It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Monday, February 24th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by the Wyoming Senior Olympics, thanking the participants, volunteers, supporters, and sponsors of the February winter games in Pinedale. Visit Wyoming senior olympics dot com!
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The 20-year-old woman who was severely hurt in the Feb. 14 tunnel collision outside of Green River is in the care of incredible medical teams."
Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that that’s what Daryn Macy’s family released in a statement last week. Daryn was hospitalized after the 26-vehicle crash in and outside the Green River westbound tunnel.
“There were other survivors, and there were even people who were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, or, you know, actual bleeding injuries and stuff after the crash, but as of last, early last week, she was the only one reported still hospitalized. They finished out the count at three fatalities and one hospitalized, and that's her down at University of Utah, where her family says she's got a great team of medical professionals. We're so grateful for the outpouring of support, and we also appreciate privacy.”
Three other people — two men from Rawlins and one from Canada — died in the crash. Several others escaped the tunnel as fire and explosions surged through it.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Sun Valley Resort in Idaho and its slopes on Bald Mountain continue to set the standard for world-class ski operations.
That’s why a recent Idaho Supreme Court ruling against Sun Valley stopped ski industry watchers in their tracks and raised concerns about an avalanche of liability lawsuits.
Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that Idaho’s high court is now considering whether the widow of a skier who died in 2019 on a beginner slope can proceed to trial with her suit against the Resort, which is owned by the family of Wyoming’s own Robert Earl Holding.
“This is usually something that's very hard to do because of what's known as the skier Responsibility Act… it's been nearly impossible to file any kind of liability suit against ski areas. Well, now the Idaho Supreme Court seems to be opening the door to that by sympathetically allowing for a hearing on this case, and it could go to trial. … small ski areas from Wyoming to Idaho to Montana… they're watching this case really closely… Sometimes these cases result in what are called nuclear verdicts, which can put a resort out of business because the damages are so high…. if it goes the wrong way, from the point of view of ski operators, it really could change the industry.”
Milus now waits for the Idaho Supreme Court to decide whether it will clear the way for a jury trial, or affirm the district court’s dismissal based on Idaho law that places heavy responsibility on skiers for their own safety.
Read the full story HERE.
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Chancey Williams’ new hit song “The Ballad of Uncle Don” has hit No. 1 on the CMT Music charts.
The Wyoming native has made his mark on Nashville with his songs about the real Wyoming experience. He told Cowboy State Daily’s Jackie Dorothy that the idea for this song came about over a cup of coffee and chewing the fat with his uncle in Moorcroft.
“Hearing his story was just like how it was for me when I was listening to my dad and his uncles and his cousins talking about life on the ranch, what life is like. I mean, it's no BS, it's just, this is what we did. This is what happened. And he took one of those extraordinary stories that we kind of take for granted and made it into this beautiful ballad and a great tribute to his uncle, Don.”
The goals for Williams for his music videos are to show off the real Wyoming, and not the Hollywood version. As “The Ballad of Uncle Don” continues to grow in popularity, Williams said his Uncle Don is also enjoying the song and its message.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting moved its biggest acquisition yet to its collection of vintage airplanes at the U.S. Highway 14 rest area near Greybull.
Tanker 97, a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, joined seven other vintage airplanes that previously served as aerial firefighters throughout the United States.
The museum's owner and operator told Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi that the 153,000-pound tanker has immediately become the crown jewel of the museum’s collection.
“Boeing made the KC-97 Stratofreighter as a refueling plane. So it was one of the bigger planes that the smaller planes would get their fuel from… they've actually had the plane for over a year, but they couldn't get it the short distance from the runway of the … Airport to the museum until the ground froze, because otherwise this plane weighs 153,000 pounds, so it might sink into the ground if the grounds too soft. So once it got cold enough in Greybull, they got a bulldozer, and they hold this thing down the runway, and then a brief off road excursion to the museum grounds, where it's going to have a permanent home as a display.”
While the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting is open year-round, its newest acquisition will probably be for the eyes only. Until the cabin is empty, no one will be allowed onboard.
Read the full story HERE.
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In January, someone dropped off a 120-year-old leather-bound Casper Police Department docket book to the Wyoming Rescue Mission’s Rescued Treasures Thrift Store there.
Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck took a look at that 1904 docket, and said it was a chance to get a glimpse of life in the early part of the 20th century.
“People were riding horses recklessly and be and being ticketed for that. And also, there was a house of prostitution that was raided, and there were quite a few fines levied there, and then, you know, other a lot of drunkenness on the streets in Casper back in the day, and that was like a $5 fine, typically. But what was interesting was that one one page, had a man who was fined, and then he had to pay costs, and he apparently didn't have the money for the fine, so he was, he was able to get away with the cost, and that was like $4 and change.”
The department said getting the docket back is something special, and it will be put in a special display case so the public will have access to this piece of history.
Read the full story HERE.
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For the Jackson Hole High School women’s basketball team, the game on Thursday, February 20th against Riverton could have been another heartbreaker. The team had not won a game since December 18, 2021, and the girls - especially the seniors - had experienced three years of defeats.
But Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that their losing streak was snapped in spectacular fashion with a last minute three-pointer that changed the girls’ record - and their spirits.
“13 seconds or so left, they call a timeout. Coach draws up a set play. Two seniors set a double screen, and the one sophomore on the floor, Ari Fowler, breaks free for an open shot and just drains it… They broke a 79 game losing streak with that three pointer… I interviewed the captain, Mads Holland, and she said that they had found this video on Instagram where a girls basketball team was trying to break their losing streak. So they took all their shoes, formed a pile, and then made a circle… the captain instructed the shoes on how well they were going to play so, so when that sophomore lifted off her that last jump shot, she was jumping with blessed shoes, and she sunk the shot that broke the 79 game losing streak.”
None of the senior players plan to play college basketball. But when some of them sat down to write their college acceptance essays, they said they drew inspiration from their team’s epic losing streak.
Read the full story HERE.
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Turkish firearms were once considered a joke in the United States. But now they’re becoming wildly popular with American shooters, frequently selling for a fraction of the price of domestic brands.
Outdoors reporter Mark Heinz spoke to Wyoming gun experts who say the Turks have made huge gains in the American firearms market, with no signs of slowing.
“What one guy told me is, what he thinks has happened is a lot of old Soviet block manufacturing facilities have become available in that whole area of Turkey and the Czech Republic and kind of that part of the world. And then also, a lot of patents have expired. And so these Turkish gun manufacturers have been able to patent and basically make clones of a lot of really popular firearms models… previously, the, you know, Turkish firearms kind of had this, this reputation being total pieces of junk, but they're starting to turn the corner, and they're starting to offer, pardon the cliche, a real bang for the buck.”
Major U.S. firearms companies are feeling the pressure from Turkey and other countries that can offer affordable imports. Some big-brand companies are starting to work with smaller companies from Turkey and elsewhere on collaborative projects.
Read the full story HERE.
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Survival in Wild West Wyoming depended on treating illnesses without the help of modern medicine. Whiskey figured in a lot of treatments for all sorts of medical problems — some good and some not so healthy.
Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean decided to take a look into the history of these medicinal alcoholic drinks.
“They were elixirs meant to help restore health, you know, solve problems like a toothache, a digestion… I mean, this whole range of ills that our Pioneer ancestors faced a lot of times without doctors… Some of their remedies may have been a little bit questionable, like, you know, adding mercury to a whiskey type concoction… And you know, strychnine added to whiskey, for example, which caused an effect that felt, quote, like 1000 baby tarantulas crawling all over you.”
Renee didn’t just research these cocktails, though - she decided to try her hand at creating these medicinal drinks.
“I haven't mixed a lot of cocktails, so I'm not really an expert. So this was, it was kind of fun trying to figure out how to do this… I had to go find winter bark and sarsaparilla tea. I found those in an herbal apothecary here in Cheyenne. So I thought that was kind of cool that you could actually, you know, find some of these old fashioned remedies hanging out at herbal shops, herbal teas that people make.”
One of the more popular home remedies of the day was called sarsaparilla, which is made from a blend of birch oil and the dried root bark of the sassafras tree. It was thought to cure all sorts of things, ranging from eczema syphilis.
Read the full story HERE.
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Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak has captured national attention with his viral billboard and bold "vacancy" sign on his jail, while also earning a reputation locally for his unconventional approach.
Cowboy State Daily’s Reilly Strand and Hannah Brock spent a day with the sheriff to get a firsthand look at his unique style.
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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, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. And remember 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.
