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

Andrew Rossi

Business

The first presence of the dreaded New World screwworm in America since 1968 represents an “immediate threat” to Wyoming’s ranchers and owners of horses and pets, Wyoming’s state veterinarian said Friday.

“We don't know that it won't show up tomorrow,” said Hallie Hasel. "We don't know that it might not show up for six months. It may not show up at all, but we would consider screwworm something that we immediately need to start watching out for," she said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, near San Antonio, was infested with the flesh-eating larvae of the parasitic fly.

Another case of screwworm had been confirmed in Mexico, 25 miles from the U.S. border, a week earlier. 

La Pryor is more than 1,000 miles away from Wyoming, but Hasel said the long distance that doesn’t mean ranchers should underestimate the spread of screwworm. 

[{"type":"text","text":"If anything, she added, they need to be more on their guard than ever."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The Screwworm Situation"}]

. Hasel was the chair of a symposium on the preparedness, prevention, and response to screwworm in September 2025, which discussed the fly's anticipated return to the U.S. at some point in the near future.

“The United States has been preparing for this since about 2024, when we knew that the screwworm was moving north out of Panama,” she said. “We were aware there was a problem and needed to start preparing immediately, which the federal government and several states did.”

As of Friday, the USDA has taken “immediate action” to contain and stop the potential spread of screwworm. They’ve established a 12-mile "infested zone" around the detection site and have implemented additional proactive measures in coordination with the Texas Animal Health Commission.

Hasel spoke highly of the federal and state response to this confirmed case of screwworm.

“Texas has been implementing an excellent program to make sure that they stop screwworm right where it's at,” she said. “We have a lot of faith in their ability to stop it right where it's at.”

With the current programs in place, Hasel didn’t anticipate screwworm spreading rapidly into the rest of the country, let alone into Wyoming, in the near future.

“We don't expect it to come out of South Texas anytime soon,” she said.

However, that doesn’t mean the threat of screwworm isn’t worth taking seriously.

[{"type":"text","text":"Not A Food Issue"}]

Gene Copenhaver, president of the National Cattle and Beef Association, was in Cody on Friday for the Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. He took time to discuss the screwworm case in Texas that morning.

“There is a concern, but we've been expecting this for over a year,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “We thought it'd come last summer, so it gave a lot of time to get ready for it.”

Copenhaver agreed with Hasel’s assessment of the current situation. While there isn’t much concern about screwworm spreading beyond South Texas, livestock owners need to stay vigilant to ensure nothing gets past them.

There was one big thing Copenhaver wanted “the consumer” to know: screwworm is a pest issue, not a food issue.

“It’s not a food-borne safety issue,” he said. “The beef from a cow infested with screwworm is still good. There was some concern that speculation (on screwworm) was going to hurt the market, but they’re dealing with it, and I think we’re good.”

The confirmation of the screwworm immediately led to concern that beef prices could increase. Even if screwworm spreads much further and faster than anticipated, Copenhaver said that shouldn’t be a concern for beef buyers.

“It's a pest issue for the producer, not a food safety issue for the consumer,” he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Help On Wheels"}]

New World screwworm is the larva of the New World screwworm fly. The flies lay their eggs in living tissue, usually in open wounds or body openings like the eyes, nose, and mouth.

When the eggs hatch, the maggots feed and burrow into the surrounding tissue, which can quickly kill the afflicted animal.

“They can burrow into that wound and kill the animal within seven to 10 days,” Hasel said.

A female screwworm can fly more than 120 miles and lay more than 3,000 eggs in its short 20-day lifecycle.

The fly itself can’t move very far or very fast, so the flying range of female flies is not the primary concern in the spread of screwworm. The biggest concern is what Hasel called “help on wheels.”

“The fly doesn't move long distances, except when it has help on wheels,” she said. “The primary concern is that larvae go unnoticed on an animal that moves from an area where they’re supposed to move, or from where we aren’t aware that screwworm is present.”

Cattle are constantly moving throughout the United States in tractor-trailers. If one individual has an open wound with screwworm larvae inside, it could quickly become a widespread issue.

 between 1966 and 2025, but many ranchers 

 about its impact on their cattle. Its reappearance has many agricultural producers spooked, and Hasel thinks they’re right to be concerned.

“We need everyone to maintain their vigilance, just in case it does move on a trailer somewhere else,” she said. “That it doesn't mean that you need to put every animal in the chute every day. It just means you need to be aware, look at any wound that you see on an animal, and make sure there isn't something in that wound that looks unusual.”

The discussion around screwworm has focused primarily on its potential impacts on cattle ranchers, as the first case was detected in a calf.

While the impacts of screwworm on livestock is a potent concern, Hasel believes that’s narrowing the scope. The threat of screwworm is much broader.

“What we're really concerned about is not just livestock, but all species,” she said. “It’s not just cows and horses. It’s cats, dogs, and other companion animals.”

[{"type":"text","text":"That’s where Wyomingites need to be concerned now and in the future."}]

Hasel mentioned that animal shelters nationwide take in rescued cats and dogs from southern states like Texas and Florida. That’s where they’re more likely to be infested with screwworm and, potentially, spread it very far in a very short amount of time.

“We get a lot of pets into Wyoming rescues that go up for adoption from states like Texas,” she said. “Should any of those animals have a wound and the larvae aren't noticed, we're concerned that that could also spread screwworm into Wyoming.”

Fortunately, there are several approved treatments and preventative products that protect pets from screwworm. If people don’t already have this protection for their pets, Hasel highly encourages them to obtain it now.

“Having them on a preventative is just a great all-around measure,” she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"It’s also worth noting that humans can be afflicted by screwworm, too."}]

In August 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that someone in Maryland had screwworm after returning from a trip to El Salvador.

It was the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis from an outbreak-affected country identified in the U.S.

“It could get into a slight wound or scratch on any warm-blooded animal,” Copenhaver said. “It can affect wildlife too, and we can’t doctor to wildlife like we can our own cattle. That’s the fear.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What To Do (When You Need To)"}]

Hasel doesn’t believe the single confirmed screwworm case in Texas this week poses an imminent threat to Wyoming. However, the risk of screwworm needs to be taken seriously.

If anyone confirms or suspects a cow, horse, or companion animal has an open wound infested with screwworm, they need to take immediate steps to save the animals and notify the proper authorities.

“If it's a livestock-sized animal, do not move that animal,” Hasel said. “Lock it up in a small pen, right where it's at. If you see any larvae in an open wound, do not throw them on the ground. Collect them into a container, take pictures of the wound and the larvae, and examine the rest of your herd.”

For potentially afflicted cats and dogs, Hasel said pet owners should take them to a veterinarian immediately. Any larvae should be collected and placed into a sealable container.

Regardless of the animal, Hasel said Wyomingites need to report any confirmed or potential screwworm infestation to her and the Wyoming Livestock Board immediately.

“We all work together,” she said. “If you can’t reach us, your veterinarian will know how. People just need to remember that even if you find it in cattle, and if it spreads to more cattle, we have appropriate treatments in place.”

[{"type":"text","text":"300 Million Solutions A Week"}]

Since the return of screwworm to the U.S. has been anticipated for years, preventive measures have been in place for some time.

The primary way screwworm was eradicated in the 1960s was by breeding and releasing sterile male screwworm flies. That’s the same strategy being developed to stop screwworm in the 2020s.

“The flies only breed once,” Copenhaver said. “If the females breed with sterile males, they can’t put out their larvae.”

Copenhaver mentioned that a facility in Panama is already releasing 100 million sterile screwworm flies a week to reduce, and hopefully eradicate, the parasitic fly in Central America. A new facility being built in Mexico, with financial support from the U.S., will release over 300 million sterile flies a week.

“That will be on board by midsummer 2027,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll have screwworm on the run by this time next year.”

In the meantime, Copenhaver believes the USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission are “doing a great job” handling the single confirmed case of screwworm and reducing the potential spread by every means necessary.

“Screwworm needs to be taken seriously, but I think this case is very much under control,” he said. “We want people to know that this is a pest issue, not a food issue, and this is a single confirmed case that we’ve anticipated for a while.”

And, if all else fails, Wyoming livestock and companion animals have an additional layer of protection. Screwworms don’t like the cold.

“They won’t come where it gets very cold,” Copenhaver said. “When it's wintertime, they’ll go away because of the cold weather.”

Screwworm and cattle

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

<title>Wyoming State Vet Says Wyoming Ranchers Need To Be Worried About Screwworm | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wyoming State Veterinarian Hallie Hasel said Wyoming ranchers and pet owners should treat the detection of the New World screwworm in Texas as "an immediate threat." She said Texas officials are doing a good job stopping the spread but it should be taken seriously.

Wyoming State Vet Says Wyoming Ranchers Need To Be Worried About Screwworm

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

[{"type":"text","text":"Victor Miller is a human being."}]

But he’s promised to give his spot, if he can get one, on the Wyoming Republican primary election ballot to “Virtual Integrated Citizen” (VIC). That's an artificial intelligence bot that Miller says is part of a long plan to replace politicians.

 tried to register to appear on the primary election ballot in the U.S. Senate race last month under his first name only, but the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office denied his registration and told him to verify that he’s a person and a qualified elector.

So, Miller filed a civil rights lawsuit complaint Monday in the federal U.S. District Court for Wyoming, against Secretary of State Chuck Gray in his official capacity. 

The complaint asks the federal court to intervene and force 

 office to register Miller as a Republican U.S. Senate candidate.

“Upon information and belief, no other candidate for any 2026 Wyoming primary office has been required to provide a separate written confirmation of personhood or elector qualification,” says Miller’s civil complaint. 

 "has applied this requirement to (Miller) alone.”

This follows a similar 2024 effort in which Miller tried to run for 

 mayor under the same pledge arrangement. That campaign garnered national and international headlines. 

Ultimately, Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee kept “VIC” off the November 2024 ballot, but later balloted the candidate with his full name. 

In the current election cycle, Victor Miller announced on May 19 that he and his nephew Landon Miller both planned to register as “meat avatars,” or humans with legal access to the ballot, who have pledged to give their decision-making powers, if elected, to the 

Miller said it’s part of a mission to shift toward AI governance and replace human politicians.

“We all feel it, we all hate them, we all see what they are doing us,” said Miller of politicians. “We need a solution to the politician problem, and we need it now.”  

Landon Miller’s plan to get on the ballot is working so far: he’s registered to compete in the Ward 1 race for Cheyenne City Council.

But Victor didn’t make it onto the candidate list in his vicarious run for U.S. Senate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Absolutely Not"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Gray in a Thursday statement voiced opposition to Miller's plan. "}]

“Both state and federal law are clear: to be a candidate for office, you must be a human being, NOT an AI bot,” wrote Gray in a text message to Cowboy State Daily. “I won’t tolerate a mockery of our electoral system and will NOT allow our electoral system to be taken advantage of by AI.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gray said his office is committed to upholding the law."}]

“Listing ‘VIC,’ ‘Victor,’ or any other pseudo name on the application does not comply with law,” he wrote. “We demand Miller’s application be resubmitted to clarify that he is a human being, which he failed to do.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Lawsuit Stuff"}]

Miller’s lawsuit claims the state’s elections office rejected his registration because he filed under just his first name.

State law says, “a candidate may use the name on the ballot by which he is generally known” and that candidates with confusingly similar names should add their occupation and home address for contrast.

No one else in the U.S. Senate race is called “Victor,” notes Victor Miller’s civil complaint.

“Defendant rejected Plaintiff’s application not because Plaintiff fails to meet any qualification for office, not because of any fraud, confusion, or impersonation, but solely because Defendant insists that the ballot must read ‘Victor Miller’ rather than ‘Victor,’” the complaint says.

Miller says that “Victor” is the name by which he’s generally known.

When media outlets covered his 2024 campaign, they called him “Victor Miller” because media usage style requires reporters to list a person’s first and last name on first reference wherever possible.

“That doesn’t establish how Plaintiff is generally known. It establishes how news organizations formally identify subjects. The two are not the same,” the complaint says.

Miller’s complaint calls a candidate’s choice of ballot name a form of “core political expression” and the root of his public engagement.

He alleges that the Secretary of State’s Office is unconstitutionally compelling certain speech from him, in violation of the First Amendment, by requiring him to attach his last name.

[{"type":"text","text":"The complaint lists 11 causes of action, alleging:"}]

• A compelled speech violation of the First Amendment;

[{"type":"text","text":"• A violation of the 14th Amendment’s call for equal protection;"}]

• A violation of the 14th Amendment’s call for due process;

• A failure to balance the state’s interference in a ballot access question;

• A violation of the Wyoming Constitution’s promise of equal political rights;

• A violation of the state Constitution’s call for free and equal elections;

• A violation of the state Constitution’s ban on absolute, arbitrary power over freemen’s lives and liberty;

[{"type":"text","text":"• A violation of the state Constitution’s due process provision;"}]

• A violation of the state constitution’s free speech protection;

• A violation of the state constitution’s call for uniform enforcement of laws;

• And unlawful overreach of the proper role of the Secretary’s office.

[{"type":"text","text":"This case is ongoing."}]

Correction: an earlier version of this story failed to note that the Laramie County Clerk allowed Victor Miller to ballot under his name in 2024.

Another chuck and vic 6 4 26

<title>Cheyenne Artificial Intelligence Candidate Sues For Spot On The Ballot | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Cheyenne man is suing Secretary of State Chuck Gray after Gray denied his bid to get on the Republican primary ballot to elect a virtual intelligence personality to the U.S. Senate. “I won’t tolerate a mockery of our electoral system,” Gray said.

Cheyenne Artificial Intelligence Candidate Sues For Spot On The Ballot

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

A Laramie couple accused of keeping drugs in the same room as an infant — including a meth-loaded syringe investigators say was found inside the baby's crib — face felony charges after a probation officer inspected their home.

Alyisha Edwards and Edward Miller are each charged with one count of a child being present where meth or fentanyl is possessed, a felony that could put them in prison for up to 10 years each. 

They are also being charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Both waived their preliminary hearings Tuesday, and a judge set their bonds at $30,000 cash-only, according to court records made available Thursday. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Syringe In The Bassinet"}]

The allegations stem from a probation compliance check at a residence in Laramie last week.

Wyoming Probation and Parole agents requested assistance from deputies while checking on Edwards, who was under supervision, wrote Albany County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Fourman in an affidavit supporting the charges.

When authorities arrived at the home shortly before 11 a.m. May 27, they were told by a roommate that Edwards wasn't home. 

Eventually, authorities found Edwards with Miller hiding in a shed behind the home, court documents say.

Investigators also found drug paraphernalia during the search of the shed, including glass and metal pipes with suspected meth and marijuana residue. 

[{"type":"text","text":"What deputies say they found inside a bedroom elevated the case."}]

Inside the couple's bedroom, they found a loaded hypodermic syringe containing suspected liquid meth at the bottom of an infant bassinet belonging to their son. 

Deputies wrote that Edwards told investigators the child regularly slept there.

A subsequent TruNarc test of the liquid inside the syringe produced a presumptive positive result for meth, the affidavit states.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pointing Fingers"}]

After their arrests, both adults reportedly told investigators the syringe belonged to the other.

According to the affidavit, Edwards admitted using meth days earlier, but denied ownership of the syringe, telling investigators it belonged to Miller.

During an interview with investigators, “Edwards admitted her infant son … regularly sleeps in the bedroom inside the infant bassinet, and admitted to using methamphetamine the previous Sunday,” the affidavit says.

“Further, Alyisha Edwards claimed the hypodermic needle found in the bassinet was not hers, but belonged to Edward Miller and stated her roommate does not use drugs,” the document continues.

Miller, meanwhile, allegedly told investigators the syringe belonged to Edwards, the affidavit says.

The competing explanations are among the issues likely to be addressed as the case moves through Albany County District Court.

Miller is represented by Albany County Public Defender David M. Korman. Edwards is represented by court-appointed attorney Jeremey William Meerkreebs.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Cases Headed To District Court"}]

Tuesday's hearing in Albany County Circuit Court lasted only minutes. Rather than requiring prosecutors to present evidence supporting the charges, both defendants waived their hearings.

Edwards and Miller will next appear in Albany County District Court for arraignment hearings that had not yet been scheduled.

Albany County Sheriff 9 11 25

<title>Laramie Couple Charged After Meth-Filled Syringe Found In Baby's Crib | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Laramie couple was bound over to felony-level court this week after a meth-filled syringe was found in their baby's crib. Both claimed the syringe belonged to the other, while the baby’s mother admitted using meth, according to court documents.

Laramie Couple Charged After Meth-Filled Syringe Found In Baby's Crib

Jen kocher

Jen Kocher

Law Enforcement

For more than 30 years, the body of an unidentified woman discovered in the remote desert along Interstate 80 in rural Nevada has kept her secrets hidden.

The woman, known colloquially as “Shafter Jane Doe,” had been beaten and shot in the chest and back.

Her nude body was posed on the ground, arms extended to either side in the shape of a cross with legs slightly parted.

More than 32 years after her body was found along I-80, the woman known as “Shafter Jane Doe” has been identified, officials announced Thursday. Her nude body was posed on the ground, arms extended to either side in the shape of a cross.