It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Friday, January 31st. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by Visit Casper. Visit Casper invites you to come enjoy the Casper International Film Festival, January 31 through February 2. A broad range of films from local and international filmmakers will be shown. Learn more and get your tickets at visitcasper.com.
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Charles Hoskinson, a billionaire and founder of the Cardano cryptocurrency platform, has big plans to get involved in local Wyoming politics this year.
Hoskinson, who owns a ranch in Wheatland and has family in Gillette, is planning on launching the Wyoming Integrity Political Action Committee this year.
In an exclusive interview, he told Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson that the PAC will be built around supporting candidates who can bring more transparent bidding policies to Wyoming.
“One of his main priorities that he wants to deal with as part of his integrity pack is basically to try to bring more transparency to the state's procurement process, as far as taking out bids, Hoskinson had a personal experience with this in a negative way, where his Cardano cryptocurrency company, was snubbed from even being allowed to bid to be a part of the Wyoming stable token project this past fall… He also wants to get rid of corruption and fraud and politics and address other issues even expanding as wide as game tags issued by Wyoming Game and Fish.”
Hoskinson’s financial means and existing connections nearly guarantee he will be a major player in the 2026 election cycle.
Read the full story HERE.
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Campbell County High School students have been subjected to health and safety hazards from leaking sewage in hallways and bathrooms. Additionally, the school’s fire suppression system is outdated and parts for it are growing unattainable, and the heating and ventilation system is a patchwork of old units that can’t keep the temperature under control.
But Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the obvious need for a new high school in Gillette is running at odds with a Wyoming legislature determined to cut property taxes.
“Because things are so desperate at Campbell County High School, the House advanced like a, I think it was $164 million appropriation to this Senate on Tuesday. Um, but they did so with reservations and concerns like, we don't know what all of our property tax reform that we're juggling is going to do… obviously the Senate still needs to. The Senate can tinker with it. The Senate can amend, the Senate can cut, the Senate can reject… with the knowledge of the property tax cuts that they have just passed.”
Around 64% of Wyoming property taxes go toward local schools and the School Foundation Program Account. The remainder goes to local governments to fund services such as repairing roads and local emergency medical services.
Read the full story HERE.
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A wall of winter weather is heading for Wyoming, beginning tonight. Several feet of snow could drop in the mountains this weekend and continue with more snow, wind and low temperatures into next weekend.
Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that while there won’t be any Arctic waves or polar vortexes this week, there will be enough moisture to make things interesting.
“There's a big surge of Pacific moisture that's going to be hitting the western mountains of Wyoming, starting on Friday night, and then it's going to be heavy snow, not continuous snow, but heavy snow between Friday and Sunday in the mountains. Now, unfortunately, the system doesn't have the strength to get up and over the mountains and into the lower elevations, but we're still talking about up to 20 inches in Jackson and Star Valley, and possibly up to 60 inches in the Tetons… So as we move into February, we're probably going to see more of that unsettled pattern… we'll start seeing more of the white stuff across all Wyoming.”
The National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Watches for most of western Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park from 5 p.m. Friday through 5 p.m. Sunday.
Read the full story HERE.
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A controversial proposal to base Wyoming property tax rates on a home’s fair market value and purchase price passed a House committee Thursday.
Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Tony Locke of Casper, believes Wyoming homeowners are being taxed based on unrealized capital gains and hope in a system he believes is inherently flawed. But opponents say the plan would bankrupt local communities.
“What this bill would basically do is kind of similar to purchasing a vehicle. It would make your property taxes dependent on the purchase price of your home… So this is a big, big deal. If this were to pass into law, it is estimated to cost, you know, the state at least two 40 million per year in lost revenue, but some people, like the bill sponsor, Representative Tony lock, argue that it is a uniform and fair way of doing taxation that is is actually fair across the board, the head of the Wyoming board of equalization and a few others, including Converse county assessor, Dixie Huxtable, disagreed, and they said that this is unconstitutional and that it basically gives disparate tax breaks based on what a home was purchased for.”
Property taxes have become a hot button topic in recent years. In 2019, property taxes collected in Wyoming amounted to $380 million. By 2024, that number skyrocketed to $652 million. But many have argued that local services have not increased at a corresponding level, or at all.
Read the full story HERE.
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As people take their dogs to roam in the woods and fields of Wyoming, pets are getting maimed or killed in traps set too close to public areas.
That’s what some dog owners told legislators Thursday in testimony before the Wyoming Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that the dog owners spoke emotionally about the dangers that traps pose to pets.
“Last year, we reported that English bull terrier Jester had been caught in a trap that unfortunately brushed his neck and throat and killed him, and that inspired his owner to start pushing for trapping reform in Wyoming, and that started to take shape today before a Wyoming Senate committee, they went ahead and forward, forwarded a bill that will apply some reforms to Wyoming trapping, including requiring set back distances for traps on public land that are near busy areas, such as trails or roads or places where people might take their pets or even small children, perhaps, uh, prevent these sorts of things from happening again.”
The committee voted to forward Senate File 139 to the Senate Floor. The bill calls for reforms, such as requiring traps to be set back from roads and hiking trails on public land.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Wyoming House made a loud and clear statement Thursday about how voters can — and can’t — turn in their ballots.
The House passed House Bill 131 on a 51-10 vote to ban the use of ballot drop boxes in Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that while there has been no evidence presented that ballot boxes have enabled fraud in Wyoming, banning the boxes has been a cornerstone of Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s election security agenda.
“There were seven counties in Wyoming that use these ballot boxes in the 2024, election, nine in the election before that, and they're provided as a way for people to vote outside of the time when courthouses are open… But they've also been the source of a lot of allegations about fraud and ballot harvesting that were levied during the 2020 election. There's been no evidence of any of that in Wyoming elections whatsoever, but Secretary of State Chuck Gray has really beat the drum on election integrity to get rid of these ballot boxes.”
The bill now moves on to the Senate for consideration.
Read the full story HERE.
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In a case that’s drawn national attention and triggered a rapid response from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, a Morgan breeder in Madison County, Montana faces criminal charges - and a grassroots campaign tries to keep the 86 horses involved well cared for and fed.
A pair of ranch hands alerted authorities when they became concerned that the horse breeder had seemingly stopped caring for his herd of Morgans. Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that a rescue group from Riverton joined forces with others to make sure the animals were rehomed and not sold off for slaughter.
“When word got out among Morgan horse people that there are these 86 horses that we're going to go up for auction, a Morgan trainer based in Riverton joined a group online and tried to raise money, and they were successful to a degree, to get money together to help buy these horses so they weren't auctioned off to someone that might export them for slaughter and and and so luckily, they didn't have to do that. The owner of the horses came up with the amount to cover the lien… this breeder had a really good reputation. Raised wonderful horses. It just appears he's fallen on hard times and has been unable to care for these horses.”
The unfolding saga in rural Madison County reveals the significant costs of properly caring for horses, and the dedication of Morgan horse fans in particular who rallied to save this herd.
Read the full story HERE.
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Coaches, parents and ice skaters with the Skating Club of Jackson Hole woke up Thursday to the horrific news that an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, had collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter as the plane was coming in for a routine landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
Among the 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane were at least 14 ice skaters, coaches and family members. Cowboy State Daily’s Justin George spoke to two coaches with ties to the Boston skating club that experienced the loss of several of its members in the crash.
“These two instructors, while they did not know any of the victims, are very, very much fond and remember strongly the ice club, the ice skating club there in Boston. And one thing that's very interesting is that this is the second air tragedy that this club has had, In 1961 there was also another plane crash involving US figure skaters, in which 10 members of the Boston club died then too. So growing up, these two ice skating coaches in Jackson remember, just because it had been talked about all the time in their communities, that this other tragedy had occurred.”
Officials say there were no survivors among the 67 passengers aboard the two aircraft - just as there were no survivors of the crash in 1961 that also claimed members of the Boston Skating Club.
Read the full story HERE.
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And that’s today’s news! For a deeper dive into the people and issues that affect Wyoming, check out The Roundup, conversations with the most interesting people in the Cowboy State. A new episode drops tomorrow, when I have a conversation with author and adventurer Sam Lightner. You can find the link on our website, on our YouTube channel, and wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, you'll find it in our FREE daily email newsletter!
Thanks for tuning in - I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
