It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for September 1st. I’m Mac Watson.
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A Rock Springs mom says her 5-year-old was let off her school bus several stops early and found wandering behind the Astro Lounge strip club. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that mom, Alyssa Boyer, claims neither the bus driver nor the school district contacted her to say her daughter was missing from the bus.
“A Rock Springs mother is upset after the school bus dropped her five-year-old at the wrong stop, and a friend later found the five-year-old wandering behind the Rock Springs strip club called the Astro Lounge last Tuesday. The five-year-old was unharmed, but she later revealed to her parents that she was scared to go back to school and said that a strange man had been following her. She was concerned that the strange man might appear at her elementary school. Boyer has filed a formal complaint with the Sweetwater County School District.”
The director of transportation tells Cowboy State Daily they are now considering using smart tag technology so that they can better track students getting on and off the bus.
Read the full story HERE.
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The barrel pulled from Fremont Lake on Saturday didn't contain what searchers had hoped: the body of Virginia Uden. Cowboy State Daily’s Jen Kocher reports searchers say there’s still a trash can to be brought up that may contain the bodies of the two Uden boys killed with Virginia.
“Yes, they did not find the bodies, but the searchers are not dissuaded. They say that this was a huge recovery effort and a monumental feat to pull this off at that depth, and they still believe there's a trash can down there that may still contain the boys, assuming Gerald Uden is telling the truth, and at this point they have no reason to believe he's not. Searchers were obviously disappointed that Virginia Uden's body was not in there, nor the bodies of the boys. That was the mission. That was the goal.”
Gerald Uden told authorities he initially concealed the bodies in a nearby mine before discarding them in receptacles in the lake. He said he put Virginia in a sealed 55-gallon steel drum, into which he had either shot or drilled holes to help it sink.
Read the full story HERE.
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In the wake of reportedly “aggressive” federal agents monitoring Wyoming’s election, Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee warned other red state election officials, “Don’t think this won’t happen to you.” Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Lee praised the governor’s move to review the operation.
“Laramie County Clerk Deborah Lee is warning other county clerks and election officials in red states: ‘Don't think this won't happen to you. Make a plan.’ That's in reference to federal election monitors that paid what she and the governor both called a surprise visit to Laramie County voting areas on election day. Lee cast their operations as poorly managed, intrusive, and Gordon said that he's having the Wyoming Attorney General review the monitoring operation.”
Wyoming’s general election still lies ahead, Nov. 3.
Read the full story HERE.
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A ranch manager faces up to 100 years in prison for rustling cattle and pocketing more than $300,000 from cattle grazing, elk hunts, gravel, and equipment from the Twin Eagle Ranch in Sublette County. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports the alleged thefts took place from 2014-23.
“Investigators say that Rob Griffith directed about $250,000 away from ranch funds, and the investigation also turned up 57 cows that he had branded in his name, opposed to the Ranch LLC. This was a years-long investigation by the Sublette County Sheriff's Office, who simply followed the money. They were able to interview hunters, contractors, and other nearby ranchers who were using the land to graze their cattle.Griffith now faces 10 counts of felony grand theft, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Which means that if he is convicted on all of these felony charges, he is facing 100 years behind bars.”
The 58-year-old Griffith signed an estray disclaimer over ownership of the 57 cows, Sublette County Sheriff's Office Detective Scott Campbell wrote in an affidavit. But investigators heard a different story about where the cattle came from. Some sources told Campbell that Griffith acquired the cows from Twin Eagle Ranch or Seneca Industries. Another claimed Twin Eagle Ranch President Chris Cline gave them to Griffith. There was nothing on paper to settle it.
Read the full story HERE.
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I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.
Cowboy State Daily News continues now….
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Kevin Christensen, who rocketed to third in a crowded U.S. House race while spending at least 50 times less than each top-two finisher, will not wage a write-in campaign. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Christensen also said he won't endorse Chuck Gray.
“Christensen said he's looking at a 2028 run. He didn't formally announce. Said that he learned a lot in 2026. He cast doing a write-in campaign as too much of an uphill battle, especially for someone with a last name that could break a few different ways, there's too many ways people could misspell his name.”
Christensen told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that a write-in campaign is too much of a long shot. Wyoming history confirms that.
Read the full story HERE.
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The first snow of the season was recorded on the highest points of Beartooth Highway on Sunday. September 1 is the first day of 'meteorological fall,' so snow isn't that unusual. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that temperatures are dipping as well as Jackson recorded 31 degrees Monday morning.
“I spoke to Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day, and he said that it's not unusual for there to be snow on Bear Tooth Highway during the last weekend of August. That's pretty standard because it is 11,000 feet up there. But what did stick out to me is the fact that he said August was pretty typical. It's what Wyoming would expect from an August, which is a change for months. We've been talking about how unorthodox the weather has been. It's been warm. It's been dry. He said this might be the first typical Wyoming month in terms of weather since last September, if not earlier.”
The Beartooth Highway is usually the first spot to see snow in the late summer and early fall. That makes sense, given that it’s over 11,000 feet at its highest point.
Read the full story HERE.
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Wyoming meat producers say they welcome President Trump's efforts to expand local processing and beef sales, but are critical over a lack of detail and say his advisors don't understand the cattle market. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that ranchers say the president should consult with them.
“Longtime Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm said that the people around the president don't understand what's at play in the cattle market. He said, "If they really want to do something that would be helpful, they should talk to Wyoming ranchers. Right now, Jim McGagna with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association said it's only the beginning. What President Trump says sounds good, but it's also vague. And Wyoming ranchers are waiting for more specifics to see how this could actually play out and if what plays out could make any difference.”
Trump announced Friday that his administration intends to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to process their own food, including beef, as part of an effort to increase competition in an industry dominated by four major companies. The announcement comes as the nation’s cattle herd sits at a 75-year low and beef prices continue to climb.
Read the full story HERE.
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Less than nine months after he helped propel Montana State to a national football championship, Sheridan's Dane Steele had a career night with eight catches for 174 yards in a 54-0 win. Cowboy State Daily’s Jeff Welsch reports that Steele said after the game, “I never had that many yards in high school.”
“He's just really good at this, and his his family, you know, there's two brothers who one has older brother who has graduated, played at Montana State, and another brother on the football team, right, Coy and Brock, and so you know they take this kind of thing in stride, and these are great athletes. None of this is unexpected. And as their coach Brent Vigen, who who was a coach for the Cowboys, associate head coach, he said, ‘This is the kind of thing we expect, and he's going to be one of the best receivers in in the Big Sky by the end of the year, if he isn't already.’”
Steel caught a 55-yard scoring pass for MSU’s first points of the 2026 season. That play, incidentally, was set up by an 18-yard run from fellow former Sheridan Bronc Colson Coon. Steel’s TD set the stage for a career night: Eight catches for 174 yards.
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.
