It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, August 12th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by the Converse County Tourism Promotion Board! Discover Douglas and Glenrock in beautiful Wyoming, where rich history, outdoor adventure, and welcoming communities await. Feel the Energy of Converse County at www.ConverseCountyTourism.com.
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The nuclear industry expansion debate has reached the city of Rock Springs – which just hired a communications contractor to educate the public about it, and about other hot-button issues.
Rock Springs Mayor Max Mickelson supports bringing nuclear-based business to the city, and last week backed the now-finalized hiring of a communications contractor whom he said will inform but not persuade the public about industry particulars. However, Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that not all city elected officials are in favor of that move - especially since the public relations contractor is the wife of a city council member.
“It's another branch of the pervasive nuclear debate where people are saying, you know, the technology isn't sound enough for us to risk the groundwater and other treasures of Wyoming… the way this erupted in Rock Springs last week and over the weekend was they the city hired a special communications professional to educate the public on nuclear and other matters. And one Councilman who voted nay on that that hired that contract said, we're spending an extra 4000 a month, potentially on a propaganda machine.”
The Wyoming Legislature is considering expanding nuclear waste storage opportunities so small nuclear reactors could both generate power and store waste in the state.
Read the full story HERE.
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A massive search effort continues for a Minnesota man missing for nearly two weeks in the rugged Cloud Peak Wilderness of northern Wyoming.
Grant Gardner, a 38-year-old Minnesota man described as a skillful and experienced outdoorsman, texted his wife at about 7 p.m. on July 29 that he’d reached the top of Cloud Peak. But Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that he was reported missing to the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 1, and the search effort has grown and expanded since.
“At least a dozen agencies, people have donated private aircraft, helicopters. They brought in radar that can just be even the tiniest movement or differences. And then they haven't found him. However, he is an experienced, skilled outdoorsman. He's been out there quite a bit, and his wife says he's very meticulous… Gardner's wife, Lauren, she just texted me, said that she's also very distraught, but also very, very hopeful.”
Tips from hikers in the area are being routed to the Bighorn County Sheriff’s Office. In the meantime, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family.
Read the full story HERE.
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Mining jobs in the Power River Basin just got a boost from the Trump administration with the Department of the Interior's approval of a mining plan modification that will unlock 14.5 million tons of federally owned coal at the Antelope Mine in northeast Wyoming.
Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that the approval extends the mine's operations by about six months, through 2037.
“The Trump administration means what they say, when they say we're going to try and keep coal miners employed. There have been three mines that wanted to have expansions done under the Biden administration. It ran into a long review process. That review process went through all the steps, according to the sources I spoke to, and finally came to a conclusion that, yes, all three mines will be able to expand. For Wyoming, that means the Antelope Mine, which sits right on the border between Converse County and Campbell County.”
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon praised the decision in a statement, and U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman connected the Antelope Mine approval to broader legislative efforts supporting Wyoming's coal industry.
Read the full story HERE.
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Some people call it gas station heroin, others street-legal morphine. Regardless of such nicknames, kratom has sparked growing concerns nationwide about the safety of the over-the-counter supplement.
There so far haven’t been widespread reports of problems with kratom in the Wyoming, but Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that doesn’t mean it isn’t a concern for law enforcement agencies.
“There are all these kratom products on the market right now, but nobody's really regulating them… companies are finding ways to boost the narcotic element in these kratom products far, far beyond what would normally be there … making it more like street heroin. Nickname for this is gas station heroin.”
Sold as a supplement, kratom has become increasingly popular in the United States as a home remedy for things like pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, and opioid withdrawal symptoms. It’s become widely available in a variety of shops, ranging from convenience stores and herbal supplement aisles to vape shops and gas stations.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Wyoming state senator representing Laramie and Platte counties hand-delivered his resignation letter early Monday morning, then was sworn in as the interim federal prosecutor for the state hours later.
Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Smith was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 30 as his pick to fill the position permanently. But to win that title, Smith will have to clear a U.S. Senate confirmation process.
“He's serving on an interim basis right now, and what that does is he tendered his resignation to the governor early Monday morning, had he not that would have been a federal law violation. But he did, and the governor turned around and told the Republican Party state chair, and that started the clock for the state chair. He has 15 days to organize all the precinct committee people in that legislative district to choose three nominees to fill Smith state senate seat, and then the two county commissions, with weighted votes according to the population proportion from each county are going to pick one replacement.”
In a July 30 interview with Cowboy State Daily, Smith vowed to be tough on crime generally, and to defend crime victims on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Read the full story HERE.
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People might not agree about much when it comes to wild horse management, but there’s broad support for horse adoption, and a young Wyoming mustang named Red Solo Cup is looking for a new home.
Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz spoke to horse trainer Sienna Hawk, who spotted the scraggly-looking little horse with reddish hair, and found it perfectly fitting to name him after Toby Keith’s ode to America’s favorite cheap drinking vessel.
“The Bureau of Land Management is starting to partner with some private groups that specialize in picking up and giving some basic training to these wild horses once they're rounded up and taken off the range. And one of those groups, one of the trainers, has connected with the horse… she said she was driving out to the the holding corral to look over some Mustangs, maybe pick a few out Toby key song. Red Solo Cup came on the radio and said that would be a good name for a horse. And it just so happened that that day, she found a horse with a red coat with red hair.”
Red Solo Cup is roughly a year old and has been through some basic training. He will be among 16 mustangs up for adoption Aug. 22-23 at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.
Read the full story HERE.
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Casper’s Old Yellowstone District used to be the life of the party in the 1950s.
First, it was a thriving business district that catered to travelers on their way to Yellowstone National Park. Then it was also home to a huge Amoco refinery that brought workers into Casper’s downtown.
But since then, Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports, the area that once boasted Casper’s grand downtown hotels has fallen into disrepair and neglect. However, a movement is afoot to restore glory to the district.
“Lately, it's really gaining momentum, Wendy, and what's really cool is it's getting one of those Grand Hotels back. A company called brick and bond is going to build the CH Bixby hotel, and it's going to have 120 or so rooms. It's going to have a street level restaurant. It's going to have a rooftop cocktail lounge… this new one, is going to have a view of Casper mountain. You're going to be looking down on David Street Station… It's taken them 20 years to get here, but they're really turning a corner, and having a grand hotel back in the downtown, I think it's a big milestone for Casper.”
The hotel itself will employ 80 people, as well as creating meeting and event spaces that will bring new life back to the downtown - and all the parties to come.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Perseid meteor shower will hit its spectacular peak over Wyoming’s night skies on Tuesday, a chance to witness the annual summer astronomical phenomenon.
And Cowboy State Daily’s Jackson Walker reports that Wyoming is a great place to watch the shooting stars - and fireballs.
“We're going to be seeing some shooting stars, the potential of fireballs and even potentially a sonic boom. I was told by a professor at the University of Wyoming… that searching for areas where there are dark skies without light pollution is the best way to see the spectacle, and you can do what's called cowboy camping, which is going out into the Wyoming wilderness and setting up a fire and a tent and just taking in the night sky.”
While the Perseid shower is normally visible in some capacity between mid-July and September, it will reach peak intensity in the early morning hours of Aug. 12 and 13.
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.
