It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, September 2nd. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom… Brought to you by Wyoming Interventional and Vascular Associates. WIVA offers the best solution for treating tired, aching and swollen legs, at Wyoming's only IAC-accredited vein facility. With virtually no downtime and minimal risks, if you’re ready for relief, see what WIVA can do for you. Schedule a consultation at Casper Medial Imaging dot net, forward slash WIVA.
–
Paul Norfleet is one of dozens of Wyoming landowners partnering with NextEra Energy on a new wind and solar project in southeast Wyoming. The Chugwater Energy Project could potentially produce an estimated 600 megawatts of power.
Cowboy State Daily’s Jackson Walker rode along with Norfleet last week as he tended to his land and his animals. Norfleet said he feels the turbines and panels don’t impact the landscape any more than cell towers, oil rigs and transmission lines.
“I got to visit his ranch. I got to meet his 13 dogs. Got to learn all about why he's in favor of this project. And this rancher told me, as we're here, looking out over the landscape, there's cell towers, there's defunct missile silos, there's even steam from the nearby power plant. All of these man made things across the landscape. And his argument, to me, was that…if there's wind turbines, if there's solar panels, how is that going to be any different from any of these other objects?”
NextEra’s plan involves building up to 107 wind turbines and solar panels on about 47,000 acres in Platte County and 6,100 acres in Goshen County, and onsite batteries will store some of the generated power for future use. Should the project receive approval from state and local officials, it would proceed in December 2027.
Read the full story HERE.
–
People already buy clothes, kitty litter, dog food and home appliances on Amazon. Now you can add your next car to the list.
Some Wyoming dealerships are on board, offering new Hyundai vehicles and used Hertz rental cars on the popular online shopping clearing house. But Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean spoke to both customers and retailers, who aren’t so sure that buying your new ride from the same online site that you order kitchen organizers and facial wash from is a good option.
“You can go online and you can look, and if you're in the Cheyenne area, you'll be shown Hyundai cars in Frederick, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming together, all on the same page… it's kind of cool. You can go through and you can pick the color interiors you want, the mileage… but how many people actually buy a car that way?... The people I talked to were like, I want to see the car. I want to drive the car, you know, I want to talk to the salesperson. I want to negotiate the best deal that I can get for the car, which, the online buying I don't feel is very amenable to that kind of negotiation.”
Dallas Tyrrell, manager of Tyrrell Chevrolet in Cheyenne, is skeptical. In his experience, you can’t sell cars in Wyoming without a brick-and-mortar store and a service department.
Read the full story HERE.
–
Five years after energy analysts called it a "house of cards" built on a dying industry, Navajo Transitional Energy Co. is advancing major coal projects across Wyoming and Montana that could extend operations well into the next decade.
Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that NTEC recently was granted approval to expand its footprint by about 3500 acres, adjacent to its existing Antelope Mine in Campbell and Converse counties, the third-largest open-pit coal mine in the United States.
“Five years ago, Navajo transitional energy company really made a big play and purchased interest in coal mines in the Powder River Basin. And at the time, industry analysts really criticized the move. Now the BLM has really paved the way for those mines to be developed, and so it it looks like a good bet on their part.”
This latest development comes as NTEC also pursues expansion at its Spring Creek Mine in Montana, where the company has proposed leasing about 180 million tons of coal that would extend operations through 2034.
Read the full story HERE.
–
The Red Canyon Fire had already burned up thousands of acres of rangeland when it reached the Philp family on Bridger Creek and their property in Hot Springs County.
A coordinated attack by wildland firefighters and their resources spared the Philp ranch - and thanks to the efforts of the wildland firefighters stationed in the area, all of their livestock survived, as well.
But how do you thank a group of people who went over and above to save your livelihood? Why, by feeding them, of course, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Jackie Dorothy.
“The Red Canyon fire has burned up thousands of acres of land here in Hot Springs County, I've seen the devastation firsthand. It's scorched earth. But one of the things that our ranchers wanted to do was say thank you. Thank you to all those hundreds of firefighters that came out and saved our property and saved the structures from burning up, and they said it the good old Wyoming way with a feast.”
The Red Canyon Fire was started by lightning Aug. 13, and within a few days had exploded to tens of thousands of acres before firefighting crews turned the corner on it. The fire is now about 90% contained and has been held at 125,000 acres.
Read the full story HERE.
–
Sweetwater County’s Industry Relations Manager Allison Volcic was on her way to Wisconsin to visit her daughters last week, flying out of the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport. But she found herself doing a little bit of a double-take, because she had coincidentally booked herself a seat on the first flight out of the brand-new airport terminal.
She told Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean that for such a momentous flight, the fire department sent the plane off with a water salute, and the captain even came out and addressed the passengers, on the significance of the moment.
“It was becoming so out of date, it couldn't accommodate the new jets that are coming along. So they needed a new terminal. They've added a few bells and whistles, though, that I think are really cool, including this floor to ceiling digital screen that shows huge pictures of Wyoming… They're shaking up the tourism scene a little bit there, and then also the economic development scene. An airport like that just makes the great first impression to workers who are looking at potentially relocating there, having a top notch, top quality airport like that. It's a quality of life factor.”
Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport Director Devon Brubaker said that the airport’s $44 million expansion and renovation puts it on par with some of the best airports in the state.
Read the full story HERE.
–
It used to be that only a good horse or a stout pair of hiking boots could get Wyoming hunters into the backcountry. But then mountain bikes became an option, and now e-bikes are increasingly part of the hunting scene.
Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that the electric cycles mean more accessibility for more people in the outdoors, which is both good and bad, depending upon the perspective.
“Some guys say hey, they're really handy, and they like them a lot. Others say they have similar complaints to general users, is that they make it too easy. They can make the back country more crowded than it needs to be… the debates going on over E bikes in the hunting world mirror the larger debate over these things. So it's, it's interesting as the technology grows, where's the niche of these things going to be?”
The U.S. Forest Service has struggled to enforce e-bike regulations in some areas in the West. But not all e-bikes are the same, and they don’t all evenly match the parameters of what a “motorized vehicle” is.
Read the full story HERE.
–
And a box of diapers was stolen from a delivery order made Friday by a young mother newly moved to Cheyenne. Harley Miller and her husband had worked as DoorDash drivers in the past and had heard of other drivers stealing food orders before. But diapers from little babies? This seemed like a new low.
Miller told Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean that she never expected to ever get the stolen diapers back, let alone have people rally to solve the caper. But that’s exactly what happened.
“She moved here to Wyoming from Washington… She doesn't know anybody, and she's there all by herself. Her husband's over the road truck driver… She doesn't have a car, so it's not easy for her to get around. She's really depending on that delivery of typers to get there in a timely fashion… At the same time, there were people… that found the diapers at a maverick. And they're like, let's see if we can find who these belong to, because, darn it, we're tired of the porch pirates too.”
Miller said she has been particularly impressed by the friendliness of her new Wyoming community. They didn’t hesitate to reach out and help a new resident to their state overcome what had been a very bad start to the Labor Day weekend, even though she was a stranger to all of them.
Read the full story HERE.
–
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.
