It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, October 7th. I’m Mac Watson.
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After six years of permitting wars, the Teton County Commission on Tuesday approved an affordable housing project on private land. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that one proponent says, “This is a victory for snowplow drivers, teachers, mechanics, janitors, and everyday people.”
“The local governments have tried to subsidize housing and do housing mitigation programs to try to promote development of price capped affordable homes, you know, often reserved for people making a certain income, or in the case of workforce housing for people who work in the area. But what they have done is this project this 550 home project south of Jackson? It's taken six years to hurdle through the really rigorous the main political approvals process. The Teton County Commission on Tuesday voted four to one to approve the development in what may be the last major political milestone in its lifespan.”
This will be the first non-luxury housing development in the Jackson area in 30 years.
Read the full story HERE.
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An Evanston man tried to lead the charge against truckers who have been parking in the Evanston visitor center, which is not authorized. But, Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that townspeople wouldn't stand for it.
“Hundreds of people fired back, telling him to mind his business, calling him a Karen, etc. I tried to speak with him. He refused to be identified, but he did share some photos he had taken of trucks that were parked in an unauthorized visitor center. The executive director for the Chamber of Commerce, Tammy Staley, says that there has been a shortage of parking spots for truckers for years, particularly in the winter with closures. The Wyoming Department of Transportation is actively working on a solution. The problem is that the solution won't be here for another three years. Wyoming is spending $40 million to expand parking at the Bear River exit, but ironically, as they work towards that solution, both of those parking areas are currently closed.”
Two days after the post was still stewing, with more than 360 comments with hundreds of commenters coming to the truckers’ defense and insulting the unidentified “karen.” One said that as long as the drivers weren’t causing problems or damaging anything, she’d rather see them parked there “than be sleepy on the road.”
Read the full story HERE.
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The Campbell County Bomb Squad was called Monday to assist with explosive devices found at Newcastle's Greenwood Cemetery and then behind the Loaf n Jug, a half-mile away. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that authorities say it's the second time in 18 months Newcastle has had to deal with “bottle bombs.”
“On Monday, Newcastle Police received a call from a city worker who was at the cemetery. This worker reported seeing two explosive devices that they though were bottle bombs. Police responded and later called in the Campbell County bomb squad out of an abundance of precaution because they didn't know exactly what they were dealing with. After the Campbell County bomb squad finished with the cemetery explosives, they were on their way back to Gillette when they received another call from the police department saying another explosive device had been found near the Loaf and Jug in town, which is less than half a mile from the cemetery. I spoke with a manager at the Loaf and Jug. He told me that he had no idea anything was amiss until he was out taking the trash out and saw a bunch of police cars.”
Lt. Dan Maul with the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office described what was found behind the Loaf n Jug only as a “small device.” He could not confirm whether the explosives found at the two locations were connected, whether they were made by the same person, or whether investigators have identified any suspects.
Read the full story HERE.
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After town leaders revoked permits for a Daily Wire pro-ICE movie because of a public outcry, Livingston city leaders held an emergency session on Monday night and voted to let production finish. Cowboy State Daily’s Emma Jane Jackson reports that the movie, shooting under the working title “Pawn Shop”, began filming in late September.
“The film blends a fictionalized depiction of the killing of Renee Goode in January with a narrative centered on armed shopkeepers defending their store from Antifa rioters. As soon as filming started at the end of September, there was some pushback from locals who started protesting outside, playing music to disrupt the filming. Then some people in Livingston got confused, thinking that the actors portraying protesters and being violent were the actual protesters. I talked with James Willich, vice chair of the Livingston City Commission. He said he understands why people are upset about the subject matter, but ultimately, if the filming production company is going to address the safety concerns, the city cannot ban it based on subject matter because there'd be a violation of free speech.”
The Daily Wire, which has produced several politically themed feature films, has pitched its entertainment as being for all Americans, and co-founder Ben Shapiro has said the company stands for truth and freedom.
Read the Full story HERE.
I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.
Cowboy State Daily News continues now….
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An 11-year-old Casper girl thought she'd hit the jackpot when she found a folded $100 bill outside Walgreens. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports when the girl opened it, white powder spilled on her and the family's van.
“This was around 730 p.m. at night when her daughter picked up the $100 bill. It was folded into a square, and just as she was starting to tell her daughter to be careful, it could have drugs in it. White powder sprayed everywhere. I talked to the Casper Fire EMS chief, and he did confirm that they went to the scene and tested it, and it was methamphetamine. The 11 year old child was fine. Her mother says the response was incredible.”
Tiffany Butt tells Cowboy State Daily that her daughter once found a wad of about $200 in the produce section of Albertsons. They eventually found an elderly man who had dropped it and he rewarded her with $20.
Read the full story HERE.
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On the same day President Trump endorsed Chuck Gray for U.S. House, describing him as “an America First Patriot and a true friend of MAGA,” former Gov. Mike Sullivan endorsed Democrat Lisa Kinney for U.S. House on Tuesday saying “It's important Wyoming have somebody dedicated to public service, who works well with people and has proven their leadership like Lisa has, and Chuck hasn’t.” Political Reporter Clair McFarland explains the significance of each.
“So the president on Tuesday morning was calling Secretary Gray a patriot and said that he would fight to grow the economy, cut taxes, regulations, support farmers, ranchers, promote things made in the USA and energy dominance, and defending the Second Amendment. Gray's opponents were quick to point out that Trump has a complicated relationship himself with some of those ideals, such as he is routinely in dire straits with ranchers over his beef policies, with farmers over skyrocketing diesel prices, and so on. Meanwhile, on the same day, Mike Sullivan, former Wyoming governor, a Democrat who served late '80s, early '90s, announced his endorsement of Lisa Kinney, and he said that her resume is impressive and that she can work well with people.”
The general election is on Tuesday, November 3rd.
Read the full story HERE.
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A Wind River Reservation study proved a small data center could work, a tribal business leader says, but the community remains resistant at a time when other tribes have outright banned them. Energy Reporter Emma Jane Jackson reports that this is in line with a current trend.
“Back in 2024, the Wyoming Business Council approved a $50,000 grant for the Northern Arapaho Business Council to gauge the feasibility of a data center on tribal land. I spoke with Patrick Lawson, who's the executive manager of that council and was overseeing the study. He told me that the study found that there was potential for data center development on the reservation, but that the community was so opposed to it that the project is not moving forward. Lawson said that he hopes the project isn't shelved forever. He thinks it could offer a lot of jobs and economic benefit, and that maybe as people start to understand the difference between data center projects, they'll be more open to the idea. That community pushback does follow a trend of tribal nations rejecting data centers. Last week, the Lower Brule Tribe in South Dakota issued a resolution banning data center development on their land. Fort Peck Tribe in Montana did the same thing.”
Lawson tells Cowboy State Daily that much of that resistance comes from people not seeing the difference between hyperscale and megawatt projects.
Read the full story HERE.
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Gabe Joyes, a professional ultramarathoner from Lander, won the Mammoth 200 in California in his first 200-mile-plus race. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that Joyes finished the 220-mile course in 51 hours, 35 minutes, and 11 seconds, stopping for a few 15-minutes naps along the course.
“His bread and butter is running these extreme races or training other people to run these extreme races. And even he said that running 220 miles in 51 hours was something that he'd never experienced before. He credits a lot of his success to his support group. So a lot of this credit goes to Joy's for his fortitude and his determination, but an equal amount goes to his support team to ensure that he had enough strength and determination to see this through to a first place finish.”
Joyes’s life revolves around running. In addition to being a paid, sponsored ultrarunner, he's a coach with Uphill Athlete, a company that trains people for high-intensity mountain sports.
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.
