It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, November 21st. I’m Mac Watson. This newscast is “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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While his funeral was happening 1,770 miles from his hometown of Casper, Wyoming, there was a palpable Wyoming feel to Dick Cheney’s funeral service Thursday in Washington, D.C. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that former President George W. Bush remembered him as “true man of the West.”
“Bush was talking about how one day at kindergarten, his grandson asked if he could take him to school for show and tell. Dad's the Vice President takes him to show and tell. He wasn't too busy for it. He went. He did it and said that the boy said that the teacher then remarked ‘That was the best show and tell since some other girl, a little girl, brought her cow to school,’ which is a very Wyoming, Wyoming thing to do.”
Dick Cheney had four decades of public service that included being the youngest White House chief of staff, a congressman from Wyoming, Pentagon chief, and the 46th vice president of the United States.
Read the full story HERE.
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The town of Laramie is all abuzz as it prepares for Josh Allen's return for the retirement of his Wyoming Cowboys' football jersey on Saturday. Cowboy State Daily’s Anna-Louise Jackson reports things will start getting busy in downtown Laramie on Friday and carry through late Saturday night.
“ So on Friday night, this is a tradition for the Cowboys. The marching band comes downtown and plays at various bars downtown and it's pretty festive and fun. And then the game is at noon on Saturday, so tailgating will start in the morning, probably as early as nine, maybe even earlier, potentially…Saturday morning, Josh Allen will meet with the team ahead of their game, and then I think he'll probably be watching the game from somewhere, and then at halftime. The whole reason he's here is because his number 17 jersey from when he was a player at the university will be retired during halftime, during a ceremony. At halftime, he was already inducted into the University of Wyoming Hall of Fame, the Athletic Hall of Fame, earlier this year. So this is kind of the conclusion that he's the first player ever to have his jersey retired.”
The University of Wyoming spent $2 million to run a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl featuring newly minted NFL MVP and UW alum Josh Allen created quite a buzz.
Read the full story HERE.
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Wyoming lawmakers advanced five property tax reform plans Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that one of the measures, if passed by the Legislature and the people of Wyoming, would change the state Constitution to eliminate residential property tax altogether.
“The committee, they heard from the county commissions, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, they heard from a person representing 99 municipalities, cities and towns in Wyoming, and they heard from others just saying, hey, this shifts the taxing power into states. Hands, blanching our local communities, taking away their taxing power, taking away their autonomy, and and it could jeopardize things like ambulance, fire, library and, you know, the proponents, especially those you know, lawmakers sitting in the seats were saying, Yeah, but some people, their property taxes have doubled.”
If property taxes were eliminated, a bill that would trigger into place after passage of that constitutional amendment would increase Wyoming’s base sales tax of 4%, to 6%. Many counties have added optional local taxes and tax their consumers at 5% or 6% already, or in the case of Teton County, at 7%.
Read the full story HERE.
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After an unseasonably warm November, Wyoming meteorologists agree that an incoming winter weather system will reach Wyoming by Thanksgiving. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that temperatures will drop, snow could cover the entire state, and travelers should plan for nationwide travel impacts.
“There's a significant mass of cold air that's going to be reaching Wyoming early next week, and it's going to persist. So this isn't going to be a one and done sort of thing. It's going to lead to daytime temperatures that are going to be in the low 30s to high 20s, and overnight temperatures in the teens. Now there may be snow, there may not be snow. It's too early to say yet, but there's a good sign that there will be precipitation. And even if there is snow, and that snow doesn't accumulate, it could still melt. So if you're planning on driving or flying Thanksgiving morning, there could be black ice on the roads and the runways, which are going to hamper any travel plans that you might have. And it's not just Wyoming. There's going to be an impact across a wide swath of the United States. So if you're traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, start watching the weather forecast now and keep an eye on them, because things will change, and they could change to the detriment of your holiday.”
Many meteorologists had anticipated this change earlier in November, but most of the winter weather up to this point had shifted eastward, keeping Wyoming warm. However, there's no denying winter is coming.
Read the full story HERE.
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I’ll be back with more news from Cowboy State Daily, after this….
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A Wyoming hunter found mysterious aircraft parts Wednesday scattered around an area near Laramie Peak, sparking an official probe. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that authorities believe the debris likely blew off a small Cessna jet in mid-flight, but no crash has so far been reported.
“Him and his buddy, they hiked up to the top of the ridge use their binoculars to see if they saw anymore, you know, as he put, you know, airborne airplane parts or bodies or whatever, didn't find anything, so they called the authorities, and of course, the sheriff's department, NTS National Transportation Safety Board, FAA…The latest word I got from the Transportation Safety Board is that they haven't gotten any reports there. There's no reports of missing planes or crash planes, nor have any reports come in with planes landing with missing parts. So apparently, whoever's on this plane made it to their destination just fine, but some parts came off in mid air.”
Elk hunter Chris Holden tells Cowboy State Daily that the jet pieces aren't that old since he was hunting in that same spot last week and didn’t see any parts.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Big Piney man agreed Thursday to plead guilty to second-degree murder and mutilation of a dead body for killing his friend February with a bow and arrow. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the death penalty is off the table for Rowan Littauer.
“He was facing the death penalty there on very like his very first couple hearings, but then the prosecutor said, you know, I get it. This is, this is a public defender case. We have a public defender shortage. Death penalty cases are immense undertakings. I don't think a local jury would sentence them to death anyway, since in death penalty cases, sentencing was actually in the jury purview. And so the prosecutor early on was like, it's not a death penalty case, but under the first degree charge he was facing, it was just life, just you don't get a term. It's a life sentence. But under the second degree that he's now agreeing to plead guilty to the 75-to-life does have that however elusive parole board idea.”
It is now up to the Sublette County District Court judge whether to accept the agreement. Littauer can withdraw his guilty plea if she rejects the agreement.
Read the full story HERE.
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A 60-year-old Casper man told a judge Thursday that he’s “a victim” before he was sentenced for child pornography charges. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that Mark Chanez was defiant in court.
“60 year old Casper man was to the very end, claiming that some 1000 images, 70 files of child porn, were planted on his phone that after he made a plea deal with the Natrona County District Attorney in June. So as he was sentenced, he got 12 to 15 years over all. The judge grouped those charges…And as he was being led out, he told the judge, ‘This is injustice!’ And she said, ‘You are in the custody of the court bailiffs.’”
Even though he took a plea deal, Chanez claimed the 1,083 child porn photos found on his phone were planted there while he was asleep.
Read the full story HERE.
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An 81-year-old rancher’s Caterpillar trackhoe was stolen in broad daylight near Big Piney, Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily’s Scott Schwebke reports that equipment theft is a costly problem.
“There's also, according to experts, they can strip it for parts so they could take it out of state or out of the country and sell it. It's a big problem nationwide, up to a billion dollars a year in equipment is stolen. And this one didn't have any kind of tracking device on it, and the person who stole it was likely able to use it, because they have a universal key for these.”
Earl Wright, who owns Fishtale Cattle Company near Big Piney, isn’t out for vigilante justice. He just wants his 10-year-old, $30,000 Caterpillar 305C Mini Excavator back.
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 watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
