It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Monday, July 22nd. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by Wyoming Senior Olympics, reminding you that this year's Summer Olympics start July 31st in Cheyenne - and volunteers are needed! Become a volunteer today at Wyoming senior Olympics dot org.
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On the national political stage, 2024 will go down in history as the year President Joe Biden bowed out of his run for reelection.
None of Wyoming’s congressional delegation were surprised at the move. Politics reporter Leo Wolfson spoke to Senator Cynthia Lummis about this turn of events.
“Senator Lummis, said she wasn't surprised by the results. And she sees it as kind of a confirmation that President Joe Biden is unable to hold the position of president - and she believes it should raise questions about whether he should even serve the rest of his term through January.”
Wyoming Democrats last week expressed a mix of thoughts about whether Biden should stay in the race. Joe Barbuto, chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party, said Biden's decision to step down only increased his respect for him.
Read the full story HERE.
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A contract worker in Yellowstone National Park is facing a potential year in prison on claims she jumped onto a park ranger and punched him repeatedly when he tried to separate her from her abusive boyfriend in June.
20 year old Chloe Tullis was indicted on a federal assault charge Thursday. Her boyfriend, 19-year-old Elliot Dawdry, had been convicted in early June of punching Tullis, according to crime and courts reporter Clair McFarland.
“Dawdry was in the middle of an assault case for attacking Tullis in a domestic altercation. And during his prosecution, he wasn't supposed to be around her court documents, to have no contact with the victim. And the agent in charge of the case knew that, but then saw Dawdry get into a car with Tullis, allegedly, and that was when the fireworks started. Tullis is said to have gotten out of the car, yelled at the Ranger, pointing fingers at him, ultimately tackling and punching and grabbing his duty belt, according to the court documents.”
The ranger that Tullis assaulted suffered lacerations, bruising, and torn clothing. Tullis has been in jail since June 18.
Read the full story HERE.
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Witnessing an eruption of Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
But it can also be a one-of-a-kind nightmare for anyone who parked near the world's tallest active geyser when it went off last week, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi.
“When Steamboat Geyser sent water 300 feet into the air, it shot geyser water onto their vehicles. And when that water evaporates, it leaves behind dissolved silica, which is notoriously difficult to get off. I've heard of rangers who've had their vehicles ruined because they parked in those spots when Steamboat erupted. And you never know when Steamboat is gonna erupt. It could be tomorrow, it could be 50 years from now, that's the range we're talking about. So it's an ever present threat.”
Steamboat Geyser can send water up to 400 feet into the air when it erupts. That makes it the tallest active geyser in the world and a potential hazard for anyone nearby.
Read the full story HERE.
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It’s been 56 years since Hollywood legend John Wayne visited Casper to film “Hellfighters,” but locals still talk about it.
The movie featured an elite hotshot crew of oil rig firefighters and filmed some of its most spectacular scenes in Wyoming, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck.
“In 1968, the Duke showed up in Casper, and it was an exciting time because there was pyrotechnics, there was actors and actresses, there was a film set on the southwest side of Casper, and they shot 1/3 of the movie called The Hellfighters. And I talked to some people that were involved in that, including a young man who had a ranch just next to where the movie set was, rode his pony over there. And he and a buddy would ride and sneak up into the rocks and kind of interrupt the filming.”
A special showing of the movie for locals who were extras was shown at the America Theater in Casper on Dec. 20, 1968. The movie received mixed reviews at its release.
Read the full story HERE.
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The best hardware store-helping, rooster-herding, upside-down, head-standing dog around, is a border collie/golden retriever mix named Coop, and he’s got the door greeter position at the A to Z Hardware Store in Pinedale locked up tight.
Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean says Coop does more than welcome shoppers - he’ll help them shop.
“Coop likes to hang out at the front of the store, that's so he can watch all the customers coming in. And then he follows them around the store as their shopping. The minute they've got a package in their hand, he's like, nudging their hand, letting them know, ‘Hey, I'm ready, I'm here. Let me take your package to the register for you.’ He’ll just trot right up there to the cash register and drop it on the counter for the cashier.”
Coop is well-paid for his work - he gets all the petting, and the scooby snacks, any dog could ask for.
Read the full story HERE.
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The year has not been kind for Chris and Kathy Hoover of Cheyenne. First, a 100-year-old pine tree fell on their house, completely demolishing it. Then, out of the ruins, Chris’ prized 1977 Gibson Les Paul guitar was stolen.
Now Cowboy State Daily’s Jake Nichols reports that everything possible is being done to find the Cheyenne musician’s well-loved vintage guitar.
“There are only 550 made in the year he bought it, 1977. He bought it the month it came out, and he played the heck out of it. It's a worn guitar, but it's a it's a collector's item.… Of course, every pawn broker has been alerted. This is going to be a difficult guitar to, you know, it's pretty hot as they say, to offload... So hopefully the thieves will do the right thing. Hopefully they won't panic and just toss it.”
Chris awaits the day he gets that phone call that tells him the guitar has been found. For now, the family relies in the power of today’s internet connectedness. The more word spreads, the hotter that guitar will get.
Read the full story HERE.
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A group of kids set up a lemonade stand in one of Cody’s city parks last week - but within a few hours, the stand, and the kids, were shut down for not having a permit. after someone called the Cody Police Department.
Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi spoke to the mothers of the four children - ages 4 and 7 - who just wanted to raise a few dollars for a fun day in Billings.
“They have no issue with code enforcement or the Cody police department. They were just doing their jobs. They needed a permit to sell in a city park and they didn't have it… The thing that upset them is that someone called about it. Someone saw these tiny kids with a pop up lemonade stand in a city park, and that was egregious enough that they had to call the police about it… but they've gotten an outpouring of support. Walmart donated lemonade… they had a budget they wanted to achieve for a day trip up to Billings, they met and surpassed it. They want to donate money to local communities like to the Park County Animal Shelter and places like that.”
What happened to the lemonade stand was baffling and frustrating to the families involved, but the kids’ parents say it provided an outlet for the community's support and generosity.
Read the full story HERE.
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With their adorable faces, cute chattering and human-like hands, raccoons might seem like they’d make great pets. In fact, one Lander family took in an injured raccoon several years ago - and Rico, as he was named, is now nearly 60 pounds and is extremely friendly.
But though many have tried, most have failed to fully tame the clever critters. That’s what a Wyoming veterinarian - who has had many raccoons pass through his clinic - told outdoors reporter Mark Heinz.
“If you're tempted to try to make one a pet, it's probably not a good idea, he said. For about half of them or better, they get to an age of about five or six months, and for some reason, there's just some kind of mental switch that flips at about that age. And your raccoon might stay friendly, or it might turn into a little demon at that point, and just hate everything and everybody.”
The vet said, though, that surprisingly, skunks make excellent pets - once they are de-scented, of course.
Read the full story HERE.
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Legend of Rawhide is a Lusk tradition -- held on the second weekend of every July -- that reenacts the culture clash between pioneers and Native American tribes.
And as Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports, it’s an immersive experience with gunshots - and fires on the hillside.
“They actually do live fire at this event. They set things on fire, they set the wagons on fire. They set the hillside on fire to spell out the words ‘Legend of Rawhide’… the local fire department actually helps them with that they are there on site just in case anything goes wrong. They also have ambulances on site because this is a highly risky type of show. Almost every year somebody gets hurt doing something.”
The event has been held off and on since 1946. Jean says it takes around 200 volunteers to put on the show, which brings several hundred spectators to Lusk every year.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Powell equestrienne says she’s confident that her medical background and years of experience with horses will help her win the grueling 620-mile Mongol Derby.
Dede Anders will embark on a nine-day ride, spending up to 11 hours a day in the saddle across 620 miles of Mongolia's vast, isolated wilderness. But as Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports, it’s an adventure that she wasn’t expecting to embark on quite this soon.
“The Mongol Derby is a 612 mile race that uses the old route that Genghis Khan used for his horse messengers while he was controlling his empire. Dede Anders is a Powell resident. She grew up in Greybull, she's lived and ridden in Wyoming her whole life, and she was accepted to participate in the Mongol Derby in 2025. But that automatically put her on the waitlist. So when they contacted her this year, saying someone dropped out, she agreed to step in.”
If the past is any indication, Wyoming has a good track record in the Mongol Derby.
In 2019, Cheyenne native Robert Long won. He was 70 at the time, making him not only the oldest winner of the event, but the oldest to even finish the race.
Read the full story HERE.
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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel.
I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
Radio Stations
The following radio stations are airing Cowboy State Daily Radio on weekday mornings, afternoons and evenings. More radio stations will be added soon.
KYDT 103.1 FM – Sundance
KBFS 1450 AM — Sundance
KYCN 1340 AM / 92.7 FM — Wheatland
KZEW 101.7 FM — Wheatland
KANT 104.1 FM — Guernsey
KZQL 105.5 FM — Casper
KMXW 92.5 FM — Casper
KBDY 102.1 FM — Saratoga
KTGA 99.3 FM — Saratoga
KJAX 93.5 FM — Jackson
KZWY 106.3 FM — Sheridan
KROE 930 AM / 103.9 FM — Sheridan
KWYO 1410 AM / 106.9 FM — Sheridan
KYOY 92.3 FM Hillsdale-Cheyenne / 106.9 FM Cheyenne
KRAE 1480 AM — Cheyenne
KDLY 97.5 FM — Lander
KOVE 1330 AM — Lander
KZMQ 100.3/102.3 FM — Cody, Powell, Medicine Wheel, Greybull, Basin, Meeteetse
KKLX 96.1 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Ten Sleep, Greybull
KCGL 104.1 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin, Lovell, Clark, Red Lodge, MT
KTAG 97.9 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin
KCWB 92.1 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin
KVGL 105.7 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Basin, Ten Sleep
KODI 1400 AM / 96.7 FM — Cody, Powell, Lovell, Basin, Clark, Red Lodge
KWOR 1340 AM / 104.7 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Ten Sleep
KREO 93.5 FM — Sweetwater and Sublette Counties
KGOS 1490 AM — Goshen County
KERM 98.3 FM — Goshen County
Check with individual radio stations for airtime of the newscasts.
