It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, November 6th. Bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily news center, I’m Mac Watson. “Brought to you by the University of Wyoming Center on Aging. Did you know that 1 in 3 Wyoming adults have pre-diabetes, and most don’t realize it? Are you tough enough to know your numbers? Take the quiz at: Find Out WY dot org."
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After the deaths of Vice President Cheney and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, people have mocked them and left hateful messages all over social media. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Wyoming pastors are saying that this behavior isn’t condoned in the Bible.
“I talked to three Wyoming pastors who range from quite on the left to quiet on the right to just generally conservative. And they all were like, there's not an occasion for this in the Bible. There's no one pure enough to spit on someone else's grave.”
Scott Clem is a member of the Campbell County Commission and he tells Cowboy State Daily that “it’s pretty dehumanizing when we attack people after their death, and especially right upon their death.”
Read the full story HERE.
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Cows across Wyoming might soon be corralled by electronic collars that vibrate to tell them where to go, or shock them when they stray. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz introduces us to “virtual fencing.”
“If you've been to maybe an upscale neighborhood and you see that people have dogs, but they don't have a physical fence around the house. They just have a collar on the dog with perimeter control. It's the same thing, but just scaled up for cattle. And what's interesting about this, or what's exciting about this, from a Wyoming point of view, is that fencing is a huge topic when it comes to wildlife, because there might be fences across wildlife migration routes or across routes where, you know, deer travel regularly between bedding areas and feeding areas and watering watering areas…there is a concern about fencing impeding wildlife movement.”
Three Sheridan-area ranches this year tried “virtual fencing” through a pilot program sponsored by the Sheridan Community Land Trust. One rancher tells Cowboy State Daily he’s so pleased with the results, he’s ordered more collars to run 400 cows with virtual fencing.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Rockefeller family has owned a remote retreat with unparalleled Grand Teton views going on a half-century. But Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports the property is for sale for just under 13 million dollars.
“You've got the view of the Grand Tetons is just unparalleled. You got an outdoor swimming pool. Which outdoor swimming pools in Jackson Hole are very rare…The house itself was designed by some hoity-toity architect…he was well known for his timeless designs, designs to stand the test of time…it's 8000 square feet with seven bedrooms. These are all quote, en suite bedrooms, which means you got a little sitting room, you've got a little, you know, you got your own bathroom. You got a nice, big, roomy bedroom, plenty of stuff, plenty of space for all your stuff. There's a six Bay garage, so, you know, all the toys, plenty of room for all the toys, vehicles and the like.”
The reason the Rockefellers are selling the property is a reflection of changing times, the realtors told Cowboy State Daily and “the family is scattered, so it’s hard to get everyone together.”
Read the full story HERE.
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I’ll be back with more news, after this….
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Who in the Wyoming Legislature is a member of the Freedom Caucus? Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that through a slew of point-blank inquiries this week, Cowboy State Daily has determined a number.
“31 members, either from past reporting or interviews this week, evidence that they are not Freedom Caucus members. So that's that's squarely half of the house and a majority of its Republican representation. 17 people clearly identified themselves as Freedom Caucus members, which is more than the website actually lists. Three gave equivocal answers, things like, look at my voting record, or I wear a lapel pin, or I don't want to answer. And then five didn't get back to us at all.”
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus describes itself as a group of state legislative representatives dedicated to limited government and protecting the freedoms and liberties of Wyomingites. It’s known for championing property tax cuts, pro-life laws, and transgender bathroom and sports restrictions.
Read the full story HERE.
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While Wyoming’s stretch of Interstate 80 is currently in good shape, maintenance is key. Cowboy State Daily’s Jackson Walker reports that it’s an expensive proposition for the upkeep of this busy stretch of an interstate.
“Estimates from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, or WY DOT say that it could cost over $1 billion to completely reconstruct the entirety of I-80 as it stretches across Wyoming while the road is in good condition currently. This doesn't mean that in the future, it may need to be reconstructed. Given the fact that WY DOT is facing a projected $400 million budget shortfall, this has forced the department into what it calls a preservation mode, meaning that it's focusing on trying to maintain roads rather than making improvements that'll make it easier for everyone to use these highways”
Those numbers translate into costing $2.6 million per mile to rebuild and that doesn’t include the costs associated with passing lanes, ramps, and bridges.
Read the full story HERE.
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After surviving a crash and a week alone in the Wyoming wilderness, a Dachshund named Chewie was found by a couple and traced back to his relieved owner in Oregon. Cowboy State Daily’s Scott Schwebke reports on how this weiner dog will be reunited with its grateful owner.
“Come to find out that about a week or so later, a couple were driving on I-80 and spotted this little Dachsund and decided to try to rescue it took a while to corral it. They finally got the dog, had no tags. They took it to Laramie, to a humane society, and they they scanned the tags, found out the identity of the of the dog and the in the woman, and contacted her, and the dog doesn't seem to be hurt. And now there's a effort that's going to take place where a FedEx driver has also been involved in this is going to he's arranged for the dog to be delivered to the woman within the next couple of days.”
Kenny Coomes, a long-haul trucker for FedEx who makes several trips a week between Salt Lake City and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, tells Cowboy State Daily that he was surprised when a friend tagged him in a Facebook post from Cody detailing Chewie’s rescue. He has arranged for a fellow FedEx employee to deliver the dog to its owner in Portland, Oregon.
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 watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
