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Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Sublette County residents came out mostly against a proposed 18-mile mountain bike trail network near Pinedale on Tuesday, telling the county commission it would harm a vital migration route for the prized Sublette mule deer herd. 

Supporters told the commission the project is planned in a way that it wouldn’t disturb the deer and could provide much-needed recreational access for locals and visitors. 

The final decision rests with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees the roughly 600 acres involved. 

The commission took no direct action on the matter during the meeting at the Sublette County Library. 

Commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter to the BLM asking the agency to follow the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). They also asked for the county to be included among cooperating/stakeholder agencies if and when project planning moves forward. 

The commission didn’t take a formal position either for or against the proposed project. 

Dave Richey, acting field manager at the Pinedale BLM office, told the commission an application for the project had been submitted by the Sublette County Trails Association and was under review. 

The BLM’s next step is to release a draft proposal and open it up for public comment. 

There’s no definitive timeline, but it’s hoped the draft proposal will be ready for comment “sometime this fall,” Richey said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Concerns For Prized Herd"}]

Controversy has been brewing over how deer might be affected by the proposed non-motorized trail system 

Each spring and fall, the 20,000-strong Sublette herd passes through what locals call “the bottleneck.” That’s a narrow strip between the southern end of Fremont Lake and Pinedale.

It’s part of a route declared a designated wildlife migration route through a 2020 executive order from Gov. Mark Gordon. 

The mule deer and pronghorn migrations through the area are the longest and second-longest overland mammal migrations in the Lower 48 states.

“Deer cannot accommodate their migration to our recreation, so we believe that we should accommodate our recreation to the deer,” said Cora and Green River resident Bill Ames, speaking at the meeting as a representative of the Wyoming Mule Deer Alliance and Muley Fanatics. 

The trails project could disrupt the migration route as well as “stopover areas” where deer rest and forage during breaks in migration, he said. 

Mule Deer Alliance member Luke Shultz said mule deer represent “the culture of this county.”

The trails could also disrupt pronghorn migration routes and moose habitat, he added. 

Mark Anselmi of Cora told the commission that he was frustrated over an apparent lack of concern for the deer. 

“I don’t know what people don’t understand. This is a designated (migration) corridor, and people would ruin it,” said Anselmi, a past president of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. 

Others expressed concern over the trails possibly drawing large crowds for mountain bike races. Or that some people might ignore the rules and use the trails for off-road motorized vehicles. 

“We all know that a world-class bike trail is going to lead to world-class bike competitions,” said Jocelyn Moore of Pinedale.

Several speakers said they’re not opposed to a local mountain bike trail system, but they would like to see it in a different location. 

Sublette County Trails Association member Ryan Grove said the project is planned so it wouldn’t ruin deer habitat. 

Of those roughly 600 acres, only the southernmost 300 acres are in the migration corridor, he said. And that would remain undeveloped.

“There is zero overlap with the bottleneck or the high-use migration corridor,” he said. 

The population of Pinedale is expected to double within the next decade or so, Grove said. 

Many newcomers will want outdoor recreation opportunities, and the proposed non-motorized trail system would offer that in a specific area where it could be well-managed, he said. 

He added that the trails would not be intended for large events but rather for easily accessible recreation for locals. 

Pinedale resident Noah Chutz said that “front county” access is vital for locals because the high country is snowed in and not easily accessible much of the year.

Concentrating mountain biking on one set of trails would be better for wildlife than the dispersed and uncontrolled riding all over the countryside, he said. 

And he also stressed that the trails would be for local use.

“This isn’t going to turn into Jackson. It’s not going to turn into a Durango (Colorado) anytime soon,” Chutz said. 

Sublette mule deer 8 4 26

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

<title>Sublette Residents Say Mountain Bike Trails Would Harm Famed Mule Deer Migration | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sublette County residents came out mostly against proposed mountain biking trails near Pinedale on Tuesday, telling commissioners they worry about harming a vital migration corridor for some 20,000 mule deer. Proponents say the trails won't overlap.

Sublette Residents Say Mountain Bike Trails Would Harm Famed Mule Deer Migration

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

Courts

Seven months after allegedly kidnapping her 11-month-old son, fleeing the state, then 

 during a brief standoff with law enforcement, a trial has been set for Madeline Daly.

It will be another six months before a Grant County, New Mexico, jury trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 11, 2027, which was set during a July 21 pretrial hearing.

While the wheels of justice take time, there’s no amount of time that can make Jake Stoner feel much better since the death of his son, reportedly at the hands of his mother.

“There’s a special kind of evil at work here,” he told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday as Daly, 35, sits in a southwest New Mexico jail cell facing charges of 

 and intentional abuse of a child resulting in death.

[{"type":"text","text":"Stoner said he’s still “pretty much” shellshocked."}]

He declined to discuss the legal and court process much ahead of the trial, but Stoner did say he would have preferred if she were facing a federal prosecution instead of state.

With a federal court, “she would face the death penalty,” Stoner said.

In New Mexico, there is no death penalty and life in prison also can mean a convicted felon could be up for parole after 30 years.

If convicted, Daly could face 30 years to life for first-degree murder and life for intentional abuse, according to New Mexico statutes.

“This is the most God-awful thing I’ve ever experienced,” Stoner said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘She Would Do It Again’"}]

Already wanted on a Wyoming warrant for kidnapping her infant son Basil, Daly was located near Silver City, New Mexico, just before Christmas last year.

As Grant County Sheriff’s Office deputies moved in around an RV she was staying at, Daly, who lived at an RV park in Ten Sleep before leaving the state, realized they were closing in on her, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in her case.

She allegedly shot her son, then tried to turn the gun on herself, but by then officers were able to subdue her, according to the affidavit written by Detective Lt. Jason Jordan.

She also reportedly told investigators afterward that she didn’t know why she shot and killed the boy, but that in her mind, she couldn’t let Stoner or his family have him.

“Even if the rest of life is worthless, she would do it again just so to make sure that the (family) didn’t touch him,” the affidavit says.

Daly told investigators that after officers stormed into the RV when she shot the boy, she “wasn’t fast enough killing herself after is all she can say about that,” the affidavit says.

Daly was wanted on a warrant out of Washakie County, Wyoming, after the boy’s father reported the infant missing Nov. 19.

Stoner, from Kilgore, Nebraska, shared custody of the boy with Daly and said she resisted him visiting their son. He last saw Basil on Sept. 28.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Lands In New Mexico"}]

Daly had disappeared until she applied for a job near Silver City, New Mexico, the affidavit says.

The Wyoming warrant for her arrest popped up during a background check, the affidavit says.

For her part, Daly told agents after her arrest that she was keeping Basil “safe,” and that she knew she was breaking the law, but felt it was worth it for the sake of her child.

She said that’s why she ran into a nearby RV with Basil when she realized the law was closing in on her, the affidavit says.

She also made unsubstantiated claims that Basil “would have been in danger and molested if she would have stepped out of that trailer” and that his father “never wanted anything to do with Basil, financially, physically, emotionally ever.”

When questioned about why she kidnapped her own son, Daly replied that “she was not going to allow her (then) 8-month-old baby go back and forth from Nebraska to Wyoming twice a month,” the affidavit says.

Daly said she wound up in New Mexico because she had worked in that area 10 years ago. She began working for some people there who “ended up ratting her out because they knew she was running from something,” Jordan wrote.

Daly apparently had been trying to blend into an unincorporated area near Silver City, Jordan writes in his affidavit.

She was living in a rented bunkhouse, and an officer who had a contact living near the bunkhouse was alerted and began “keeping an eye out for her return home,” Jordan wrote.

Coincidentally, another deputy saw Daly and her son earlier that day at a local restaurant, but at the time didn’t know she was wanted by the law.

“Madeline was last seen this morning by Cpl. Deputy (William) Mize at the Three Questions Café in Mimbres, but he was not aware of the kidnapping at the time,” the affidavit says.

The document goes on to recount that the deputy observed that “she was a bit evasive as she sat down with her son to have breakfast this morning.”

After getting the call from Washakie County, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office developed a plan to retrieve Basil, the affidavit says.

That included sending out five deputies to the bunkhouse. They had been tipped off that Daly had returned there.

“On arrival, Cpl. Deputy Mize saw a female subject running with a small child towards a motorized RV,” the affidavit says. “When deputies arrive to the motorized RV, they were confronted by a female subject later identified as (the owner of the RV).”

Daly later told investigators why she ran with Basil into the RV.

“I saw the sheriffs and I knew my time was up,” she said, according to the affidavit.

“When asked what went through her mind when she saw law enforcement walking up, she replied, ‘Jake can’t get Basil,’” the affidavit said.

Daly reportedly told investigators she assumed they had a felony warrant for kidnapping because she didn’t follow a judge’s custody order.

“So she said, ‘F*** it, it’s worth a shot,’” the affidavit says, adding that she considered her actions “worth it” if it meant keeping Basil away from his father and his family.

Deputies wanted to go into the RV and get the boy, but the owner “would not give deputies permission to enter her residence without a search warrant,” the affidavit says.

While authorities were telling Daly that she was surrounded and calling her out of the house, other agents were preparing to get a search warrant “just in case Madeline did not comply and come outside,” the affidavit says.

It was then at least one gunshot was heard from inside the RV.

One deputy then reported that the 11-month-old had been “shot in the chest by his mother, Madeline Daly,” the affidavit says, adding that she was in custody.

It’s not clear from the affidavit how many times the infant was shot.

The document references a gunshot to the chest, but then also reports that “medical staff worked on the child, but they were unable to save his life due to the gunshot wound to the face.”

It’s not clear from Daly’s public-facing court file if a mental evaluation has been asked for or ordered leading up to the trail. There are four documents that have been sealed from public view.

She remains in the Grant County Detention Center without bond.

In the meantime, she also faces a potential felony charge in Wyoming of interference with custody, which could get her up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Madeline Daly and Basil 12 26 25

<title>Trial Set For Wyoming Woman Accused Of Kidnapping, Killing Infant During Standoff | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Seven months after allegedly kidnapping her 11-month-old son, fleeing the state, then killing the infant during a standoff with law enforcement, a trial has been set for Madeline Daly. “There’s a special kind of evil at work here,” said the baby’s father.

Trial Set For Wyoming Woman Accused Of Kidnapping, Killing Infant During Standoff

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

What a 27-year-old Laramie man intended as a frustrated Facebook rant ended with a criminal conviction, five days in jail, the loss of his apartment and job, and three years of supervised probation.

Dawson Cooley was sentenced Tuesday in Albany County Circuit Court after pleading guilty last week to a reduced misdemeanor charge of sending a death threat electronically.

 in May directed at Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, including one that stated, "I might assassinate you."

As part of a plea agreement accepted by the court, Cooley received a suspended 365-day jail sentence and was placed on three years of supervised probation. The court also granted him a deferred sentence on a second charge.

The misdemeanor conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Albany County Prosecuting Attorney Joel Defebaugh and defense attorney Travis Shurtliff jointly recommended the plea agreement.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Looking Back"}]

Speaking with Cowboy State Daily after his sentencing, Cooley said he regrets the Facebook posts and wishes he had handled his frustrations differently.

"It all started with a media request functionality website that was broken," Cooley said. "I kind of got upset about that and expressed myself in a pretty ignorant way."

Cooley said he believes portions of the post were taken out of context and that he had been criticizing Gordon before writing the threatening language.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"If I could go back and not do that, I would for sure,\" he said."}]

He also said he posted an apology the following morning after realizing how his words could be interpreted.

At the time, Cooley said he believed the post fell under free speech protections because "the whole thing in context ... painted a different picture."  

Cooley said he has been pursuing independent journalism and was attempting to gather information through public records requests when he wrote the Facebook posts.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Heavy Consequences"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Cooley said the criminal case altered nearly every part of his life."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"He spent five days in jail before posting a $20,000 cash bond in May."}]

While released pending trial, he said bond conditions prohibiting internet access left him unable to search for housing or jobs, complete online college coursework or even make routine purchases electronically.

"I lost my apartment, my job, like the new radio position, and potentially my prospects to go to college," Cooley said.

[{"type":"text","text":"He described the restrictions as \"pretty horrible.\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I had to withdraw from that stuff,\" he said of his college classes."}]

Looking ahead, Cooley said he plans to continue pursuing independent journalism while developing software he hopes will help people conduct legal and public records research more efficiently.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Mental Health"}]

One of the primary conditions of Cooley's probation requires him to participate in mental health treatment and counseling.

Defebaugh told Cowboy State Daily that the probation terms are "for the most part routine," but place "an emphasis on Mr. Cooley's mental health treatment and counseling."

[{"type":"text","text":"Cooley said he does not object to that requirement."}]

"Everyone's got problems, and I'm no different," he said. "I was actually, before this all happened, looking at getting treatment."

Looking back, he said he wishes he had addressed his frustrations differently.

"I could have done things in a much more mentally healthy way instead of just a rant," Cooley said. "I could have put together a concise article about all my grievances."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'If I Could Go Back ...' "}]

Cooley said he believes aspiring independent journalists should have the same ability to seek government information as members of the traditional news media and that frustrations over public records requests fueled the Facebook posts.

Among the posts investigators cited in the criminal affidavit was one stating, "Gov. Gordy, if I have to talk to you with a gun in your office, so be it." 

Court records show Gordon's legal counsel informed the court that the governor was not seeking restitution and did not wish to provide a victim impact statement.

Cowboy State Daily also requested comment from the governor's office. Communications Director Amy Edmonds declined.

Cooley said he recognizes the seriousness of what happened and hopes to move forward.

"I think that I'm lucky to not be getting jail time for this," he said. "If I could go back and ... not do that, I would for sure."

Laramie assassin 8 4 26

<title>Laramie Man Pleads Guilty, Regrets Threat To ‘Assassinate’ Governor In Online Rant | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Laramie man who pleaded guilty Tuesday for saying he might assassinate Gov. Mark Gordon says his Facebook rant has cost him his apartment, job and college future. Today, Dawson Cooley says, "If I could go back and not do that, I would for sure."

Laramie Man Pleads Guilty, Regrets Threat To ‘Assassinate’ Governor In Online Rant

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

Andrew Rossi

Scott Artis was trying to get some good photographs of lightning when he inadvertently caught the strike that started the Kohns Fire in Campbell County on July 27.

Artis was in his home near Rozet when he noticed the dark storm clouds overhead. He decided to share the storm with his father.

“My parents live out of state, and my dad's a real big fan of lightning and thunderstorms,” Artis told Cowboy State Daily. “It's so easy to capture lightning out here, so this storm rolled in, and I thought I’d get a quick video and give him a glimpse of Wyoming life.”

Artis picked a direction and started filming. The storm didn’t disappoint, sending a particularly large lightning bolt straight to the ground.

A few minutes later, he noticed a red glow in the spot where lightning had struck.

“All of a sudden, the fire started roaring,” he said. “My wife grabbed the phone, made sure we had good cell service, and called 911 to report that there was a fire.”

It turned out they did the Campbell County Fire Department a favor. They had been responding to other wildfires in the area, but weren’t aware of what became the Kohns Fire until Artis called it in.

[{"type":"text","text":"“This one wasn’t on their radar at that point,” he said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Good Vantage"}]

The Campbell County Fire Department quickly responded to the Kohns Fire, which burned around 2,700 acres before full containment.

The thunderstorm that moved across Campbell County on July 27 sparked multiple fires in the area. The first flames spread quickly due to strong winds and dry vegetation.

Scott and his wife live on top of a hill near Rozet, an unincorporated town. It gives them an excellent vantage point to see the surrounding landscape.

“You can really appreciate the beauty of these thunderstorms, but also the inherent danger,” he said. “We have a good 360-degree view from our house, so we could see if there was any smoke and help some ranchers and people with houses and prairies from going up in smoke.”

Artis wants to be the best neighbor he can to his fellow Wyoming ranchers. That’s one of the reasons he moved to Wyoming in the first place.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Quite A Career"}]

Artis, who moved to Wyoming from California's Bay Area, is a former molecular biologist who’s had “an interesting career path.” That would be putting it modestly.

“I worked to develop cures and processes to battle HIV and other diseases,” he said. “I created tools for cancer research, and some of the clients of our biotech products include NASA and the International Space Station.”

NASA worked with Artis to test tissue samples of living astronauts to see if and how prolonged time in the International Space Station altered their bodies. Such insights are critical to the agency’s goals of long-term experiments leading to the Moon and Mars.

Nevertheless, Artis and his wife had a 10-year plan to “get out and live that rural life.” Their dream was always to find a small property where they could get away from it all, but it came sooner than they anticipated.

“We woke up one day, and we said, ‘Why are we waiting 10 years?’ We're going to be older, things could potentially be more difficult, or we may never do it. Life changes, so we decided to go for it.”

Artis started looking for the perfect spot. He found it on a ranch near Rozet, so the couple “left everything we had known behind and went to the prairie of Wyoming.”

They've been there for just over a year, and say they are loving every minute of it.

“We got sheep, chickens, and property,” he said. “We see deer and antelope every day. There’s great people and great community. This is true America. It doesn't get any better than this.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Enlightening Experience"}]

Witnessing the lightning strike that started the Kohns Fire was another insightful experience for Artis. It reminded him why he was eager to pick up and move to the country.

“I've been into conservation, wildlife conservation, and environmental work for a while,” he said. “I did all this work to help preserve populations and these incredible resources for fishermen, hunters, and recreational opportunities, but I was doing it from inside an office building.”

After relocating to Wyoming, Artis said he feels that he gets to “see the fruits of those labors” every day. It makes him even more determined to preserve the natural landscape however he can.

“I'm still in the wildlife, non-profit world, and I'm in the process of now looking for a new position that kind of fits my remote lifestyle,” he said. “I spent a lot of time indoors protecting the stuff that was outdoors, without seeing or enjoying it. Now, I'm living in it and able to do that every day.”

Lightning fire 8 4 26

<title>Campbell County Newcomer Gets Video of Lightning That Started 2,700-Acre Fire | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Scott Artis was just trying to get a video of a thunderstorm for his dad when he captured the lightning strike that started the Kohns Fire in Campbell County on July 27. “All of a sudden, the fire started roaring,” said Artis, whose wife called 911.

Campbell County Newcomer Gets Video of Lightning That Started 2,700-Acre Fire

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

Renée Jean

Business & Tourism

Jackson Hole isn’t the first place most people think of for a wrestling match, but that’s what is about to quietly unfold in Teton County over the next few weeks. 

Two events, one week apart, will place opposing visions of money within the same valley.

While the two opponents won't share the same stage, they will feature opposing visions of money within the same valley. And each will host different sets of financial titans — neither of which are likely to pull any punches.

First up is the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Aug. 17-20, an invitation-only, three-day gathering in Teton Village that will draw 500 billionaire founders, institutional investors and top-tier policymakers for what amounts to a digital-asset Davos. 

The guest list includes top-level regulators such asSEC Chair Paul Atkins and billionaire CEOs such as Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Galaxy’s Mike Novogratz and BitGo’s Mike Belshe. Venture capital titans such as Morgan Stanley head of Emerging Markets Amy Oldenburg, Nasdaq senior executive Kevin Kennedy, and Skybridge Capital Managing Partner Anthony Scaramucci are also attending.

Then, seven days later, after the crypto and fintech crowd clears out, a considerably smaller group of 120 traditional gatekeepers of legacy finance will arrive at Jackson Lake Lodge for the Federal Reserve’s annual economic retreat — led by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh. 

His banner for the equally closed-door event Aug. 27-29, is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.”

If all this sounds like it’s just coincidence, it’s one that mirrors events of the past 17 years, ever since Satoshi Nakamoto published his Bitcoin white paper amid the 2008 global financial crisis — just two weeks after the government announced a $2 trillion bailout for banks deemed “too big to fail.”

The argument between the two camps boils down to one core question: Who will control the future of money, and what shape should that future take? 

As crypto advocates see it, government should not be trusted with this power. Exhibit A in their book is the continual printing of money, devaluing everyone’s savings. Computer code can be programmed to limit the money supply automatically, without fear or favor.

The Federal Reserve, on the other hand, is angling for more central control. They believe a group of human experts should control the money supply, to print or restrict money in ways that steer the economy, prevent crashes and manage inflation. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wyoming’s Digital Asset Bet"}]

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, one of the architects of Wyoming’s digital asset framework, is among those in the Cowboy State watching all of this unfold. 

“It’s an interesting little battle,” he said. “Those traditional financial institutions obviously want to win and want to be in control of financial systems, regardless of the financial system type. So it’s going to be a continued battle.”

Rothfuss hopes that despite the federal battles Wyoming has had to fight for its regulatory framework, that some of the financial institutions are finally coming around.

“I’m hopeful that the hard work we’ve invested in will pay off,” he said. “I think we are still better positioned than any of the alternative solutions — really any of the federal solutions, when it gets right down to it. Because the federal regulatory structure is very subject to political will and the politics of Washington, D.C.”

In the span of a week, Teton County will host a 500-person, invite-only, digital-asset “Davos.” That will be followed by the Federal Reserve’s elite annual retreat. Each event is another round in a high-stakes wrestling match over the future of money.

Brenda Lynn (Spargur) Weber, 61