devices after extracting data from phones seized during the investigation.

Investigators concluded there was probable cause to charge Carter with felony stalking and two counts of violating a stalking protection order.

When reached by Cowboy State Daily for comment, Carter's public defender, Casper attorney Dylan Rosalez, declined to comment.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Maybe This Will Finally End'"}]

Monroe said she felt relief when Carter was charged earlier this month, believing the months of uncertainty might finally be over.

"It was just like a sigh of relief," she said. "She's being held accountable for what she's doing."

[{"type":"text","text":"But Monroe said that relief has been short-lived."}]

After Carter posted bond and the preliminary hearing concluded Tuesday, Monroe says the unwanted contact has continued, alleging that Carter even reached out to her work on Wednesday. 

"I'm feeling very frustrated currently," Monroe said. "Mostly, I worry for my kids because I'm a mama bear."

Monroe said she still believes in fostering despite everything that's happened.

She said most biological parents she has worked with eventually recognize foster parents are trying to help families reunite, not replace them.

"I'm wanting to help them, and I want them to have their children back," Monroe said. "I want them to be healthy."

Foster 3 7 30 26

<title>Casper Foster Parent Says She Was Terrorized By Bio Mom After She Took In Baby | Cowboy State Daily</title>

After taking in a friend's baby, a Casper foster mom says her family became the target of anonymous threats by the biological mother, who is charged with two stalking felonies. "I didn't even feel safe letting my kids go to school," Ashley Monroe said.

Casper Foster Parent Says She Was Terrorized By Bio Mom After She Took In Baby

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

A 28-year-old Australian man has been found dead near Grand Teton National Park.

Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) recovered the body of the unidentified man  Wednesday morning. He was found in an area known as The Wigwams on the west slope of the Tetons.

According to TCSAR, the man is believed to have died from a fall from “a steep, high-altitude ridgeline” that separates Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness.

“TCSAR sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and wishes to express its gratitude to the partnering federal agencies who assisted in the investigation,” the agency said in a statement.

Cowboy State Daily could not reach TCSAR or Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr by the time of publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Difficult Search"}]

According to the information released by TCSAR, the Australian man was attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, a 3,028-mile route that stretches across the Rockies from Alberta, Canada, to Chihuahua, Mexico.

The victim started from Canada and headed south, keeping his family informed of his progress via a Garmin satellite device.

By July 19, he reached Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park and sent a message with his intended route through the Tetons and into the Wind River Basin. 

The last communication the family received was a check-in from his device without coordinates or a message. Along with a video he sent via Facebook, his family placed him somewhere in Grand Teton National Park.

After four days without any updates, the victim’s family contacted Grand Teton officials July 27.

Using the Garmin device, it was determined that the July 23 check-in had been sent near The Wigwams in Teton County, near but outside the western boundary of then park.

Teton County Search and Rescue recovered the body of an unidentified Australian man in the Teton Range on Wednesday. The man, who was attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, is believed to have died from a fall off a ridgeline.