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Read is the present tense which means Read is the past tense. That’s why.....

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You Still Here? Thursday, May 14, 2026

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Mix Collage 12 May 2026 08 10 PM 2141

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What state has the most plastic surgery per capita?

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Bonus Video 1: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Today In How Does He Do That? Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Bonus Video 2: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Today In Penmanship: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Today In Interviews: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Today In Law Enforcement: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

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Today In Wholesome Family Fun: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

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Bonus Video 2: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Law Enforcement

A Gillette man bought a handgun and a box of ammunition at a sporting goods store there, then drove 11 hours and hundreds of miles across Colorado and, less than 24 hours later, allegedly opened fire on strangers in the Western Slope city of Montrose before taking his own life, the Montrose Police Department reports.

Authorities have identified the man as Eduardo Garcia Barrera, 42, a part-time resident of Gillette, and say they have no motive for why he opened fire on random motorists and a pedestrian, or why he did so in Montrose.

In an incident that unfolded over roughly 35 minutes Saturday morning, Montrose police say Barrera fired at moving vehicles as he entered the western Colorado city.

He then shot a 22-year-old pedestrian before crashing his vehicle at a local burger joint and dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Montrose police report.

According to the Montrose Police Department, officers were first dispatched around 10:16 a.m. after reports that a man driving a green Honda sedan with Wyoming license plates was shooting at vehicles while driving westbound on U.S. Highway 50 into Montrose.

Police say Barrera was driving erratically and approached vehicles from behind before firing shots.

The occupants of the first vehicle reported to police that they were not hit, and investigators found no damage to their vehicle.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Risk To Public Safety Was High'"}]

Over the next several minutes, dispatchers received numerous reports of the Honda weaving through traffic and passing vehicles as it traveled along East Main Street.

At about 10:21 a.m., police say Barrera pulled alongside a 22-year-old man walking in the 200 block of North San Juan Avenue and fired through the passenger-side window of his car, hitting the pedestrian in the lower left side of his body.

He then crashed into a restaurant called Crash Burger, where Barrera was found with a gunshot wound.

Cowboy State Daily reached out to the restaurant manager Tuesday morning, but they said none of the employees saw the shooting take place. 

The pedestrian was taken to a hospital and was reported to be in stable condition, police wrote. 

Having a motorist driving around town shooting at people apparently at random was a very dangerous situation, Montrose Police Chief Blaine Hall 

“The risk to public safety was high from multiple incidents, including the first report, where it was reported there was shooting at vehicles on our highway,” Hall told the Daily Press. “We’re fortunate the suspect hit the (decorative) gas pump instead of going through the building. We could have had potentially more injuries, even fatalities.”

The chief also called out the actions of bystanders who provided medical help to the shot pedestrian until emergency responders could arrive.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Gun Bought The Day Before"}]

Cowboy State Daily spoke with Montrose Police Department spokesman Paul Eller on Monday. Eller confirmed Barrera was a "part-time" resident of Gillette and said the case remains under active investigation.

Eller said investigators have not found evidence that any vehicles were struck by gunfire. He also declined to say whether anyone other than the wounded pedestrian may have been struck during the incident.

He would not discuss whether investigators have identified any significant events in Barrera's life leading up to the shootings. 

Investigators say Barrera bought a 9 mm handgun and a box of ammunition at a sporting goods store in Gillette on May 29, one day before the shootings.

Eller also declined to identify the sporting goods store where the gun was bought.

According to police, Barrera left Gillette that evening and traveled south through Wyoming, then through Colorado Springs and Pueblo before continuing west on Highway 50 toward Montrose.

At about 10:34 a.m., officers were dispatched to a crash at 646 E. Main St., where they found Barrera's Honda resting against a raised concrete platform, a bollard and a decorative gas pump.

Police say Barrera was alone inside the vehicle and dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Montrose investigators said they have found no identifiable ties between Barrera and the city.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Searching For Answers"}]

Police say they are continuing to interview victims and Barrera's family members in an effort to determine what prompted the shootings.

Cowboy State Daily found no criminal cases filed against Barrera in Wyoming's court system dating back to 2000.

Many details about Barrera's background and his reason for traveling to Montrose remain unclear, police say.

Authorities have not released any evidence suggesting the victims were targeted for a specific reason, and police have not announced a motive.

The investigation remains active, and officials say additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Montrose Press Crash Burger Montrose Press 6 2 26

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

<title>Gillette Man Goes On Shooting Spree In Colorado Town Before Shooting Self | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Police in Montrose, Colorado, say a Gillette resident bought a gun in Wyoming, drove hundreds of miles and unleashed a shooting spree before taking his own life. “The risk to public safety was high,” police say, adding they don't know why he did it.

Gillette Man Goes On Shooting Spree In Colorado Town Before Shooting Self

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Government & Politics

Cheyenne’s Public Service Committee has advanced a measure that could put two multimillion-dollar Derby Club locations out of compliance with city rules. 

Two committee members, meanwhile, signaled unease with the idea and said they want to revisit the matter latter.

At issue is a proposed regulation that would prohibit gaming centers like historic horse racing from locating within a 500-foot radius of schools, churches, parks, and licensed child care centers. 

The measure follows in the wake of legislation approved earlier this year that gave cities and towns more authority over where historic horse racing terminals are located. 

Senate File 45 gave cities and towns local authority to deny simulcasting permits. 

Prior to that, municipalities had little say over where facilities could be as their locations were permitted through the relevant county commission. 

Cheyenne has 10 historic horse racing facilities that have been permitted under that old procedure. Two of those 10 are located within 500 feet of a licensed child care facility.

Drawing A New Map For Historic Horse Racing

Planning staff had originally crafted the 500-foot buffer to apply only to standalone child care centers operating in their own buildings. 

That provision was broadened during a May 18 Planning Commission meeting to include any licensed child care center, even if tucked inside a larger, multi-tenant commercial building.

Cheyenne Planning and Development Director Charles Bloom told the Public Service Committee on Monday afternoon that the change, if allowed to stand, would have a dramatic impact for two Derby Club facilities, making them ineligible to come back for reapprovals under a new special-use process. 

One is the flagship Derby Club on Pershing Boulevard, which is within 500 feet of a child care facility located in Gold’s Gym. 

The other is the Derby Club at Ridge Road and Pershing, where there’s a child care center in a storefront near the Albertsons shopping center.

Under the city’s proposed ordinance, existing facilities that don’t meet the city’s new standards must come back to the city for special use approval by Dec. 31, 2027. 

The intent of that is to “mirror” sunset provisions in the state statute for existing county-approved licenses for historic horse racing facilities, Bloom said, and “require all of those uses essentially to come back to the city for approval this time in front of the governing body instead of the Board of Adjustment.” 

The only exceptions to that would be those who are in an overlay district that the city is also creating. 

Called a regional entertainment overlay district, these would include the 15th Street Railcar Experience between Capitol and Reed avenues, as well as the West Lincoln Corridor, the Hitching Post area on the south side of Lincolnway, and areas out west toward Little America and the High Plains Road Interchange.

Every existing facility could reapply for their permits, Bloom said, except those falling within the 500-feet buffer.

“The way this is set up is it requires any use that would not be allowed to reapply,” Bloom said. “Then we would have to review them, subject to the development standards, including that buffer. That would not give two of the facilities … the ability to reapply.”

Traci Lacock, general counsel for Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing, told the Public Service Committee that her clients support the zoning overhaul, but asked the committee to consider reverting back to how the ordinance was presented prior to the May 18 Planning Commission changes, which make two Derby Club locations non-compliant.

“Both our facilities went through the conditional use process that’s currently in place, and was approved,” she said. “The city has already considered the location of these existing businesses and approved them to operate.”

The investment in the two facilities has not been insignificant, she added.

“Pershing facility, we invested about $20 million to make that facility what it is,” she said. “It’s pretty impressive. And the Ridge Road location, we just spent a little over $4 million to date.”

The Pershing facility renovated the old Montgomery Ward facility, which was empty, adding to it a bowling alley, an arcade, a children’s play area, laser tag, and escape rooms. 

The activities are meant for all ages, Lacock added, but without the off-track betting (OTB) facility, those amenities would not be possible. 

“Our OTB in our simulcasting facility is completely separated, and only 21 and older is allowed in that,” she said. “And we do monitor it very closely. We’ve had no issues with that.”

Lacock said the facility has worked hard to maintain a good working relationship with the Cheyenne Police Department and said that, so far, any issues at either facility have been “fairly insignificant.”

“I think it’s important to note the Ridge location operated as a bar for many, many years, and then we took it over,” she said. “And the Office Bar and Grill, which has a smoking and cigar lounge in the back, operates even closer to that child care center that’s at issue in Gold’s Gym.”

Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing President Kyle Ridgeway told Cowboy State Daily that the company was required by the city to put more than $2 million into parking, landscaping, and access improvements to obtain its conditional use permits with the city. 

Blocking the businesses from renewing their approvals under the city’s new framework would raise questions about grandfathering, he suggested, even as he reaffirmed the company’s overall support for Cheyenne’s efforts to clarify where historic horse racing facilities can operate.

Sponsor Would Prefer To Lose Broader Language

Councilman Mark Moody, who sponsored the measure imposing a 500-foot buffer between gaming parlors and schools or day cares, also spoke during the hearing, telling the Public Service Committee he would prefer it reverted to its original form. 

Councilman Larry Wolfe suggested that the measure might best be tackled in a work session.

“Just sitting here listening to this — and I’m not a sponsor of this — I haven’t heard really anything about this,” he said. “It strikes me that this is a very important and complicated issue. 

"You’re going to have to educate some other people on the council about it, me included.”

A work session would offer both councilmen and the public to have a chance to provide their input into “these really significant decisions,” he added.

“I guess my point is, we’re going to need to hear a lot about this,” he said. “These designations of these restricted areas alone have obvious consequences for these companies, and maybe other companies. We’ve heard no discussion about that at all.”

Public Service Committee members signaled that they do see problems with the buffer as it stands in the ordinance, saying it's still a work in progress.

Councilman Mark Rinnie talked about the rationale for the buffer zone before it was put to a vote. 

“At the time, there were seven historic horse racing venues in Cheyenne, nine in the county, and of those seven only six were zoned properly,” he said. “The other six had gone through our processes and received a conditional use permit from the Board of Adjustments, which is an appointed board. They’re not elected like we are.”

Rinnie said he and other council members received a significant number of emails asking why Cheyenne was allowing “all these” gaming facilities.

“At the time, state statute did not give us control over where these went,” he said. “Senate File 45, which was approved during the budget session, does allow municipalities to have some input into the decision.”

The other problem with how it was done in the past, Rinnie added, is that the matter never came before the City Council at all. 

“A couple other parts to this is that these are going to be handled just like liquor permits,” Rinnie said. “They will be reviewed periodically. That review is based on the state Gaming Commission, which allows their approvals to last up to three years. 

"So our ordinance kind of mirrors that as well. So that’s the rationale behind the ordinance. It does bring the control a little more to the city.”

With the overlay area for selected entertainment districts, it’s also encouraging the development to locate in particular areas where the facilities are more encouraged than in others. 

Rinnie said he supports reverting back to the original form of the measure and not incorporating the Planning Commission’s May 18 recommendations, but called for voting on the measure, so that it continues to move ahead in a timely fashion. 

Councilwoman Kathy Emmons, meanwhile, pressed Bloom on whether the ordinance would grandfather existing businesses and also asked for a rationale as to why licensed child care centers should have special separation from gaming centers but not bars or liquor stores. 

Bloom said applying the same buffer to bars or liquor stores might be a logical extension, but that fell outside the scope of what his office had been asked to do.

Emmons, like Rinnie, said she would vote for the measure but said she wants to revisit the child care issue.

“I’m not prepared to do that today, but I do want to bring that back,” she said. “At least give it some more attention, and make sure that either we are giving them 500 feet or we’re figuring out what to do about those people who are already in play.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Road Ahead"}]

The committee unanimously approved a motion recommending the measure to the Cheyenne City Council. 

From there, the measure heads to the June 8 City Council meeting for a second reading, after which it returns to the Public Service Committee on June 15 for detailed review and potential amendments.

After that, it will return for a projected third and final reading on June 22.

Amendments to the measure can be introduced at any of those stages.

For now, the two Derby Clubs remain in compliance. 

But under the ordinance as written, both would be barred from renewing their permits once state sunset deadlines hit — despite millions of dollars already invested.

Derby Club IMG 6426 6 1 26

<title>Proposed Rules Could Block Two Cheyenne Gaming Locations From Renewing Permits | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Cheyenne City Council committee on Monday advanced a measure that could put two multimillion-dollar gaming establishments out of compliance with city rules. It would prohibit gaming centers from being within 500 feet of day care centers and schools.

Proposed Rules Could Block Two Cheyenne Gaming Locations From Renewing Permits

Julie Mankin

A Wyoming barrel racer was stunned to learn that the 17-year-old girl accused of stabbing three horses during a major rodeo event in Las Vegas over the weekend was the same rider who tried to borrow one of her horses.

“About a month ago, I got a message from a girl asking if I had a horse she could run,” said Lora Nichols of Pavillion. “I said no, and she kept asking about each of my specific horses. 

“This weekend I looked to see if it was the same girl they arrested. It was! It makes my skin crawl to realize she was stalking my horses, too. It could have been me just as easily.”

Nichols, who has earned more than $400,000 competing on the half-brother brother of one of the stabbed horses, said she’s especially horrified by the attack.

Along with Nichols, Wyoming’s rodeo community is shocked and appalled by the Tonya Harding-like violent rampage that left the three barrel racing horses stabbed multiple times.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Happened"}]

Las Vegas police report that the 17-year-old barrel racer was arrested in connection the attack on the horses of competitors.

The girl is accused of stabbing each of the horses multiple times inside their stalls during 

the NBHA Professional’s Choice Vegas Super Show at the South Point Equestrian Center.

The attack came just hours after one of the horses — a 6-year-old gelding named Saaul Good — had carried 20-year-old Hailey Krahenbuhl to a first-place paycheck of $1,805. 

The horse, which Krahenbuhl calls “Sully,” has shattered arena records this season and racked up $238,388 in earnings in less than four years competing. 

“Sully was stabbed multiple times last night,” Krahenbuhl posted to her Facebook page on Saturday. “I have no words. He is stitched up and in recovery.” 

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reports that officers received a report at around 2:07 a.m. Saturday that a horse had been injured inside a South Point barn. 

When officers arrived, they learned three horses had been “intentionally injured with a sharp object” believed to be a knife, police say.

Veterinarians reportedly cleaned and sutured deep blade lacerations to Sully’s flank and shoulder. 

Another competitor named Keira Weisbart confirmed on social media that her horse, Rocket, was stabbed three times and had other “stab attempts around his body.” 

That horse was reportedly treated and released at the scene.

A third stabbed horse, however, underwent emergency surgery to repair muscle tissue damage. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Detail’s Ordeal"}]

Southern California barrel racer Arielle Phillips owns that third horse, a mare she calls Detail was stabbed multiple times.

, Phillips described the arrested teen as “a crazy obsessed stalker who has been following me on social media for a long time, obsessing over Detail, obsessing over meeting me.”

Phillips said she’d arrived back at the South Point barn to find the suspect hosing off Detail’s wounds.

“Cameras verified her entering our stalls,” wrote Phillips. “I can’t even put into words the pain I feel for my mare and for Hailey’s Sully.”

She said the attack has also affected her horse.

“Detail is traumatized,” Phillips wrote. “Every time she runs away from the approach of my hand, I burst into tears. This is my best friend. An innocent sweet horse was brutally tortured for no reason.”

While all three horses are expected to recover, they are sidelined for the near future and aren’t able to compete.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Champion Lineage"}]

Krahenbuhl, the daughter of a Las Vegas landscaper who grew up about 15 minutes from The Strip, had plans to hit the rodeo road with Sully — whose sire Winner’s Version has produced earners of more than $7 million — and make an NFR run in 2027. 

“We were a match from the beginning and my dreams became reality, all thanks to him,” she wrote prior to the attack from Globe Life Field during the $3 million American Rodeo. 

 to help with at veterinary for all three of the horses.

Nichols said she knows those other girls and is heartbroken for them and their horses.

“I’ve competed alongside Hailey a lot, and she’s an amazing human being,” said Nichols. “I think of the raw emotion and just the blood, sweat and tears she’s put in ­— you know, how hard she’s worked to get there. 

“When I heard it was her horse, I was just sick to my stomach.”

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, detectives located the suspect at a nearby hotel and took her into custody.

“She was transported to Clark County Juvenile Hall, where she was booked on 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing of an animal and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000,” investigators told KTLA 5 Morning News.

Because of her age, official law enforcement sources have not identified the suspected publicly.

Veteran barrel racers have over the years heard rare rumors of winning horses being poisoned, but a brazen rash of stabbings is a first. 

Nichols said the incident makes her think of a made-for-TV movie in which the stalker ends up booked for murder. 

She’s also grateful the suspect wasn’t targeting the girls themselves.

“I just think we’re sheltered from that so much in our world,” added barrel racer and Gillette College rodeo coach racer Casey Rae Sellers. “The youth in our industry are pretty dang good kids. This is so out-of-character for the Western industry.”

Horses stabbed Krahenbuhl and Sully at The American 6 1 26

<title>Wyoming Barrel Racer Says She Was Approached By Alleged Horse-Stabber | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Wyoming barrel racer was stunned to learn that the teen girl accused of stabbing three horses in Las Vegas over the weekend tried to borrow one of her horses last month. “It makes my skin crawl to realize she was stalking my horses, too,” she said.

Wyoming Barrel Racer Says She Was Approached By Alleged Horse-Stabber

[{"type":"text","text":"When the mailman is your best friend....."}]

Smile no play 6 2 26

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

When the mailman is your best friend.....

Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

For wolves in Yellowstone, it’s all about survival. Pack members sometimes put the smackdown on each other, just to maintain order. One biologist said a video captured last week by a visitor shows one wolf clearly telling another, "I'm in charge here."