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Michael Vigil

Jury Hung In Murder Trial Of Lander Man Accused Of Killing House Guest

A trial jury could not come to unanimous decision Monday on whether a Lander man killed a house guest with a metal bar, or whether he did so but was too mentally ill to rationalize what he was doing. The prosecutor in the case promises to try again.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 20, 2025

State Reps. Daniel Singh, left, and Ken Chester debate the "What is a Woman Act" on the Wyoming House floor Monday, Jan.. 20, 2025.

Wyoming House Sends 'What Is A Woman Act' To State Senate

On the same day President Donald Trump proclaimed the United States will recognize “only two genders — male and female,” the Wyoming House passed the “What is a Woman Act” to the Senate. The bill defines a person’s gender by biology, not gender identity.  

Clair McFarlandJanuary 21, 2025

Jackson Democrat Rep. Mike Yin was the only no vote on a bill banning COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates. He's seen here during the 2023 legislative session.

Bill Banning COVID-19 Mask, Vaccine Mandates In Wyoming Heads To House Floor

A Wyoming legislative bill would let people sue any publicly-funded business or agency for requiring them to wear a mask, be tested or get vaccinated for COVID-19. The proposal sailed through its first committee hearing Monday.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 20, 2025

Donald Trump is sworn into office by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States.

Barrasso, Lummis And Hageman Squeeze In To See Trump Take Oath

Weather moved Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors at the Capitol on Monday, making it difficult to squeeze in all who wanted to attend. Wyoming’s delegation was there to see Trump take the oath.

Sean Barry for Cowboy State DailyJanuary 20, 2025

The Joint Appropriations Committee meets Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne.

Chuck Gray Wants $322K To Beef Up Office, But Legislators Say No On Split Vote

The Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office needs more people and resources to keep up with growth in the state’s business activity, Chuck Gray says. But the Joint Appropriations Committee on Monday rejected his $322,000 ask on a split vote.

Leo WolfsonJanuary 20, 2025

Wyoming Secretary of State's Office in Cheyenne.

State Caught 3 North Korean Companies Trying Set Up In Wyoming Last Year

The state caught three North Korean companies last year filing fraudulent paperwork to set up in Wyoming to raise money for weapons of mass destruction. A House committee passed a bill Monday that aims to keep foreign adversaries out of Wyoming.

Renée JeanJanuary 20, 2025

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Wyoming Legislature Recap — Day 5

The fifth day of the Wyoming Legislature was marked by some of the most spirited debates seen so for on hot-button issues like private property rights.

Leo WolfsonJanuary 21, 2025

Liz Cheney and President Joe Biden at a ceremony in which Biden gave Cheney the Presidential Citizens Medal. In the hours before he was to leave office Jan. 20, 2025, Biden also gave Cheney a preemptive pardon.

Wyoming Delegation, Trump, Slam Biden For Last-Minute Cheney Pardon

The Wyoming congressional delegation joined Donald Trump on Monday in slamming President Biden’s final-hour pardons. On his way out of office, Biden pardoned Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the former head of Trump’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Leo WolfsonJanuary 20, 2025

Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader, is led across Okalla prison exercise yard to a waiting helicopter. After a prolonged legal battle, Peltier was ordered deported by Canadian Justice Minister Ron Basford to face charges of murdering two FBI agents.

Wyoming Man Who Worked 15 Years To Free Leonard Peltier Calls Commutation “Bittersweet”

Joe Biden commuted the two consecutive life sentences of Leonard Peltier on Monday. Wyoming filmmaker Preston Randolph, who worked 15 years to free Peltier from prison, said he’s "happy but bittersweet” with the decision.

Andrew RossiJanuary 20, 2025

Tom Houghton smiles doing ranch chores, even when it's minus 17 outside.

It’s Never Too Cold For Chores On Wyoming’s Family Ranches

As a blast of Arctic cold has plunged Wyoming into a double-digit deep freeze, most stay indoors as much as possible. Not so for the state’s family ranchers. It’s never too cold for feeding the animals and outdoor chores.

Jackie DorothyJanuary 20, 2025

Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg

Former South Dakota AG Who Ran Down Pedestrian Fights To Keep Iowa Law License

Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was impeached and stripped of his law license after running down and killing a pedestrian in 2020. Now he’s fighting to keep from losing his license to practice law in Iowa.

A.J. Etherington for Cowboy State DailyJanuary 20, 2025

The House Minerals Business and Economic Development CommitteeHouse Minerals Business and Economic Development Committee discusses an anti-ESG bill Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

Despite Opposition, Anti-ESG Bill Sails Through Committee After Changes

An anti-ESG Bill sailed over a wall of opposition from Wyoming investment fund managers and the state treasurer. It passed out of committee Monday after significant changes to address the criticism.

Renée JeanJanuary 20, 2025

A five-bedroom house near the abandoned company mining town of Sunrise, Wyoming, in the Hartville area is chock-full of history — and for sale, listing for $809,000. It was home to an early pioneer, and the sale includes the Guernsey Cabin.

Historic One-Of-A-Kind Property For Sale Near Sunrise Once Home To Early Pioneer

A five-bedroom house near the abandoned company mining town of Sunrise, Wyoming, in the Hartville area is chock-full of history — and for sale, listing for $809,000. It was home to an early pioneer, and the sale includes the Guernsey Cabin.

Renée JeanJanuary 20, 2025

In May 1908, a 4-year-old girl got lost after following a sheepherder out of camp. Nearly 120 years later, a search and rescue expert says it was a miracle she survived two days and nights alone in the Wyoming wilderness.

Miracles Happen: How A Lost Girl, 4, Survived Two Nights In The Wilderness

In May 1908, a 4-year-old girl got lost after following a sheepherder out of camp. Nearly 120 years later, a search and rescue expert says it was a miracle she survived two days and nights alone in the Wyoming wilderness.

Dale KillingbeckJanuary 19, 2025

Big Sky is Montana’s exclusive playground for the rich and famous. It’s also one of the fastest-growing areas in the region, bringing on growing pains that includes lack of access to a hospital landowners pay taxes for.

Growing Pains In Big Sky, Montana’s Exclusive Playground For The Rich And Famous

Big Sky is Montana’s exclusive playground for the rich and famous. It’s also one of the fastest-growing areas in the region, bringing on growing pains that includes lack of access to a hospital landowners pay taxes for.

David MadisonJanuary 19, 2025

The sampled subfossil whitebark pine trees along the margin of the ice patch.

Ancient Ice Forests In Beartooth Mountains Give Up 6,000-Year-Old Secrets

Researchers are revealing the secrets of 6,000-year-old pine forests, preserved in ice patches in the Beartooth Mountains. These ice forests are giving up ancient secrets about the past — and future — of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Andrew RossiJanuary 19, 2025

Joe Kenney hosted Coffee Time for decades before retiring and eventually starting a podcast.

Joe Kenney’s Been A Fixture On Wyoming Radio For 60 Years

You may not know Joe Kenney to look at him, but chances are you know his voice. Kenney’s been a fixture on Lander and Wyoming radio for going on 60 years.

Jackie DorothyJanuary 19, 2025

The historic Johnson’s Corner restaurant about an hour south of Cheyenne is closed for a refresh and rebranding. It won’t be Johnson’s Corner anymore, but the cinnamon rolls that made it famous will still be on the menu.

Iconic Johnson’s Corner Along I-25 Closed, To Become Chain Restaurant

The iconic Johnson’s Corner restaurant about an hour south of Cheyenne is closed for a refresh and rebranding. It won’t be Johnson’s Corner anymore, but the cinnamon rolls that made it famous will still be on the menu.

Anna-Louise Jackson for Cowboy State DailyJanuary 19, 2025

Rod miller campfire 4 23 24

Rod Miller: Planning The New Mount Rushmore Around The Ol’ Campfire

Rod Miller writes, "Sourdough forged onward. 'Vedauwoo has all them rocks right by the interstate. If someone carved Josh Allen’s face on one o’ them boulders, tourists would go nuts an’ Buford would be a boomtown again!'”  

Rod MillerJanuary 19, 2025

A vent on the undersea volcano Axial Seamount.

3,600-Foot-Tall Undersea Volcano Expected To Blow This Year, But Nobody’s Worried

Axial Seamount is a young, 30 million-year-old undersea volcano in the Pacific Ocean off the U.S. coast, and it’s expected to blow this year. While “fascinating” and spectacular, nobody’s worried about it.

Andrew RossiJanuary 20, 2025

Unraveling “whodunit” mysteries when cattle or big game animals are killed by predators can be a gory, gooey business, but there’s vital clues in the carcasses for those who know how to look.

“Grape Jelly” Blood Clots And Dismemberment Can Determine What Kills Wildlife

Investigating possible grizzly, wolf and lion kills can be a messy business. But there are vital clues in bloody, dismembered wildlife carcasses, experts say.

Mark HeinzJanuary 19, 2025

Activists participate in a protest to urge U.S. President Joe Biden to grant Native American activist Leonard Peltier clemency outside of the White House on Sept. 12, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Activists, who cite anti-Indigenous bias surrounding Peltier’s trial, want the President to give leniency to Peltier who is serving two life sentences for the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1975.

Cody Filmmaker A Producer For Documentary Premiering At Sundance Film Festival

A Cody, Wyoming, filmmaker is a coproducer for the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier," which will debut next week at the Sundance Film Festival. The film examines the case of the American Indian activist convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975.

Andrew RossiJanuary 19, 2025

A starter castle designed to mimic the luxurious Amangani resort next door is turning heads, even in swanky Jackson Hole. The “Petite Aman” can be yours for a cool $18 million.

Even In Jackson Hole, Listing For $18M “Petite Aman” Estate Is Turning Heads

A starter mansion designed to mimic the luxurious Amangani resort next door is turning heads, even in swanky Jackson Hole. The “Petite Aman” can be yours for a cool $18 million.

Jake NicholsJanuary 19, 2025

Danny Erramouspe is a presocuting attorney in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.

Wyoming Prosecutors Say Widespread Lawyer Shortage Hurting Them Too

A shortage of Wyoming prosecutors has spread across the state. County and district attorneys are thinking up ways to recruit and retain new lawyers — just in time for the legislative session.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 19, 2025

ATF getty 1 18 25

Big Horn ATF Raid Eerily Similar To "Clown Show" In 2002, Former Sheriff Says

A former Sublette County Sheriff says an ATF raid on a couple in Big Horn, Wyoming, mirrors a 2002 incident in his county. He says his office was misled by the federal agency and calls the response a “clown show.”

Mark HeinzJanuary 18, 2025

The bartender at Le Reve Restaurant and Raw Bar adjusts the flow of water from an ornate fountain, part of the ritual involved in serving a glass of absinthe.

Drinking Wyoming: Absinthe, Spirit Of Murder And Madness, Is Back In Wyoming

Absinthe was illegal for nearly a century, branded by the wine industry as a spirit of murder and madness. But it’s making a comeback, and a handful of Wyoming venues serve this once-forbidden liquor.

Renée JeanJanuary 18, 2025

Fern is a full-sized, 88-foot-long bronze replica of a Diplodocus named Dippy found in Wyoming in 1899. Fern will greet visitors to the Natural History Museum of London.

88-Foot-Long Bronze Of Wyoming’s Famous Dippy The Dinosaur Goes Up In London

Dippy the Diplodocus, an 88-foot-long Wyoming dinosaur, is world famous and billed as “the most colossal animal ever on Earth.” Now it’s been cast in bronze — in life size — for a new outdoor exhibit at the Natural History Museum of London.

Andrew RossiJanuary 19, 2025

Beryl Spring, located between Mammoth Hot Springs and Madison Junction, was named for the color of its boiling water, which has been a source of intrigue, frustration, and destruction since the beginning of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone’s Beryl Springs Is Super-Hot, Ornery And Turns Stuff Blue

Beryl Spring, located between Mammoth Hot Springs and Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park, was named for the stunning blue color of its boiling water. It’s also super-hot, ornery and turns the nearby boardwalk posts blue.

Andrew RossiJanuary 19, 2025

The original concept for Mount Rushmore included not only the heads of the four presidents, but their torsos as well.

Did You Know The Presidents On Mount Rushmore Were Supposed To Have Bodies, Too?

It took more than 400 workers 14 years to carve the heads of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln into Mount Rushmore. Did you know the original plan was for them to have bodies, too?

Jackie DorothyJanuary 18, 2025

After a dry start to winter, Wyoming snowmobilers are enjoying a bounty of fresh powder in the mountains.

Snowmobilers Stoked Snow Is Finally Piling Up Around Wyoming

After a slow start to the snowmobiling season, with little of the white stuff in December, Wyoming snowmobilers are stoked it’s filing piling up. It’s good news for Cowboy State lodges, too.

Mark HeinzJanuary 18, 2025

Daily Features

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"Beautiful sunrise looking out over Sleeping Indian in Jackson. The view never gets old. Blessed."
PinYour Wyoming Sunrise: Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Today's Wyoming sunrise was captured by Steve Pecha in Jackson. Steve writes, "Beautiful sunrise looking out over Sleeping Indian in Jackson. The view never gets old. Blessed."

Photo by Steve Pecha

Today's question to Don Day

Mark James Mullins of Douglas
In regard to your thunderstorm season article, can you reassess the data on a per-capita basis, especially when considering population of the states? It could affect me as I own a hill on my property which I plan a communications tower and likely will have a lightning rod installed when it goes in.
Don Day
FEMA has a good lightning database that takes into account lightning risk, potential property loss, etc. based on population and lightning frequency. Data is available on a county by county basis. Lots and lots of lightning data available here which may help in quest for more lightning information. https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/lightning
DD

Opinion

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Rod miller headshot scaled

Rod Miller: The Big Empty Needs One Good Lawless County

Rod Miller writes, “The legislature can set aside a few hundred-thousand acres in Wyoming for the malcontents and the ungovernable. Let them fend for themselves on their own little piece of heaven.”

Rod MillerJanuary 12, 2025

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Joan Barron: Freedom Caucus Calling For Unity Is “The Big Switcheroo.”

Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The biggest surprise to me was the declaration that the Freedom Caucus will strive for unity this session. This is a real switcheroo for a group that banned traditional Republican lawmakers from their caucuses."

Joan BarronJanuary 11, 2025

Sniffin headshot 11 30 24

Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Fans Love Josh Allen – Bills Play Broncos In Playoffs Sunday

Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Can you believe Josh Allen has been gone from UW for seven years? I never saw a player like him. He was super-human. He was our superman.”

Bill SniffinJanuary 11, 2025

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