It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Monday, June 30th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by Cheyenne Frontier Days. Ten days of rodeo thrills, Xtreme Bulls, live concerts, carnival rides, western heritage, and unforgettable cowboy spirit in Cheyenne, Wyoming! Don’t miss the 129th Daddy of ‘Em all July 18-27th.
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Utah Senator Mike Lee late Saturday dropped his bid to sell public lands for housing.
But President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are still on the defensive over their signature legislation, in which Lee had inserted the language. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Lee’s provision had drawn significant bipartisan opposition, a rarity in the nation’s capital.
“It was late Friday, we were getting the news out of Washington DC, that Senator Mike Lee had pulled his public lands provision from the one big, beautiful bill. And this is after just outcry from western states, people across the political spectrum, some Republicans on the House side. And you know, he referenced like, Oh, this is due to misinformation. And there was some misinformation, where people were blasting maps that showed quite a bit of public lands when it was a little more defined in the bill, but, but the bill lacks specificity for a lot of people, and it didn't have a local kill switch, which was what Wyoming legislators disliked about it.”
Even with Lee’s language gone from the bill, the massive tax and spending package advanced 51-49 - but still faces headwinds in the Senate before a final vote by that chamber.
Read the full story HERE.
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Her name was Florence, but everyone called her Flo, which had double meaning for a woman who lived life in constant motion.
Florence McCall-Phillips was a generational figure in Teton County, where for 30 years she lived an outsized life of adventure, athleticism and art. Her death last week at the hands of a suspected drunk driver has devastated the Jackson community, and Cowboy State Daily’s Zakary Sonntag reports that hundreds turned out for her funeral Saturday.
“Over the course of her time in Jackson Hole, she has become a mentor and a friend to an astounding number of people. And you wouldn't believe the amount of support and the amount of people, just the sheer volume of people that came out to honor her this weekend at St John's Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole was stunning… after the pews and the overflow filled up, the hallways filled up, and the foyer filled up, and then they gathered on the steps out front of the church… and there were tears and there were hugs and there was laughter… And you talk to people, and they said… this service could have gone for days to really talk about all the wonderful things this person did and the stories that she shared.”
The hundreds of people who knew and loved McCall remembered the 58-year-old as a woman who defied conventional narratives. Her passion and audacity appeared to increase with age, and the more she took on new challenges, the more new challenges she craved to take on.
Read the full story HERE.
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There’s a grizzly approaching. Your vehicle is locked, but the window’s open, and you’re caught between a bear and a hard place. What do you do?
If you’re the Grand Teton tourist who found himself in that situation earlier this month, you take the closest way out — you go for the open car window. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi says that’s the story behind one of the most absurd incidents witnessed in Grand Teton National Park in recent years.
“The individual got out of their car. They genuinely did not know that there was a male grizzly huffing his way over to the road. He didn't hear the calls and shrieks telling them to go to safety. How he didn't I don't know, but that's what the people at the scene said. And then when he realized the danger he was in, he sought sanctuary in a safe space. And he would have done it in a more dignified way if a more dignified way was available, but the door was locked, the window was open, so that's the route he took, and I don't think you can fault him for seeking immediate shelter in a scary situation.”
There’s being bear-aware, then there’s doing whatever it takes to avoid a bear once you are aware. Rossi says this guy gets points for execution, at the very least.
Read the full story HERE.
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A 21-year-old Star Valley woman and equipment manager for the University of Wyoming football team died Thursday in a lawn mower accident.
Kimberly Choma’s father, Bob, said his daughter had been doing grounds maintenance on a property at the time of the accident. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that the loss hit her family - and the UW athletics department - particularly hard.
“Kimberly Choma was in a car accident last August that possibly could have claimed her life. She was in the ICU for several days… and her parents told me that… she believed that the Lord was with her… and she survived like six hours in a hay field during that time. And then what we understand on Thursday is that she was mowing some property, and apparently her dad told me that the lawn mower shifted and it overturned on top of her and claimed her life, and really sadly that her dad is the one that discovered her… But also, you know, from the football team at the University of Wyoming, I was able to talk to a player there who said she was a tremendous teammate, is what he called her, and said that the loss is going to be a long time getting over.”
Star Valley High School teacher and football coach McKay Young said Kimberly represented, quote, “what all of us aspire to be.”
Read the full story HERE.
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An infamous castle mansion in Billings, Montana, is back on the market, and your $26.9 million buys more than its 10 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms.
The nearly 31,000-square-foot palatial estate also comes with an indoor shooting range, movie theater, bowling alley - and, as Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports, a notorious story that involves a huge coal industry scam, fake kidnapping and rogue biker gang.
“This place has an amazing history, and it was bought after the original owner was found guilty of defrauding a couple of doctors in Casper and some other investors through his work in the coal industry… according to federal documents, which go on and on, he defrauded several people, built this mansion… what I'm gathering in my reporting is that there's a couple from Meeteetse. They owned a trailer park in Billings. They sold that… They bought it and then had the expertise to go in and continue the construction and really trick this place out… It's rebooting itself. It doesn't want to be called the castle anymore. Apparently, it wants to be called the Montana chateau. And so I spoke to the realtor who's handling this, and hey, for $27 million you should be able to call it whatever you want.”
And while rebranding makes sense, whoever ends up with “The Montana Chateau” won’t get just an amazing mansion, they’ll also have one heck of a story to tell.
Read the full story HERE.
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Lesleigh Ann Schaefer has put 100,000 miles on her 2019 Subaru, photographing Wyoming from its rarely-traveled backroads.
But Leigh is now homebound with terminal cancer, and can only take photos from her backyard. But Cowboy State Daily’s Jackie Dorothy reports that her adopted home of Thermopolis has rallied to make her final days special.
“The community is just rallying around her. She has just all these people that are not just praying for but showing up, making sure she's comfortable and making sure her cat has a good home, because that was a big concern of hers, is to make sure Teddy went to a good place, and she's also making sure her pictures go to a great place… One of the things that Lee made sure of is that people got to see Wyoming for the beauty of it. She went down all these back roads, and she explored for the last five years incredible things.”
Despite the places on her list that she didn’t make it too, the 72-year-old has seen a lot of unique places - and strongly encourages others to get off the main highways to experience what Wyoming is really all about.
Read the full story HERE.
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Just days ahead of the first phase of payouts in a new school-choice program, built to give $7,000 toward private schools or homeschool programs for Wyoming students, a Cheyenne-based judge on Friday temporarily blocked the action.
The Wyoming Education Association and nine parents of public-school children asked Laramie County District Court Judge Peter Froelicher this month to block the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act from going into effect altogether during the group’s challenge against it. But Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that WEA calls the program unconstitutional and harmful to families of public-school children who may not be accepted into private schools.
“The argument is, is the judge going to block this law throughout the case? Is it going to block this program throughout the case so that it can't go into effect, at least until this case is over? And they both argued either way, but in the end, Judge for licker did neither thing. He instead was like, You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to do a temporary restraining order. So we're just going to hit pause while I figure out if I'm going to block this law throughout the entire case.”
The payouts to applicants were scheduled to begin Tuesday, July 1.
Read the full story HERE.
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At the Lucky 5 Lounge in Shoshoni, the regulars can tell you’re an out-of-towner the second you walk through the door. But unlike other dive bars where locals can be territorial or suspicious, the folk at Lucky 5 are instantly warm and trusting.
That’s what Cowboy State Daily’s Zakary Sonntag discovered when he sauntered up to the bar - and even though he ordered wine instead of the usual whiskey or beer, the regulars were willing to share their stories with the outsider.
“You pop in there, you don't know anybody, by the time you leave, doesn't matter if you stay for 10 minutes or a couple of hours, you're going to feel like you have a brand new bunch of very close friends. They're intimate, they're friendly, they're warm, and they are willing to be vulnerable and share their stories, and they're also willing to grab your hand and pull you into a dance, if that's your thing… It's the only bar in town. It's surrounded by crumbling buildings and vacant lots and closed closed businesses, but they are staying strong and they're having a good time for the meantime.”
By first impressions, the people funneling through Lucky 5 Lounge have a lot in common. They’re jaunty but hospitable, hardened through experience but unafraid to show their hearts.
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. Thanks for tuning in - I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
