It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, November 28th. 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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The meaning of Thanksgiving takes on a deeper meaning for the clients and volunteers at the Wyoming Rescue Mission in Casper. Cowboy State Daily’s Zak Sonntag met people who are working through trauma and addiction and say they have much to be thankful for.
“What is so amazing about this time of year and about Thanksgiving for a lot of people in the underserved communities, is just how it underscores that there is an entire network of people that are out there trying to help others get back on their feet. And I talked to a couple really amazing folk who have had just monumental turnarounds after serious hardship, serious tragedy, major trauma, that has been taking place in some instances over the course of a lifetime, and they find themselves in Casper and making big turnarounds with the help of a community.”
Cheryl Hackett is the director of development for the Mission and says that what people don’t realize is that the Mission does all of this without government funding. They rely on volunteers and donations.
Read the full story HERE.
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10-month-old Basil Daly was last seen in Washakie County on Nov. 16th. Cowboy State Daily’s Jen Kocher reports that the baby is thought to be with his noncustodial mother Madeline Daly, who took him against court orders. Desperate to find the child, his father is asking for the public's help.
“A felony warrant for interference is being processed right now. For her arrest. They have no idea where she is. She has ties to Hill City, South Dakota. She has ties in Nebraska on the West Coast, in the Denver area. She could be anywhere, any of these places. Moreover, she is known to love to camp and to go off grid. So there's a good chance she might be in national forest land, state parks or BLM land off grid.”
Authorities say they haven’t issued an amber alert because they don’t believe the 10-month-old child is in imminent danger.
Read the full story HERE.
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Hopeful skiers in Jackson Hole are in a holding pattern with warm, dry weather delaying opening day for all three of its major resorts. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that forecasters say a much colder pattern is on its way to help rescue the season soon.
“This year, all three are delaying the opening date because they just don't have enough snow right now, and it's been too warm for them to make snow. So a lot of them do have snow guns, and they're continually making snow, but you can only do that when the weather is conducive. You know, if it's too warm, what are you doing? You're just kind of creating rain.”
Cowboy State Daily Meteorologist Don Day says Mother Nature’s help is on the way with the weather turning colder, and hopefully snowier, this weekend.
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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An extremely rare first-edition of Asa Mercer’s 1894 “Banditti of the Plains,” Wyoming's most-banned book because it exposed powerful backers of the Johnson County War, has resurfaced. Cowboy State Daily’s Jackie Dorothy reports that the rare book has been donated to the Johnson County Library and Hoofprints Museum.
“This story is the true story from the first person accounts of what happened during the Johnson County wars and the Wyoming Stock Growers Association hated it and started destroying the book every way possible, all the way up into the 1950s even though there was 1000 of these books printed in 1894 there's only about 28 known in existence, and two of these just found their way home to Johnson County and are at the library and the museum there thanks to the donation of one lady who donated these two very valuable historical records back to their original home.”
Because so few first editions survived, it's become one of the rarest and most valuable Wyoming historical books. Two are listed for sale with different online booksellers as of Wednesday, with one asking $5,500 and the other $7,500.
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CHAPS, located in Sheridan, is Wyoming’s only dual-accredited equine therapy center. Cowboy State Daily’s Amber Steinmetz reports that its horses help military veterans, kids, and others find healing.
“They just got dual certification for their Equine Assisted Therapy facility, and they're the only program in the state that is dual certified. There's certain programs that have one through Path International, and then there's others through this C.H.A., and they decided that they wanted both to show they have strict safety standards, and that they're doing their best, and that their programs are the best for the people who come there.”
CHAPS was established in 2003 as an adaptive riding program in Sheridan to serve children and adults with special needs. Over the years, the program has expanded to helping people who are diagnosed with autism to PTSD and many in between.
Read the full story HERE.
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Leadership Wyoming recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in Laramie with a showing of about 500 graduates. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that the program is shaping Wyoming’s next wave of pioneers and leaders.
“Leadership Wyoming started with a couple of innovative leaders who were just looking at a way to bring professional people in the state together. Josh Miller, who's one of the leadership Wyoming board members, he said very plainly that he thinks Leadership Wyoming is the most important organization in the history of Wyoming, because it brings so many disparate professionals together, and they're united by a common love of Wyoming and wanting to know what they can do to enhance life and progress in the state.”
It was standing room only at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie for Leadership Wyoming's 25th Anniversary celebration. Nearly 500 graduates from the last 25 years, including at least one person from every class since 2001.
Read the full story HERE.
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Although the Thanksgiving holiday might be a time of food, football, and family for many people, there's a price to pay for the festivity. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz does a deep dive and discovers that "Brown Friday" is real and it's the busiest day of the year for many Wyoming plumbers.
“It's not what you initially think…here is some of the stereotypical brown involved, but mostly what it is, the biggest problem is people pouring grease down their drains. They say they see that over and over again. People the grease from like the pan that the turkey was in. People dump that down the drain thinking, Oh, it'll dissipate. No, it doesn't. As soon as it cools off, it congeals into, you know, a horrific blob and just clogs up the pipes. It’s one of the busiest days for plumbers”
Independent plumber Shawn Haight of Gillette tells Cowboy State Daily that he’s seen the runny remains of a Turkey Day feast end up in a home’s laundry drainage lines, creating a backwash of truly hideous byproduct. He recommends the old-fashioned way your grandmother disposed of grease. Pour it in a tin can, wrap it in a plastic bag and throw it in the garbage.
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.
