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Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

An alleged burglary at a downtown bar in Cheyenne began with two men making out in a bathroom stall.

Casey Fox, 23, and Carlos Glaub, 18, told police they left the restroom in search of more privacy and slipped into an employee-only basement at the Crown Bar, where they continued making out, according to court documents.

The affidavit says Glaub then broke into a locked liquor storage room, tucked bottles of Jose Cuervo into his pants and was caught by an employee moments later.

The employee told police she saw Glaub with his pants unbuttoned and unzipped, and he was attempting to return two other bottles to the shelf when she walked in. 

Glaub briefly tried to flee before admitting he had been caught trying to steal the alcohol, the affidavit reports.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Friday night encounter resulted in separate criminal cases. "}]

Fox pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor criminal trespass. Glaub was arrested Tuesday on a felony burglary charge.

Police estimated the splintered door frame sustained about $200 in damage. The three bottles of liquor were valued at roughly $55.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Donkey Kicked' "}]

Police were dispatched to the Crown Bar shortly before midnight June 19 after employees reported the suspected burglary in progress.

One told officers she became suspicious after seeing Fox emerge from the employee-only basement because she didn't recognize him as someone who worked at the bar.

When she went downstairs, she discovered the locked liquor storage room door had been forced open.

The employee grabbed one of the bottles from Glaub's hands and escorted him upstairs.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bathroom Kiss"}]

After being advised of his rights, Fox gave investigators a detailed account of the evening.

Fox said he and Glaub first kissed in a stall inside the men's restroom before deciding to find a more secluded place.

The pair wandered into the basement, where they continued making out until they came across the liquor storage room.

Fox told investigators Glaub "donkey kicked" the locked door before stuffing three bottles of liquor into his pants.

Moments later, the pair heard someone entering the basement. Fox walked out of the storage room while Glaub began putting the bottles back on the shelves, according to the affidavit.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Similar Story"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Glaub gave investigators a nearly identical version of events."}]

He reportedly admitted he and Fox went into the basement looking for privacy before trying to force open the liquor room door.

When that didn't work, he allegedly kicked the door open and concealed the three bottles of liquor in his pants.

Officer L. Ray wrote that Glaub later acknowledged stealing the alcohol but argued both the bar and Fox shared responsibility because the establishment allowed him inside even though he's only 18 years old, and had served him alcohol.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Separate Cases"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Fox's criminal case has already concluded."}]

Court records show he pleaded guilty Monday in Laramie County Circuit Court to one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass stemming from the incident.

Glaub, meanwhile, was arrested the next day and charged with felony burglary, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison if convicted. As with many criminal cases, the charges against Glaub could be amended or reduced as the case moves through the judicial process.

Court records show Glaub posted a $1,000 cash bond and was released from jail.

He is scheduled for a July 2 preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to bind the case over to District Court.

Crown bar 6 25 26

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

<title>Two Arrested After Allegedly Kicking Down Door, Stuffing 3 Bottles Of Tequila In Pants | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Police say two Cheyenne men looking for "more privacy" wound up in the Crown Bar's employee-only basement, where one "donkey kicked" a locked liquor room door and then stuffed three bottles of tequila in his pants before they were caught.

Two Arrested After Allegedly Kicking Down Door, Stuffing 3 Bottles Of Tequila In Pants

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Politics

President Donald Trump officially announced Thursday that he will attend the July 3 fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore, a centerpiece event commemorating America's 250th birthday.

The announcement was made on the Freedom 250 website and confirmed in a statement released by South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden.

"President Trump will lead the nation in a historic celebration beneath one of America's most iconic landmarks," Freedom 250 Chairman Keith Krach said Thursday.

Rhoden had personally invited Trump to the celebration, said Josie Harms, spokesperson for the governor.

"It is my honor to welcome President Trump to the great state of South Dakota — the freest state in a nation founded on the principles of freedom," Rhoden said in a news release published Thursday. "Together, we will throw the biggest birthday party ever for our nation and celebrate America's legacy of freedom, liberty and justice for all."

The event marks the return of fireworks over Mount Rushmore for the first time in six years.

[{"type":"text","text":"Tourism Way Up"}]

 that Keystone, the community closest to the memorial, has already experienced a surge in tourism ahead of the celebration, with visitor numbers up 124% compared with the same period last year and daily visitation climbing 32%.

"We've definitely seen a very large uptick in visitors," said Emma Groninger, tourism director for the Keystone Visitors Center. "Everyone's excited."

Attendance at the July 3 event is limited to the 4,800 people selected through a lottery that closed April 12. Nearly 103,000 ticket requests were submitted for the limited number of seats.

[{"type":"text","text":"Closures and Security"}]

The memorial grounds will be closed to the general public during the celebration, and temporary road closures near Mount Rushmore will be in effect from 11 p.m. July 2 through 11 p.m. July 3 to accommodate security operations, according to South Dakota tourism officials.

Officials have not released details about additional security measures associated with Trump's visit. Brendyn Medina, public information officer for the Rapid City Police Department, referred questions to the U.S. Secret Service. Efforts by Cowboy State Daily to reach Mount Rushmore officials Thursday were unsuccessful. No one answered a call, and the voice mailbox was full.

[{"type":"text","text":"Lay of the Land"}]

According to Freedom 250 organizers, the celebration will feature military bands, ceremonial presentations, precision drill demonstrations, aviation flyovers and a salute to all six branches of the Armed Forces.

Rhoden and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are scheduled to welcome Trump before he delivers what organizers describe as a "historic address" commemorating the nation's semi-quincentennial and looking ahead to "America's next chapter."

Thirty pyrotechnicians and high-line operators will install fireworks and lighting systems at designated locations around the memorial, according to Katlyn Svendsen, senior director of global public relations and content services for Travel South Dakota.

The state contracted with California-based Pyro Spectaculars — the same company that produced Mount Rushmore's 2020 fireworks display attended by Trump — to stage this year's show, with a price tag of $700,000. The agreement between the company and the South Dakota Department of Tourism includes lighting elements that can be used if environmental conditions prevent fireworks from being launched.

[{"type":"text","text":"First Time For Fireworks Since 2020"}]

Trump last visited Mount Rushmore in July 2020 after then-Gov. Kristi Noem successfully pushed to reinstate fireworks at the memorial after an 11-year hiatus.

Trump's 2020 visit to Mount Rushmore was met with protests from Native Americans who regard the Black Hills as sacred and object to the monument's location on land the Lakota say was unlawfully taken after being guaranteed to them under an 1868 treaty. Demonstrators blocked a highway leading to the memorial, resulting in a standoff with law enforcement and dozens of arrests.

The president's return to South Dakota could provide a political boost for Rhoden, who is campaigning in a July 28 Republican runoff election for governor against Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden after neither candidate secured the 35% needed to win outright in the June 2 primary.

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<title>It’s Official: Trump Will Attend July 3 Fireworks Celebration At Mount Rushmore | Cowboy State Daily</title>

President Trump announced Thursday he will attend the July 3 fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore, a centerpiece event commemorating America's 250th. The event also marks the return of fireworks over Mount Rushmore for the first time in six years.

It’s Official: Trump Will Attend July 3 Fireworks Celebration At Mount Rushmore

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Fishing

Facing extreme drought in the wake of an exceptionally mild winter, officials in Colorado and Oregon have thrown up their hands and told anglers at some reservoirs: Catch all the fish you want, because they’re going to die anyway.

Conditions aren’t nearly so dire at two of Wyoming’s premier fishing reservoirs, Flaming Gorge in Sweetwater County and Boysen in Fremont County, where limits remain in place and the angling should remain good this summer, a state park manager and marina owner told Cowboy State Daily.

In northeastern Oregon, fishing limits were lifted on three reservoirs on the Powder River, a tributary of the Snake River, which originates in Wyoming.

Colorado is allowing unlimited angling on Antero Reservoir on the South Platte River in the central part of the state, and the Nee Noshe Reservoir to the southeast.

Utah has loosened catch limits on Crouse Reservoir, east of Salt Lake City, and Nine Mile Reservoir, south of the city.

In each instance, state agencies surmised reservoirs are getting so low and stagnant the fish are doomed regardless, according to numerous media reports.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Emergency, Yet"}]

Despite drought conditions across the state, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department doesn’t have “immediate plans to enact emergency regulations to liberalize creel limits,” according to fisheries management coordinator Mark Smith.

“However, conditions could change rapidly. If an emergency change to creel limits were to occur that information would be disseminated widely to the public and posted at the water for anglers to find,” Smith said in an email to Cowboy State Daily.

Some of Wyoming’s larger reservoirs have conservation pools, or “dead pools,” to act as buffers for fisheries when water is running low, Smith said.

Even so, “all stored water has limitations,” he added. The water at Flaming Gorge and Boysen is expected to drop enough to render some boat ramps useless.

So, Game and Fish is watching closely for a “tipping point” that might warrant a change in fishing regulations, Smith said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bad New For Small Waters"}]

For smaller fisheries, the news isn’t quite so good.

“Ultimately, our goal is to protect all of our fisheries, but we recognize that some of our small waters have already been lost, or will be lost, to drying,” Smith said.

Sometimes that happens so fast there isn’t time to react, he said.  

“For example, when we were finally able to access roads and assess small ponds in the 33 Mile country north of Casper this May, most of those fisheries had already succumbed to low water elevations and poor water-quality conditions,” Smith said.

“Other sagebrush stock-water reservoirs could face a similar fate,” he added.

Emergency regulations require the governor’s signature.

“Emergency regulations take effect immediately upon the Governor’s approval and would be lifted if conditions improved and fish were likely to survive,” Smith said.

Boysen Reservoir has been roughly 70% full during June, Boysen State Park superintendent John Bass said.

Boysen is one of Wyoming’s top destinations for walleye, and also boasts good trout fishing.

Bass said he doesn’t anticipate the reservoir dropping to the point of mass fish die-offs or calls to lift all fishing limits.

According to Bureau of Reclamation estimates, Boysen will slowly fall, but remain above 50% capacity.

All four Boysen boat ramps are usable, he said. They are Bannon, Tough Creek, Fremont Bay and Cottonwood Bay.

“Although, as the lake starts falling, the Fremont and Cottonwood Ramps will be too shallow to use. But that’s a fairly common occurrence in my 10 years here,” Bass said. "The Brannon and Tough Creek boat ramps will be usable for the remainder of the year, until ice-up.” 

Likewise, there’s no reason to think officials will call for a free-for-all at Flaming Gorge, which straddles the Wyoming-Utah state line, Buckboard Marina owner Tony Valdez said.

“I don’t think we’ll be at the stagnant water level, where we could lose all of the fish,” he said.

Flaming Gorge draws anglers from all over the region for its prized kokanee salmon. It’s also known for lake trout and other species.

The Bureau of Reclamation this spring announced that Flaming Gorge is set for a million-acre-foot drawdown to make up for severe shortages downstream at Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona state line.

An acre foot is the amount of water that would flood an acre of land to the depth of one foot.

Valdez has previously expressed concerns the drawdown could ruin kokanee spawning areas. Kokanee are already under pressure because of competition with lake trout and burbot.

Wyoming Game and Fish and the Utah Division of Wildlife already lifted catch limits on smaller lake trout (under 28 inches) and burbot, in hopes of helping the kokanee.

Valdez said he doesn’t expect fishing limits to be suspended on any other species.

However, boat ramps could be rendered useless as the reservoir drops for the drawdown, he added.

Valdez said his marina could also tank this summer.

“This year, the marina could be gone. In fact, I’ve got to go deal with that right now, and move some stuff around (because of dropping water levels),” he said during a telephone interview with Cowboy State Daily.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Catfish Getting Scarce"}]

Valdez said if there’s any danger of water dropping to fish-killing levels it would hit first upstream, at Fontenelle Reservoir.

“If it did get that low, the first one to go would be Fontenelle, then the Green (River) and then Flaming Gorge. But I don’t see it dropping that low,” he said.

Drought has ruined some of the fishing on the Blacks River, which feeds Flaming Gorge on the west side, Valdez said.

That river once was a hot spot for catfish, he noted.

“People still catch catfish near the confluence, more so in the lake than on the river. The river gets stagnant,” he said.

While Flaming Gorge is holding its own for now, the long-term picture could be stark.

During a Tuesday meeting in Denver, members of the Upper Colorado River Commission said conditions along the river system – which includes the Green River – are dire.

Wyoming state engineer Brandon Gebhart said it could be the 

Antero reservoir 6 26 26

<title>Colorado And Oregon Lift Fishing Restrictions, Drought Will Kill Fish Anyway | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Facing extreme drought in the wake of an exceptionally mild winter, officials in Colorado and Oregon have told anglers at some reservoirs: Catch all the fish you want, because they’re going to die anyway. In Wyoming, emergency measures are on hold.

Colorado And Oregon Lift Fishing Restrictions, Drought Will Kill Fish Anyway

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

Andrew Rossi

Wildlife

 crashed along U.S. Highway 191 in Yellowstone National Park’s northwest corner. Hundreds of destroyed hives have been cleared from the highway, but the homeless bees are 

While many are concerned about the fate of the still-homeless honeybees, others worry about 

Honeybees aren’t native to Yellowstone or North America. Their presence in Yellowstone could have repercussions.

“If these honeybees get established as feral colonies, the primary concerns would be food and disease,” said Laura Burkle, a professor of ecology at Montana State University in Bozeman. “It all depends on whether or not they're going to persist in the area.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Native Vs Foreign Bees"}]

Burkle is a community ecologist. She studies bee communities and the flowers and other plants they pollinate in natural and managed systems.

While Burkle was aware of the bee catastrophe in Yellowstone, she didn’t have any specific insight into the circumstances or how many bee colonies had yet to be collected. However, she is aware of the diversity of bees in the park.

“There are hundreds of native species of bees present in Yellowstone,” she said. “Some of them are social, like bumblebees, and some of them are solitary, meaning they don’t live in a colony.”

, published by the National Park Service, said least 3,604 described species of bees inhabit North America. Several National Park Service sites, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton, were included in a cursory nationwide survey.

However, none of these bees are honeybees. All honeybees in the United States were imported from Europe and Africa, with the first colonies arriving in the 18th century.

“That’s why honeybees are considered livestock,” Burkle said. “Bringing a colony of honeybees into a national park wouldn’t typically be allowed.”

Semitrucks aren’t permitted in Yellowstone. The stretch of U.S. 191 between West Yellowstone and Big Sky, Montana, is the exception.

Burkle said honeybees are usually transported en masse to pollinate crops or to move between fields where they can collect nectar for better honey production. The hives, or honey boxes, are critical to their survival.

“Almost all the honeybees in North America go back to a hive,” she said.

Of the 20,000 known species of bees worldwide, only eight are honeybees. Nevertheless, they have been one of the most beneficial insects to humanity since they were first domesticated nearly 5,000 years ago.

That’s where the homeless honeybees could pose a threat to Yellowstone’s natives.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Dish (Or Disease) To Pass"}]

Because honeybees have been so thoroughly domesticated, they tend to rely on their honey boxes to build colonies, raise larvae, and produce honey. A honeybee colony that thrives without hives is what Burkle called a feral colony.

“There aren't very many feral honeybee colonies, although they do exist,” she said. “If there were any honeybees in Yellowstone, they would have to be feral colonies.”

There have been concerns about the impact of non-native honeybees on native ecosystems in North America for decades. Honeybees can be defensive and are known to compete with native bumblebees for food and territory in North America and Europe.

That would be one of Burkle’s primary concerns about the homeless honeys in northwest Yellowstone. If one or multiple colonies establish themselves as feral colonies, they could start competing with the park’s native bumblebees for food.

“Honeybees collected a lot of nectar and pollen to produce honey,” she said. “They could use up floral resources that would be needed to sustain Yellowstone’s native populations, taking food away from native bees.”

The foraging area for a single honeybee hive can extend over two miles. Foraging bees have been observed as far as four miles away from their hives.

Furthermore, bees can only forage when the temperature is right, usually between 55 and 66 degrees. With a limited window and limited resources within their foraging range, non-native honeybees could quickly start competing with native bees.

Then there’s the risk of spreading bee disease. That’s the other concern that immediately presented itself to Burkle.

“It's known that honeybees can give diseases to native bees, and vice versa,” she said. “It’s more likely that these honeybees are carrying various pathogens and parasites that Yellowstone’s native bees haven’t been exposed to before.”

Bees don’t need to come into direct contact to transmit diseases. According to Burkle, they can be shared from flower to flower.

“If a honeybee visits the flower, and then a native bee comes to that flower next, it could pick up a pathogen that was left by a honeybee,” she said.

Between competition for food and the spread of disease, the homeless honeybees could pose a serious problem for Yellowstone’s native bees.

[{"type":"text","text":"But will they?"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Watchful Wait"}]

When colonies of honeybees are destroyed, it’s in the best interest of their owners to collect as many queens and colonies as they can. Efforts to collect the surviving bees were immediately underway after the semitruck incident.

Without seeing the scene, Burkle couldn’t say how serious the situation might be for Yellowstone’s native bees. That’s partly because not a lot is known about Yellowstone’s bees.

“To my knowledge, Yellowstone's bee populations are poorly characterized and understood,” she said. “There have been studies, not all of which are published, that are just starting to scratch the surface of which species are even present inside the park.”

That means it’s hard to say if Yellowstone’s bees are thriving or struggling.

Entomologists and biologists like Burkle are collecting data to understand the health of these native populations and to determine whether they’re affected by climate change or other environmental factors.

That said, Burkle said there are reasons to think the homeless honeybees won’t make any noticeable impact on native bees. They’re actively being collected, and even an established feral colony might struggle to survive.

“They might not be able to set up colonies, depending on the weather and how far they have to fly to find a suitable place to set up a feral colony,” she said. “They might not be able to persist where they’ve ended up.”

There is concern that homeless honeybees that remain in Yellowstone after last week's semi crash could threaten the native bees. They are likely "carrying pathogens and parasites that Yellowstone’s bees haven’t been exposed to," one professor said.