It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Tuesday, July 23rd. 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.
--
At least 17 vehicles were contaminated after a fuel station in Rock Springs mistakenly switched its supplies of unleaded and diesel fuel.
The Kum & Go on Foothill Boulevard, which is now owned by Maverick, was running diesel through its premium unleaded pump and unleaded through its diesel pump last Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland.
“I couldn't get the gas station or its ownership company, at least not by publication time, I didn't get a response. But the service kind of administrator at a local auto shop there told me that they've seen about 16 vehicles in for repairs stemming from this incident, and another Rock Springs citizen said he fixed his own dad's truck.”
Experts said diesel engines will fare far worse if unleaded fuel is introduced to the system than a gas engine trying to run on diesel. A mixup like that could cost the owners of a diesel engine up to $5,000 in repairs.
Read the full story HERE.
--
Military Mondays at Cheyenne Frontier Days are all about saluting the military.
The 75th Ranger Regiment is still America’s advance-strike unit today, and more than 20 of their number were in Wyoming on Monday. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that the group was brought here by Pace-O-Matic for Cheyenne Frontier Days and the annual Military Monday celebration.
“They're here for three days. They're taking in the rodeo… these guys really relate to cowboys, the culture, the cowboy culture, just meshes with them really well. It's the code of ethics. It's the self discipline. It's the hard work. It's all of that. ”
Military Monday is a longstanding tradition at Cheyenne Frontier Days to honor and salute the brave men and women who have fought — and are still fighting — to keep America free.
Read the full story HERE.
--
For rideshare drivers with Uber and Lyft, Cheyenne Frontier Days is an annual pilgrimage to pick up extra cash.
Some report earning a few hundred dollars over the first weekend of the 2024 event, others as much as $1,200. But Cowboy State Daily’s Pat Maio spoke to several operators as Frontier Days was gearing up, and many of them had one major complaint - that they can’t go into Colorado to pick up fares from the Denver airport.
“It's a real inequity for the Wyoming drivers because when they take a rider or passenger down to Colorado, and then try to get another rider to come back up to Frontier Days, their app is blocked, it's black, you can't pick up anybody… And you know, that irritates a lot of people.”
But even without Colorado fares, drivers say the money is so good during Frontier Days that some part-time operators take off from their day jobs. And other full-time drivers come from hundreds of miles away to make big money in Cheyenne.
Read the full story HERE.
--
The 2024 presidential race has steered into uncharted waters and the Wyoming Democratic Party is playing a small role in trying to move the party forward in the race.
Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the Party had already selected its delegates for the national convention and all were fully backing Biden when he made his announcement on Sunday that he was ending his 2024 reelection campaign.
“They're spinning. It's not that they're concerned about really anything in particular, they're just trying to literally figure out what they should do next… 1:34 Vice President Kamala Harris has been the only candidate that has really been tossed around and officially announced their candidacy for the race at this point. It's looking increasingly likely that Harris is going to continue to be the only candidate in the race, although it's still extremely early.”
On Monday night, the state party’s 17 delegates for the Democratic National Convention met to discuss how they should proceed after President Joe Biden’s historic announcement Sunday.
Read the full story HERE.
--
About 50 protesters in Rock Springs on Monday say the Bureau of Land Management should cancel its planned roundup of hundreds of mustangs from Wyoming’s remote White Mountain area, and stop using helicopters to chase them.
Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz was at the protest, and reports that
"It's that White Mountain area, anybody who's been around Rock Springs is familiar with that. And so they're gonna start pulling some horses out of there. So of course, the protesters, they want that stopped… About 50 people showed up in Rock Springs today that included some locals, but also folks from as far away as Pennsylvania and New York... this is just another example of Wyoming wildlife being on the national stage.”
Heinz reports that as heated as the debate over mustangs in Wyoming has gotten, the Monday protest was peaceful.
Read the full story HERE.
--
It's been a quiet wildfire season in Wyoming so far but the skies over the Cowboy State are hazy and smoky from a rash of intense wildfires burning elsewhere in the U.S. West.
Smoke from a number of out-of-state fires will continue to smother the Cowboy State for the next few days at least, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi, although there are no significant wildfires burning in Wyoming at the moment.
“There are a couple of wildfires, but they're very small, that are active in Wyoming, the smoke’s coming from Montana, and massive wildfires in Eastern Oregon… the big thing that Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day wanted to iterate is that this is no time to rest on laurels. It's been a quiet wildfire season in Wyoming but … it only takes a small spark to turn a small fire into an inferno.”
Rossi reports that we’ve got a few more days of haze before the smoke begins to clear - and that's assuming there aren't any new wildfires that ignite closer to home.
Read the full story HERE.
--
After cornering the head of the Secret Service with questions at the Republican National Convention last week about the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso isn’t letting up.
Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that on Monday, Barrasso posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), demanding that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resign.
“This comes on the heels of some very, very disastrous testimony given by Cheatle today in Congress, she was unable to answer numerous questions asked by members of both parties before the committee and at this point members of both parties are calling for her resignation.”
Cheatle repeatedly said during Monday’s meeting that she did not intend to resign and is still the best person to run the agency.
Read the full story HERE.
--
Campbell County authorities are accusing a Gillette man of denying that his ex-wife’s $7,300 sports-betting winnings were accidentally deposited into his bank account and not hers.
Casey Lawrence maintains that he’s innocent of the one felony theft charge he faces in Campbell County District Court. That’s what Lawrence’s attorney told Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland.
“In Wyoming, you don't owe the defense discovery until after the defendant’s arraigned in a felony case like this. So he said really, we don't know all the state has exactly to be able to counter it in the press, the media, but he said that his client maintains his innocence.”
Lawrence’s attorney said his client is excited to face a jury in this matter.
Read the full story HERE.
--
Malicious political messages are flooding Wyoming mailboxes, cellphone text messages and social media.
If there’s one thing most of these mudslinging mailers have in common, it’s that they're generating a growing outcry from their targets. Several politicians who have been the target of these mailers told politics reporter Leo Wolfson that the messages are deliberately misleading, inaccurate and potentially libelous.
“All three of the groups are making very debatable, at best, claims about lawmakers, and at the end of the day, I think the lesson learned here is that voters should probably give at least a grain of skepticism to any mailer that they receive, and should do their research on, before just listening to a mailer that may or may not be from a group that's based in Wyoming.”
Most of the frustration expressed has come from mailers and messages sent out by three groups: Make Liberty Win, the Wyoming Freedom political action committee, and Americans For Prosperity.
Read the full story HERE.
--
And an urgent search is on for a 20-year-old Lovell woman who’s been missing since Saturday night, and who officials fear may be in danger.
The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help locating Liana Welde. Cowboy State Daily’s Jen Kocher reports that Liana was last seen by her sister at the family home Saturday evening.
“She was seen at nine o'clock on Saturday night by her sister at the home. And I don't know if they noticed she was missing that night or in the morning. But the sheriff's office was contacted that morning and they immediately sprung into action. And they're taking it very seriously. Sheriff Ken Blackburn said time is of the essence. They're concerned, and they would like to find her sooner than later.”
Bighorn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn said his office is also working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as well as other local resources, and has issued a Be On the Look Out alert for Liana.
Read the full story HERE.
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.
