It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Tuesday, February 4th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by the Wyoming Senior Olympics! Experience the excitement of the Winter Games, February 20–22 in Pinedale, and support the SAFE Initiative. For event details and the full schedule, visit wyoming senior olympics dot com.
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If U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman decides to run for governor of Wyoming in 2026, she’d be the overwhelming favorite. That’s according to a poll conducted in late January by Washington, D.C.-based polling firm Cygnal.
Cowboy State Daily’s Jimmy Orr reports that Hageman has a 72% favorability rating in Wyoming and leads her next closest competitor by more than 30 points, which has resulted in an outpouring of people asking her to run.
“A senior advisor to Harriet told me people would governors, senators, politicians would kill for the numbers that Harriet has. I mean, she has a 72% approval rating, a favorable opinion of likely primary voters and 60% of likely Republican voters have a very favorable impression of her. These numbers are gigantic, absolutely gigantic… if she were to enter the race right now against possible candidates for governor, She enjoys a 30 plus point advantage over the next top person. So these numbers are remarkable. They're huge. And if she were, in fact, decided to run for governor, which she could, it is, it is a huge, huge margin.”
Hageman’s senior political advisor, though, says don’t expect any announcements soon, as Hageman is focused on her current job.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Senate Education Committee passed on a 3-2 vote Monday, a resolution to ask voters to amend the Wyoming Constitution to dramatically change the way school construction is approved and funded in Wyoming.
Senate Joint Resolution 6 would overturn the previous Wyoming Supreme Court rulings that made school construction a state responsibility. Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that it would return Wyoming to its previous school bond system, in which school districts go to their local voters for approval of bond initiatives that would be used to increase mill rates to provide funding for new construction projects.
“Currently, all these projects are approved on a state level and by the legislature. Is how they do it. It's a result of a 2001 Wyoming Supreme Court decision. This would basically return those decisions and the money that would be needed to support these projects to the local communities… A lot of people throughout Wyoming are worried about their property tax rates, so it may be a little hard to see them approving school construction projects.”
If the resolution is passed by the Legislature, it would still need to go before the voters in 2026 to make an amendment to the state Constitution.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Wyoming House of Representatives are working with two bills that expand Wyoming’s ban on biologically-born males competing in female-only sports.
If it becomes law, House Bill 60 would expand Wyoming’s 2-year-old ban on males competing in girls’ interscholastic sports — which currently affects grades seven through 12 — to all school ages, from kindergarten through college. That bill passed out of the House and on to the Senate on Monday. And Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the House is considering other legislation on the same topic.
“The house has been ushering these bills through, and they're similar, but different. So like one would, if you know, from K through college, non public schools, and public schools would just have this ban on males competing in girls school sports or women's school sports when we're talking about colleges. And that one jumped over to the Senate Monday. And on the same day, same morning, another one that would that just focuses on college and, you know, interscholastic activities, it left committee and headed to the House floor. So Representative Mike Yin was like, we are proposing to do two different things with the exact same statute.”
Both pieces of legislation surfaced after the University of Wyoming women’s volleyball team took two forfeit losses for not playing against San Jose State University, which had a transgender player in its lineup last fall.
Read the full story HERE.
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A bison herd in Yellowstone National Park channeled its fear and frustration over a fallen member into a small stampede that put some tourists in their path.
Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that the stampede sent people scurrying across the road in the Hayden Valley last week, sending bundled-up tourists running off the road and behind vehicles for safety.
“These were wild animals. It's stimulus, response sort of situation… A bison had just been taken down by the wapiti pack of wolves, and the bison were just doing their thing. And instead of bee lining it in one direction, they just bee lined it along the road, and that happened to be where a bunch of people were watching the whole thing go down … When you're in their pathway, all you can do is get out and their pathways, whatever they decide their pathway is going to be, especially in a heightened situation like that.”
Witnesses say no human was at fault in the situation, but it could have become much more dangerous. If someone had not acted appropriately, a serious injury could have occurred.
Read the full story HERE.
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Stocks were tumbling at the start of Monday on news that tariffs President Donald Trump had announced over the weekend would go into effect on Canada, Mexico and China as of midnight Tuesday morning.
But what a difference a few hours can make. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that both Mexico and Canada have agreed to further negotiations - a move applauded by Wyoming’s congressional delegation.
“The tariffs are on hold for at least 30 days while the countries negotiate. So there's some time here to figure out what these tariffs might mean if they do go into effect… So you know, it could be that we aren't going to get… any more tariffs out of all of this, instead, we may be looking at some deals, and I think it just about has Wyoming lawmakers at least saying, I told you so. You know, Senator John Barrasso, Representative Harriet Hageman, both have said that this is a negotiating tactic for Trump to get better deals for America, and it looks like that is what is happening here so far anyway. So we'll just have to stay tuned. It's a very fluid environment.”
Trump has threatened a 10% tariff on top of tariffs already imposed on China - on the campaign trail, Trump suggested tariffs on China could go as high as 60% more. But China has also signaled openness to negotiations.
Read the full story HERE.
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Carrying concealed firearms across states is legally sketchy for Wyoming residents, but that could change thanks to legislation President Donald Trump is apparently ready to sign - that is, if it passes Congress.
Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that House Bill 38 and Senate Bill 65, could make concealed carry permits issued in any state valid in all 50 states.
“say, you get a concealed carry permit in Wyoming, it is good at all 50 states… okay, what does that mean about the state's regulations? Like, for example, Colorado has a 10 round in not all of Colorado, but many jurisdictions in Colorado have a 10 round magazine restriction. Okay? Some of your newer pistols, like your Smith and Wesley M and P, are your Glocks, they have 15, 17, 18, rounds… even if this passes, okay, my permit is good in all the states, but you got, you still gotta think about those… those complicating factors are still going to be there”
The bills before Congress would still allow states leeway to craft their own firearms regulations, which concealed carry holders would have to obey.
Read the full story HERE.
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Librarians and educators on Monday opposed a wide-ranging proposed bill that seeks to toughen Wyoming’s crimes against exposing minors to obscenity, and to remove protections that keep librarians and teachers from being charged with the crime.
Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that House Bill 194 is a new version of a recurring legislation, back with tougher language than earlier versions that didn't survive.
“It's bigger than books. It's, you know, it stretches to performances and movies and materials, and what it would do is create a unique definition for obscenity that is harmful to kids… And then it would also, this is the third year running they've tried to do this, but it would also repeal the exemptions that say that librarians, teachers, museum curators and professors, acting within their bona fide duties, can't be prosecuted for disseminating obscenity.”
Currently, people exposing others to obscenity in the course of bona fide school, college, university, museum or public library activities cannot be prosecuted for that. This bill seeks to remove that protection.
Read the full story HERE.
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Kevin Kolenda’s company, Hole in Won, sold the Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce in Saratoga a policy in 2018 to cover the $10,000 prize it offers for catching a tagged fish during its annual ice fishing derby.
But, when the fish was caught, it was the insurer who got away, sticking the charity for the large payout. At least for a little while, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean.
“There's a case that Wyoming Insurance Commissioner Jeff Rude noticed in Connecticut, charging this guy with six counts of wire fraud for similar activities as what Saratoga says he did to them. So the guy has been caught, and right now he's facing those six counts. They're 20 years maximum for each count. So you know, he could get up to, like, 120 years for for for just those six counts… He is still under investigation, and the FBI is asking victims to come forward with their stories.”
The indictment, which was entered in April 2024, accuses the 66-year-old Kolenda of defrauding dozens of organizations and people of nearly $1 million, including $850,000 in insurance premiums paid under false pretenses, and more than $100,000 in unpaid prize money.
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! And don’t forget to drop in on the Cowboy State Daily morning show with Jake Nichols, Monday through Friday from 6 to 10 a.m.!
Thanks for tuning in - I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
