It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, October 13th. I’m Mac Watson.
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Eleven-year-old Liam Cox died three days after he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle near Burns on County Road 213. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports his 13-year-old sister was with him that Sunday afternoon, on what had begun as an ordinary bike ride toward Burns.
“The Laramie County Sheriff's Office responded around 3:15 that afternoon. They investigated the crash. They believe that impairment was not a factor that they are still investigating if speed contributed to the crash. Cowboys Day Daily spoke with Liam's father, Ryan Cox, who says he was a happy little boy. He enjoyed being outside. He was an adventurous kid, and he was loved by everyone.”
Liam suffered a traumatic brain injury and was eventually flown to a Denver hospital, where he passed away from his injuries.
Read the full story HERE.
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Marie Ann and Jason Jaskula totaled their Dodge Ram when hitting a 2,000-pound bull bison in Yellowstone late last week. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that now they have to find a way to haul out their fifth-wheel before the park's interior roads close soon.
“The bison was killed instantly, and it totaled their truck. The difficulty they're facing is that they're basically full-time seasonal employees. They spent the summer working at Fishing Bridge. They've got a gig in Moab, Utah, and their fifth wheel is their home. Everything they own is in that fifth wheel. They don't have a permanent residence. That's where they live. They need to get it out of Fishing Bridge because the area closes by the end of this week, and then Yellowstone closes at the end of the month when the snow starts coming in. So they have a very small window of time to find somebody who'd be willing to at least get their fifth wheel from Fishing Bridge to West Yellowstone.”
The Jaskulas tell Cowboy State Daily they were passing Storm Point on their way back to Fishing Bridge when they hit the bison on the road around 7:18 p.m. They hit it without braking. Marie Ann describes the sound of hitting the bison as “deafening.” Marie added, “The next thing I knew, my head was in the dash, and the airbag exploded at the same time. I didn't even know what happened.”
Read the full story HERE.
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An 18-pound Jack Russell terrier escaped a cabin and has survived more than a month in Yellowstone, but the clock is ticking. Cowboy State Daily’s Emma Jane Jackson reports the dog was last spotted on Friday, but if she isn't caught in a week, search efforts will be suspended and Luna will be on her own for the winter.
“Luna, the Jack Russell, went missing from her family's rented cabin in the Canyon Village area of the park on September 10. Since about September 20, there's been daily sightings of her, and at this point, the searchers think that they've narrowed down the area where she's sleeping, and they've set a trap that can be accessed remotely. Katie Boucher, who's the animal rescuer organizing the effort, said the best thing for the public to do if they see Luna is to just take a picture of her and report it immediately either to Katie Boucher herself or to NPS and she urged people not to try to get the dog's attention at all.”
Boucher tells Cowboy State Daily the California family was vacationing in the Canyon Village area of the park when they took an outing to the Norris Geyser Basin. Because dogs are not allowed there, they left Luna in their rented cabin with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. While they were gone, housekeeping made a mistake and opened up the cabin to go do their jobs, and Luna escaped.
Read the full story HERE.
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A family-run haunted house in Gillette is facing closure after neighbors complained about building materials and props remaining on the family’s property year-round. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Kyla Colburn, who runs the haunted house, has collected 1,366 signatures to keep it open.
“According to the city, the neighbors have been upset for years, and this year decided to complain. The neighbors are saying things like there's junk everywhere. We're concerned about parking. We're concerned about noise. We're concerned about safety. Kyla Colburn said, "Why didn't anyone come talk to me? Why haven't people been trying to problem solve with me, so she was really kind of bewildered that people went to the city instead of talking to her.”
Now KJ and Kyla Colburn, who run Knight of Gore Haunted House with their friend Gabe Knowlton, are considering whether to discard the project, find a way to compromise with the city, or move the numerous building pieces to one of the parcels others have offered to share.
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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A Casper Mountain landowner says thieves stole thousands of dollars in cut logs from five private properties last week. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that Katie Snyder-Lijewski says surveillance cameras caught the thefts, vehicles, faces, and a license plate.
“Lejewski says the wood came from fire mitigation efforts by Rocky Mountain Power, who had been cutting down trees on Casper Mountain, and they had neatly stacked it on her property. She says her surveillance videos see at least two people, maybe more, driving up to the property, parking for several days, and hauling it all away. Neighbor Judy Reed said wood was also taken from her property. So much wood, she's calling the theft ‘pretty ballsy.’”
The Natrona County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday it received a report of stolen cut wood on KTWO Road on the afternoon of Oct. 9th. When Lijewski heard from a neighbor that the wood was missing last week, she got in her car and started driving, admittedly a little too fast. She told Cowboy State Daily, “I was angry. I was pissed off, and I got a speeding ticket because of it.
Read the full story HERE.
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Another horse has gone missing and its owners desperately want it back. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports the 15-year-old palomino disappeared during a packing trip near Yellowstone’s most remote entrance Friday.
“Apparently they were just riding and he slipped and fell, and then as his rider was trying to get up, she lost her glasses, so she was disoriented. He just wandered off, and they spent an hour looking for him. But it happened so late in the day on Friday that it got dark very quickly, and he just hasn't been spotted since. And they're hoping someone who's exploring the same area might be able to spot him and get slowly close enough to him that they can grab onto him because he'll lead wherever they follow.”
Morgan D’Ambra is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can find and return Sue, that went missing during a packing trip in the remote region near the Bechler Ranger Station in Yellowstone’s southwest corner. Morgan tells Cowboy State Daily “Anyone who comes across him will be able to approach him very easily. We are heartbroken and worried sick.”
Read the full story HERE.
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A 35-acre ranch in the neighborhood of some of the most prominent ranches in Wyoming has hit the market for $8.5 million. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the Gates at Stonegate is right down the road from the 5-star Brush Creek Ranch and one of the more unusual features is a secure display room for guns.
“They designed it to look like a jail, and it locks, so you can have all your guns out on display without worrying that somebody's gonna walk off with one of them. There's a bar right across from it as well, so you know you're enjoying your cocktails, and you can look at these old guns that were on display there. properties that are adjacent to Brush Creek Ranch and the Silver Spur Ranch, and the A Bar A Ranch properties that come up close to any of those three ranches don't normally make it to the public market because one of those three buys them and adds it to their holding.”
The main residence offers five bedrooms and three baths plus a powder room in a 10,900-square-foot home that was completely remodeled top-to-bottom.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Wyoming Department of Education announced Sunday it's 2027 Teacher of the Year is an agriculture instructor who teaches kids at Cheyenne South High School how to farm. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports Brian Cox says it's fun to teach city kids to farm because it's completely new to them.
“Brian Cox was very surprised. Like, why didn't a core teacher get it? You know, English, math. He teaches the kids about agriculture. He builds up the FFA program. They actually have a school farm where the kids, some of them, especially those that don't have land to raise their own animals, they're raising like calves, sheep, pigs as a school project, and so he did say, ‘Well, you know, maybe career technical education teachers help kids graduate who wouldn't have otherwise.’ The superintendent, Dr. Stephen Newton of Laramie County School District Number One, said, ‘Anyone who spends even a little time with Mr. Cox will quickly realize he's the teacher and person we all aspire to be in the field of education.’”
The Wyoming Teacher of the Year award is the state’s highest honor for K-12 educators, focusing on teaching excellence, leadership and a lifelong commitment to students, according to the Wyoming Department of Education.
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.
