Cowboy State Daily - Wyoming News
News
Headlines
View all
It’s Huckleberry Season, But Don’t Ask A Picker Where To Find Them
Throngs of huckleberry hunters are out as the season for picking the wild-growing fruit is hitting its peak in Wyoming. But don’t you dare ask a picker where to find them, as they protect their prime patches the way anglers do a favorite fishing hole.
Anna-Louise JacksonJuly 20, 2025

Casper Family Devastated After Teen Dies When Car Hits Elk At 101 MPH
Casper 18-year-olds Sammantha and Hannah Brooks were more than best friends; they were inseparable twins. That bond was shattered this week when the car they were in hit an elk at 101 mph. Hannah survived but Sammantha, who was called a “ray of light,” didn’t.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 19, 2025

Adrenaline Rush: New Record In Longest Downhill Mountain Bike Race In The Tetons
The Colter Cup is not just the longest downhill mountain bike race in the Tetons, it’s an insane adrenaline rush that pushes the stamina of racers. An 18-year-old from Victor, Idaho, set a new record in Saturday’s race.
David MadisonJuly 20, 2025

Cheyenne Man Survived The Devastating 1976 Big Thompson Flood In A Ford Pinto
Cheyenne native Alan O’Hashi vividly remembers being caught in the canyon when the Big Thompson Flood hit on July 31, 1976. He survived the deadliest flood in Colorado history when somehow a floating portable toilet snagged onto his Ford Pinto bumper and carried the car to the canyon wall instead of “over the edge.”
Dale KillingbeckJuly 19, 2025
Cutting-Edge Avalanche Radar Planned For Wyoming’s Notorious Hoback Canyon
Hoback Canyon in northwest Wyoming is notorious for being avalanche-prone. It’s been selected to get a new cutting-edge avalanche radar system that can detect potential slides 24/7 in any weather. That promises faster road closures and safety for drivers.
David MadisonJuly 19, 2025

There’s An Art To Panning For Gold That’s Part Patience, Part Recklessness
Six tiny flakes of gold in one pan of pay dirt are a nice haul. Panning for gold takes patience and a bit of reckless abandon — then rinse and repeat. Finding those flakes sparks an annual Wyoming gold rush to South Pass City.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2025

Ian Munsick Makes History As First Wyoming Native To Headline Cheyenne Frontier Days
Friday was an huge night for Sheridan's Ian Munsick, who fulfilled a dream by headlining Cheyenne Frontier Days. An emotional Munsick called being the first Wyoming native to headline CFD the biggest stage of his career so far.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2025

Wyoming History: New Photos Of Legendary Mountain Man Jim Baker Discovered
In what Western historians call an “extremely exciting” discovery, a trunk containing new photographs of the famous mountain man Jim Baker has been found. It also holds letters written to a lawman by Wild Bunch informants.
Renée JeanJuly 20, 2025

New Yorkers Love The Western Culture Shock That Comes With Cheyenne Frontier Days
Cheyenne Frontier Days has officially busted out of the chute of its 129th year, bringing wall-to-wall cowboy culture to the masses. For city slickers from New York, they cite the cowboy fashion, the attention-deficit proof rodeo and western culture shock as reasons they keep coming back.
Zakary SonntagJuly 19, 2025

One Of Wyoming’s Most Beautiful Drives Is Also A Kidney-Rattling Washboard Ride
Just past Sinks Canyon State Park south of Lander is Louis Lake Loop Road. Nearly 100 years old, it leads to some of Wyoming’s most beautiful places, but it's a rough ride. The road wasn't built for today's traffic. It was designed to handle Model Ts going 15 mph.
Mark HeinzJuly 19, 2025

Do Bison Understand Death? Bison Funerals Suggest They Might
Anecdotal evidence suggests bison might have specific behaviors associated with death and mourning. In one case in northern Yellowstone, bison maintained a constant vigil around a deceased bison, circling around the carcass for more than an hour.
Andrew RossiJuly 19, 2025

Eating Cheyenne Frontier Days: Bringing An Elevated Approach To So-Called Carnival Food
Rather than traffic in cheap thrills, Cheyenne Frontier Days' head concessionaire, Nate Janousek, brings an elevated approach to so-called carnival food. He's not above the traditions of fair food but seeks to marry gimmick with sophistication -- like his hot honey goat cheese pizza and his pineapple chicken bowl.
Zakary SonntagJuly 19, 2025

One ‘Last Rodeo’ For Legendary Rock Springs Dive Bar’s Tipsy Cow
The upside-down cow that sat outside Joe's Drive-In Liquor Bar in Rock Springs is back. Property owner Angela Gaensslen said it's the “last rodeo” for the symbol of the dive bar that served Rock Springs for 64 years before closing in March.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 19, 2025

Ambitious Art Students Turn Powell High School Into A 3D Museum
Powell High School’s art program, taught by Jim Gilman, is turning Powell High School into a 3D museum. It’s an ambitious effort that makes even walking the halls an interactive learning exercise.
Amber SteinmetzJuly 20, 2025

Accused Serial Killer Suspected Of Murdering 2 Women In Wyoming Dies In Tennessee
Clark Perry Baldwin, a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer linked to the deaths of two women in Wyoming, died Friday in Tennessee. His death leaves a Wyoming prosecutor frustrated he won’t stand trial here for the decades-old murders.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Massive Recovery Mission Planned For Yellowstone Hiker Who Vanished 10 Months Ago
A team of private-sector outdoorsmen and another of Yellowstone National Park personnel and volunteers are preparing missions next month to recover Austin King. He’s the 22-year-old hiker who vanished after summiting Eagle Peak last September.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Guilty: Jury Says Douglas Smith Gunned Down 2 Men In Cheyenne Coin Shop In 2015
A 69-year-old California man is guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for killing two men in a Cheyenne coin shop 10 years ago, a jury decided Friday afternoon. Douglas Smith now faces two mandatory life sentences.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Fox-Turned-Shoe Bandit Makes Grand Teton’s ‘Most Wanted’ List
At least one naughty fox has been making off with people’s shoes from a campground in Grand Teton National Park. At least 32 shoes have been stolen so far, prompting the park to put the fox on its “Most Wanted” list.
Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2025

Mouth-Ripping Barbed Hooks Banned On North Platte Blue-Ribbon Trout Fisheries
Barbed fishing hooks inflict ghastly injuries to prized trout in the North Platte River near Casper. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission this week banned barbed hooks along sections of the river, a move fishing guides say is overdue.
Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2025

Cheyenne Frontier Days Isn’t All Rodeo, There’s Also World-Class Western Art
One thing to know about the celebrated Western Art Show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is that it’s not a stereotypical stuffy art show. In fact, it’s considered by many as the signature social event of the Daddy of ’em All.
Renée JeanJuly 18, 2025

Cody Woman Accused In Murder-For-Hire Claims Entrapment By Undercover Agent
A Cody woman accused of soliciting a man she thought was a hitman to kill her daughter’s boyfriend in late 2023 says in a Thursday court filing she plans to tell a jury that the “hitman” — an undercover law enforcement agent — entrapped her.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

One Of Wyoming’s 2 ‘Catchnet’ Systems Saves Driver Of Runaway Truck On Teton Pass
One of Wyoming’s two “catchnet” systems to stop runaway vehicles saved the driver of a box truck that lost its brakes on Teton Pass on Thursday. The catchnet uses a series of energy-absorbing nets that can slow and stop high-speed and heavy vehicles.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 18, 2025

Sued By Ousted Library Director, Campbell County Says She's No LGBTQ Hero
In a scathing court filing Wednesday, Campbell County denies wrongdoing in the 2023 firing of the local library director, who is suing. The county says her claims are full of bogus “self-praise” and that she's no LGBTQ hero.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Wyoming Company Helps Develop Tech-Driven Early Alzheimer’s Detection Tool
Wyoming technology company Lunavi has helped develop a tech-driven digital tool to detect Alzheimer’s disease before most other tests can. It will make the tests inexpensive and available to anyone with an internet connection.
Renée JeanJuly 18, 2025

House Votes To Defund Public Media, Gouging NPR and PBS
By a 216 - 213 vote, the U.S. House on Thursday approved a Trump administration plan to rescind two years' budget from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman voted for the measure, which also impacts PBS and NPR.
Jimmy OrrJuly 18, 2025

‘I-90’ Jane Doe, Suspected Victim Of Serial Killer, Identified After 33 Years
A young, petite, pregnant woman found dead with beating and strangulation injuries 33 years ago in a borrow ditch 15 miles north of Sheridan has been identified as Cindi Arleen Estrada. She’s one of two alleged Wyoming victims of an accused serial killer.
Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2025

Wyoming Irrigators Frustrated By Getting Shut Off Earlier In Colorado River Basin
Western Wyoming irrigators are frustrated after being shut off earlier than normal to send Colorado River Basin water downstream. State officials are holding public meetings to keep tabs on Wyoming’s share of the Colorado River.
David MadisonJuly 17, 2025

Degenfelder Fighting Judge's Block On School Choice Program
Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder announced Thursday the State of Wyoming is challenging a judge’s order that blocks the state’s new school-choice program. “I am grateful for the Attorney General’s swift action,” Degenfelder said.
Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2025

Laramie County Jail To Open Wyoming’s First In-House Mental Health Sections
Nearly half of the inmates in the Laramie County jail have some sort of mental illness, and about 11% are “extremely” ill. That’s why the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office created Wyoming’s first in-house jail pods specifically for mentally ill inmates.
Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2025

Hageman Wants Answers About Prosecution Of Grand Teton Trail Runner
Idaho ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri is awaiting a verdict in a criminal trial for cutting a switchback while running up Grand Teton last fall. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman says she’s investigating a possible overzealous prosecution.
Sean BarryJuly 17, 2025

Park Service Kills "Food-Conditioned" Black Bear In Yellowstone
The National Park Service announced Thursday that a black bear in Yellowstone was killed because it had developed a taste for human food. The last straw was ransacking a tent and tearing down food storage poles.
Andrew RossiJuly 17, 2025

Casper Drug Mule Pleads Guilty, To Testify Against Others In Meth/Fentanyl Ring
A 49-year-old Casper woman who was trafficking meth, fentanyl and cocaine from Colorado to Wyoming pleaded guilty Thursday in a plea deal with prosecutors. She received eight years in prison, and in return will testify against others in the drug ring.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 17, 2025

Friday Or Bust: House Under Legal Deadline For PBS, NPR Cuts
The U.S. House of Representatives has a legal deadline of Friday at 11:59 p.m. to vote on the proposed $1.1 billion in cuts to public television and radio. Wyoming's congressional delegation is firmly in favor of the cuts.
Sean Barry & Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Montana Considers Killing Nearly Half Of Its Wolf Population
Montana is considering setting a wolf kill quota of 500 for the 2025-2026 wolf seasons, nearly half of its wolf population. It would allow hunters and trappers to take as many as 15 wolves each.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2025

Supreme Court Petition Is Final Hail Mary For Wyoming Corner-Crossing Landowner
The landowner at the center of Wyoming’s famous “corner-crossing” case has lost every court battle against hunters who crossed at the corner of his property to get to public land. Wednesday, he filed a petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2025

Casper Man, 20, Denies Pulling Loaded Handgun On Girls At Skate Park
A 20-year-old Casper man accused of pulling a loaded handgun on three teen girls at a skate park pleaded not guilty Thursday in Natrona County District Court. He’s accused of racking the weapon and pointing it at the girls “gangster style.”
Dale KillingbeckJuly 17, 2025

Federal Court Rejects Climate Change-Based Challenge To Wyoming Drilling Permits
A federal court on Tuesday rejected environmental groups’ effort to overturn thousands of oil and gas drilling permits in Wyoming and New Mexico. The court said they couldn’t show how drilling in Wyoming would directly impact polar bears in the Arctic.
David MadisonJuly 16, 2025

Small Army Of Cybersecurity Warriors Trains To Digitally Defend Energy Industry
As Wyoming aspires to be an energy powerhouse, a new generation of cybersecurity defenders is training in Wyoming and at the Idaho National Lab. As AI booms, so does the need to protect that critical infrastructure from digital threats.
David MadisonJuly 16, 2025

Wyoming Senators Say Their Votes To Defund Public Media Due To Left-Wing Bias
In statements and interviews with Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday, Sens. Lummis and Barrasso said their votes for massive cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are warranted because of what they call a left-wing bias of its public media outlets.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2025

Man Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting ID'd As 37-Year-Old Worland Resident
The man killed in an officer-involved shooting Monday in Worland was 37-year-old Derek Fyffe, the coroner confirmed Wednesday. He reportedly shot at officers as they approached him near a bridge, who returned fire.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2025

Wyoming’s Obsidian Trails A Roadmap Of Critical Ancient Trade Routes
Archaeologists use obsidian to determine how far people traveled on ancient trade routes across Wyoming. Each obsidian flake bears a unique volcanic fingerprint that points to its place of origin, which can be hundreds of miles away.
Jackie DorothyJuly 16, 2025

Cheyenne Man Accused Of Using Brass Knuckles, Pistol To Steal Xbox
A 32-year-old Cheyenne man is accused of using brass knuckles, and then a pistol, in his attempt to take a $700 Xbox video game console from someone’s home. He now faces five criminal charges that could send him to prison for decades.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 16, 2025

Mud And Rocks Washed From Elk Fire Area Close U.S. 14 Overnight, More Could Follow
It’s what WYDOT officials have expected since the Elk Fire burned nearly 100,000 acres in the Bighorn Mountains last fall. Heavy rain caused a mud and rockslide, closing a section of U.S. Highway 14 overnight Tuesday. More debris flows could follow.
Andrew RossiJuly 16, 2025

Wyoming Judge Blocks School-Choice Program, This Time For Months
A Wyoming judge on Tuesday blocked Wyoming's school-choice program from going into effect, for a period of months or years during a legal challenge against it. The program is likely unconstitutional, wrote the judge.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2025

After Hours Of Testimony, Commission Rejects Changes To Landowner Hunting Tags
After landowners showed up in force to oppose proposed changes to landowner hunting tag requirements, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission rejected the changes Tuesday.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2025

One Man Dead, Officer Wounded In Shootout With Police In Worland
A man is dead and an officer wounded after a Monday shootout on a bridge in Worland, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and Worland Police Department confirmed Tuesday. The officer sustained non-life-threatening gunshot injuries.
Clair McFarlandJuly 15, 2025

Now A Legislative Committee Investigating Weston County Clerk's Election Errors
The Management Audit Committee is forming a task force to investigate the Weston County clerk's handling of the 2024 election, where multiple errors warped uncontested races. Secretary of State Chuck Gray applauds the move, while others question it.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2025

Pumpkin King Is So Serious His Greenhouse Has Air Conditioning — His Home Doesn’t
Worland’s “Pumpkin King” is serious about growing a 2,000-pound pumpkin. He’s pampering them with 500 gallons of water a day, sends his soil for lab testing and has installed air conditioning in his greenhouse, something his own house doesn’t have.
Andrew RossiJuly 15, 2025

Hageman’s Bill To Delist Grizzlies Passes House Committee
A U.S. House committee advanced legislation Tuesday sponsored by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, to remove Yellowstone-area grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act list. The bill also would ban courts from blocking the delisting.
Sean BarryJuly 15, 2025

Former Thermopolis Police Sergeant Claims He Can't Be Sued For Fatal Shootout
A former Thermopolis police sergeant in a Monday court filing denied any wrongdoing in a fatal April 2023 shootout that left a local man dead. Former Sgt. Mike Mascorro also says he's protected by qualified immunity, therefore can't be sued.
Clair McFarlandJuly 15, 2025
Daily Features
View all
Today's Wyoming sunrise was captured by Jonesy of Jackson Hole. Jonesy writes, "One of our Jackson Hole Horse Rescue horses greets the sunrise, standing in our Round Corral. Pic taken looking east over Blacktail Butte, which is just east of Jackson Hole Airport."
Today's question to Don Day
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.
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
Opinion
Joan Barron: Are Efficiency Studies Worth the Price?
Opinion by Joan Barron
Dennis Sun: Quit Blaming Cows
Opinion by Dennis Sun
Jonathan Lange: Attorney General Kautz Came Out Swinging
Opinion by Jonathan Lange
Guest Column: If You're Curious About Court, Get In There
Opinion by Wyoming Judicial Branch
Tom Lubnau: Why Is There An Effort To Make Public Comment To The Legislature Impossible?
Opinion by Tom Lubnau
Opinion
View all
Jonathan Lange: Attorney General Kautz Came Out Swinging
Columnist Jonathan Lange writes, "Kudos to our new attorney general, Keith Kautz. On Thursday, he hit the ground running by swiftly appealing the outrageous preliminary injunction against Wyoming’s Steamboat Legacy Scholarship program."
Jonathan LangeJuly 18, 2025

Tom Lubnau: Why Is There An Effort To Make Public Comment To The Legislature Impossible?
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "The current legislature has developed a pattern of stifling public comment. Could it be the input of the Wyoming citizens is an impediment to consolidation of power in a few puppet masters in the legislature?"
Tom LubnauJuly 16, 2025

Bill Sniffin: It Is Time To Hit The Road For Treks Around The Cowboy State
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "A great Wyoming tourist theme is the Great Road Trip. I am planning my trips right now. Two of my annual trips will be my annual Yellowstone trip for the 55th consecutive year and my annual trip to the Red Desert."
Bill SniffinJuly 15, 2025
Wyoming Life
View all
Cyclists Say Exclusive Tour De Wyoming One Of Best Bike Tours In The Nation
Renée JeanJuly 15, 2025
Bear Spray Leaves 30 People On Jackson Tram ‘Choking, Coughing And Puking’
Andrew RossiJuly 15, 2025
Giant Utah ‘Fire Devil’ Is What Happens When Wildfire Makes Its Own Weather
Andrew RossiJuly 15, 2025
Cheyenne’s Capitol Avenue Bronze Project Closes In On 100 Sculptures
Renée JeanJuly 14, 2025
Wyoming Rite Of Passage: 600 4-H Kids Show Out At State Shooting Competition
Jackie DorothyJuly 14, 2025
Outdoors
View all
Federal Court Halts Roundup Of Rare Wyoming Curly-Haired Mustangs
Mark HeinzJuly 15, 2025
Jackson Woman Stupefied By Dead Mystery Critter Floating In Shoshone River
Mark HeinzJuly 15, 2025
Black Bears In Sheridan County Towns So Routine People Say They're Neighbors
Mark HeinzJuly 14, 2025
One Weekend A Year, Lander’s The Center Of The Rock Climbing World
Renée JeanJuly 14, 2025
Yellowstone Announces Discovery Of A New Baby Blue Thermal Pool
Andrew RossiJuly 14, 2025
Crime & Courts
View all
Man Gets 4.5 Years For Stealing $14M In Gold And Silver From 90-Year-Old Dad
Clair McFarlandJuly 14, 2025
Man Killed In Pinedale Alley Was Shot From 2-3 Feet Away
Clair McFarlandJuly 14, 2025
Suspected Green River Bomber To Have His Sanity Checked
Clair McFarlandJuly 14, 2025
Former Wyoming Cop Forgives Bank Robber Who Shot And Left Him For Dead 43 Years Ago
Jen KocherJuly 13, 2025
One Dead In Pinedale Shooting, Possible Self-Defense Situation
Clair McFarlandJuly 11, 2025