LANDER, Wyoming (ABC4) — Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly fight at a Wyoming bar last weekend.

According to a press release from the Lander Police Department, officers responded to the Maverick Bar at 11:15 p.m. on Jan. 9 after a report of a disturbance. When officers arrived, they learned that a physical fight had occurred.

Emergency medical services were requested, and one individual involved in the altercation was pronounced deceased at the scene, having succumbed to his injuries. After an investigation, the Lander Police Department was able to locate three men connected to the death.

One of the men has been charged with murder in the second degree, and the two other men have been charged with accessory before the fact to murder in the second degree. The Lander Police Department notes that these charges include the consideration of lesser offenses of manslaughter and accessory to manslaughter.

According to Wyoming news outlet Cowboy State Daily, the three involved are Richard “Deak” Dollard, 59; his brother Justin Dollard, 54; and his nephew Jesse Dollard, 21. Richard Dollard is facing murder in the second degree, while the other two are facing the accessory charges.

Cowboy State Daily says that Richard Dollard is listed as a U.S. Bureau of Land Management field staff law enforcement ranger. They obtained court documents that say witnesses saw Richard Dollard strangling the victim after a fight started between them.

Through the police department’s investigation, they reviewed critical case facts, examined video surveillance, and completed interviews with involved parties and witnesses. Police say they worked closely with the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation and the Fremont County Attorney’s Office to investigate the case and determine appropriate charges.

Although three individuals have been arrested, the Lander Police Department says this is still an open investigation, and asks that anyone who witnessed the event or believes they have “crucial evidence” contact them at (307) 332-3401 and ask for Sgt. Lutterman or Detective Mattocks.

As the data center boom overtakes rural America, impacted residents are often divided over whether these facilities help or harm their communities. But the commissioners of Laramie County, Wyoming, are willing to bet that building the largest data center campus in the U.S. will bring in jobs, tax revenue, and long-term economic growth.

On January 6, they unanimously approved two site plans for a proposed power plant and data center campus to be built south of Cheyenne. The power plant project, called the BFC Power and Cheyenne Power Hub, is being developed by Tallgrass Energy. It will ultimately provide electricity to the Project Jade data center campus being built by AI infrastructure company Crusoe.

Crusoe and Tallgrass announced the partnership in July, revealing that the data center campus will open with a capacity of 1.6 gigawatts (GW) but will be designed to scale up to 10 GW. Achieving that maximum capacity would make it the largest single AI campus in the U.S.

Big projects with big impacts

The joint project will now progress to the construction phase in the Switch Grass Industrial Park area, located 8 miles south of Cheyenne, according to documentation obtained by Inside Climate News.

Project Jade will be developed on a 600-acre (243-hectare) parcel of land and will consist of five data centers, two support buildings, and additional supporting infrastructure. The BFC Power and Cheyenne Power Hub project will be built right next door on a 659-acre (267-hectare) parcel and will consist of two power generation facilities plus supporting infrastructure.

Crusoe and Tallgrass expect to begin construction in the first quarter of this year, and the first data center building should be operational by the end of 2027, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.

Before the final vote, the Hyndman Homesites Homeowners Association—which represents a community near the project—wrote a letter to the county commissioners expressing residents’ concerns about drilling deep wells into the local aquifer, gas turbine emissions, the location of wastewater ponds, and other impacts, according to ICN.

Ahead of the final vote, the Hyndman Homesites Homeowners Association, which represents a community near the project, sent a letter to the county commissioners raising concerns about deep aquifer wells, gas turbine emissions, wastewater pond locations, and other impacts, according to ICN.

Studies suggest they’re right to be worried. Researchers have found that data center facilities much smaller than the proposed Jade campus emit harmful air pollutants such as fine particulate matter, guzzle local water resources, and drive up energy bills.

Promises of sustainability

The projects’ developers say they have plans to mitigate local impacts. To reduce the data centers’ water demand, Crusoe intends to implement closed-loop cooling systems that recycle treated water and treatment fluids, according to a 2024 Impact Report.

When Crusoe and Tallgrass announced their partnership in July, they said the data center campus’s proximity to Tallgrass’s existing CO2 sequestration hub will also provide long-term carbon capture solutions for the gas turbines powering the data centers. They added that “future renewable energy developments in the region” could eventually supplement the facilities’ power demand.

Whether these prove to be viable, meaningful solutions remains to be seen. County leadership is apparently comfortable enough with the risks to allow the projects to move forward. The true costs and benefits of their decision won’t become clear until these facilities are operational and the campus begins drawing power, water, and scrutiny at scale.

LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys return to the Arena-Auditorium on Wednesday to host San Diego State in a Mountain West matchup scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff on CBS Sports Network.

San Diego State enters the contest tied for first place in the Mountain West, while Wyoming is seeking its 10th home win of the season.

The contest will be broadcast on the Cowboy Sports Network across 26 affiliate stations with Keith Kelley on the call and Kevin McKinney providing color commentary. In Sweetwater County, the game can be heard on KUGR 104.9 FM.

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Wyoming comes into the game with an 11-5 overall record and a 2-3 mark in conference play after a road loss to Nevada on Saturday. The Cowboys are averaging 84 points per game, which ranks second in the conference, while allowing 72.7 points per contest. Wyoming is shooting 48 percent from the field and holding opponents to 44 percent. The Cowboys average 8.3 3-pointers per game, while opponents make 6.4, and Wyoming leads the Mountain West at 38 rebounds per game.

San Diego State is 11-4 overall and 5-0 in conference play after winning eight of its last nine games. The Aztecs are tied atop the Mountain West standings with Utah State. San Diego State averages 82.5 points per game and allows 72.8. The Aztecs are shooting 48 percent from the field while holding opponents to 40 percent, and they average 37.6 rebounds and 17.1 assists per game.

Leland Walker leads Wyoming in scoring at 14.5 points per game and also averages a team-high 3.8 assists, ranking seventh in the conference. Nasir (Naz) Meyer is averaging 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the field. Khaden Bennett adds 9.8 points per game and ranks second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per contest. Bennett ranks fourth in the Mountain West, shooting over 87 percent from the free throw line, and is second on the team with 41 assists.

San Diego State is led in scoring by BJ Davis at 12.1 points per game. He is shooting 44 percent from 3-point range and is tied for the team lead with 21 made 3-pointers. Reese Dixon-Waters averages 11.1 points per game and also has 21 3-pointers on the season. Miles Heide leads the Aztecs with 5.4 rebounds per game, and San Diego State has seven players averaging at least three rebounds per contest.

The Cowboys trail the all-time series 53-42, with the first meeting dating back to Jan. 12, 1979. Wyoming holds a 27-14 record at home against the Aztecs. San Diego State won both meetings last season by a combined five points.

Wyoming will return to the road Saturday to face Fresno State at 5 p.m. MT in a game on the Mountain West Network.