Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Grandma gets the best surprise ever..."}]

Smile 6 3 24

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

<title>🚧 Daily Smile: Monday, June 3, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Grandma gets the best surprise ever...

Daily Smile: Monday, June 3, 2024

David Madison

Wyoming Life

On a September afternoon in 2019, a supercell thunderstorm boiled up over northern Platte County and began marching east toward Goshen County, threading the corridor between Wheatland and Chugwater that storm chasers know as a turbulent weather generator downslope of the Laramie Range.

The system spawned four or five tornadoes, including what the National Weather Service would later rate an EF-2 

on the Ehanced Fujita tornado-severity scale 

with estimated peak winds around 130 mph — a wedge-shaped, multi-vortex monster that chewed across 25 miles of open rangeland, collapsing barns and killing livestock north of Fort Laramie. 

 of it, driven by a bean farmer from western Nebraska who’d been running toward storms since before he could drive.

“Probably one of the most intense, strongest tornadoes I’ve ever seen, to tell you the honest truth,” Dan Fitts told Cowboy State Daily, recalling that day and explaining what he saw was across mostly open country, so it never got an official damage rating commensurate with its fury.

“It has to hit something,” he said, with the matter-of-fact shrug of a man who has spent decades watching the atmosphere do extraordinary things where nobody else is looking. 

That’s the essential condition of storm chasing along the Wyoming-Nebraska border: The weather is world-class, and the audience is mostly pronghorn.

a storm chaser whose range includes Nebraska and Wyoming,

 goes by “The Iceman” because of his affinity for hail. He runs a Facebook page called Right Turner Chasers, is the most active storm chaser feeding real-time reports to the National Weather Service in Cheyenne.

This week, he was at it again — measuring a 98.4-mph wind gust on a handheld anemometer while standing on foot west of Chugwater. 

“From there, I ended up working my way a little further south to Bear Creek,” said Fitts. “There was a gust that come through that just really was intense. When that gust came through, it tore apart those wooden snow fences, they started moving, rolling across the pasture.”

, Nebraska — two miles from where he lives and farms today — young Fitts had one problem: a rolling hill blocked his view of incoming weather.

“I’d always run to the top of the hill as the storm’s coming in,” he said. “About three-quarters of a mile to the top of that hill. I’d go up there and sit up on the hill, watch the storm come in.” Some storms came straight at him. Others veered south or north, which was unacceptable.

“I wanted to go to it to see it,” he said. “So that’s how it kind of started.” The solution, for a kid without a driver’s license, was, “I talked my mom into taking me out a few times when I was young.” Once he had his own vehicle — he graduated high school in 1992, years before the movie “Twister” made storm chasing look glamorous — he simply never stopped.

“The movie ‘Twister' wasn’t that much of an influence on me, really,” he said. “I was before that.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Chasing weather, it turns out, does not constitute a business plan."}]

“I call it a passion,” Fitts said of his pursuit, now in its fourth decade.

So he farms beans, corn and sugar beets, and serves as a Pioneer seed representative — a life that keeps him outdoors and weather-dependent in ways that, according to those who know his work, have made him a better forecaster than some professionals. “Folks like Dan, who have some sort of antecedent reason for needing to know the weather as intimately as he does, it gives him such a leg up,” said Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist with the weather-app company MyRadar, a Harvard-trained atmospheric scientist, and the author of “Looking Up: The True Adventures of a Storm-Chasing Weather Nerd.”

“Some of the best forecasters I know are not the ones who went the conventional meteorology school route. They’re the ones like Dan who learned it on their own,” Cappucci told Cowboy State Daily.

Living near what he calls “the hail capital of the world,” Fitts became known in chasing circles as the hail guy — the one who could find the biggest ice when others couldn’t.

“That iceman thing just kind of came up here recently from some friends,” he said. “I just grabbed ahold of it, I guess.” The reputation is well-earned, according to Cappucci.

“He has a knack for finding the biggest hail,” Cappucci said. “There are probably only half a dozen of us in the field who really, truly love hail, and he’s sort of the king of big hail.”

The skill is not as straightforward as tornado-chasing, where the funnel is visible and the target is obvious.

“Hail is a very mystical thing,” Cappucci said. “It’s a more finicky beast, and yet he can really sniff it out.” The informal scouting report is simple: “If I see him in the area,” Cappucci said, “I’m like, ‘Oh shoot, we’re gonna get some big hail.’”

The vehicle that carries Fitts into the teeth of supercells is a 2016 Ford F-150 that he bought at an insurance auction — because it had already been hailed on. 

“That’s what I do to vehicles,” he said. “I destroy them.” The prior damage just “added to its character.”

 The truck’s most distinctive feature is its windshield: a NASCAR-grade Lexan panel, the same polycarbonate plastic used in stock car racing, installed because Fitts was going through traditional auto glass at an unsustainable rate.

“I go through windows a lot,” he said. “I like to get in there, especially with a big supercell thunderstorm. I just like to get in there and experience that big hail.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The Lexan takes a beating without shattering."}]

“I’ve had well over four-inch hail just bounce right off that window,” he said. 

The trade-off is visibility in dusty conditions. Plastic accumulates static electricity, and dirt clings to it in ways glass resists — a relevant drawback on a day like this week’s wind event, when the air was thick with topsoil. But for hail, nothing beats it. Beyond the windshield, the cockpit holds a laptop for live-streaming video, a tablet running radar and road maps, a phone, his handheld anemometer and a freezer.

When Fitts encounters a massive hailstone, he throws it in the freezer and brings it home to his son.

The name of Fitts’ Facebook page, Right Turner Chaser, which Fitts started in the mid-1990s, is a tell.

A supercell becomes a supercell when it develops a mesocyclone — a rotating updraft. 

As that rotation intensifies, the storm deviates to the right of the prevailing wind flow.

“We chase the right turners, the ones that turn right,” Fitts said. “Those are the most severe ones, usually. The tornado producers.” 

What hit southeastern Wyoming this week was not a supercell. It was something meteorologists call a downslope wind event — a mountain wave that turned the atmosphere into a gravity-fed accelerator. 

“When you have a strong low-pressure system pass to the east, that tends to induce westerly flow, and that causes something called downslope,” Cappucci explained. “You’re basically pulling air down the mountains. And when that air comes out of the west, it not only heats up, but it dries out, and that drying out makes it much more dense. 

"And so it wants to accelerate downhill even faster, and you get this self-repeating process.” 

The result, he said, was like being caught in “a waterfall of air — but it’s dry air.” At the National Weather Service office in Cheyenne, forecaster Matthew 

 described the mechanics in similar terms.

“We had the jet stream set up almost directly over us, and that created a mountain wave,” 

 said. The wave effect works like a roller coaster: “It goes up, and then when it comes down, the winds accelerate towards the ground.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The peak gust recorded near Chugwater hit 109 mph."}]

Throughout the recent wind event, Fitts was streaming live video through his laptop for KNEB radio in Scottsbluff, and posting updates to X, and keeping the Cheyenne Weather Service informed.

“I try and keep in touch with the weather service in Cheyenne,” he said. “They quite often tune into my live stream so that they can see what I’m seeing.”

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<title>🚧 Wyoming’s Leading Storm Chaser Is A Nebraska Farmer Known As “The Ice Man” | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Thursday was a big day for storm chaser Dan Fitts , who clocked winds of 98.4 mph near Chugwater. Fitts has spent three decades pursuing supercells across the High Plains, armed with a storm-scarred F-150 and a hail-proof NASCAR windshield.

Wyoming’s Leading Storm Chaser Is A Nebraska Farmer Known As “The Ice Man”

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Hunting

The good news for hunters is that Wyoming has lots of public land, much of it huntable with over-the-counter general tags for deer, elk and antelope. The not-so-good news is, all that opportunity draws crowds. 

Opening day in many hunt areas can be a mob scene, with pickups and ATVs roaring every which way, and the hillsides dotted with orange-vested multitudes. 

Still, there is hope, some experienced Wyoming hunters told Cowboy State Daily. 

In crowded areas, successful hunting boils down to a willingness to put in the work, and to put some miles on one’s hunting boots. 

Buzz Hettick of Laramie has killed dozens of elk over his long hunting career, nearly all of them on public land. 

One of his favorite strategies is to start by paying attention to other hunters. 

“Look and see where everybody else is going and look and see where nobody else in hunting. Then go there,” he said.

One way to escape the hunting mob is to follow the rule of hiking at least a mile, said Jess Johnson of Lander.

“I’m a hiker. I’m someone who is always going to get at least a mile off a road or trail, she said. 

She added that it’s helpful to look for gnarly places, where few others are willing to go. 

“If it looks like a sh*thole and it looks hard to get into, there’s probably going to be elk down in there,” she said.

Hettick said it’s helpful to perhaps skip opening day, and the first few days afterward. That gives the crowds time to thin out.

It’s also advantageous to hunt during the weekdays, whenever one’s work schedule allows for that, he added. 

“There’s a lot of weekend warriors out there. They just go hunting on the weekends, and that’s it,” Hettick said. 

Johnson also noted the advantage of going out on weekdays and said she feels blessed to have a flexible work schedule. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Let The Glass Work For You"}]

Johnson and Hettick recommend being patient and mastering the art of “glassing” – or looking for game through binoculars and/or spotting scopes. 

Finding a vantage point from which to glass is more efficient than aimlessly poking about a vast section of land, Johnson said. 

Hettick agreed that glass can shrink the miles and help hunters focus their efforts. 

“I tell people, use your glass. You cover a hell of a lot more ground with your glass than you can with your feet,” he said. 

Johnson also noted that “going out in bad weather” can produce results, so long as hunters have the proper knowledge, gear and clothing for it.

“And don’t do it (go out in bad weather) alone,” she said.

While general hunting tags are easily accessible, they might not always produce the best results, said Kyle Wendtland, who has hunted elk for many years in areas southeast of Gillette in Campbell and Weston counties. 

He prefers instead to put in for draw tags in limited quota areas. That means hunters must put in for tags in certain areas months in advance, usually in May. And there’s no guarantee of drawing those tags.  

“If I am hunting public land, I look for limited quota areas with very large blocks of public land and I will wait until I can draw a tag rather than hunt a general season and deal with hunter saturation areas,” Wendtland said. 

“Even some limited quota areas have such small blocks of public land or such limited access they become unattractive to me, because you can wind up again with hunter saturation issues, so I avoid those types of areas,” he added. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Afraid Of The Dark"}]

Going in early and staying out all day can also give hunters an edge, Hettick said. 

But that means hiking to and from the hunt area in the dark.

“A lot of people are scared of the dark. I hate to sound negative about that, but that’s just the truth,” he said.

Typically, the best times to hunt are right after dawn, and then in the evening, when animals are the most active. 

Hettick said he’s also killed plenty of elk during the middle of the day. He has tactics for that but wasn’t willing to share details. 

Successful hunting comes down to a willingness to learn from trial and error, he said. 

“When something works, figure out why that worked,” he said. 

“You should learn from every single thing you do out there, whether you get one, or don’t get one,” he added. 

He also recommends learning about game animals and their behavior.

“Elk don’t do anything by accident. There’s a reason they’re doing what they’re doing,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Learn Cooperation "}]

Johnson said that even when hunting grounds get crowded, it’s best to look at things in a positive way. 

When encountering other hunters, talk and “try to come up with a plan” for sharing the area, rather than trying to out-compete or crowd each other out, Johnson said.

She also stressed “good sportsmanship” and good behavior. 

“Don’t be driving in on muddy roads and rutting them out. Don’t be that person,” she said. 

And be mindful of annoying other hunters and stressing out wildlife. 

“Don’t be bumping loud music in camp, if you’re in a crowded basin,” Johnson said. 

Bear in mind that the more people hunt on public lands, the more advocates there are for keeping public lands open, Johnson added. 

“When we see another hunter on public land, we have another person who is invested in this public land spot, and will want to maintain it for our children, grandchildren and future generations,” she said. 

Hunting in a crowd Hike 9 27 25

<title>🚧 Wyoming Hunters Avoid Mobs By Hiking Deep Into The Wild | Cowboy State Daily</title>

With Wyoming’s public hunting areas getting more crowded, it's possible to avoid the hordes of hunters by going in early and hiking far to escape the mobs. “If it looks like a sh*thole and it's hard to get into, there’s going to be elk,” one hunter said.

Wyoming Hunters Avoid Mobs By Hiking Deep Into The Wild

A.J. Etherington for Cowboy State Daily

Government & Politics

Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, 

who killed a man in 2020 while driving distracted,

fighting to hold onto his Iowa law license just months after his South Dakota license was suspended, according to filings with the Iowa Supreme Court.

Ravnsborg was impeached, convicted and removed from office in 2022 for his actions following the Sept. 12, 2020, crash, which resulted in the death of South Dakota pedestrian Joe Boever.

Ravnsborg originally reported he thought he had hit a deer that night, but it wasn’t until the next day that Boever’s body was found.

The fallout was public and messy, including Ravnsborg refusing to resign at the urging of Gov. Kristi Noem. He was subsequently convicted in 2022 on two counts of impeachment to remove him from office. And this past September, the South Dakota Supreme Court suspended his law license for six months.

Arguments made by the State Bar Association claimed Ravnsborg’s conduct following the September 2020 crash was unbecoming an attorney.

“Ravnsborg’s conduct throughout the criminal investigation and impeachment process eroded public confidence in the legal profession,” the South Dakota Supreme Court’s ruling said. “The board also found that Ravnsborg repeatedly used his political title when interacting with law enforcement to receive a personal benefit; failed to accept responsibility for his conduct in killing Boever; and was more concerned with the accident’s impact on his professional career than its impact on the victim, the victim’s family, and the public.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"On To Iowa"}]

Ravnsborg’s suspension was automatically sent to the Iowa Supreme Court, because he is also licensed to practice law in 

state. Iowa can implement similar punishment or hold its own hearing.

Ravnsborg wrote the court in late 2024 asking for a hearing or to issue a private reprimand instead.

[{"type":"text","text":"He said suffering the same punishment twice would be “too severe.”"}]

“I strongly disagree with the South Dakota ‘facts’ and conclusions and believe that you should not impose identical discipline in Iowa that South Dakota did as that would be too severe,” Ravnsborg wrote.  

[{"type":"text","text":"The court opted to hold a hearing, which is set for Wednesday."}]

It is unclear whether Ravnsborg will be able to attend. The filing from Ravnsborg said he had been on active duty with the Army since his impeachment. He also said he was scheduled to go to Korea at least five times over the next year.

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

Ravnsborg had been on his way home from a local Lincoln Dinner when he hit Boever.

Boever had been walking alongside the road at night with a flashlight. It was later determined Ravnsborg had all four wheels on the shoulder of the road at the time he struck Boever.

According to 911 transcripts, Ravnsborg told dispatchers he had hit “something” in the middle of the road. A deputy and Ravnsborg searched for what he had hit but found nothing that night.

[{"type":"text","text":"Ravnsborg went home using the local sheriff’s car."}]

It was not until Ravnsborg had returned to the crash site the following morning that Boever’s body was discovered. A toxicology report taken 12 hours after the crash showed no signs of drugs or alcohol in Ravnsborg’s system.

The local sheriff requested the state’s help in investigating the crash and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation turned the case over to North Dakota investigators to avoid conflicts of interest.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Distracted"}]

Ravnsborg maintained he had not known he hit a person, despite Boever’s glasses being discovered in the car.

He also said he had been driving in the lane and had not been using his cellphone.

It would later be determined Ravnsborg had been distracted by his cellphone before the crash, according to information released by the state, but that both of his phones had been locked at the time of the crash.

But official accounts of the investigation allege Ravnsborg was not always forthright with information. 

In its decision to suspend Ravnsborg’s law license, the South Dakota Supreme Court wrote, “When responding to the investigators’ questions, Ravnsborg occasionally did not appear forthright, and only willing to acknowledge certain conduct after confronted with evidence by the investigators.”

They would add, “Ravnsborg frequently identified himself as ‘the Attorney General,’ including when encountering law enforcement for minor traffic violations such as speeding, and when making a 911 call from the highway shortly after killing Joe Boever.”

Ravensborg would later plead no contest to operating a motor vehicle while using a mobile electronic device and improper lane driving. Both are misdemeanors. The state dismissed a third charge of careless driving. He would also settle a legal case brought by Boever’s family.

As a result of the crimes leading to Boever’s death and Ravnsborg’s conduct during the investigation, he was impeached April 12, 2022, and later convicted, removing him from office. He became the first South Dakota statewide official to be impeached and removed in the state’s history.

Ravnsborg and sign 1 20 25

<title>🚧 Former South Dakota AG Who Ran Down Pedestrian Fights To Keep Iowa Law License | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was impeached and stripped of his law license after running down and killing a pedestrian in 2020. Now he’s fighting to keep from losing his license to practice law in Iowa.

Daily Smile: Monday, June 3, 2024

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