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Features Reporter

Andrew Rossi

Andrew Rossi is a features reporter for Cowboy State Daily based in northwest Wyoming. He covers everything from horrible weather and giant pumpkins to dinosaurs, astronomy, and the eccentricities of Yellowstone National Park.

 Previously, Rossi was the News Director for Big Horn Basin Media in Cody. He earned several awards from the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters, including multiple awards for Best News Reporter and Best News Talk Show.

 A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rossi previously worked at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis. He has collaborated with Disney/Pixar, the BBC, The Washington Post, the Wyoming Office of Tourism, and several other national and international media outlets. He is also a cofounder of The Cody Theatre Company in Cody.

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Latest from Andrew Rossi

A male moose became infatuated with a life-sized wooden moose standing outside the Roosevelt Center in Red Lodge, Montana, on Monday. He liked the statue so much he tried to mate with it.

Young Male Moose Tries To Mate With A Wooden Moose In Montana

A male moose became infatuated with a life-sized wooden moose standing outside the Roosevelt Center in Red Lodge, Montana, on Monday. He liked the statue so much he tried to mate with it.

Andrew RossiSeptember 09, 2025

Video of a hopping bison getting crowded by tourists at Yellowstone National Park has been viewed nearly 10 million times since Friday. What many people don’t realize is the bison wasn’t being playful, it was read to mangle them, a biologist says.

Dimwitted Yellowstone Tourists Believe Angry Bison Was "Performing" For Them

Although tourists in Yellowstone laughed at an angry bison and thought it was "performing" for them, bison biologists say the "hopping" bison was building up for an attack, a turn that could have been tragic for the tourists holding their smartphones.

Andrew RossiSeptember 08, 2025

The root section of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. There hasn't been a volcanic eruption in Yellowstone National Park for more than 70,000 years. Whenever the next one comes, it’s likely to be a massive lava flow instead of a humanity-ending explosion.

Yellowstone’s Next Eruption: Flow Of Superheated Ooze, Not Humanity-Ending Explosion

Good news! Scientists say the next time the supervolcano in Yellowstone erupts, it won't be a humanity-ended explosion. Instead, it's likely to be a massive lava flow of superheated ooze. Whenever it happens, it will be the first volcanic eruption in more than 70,000 years.

Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2025

Thermopolis hot spring Denise Lett via Alamy 9 7 25

Thermopolis Claims 'The World's Largest Mineral Hot Spring’ — But Is It?

The Big Spring, the main source of Thermopolis's hot mineral water, has been called "the world's largest mineral hot spring" since 1900. No other place has challenged that, but scientists and Guinness World Records haven't confirmed it.

Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2025

Part of the team in the cave, from left, Katie Slenker, Adam Fitch, Mikey Rowe, Andy Grass, and Jean Krejca.

Massive, Near-Complete Mammoth Skeleton Discovered In Natural Trap Cave

The latest discovery in Natural Trap Cave in the Bighorn Mountains, considered one of the world's premier Ice Age fossil sites, is the nearly complete skeleton of a massive mammoth. Getting out of the 85-foot-deep hole will be cold, wet work.

Andrew RossiSeptember 06, 2025

An aerial view of Aspen Alley in Medicine Bow National Forest. The surrounding forest has been cleared of dead and dying aspen and lodgepole pine trees as part of an effort to revitalize the aspen grove, reduce fire danger, and improve wildlife habitat. New aspen saplings are already growing in the newly cleared area.

One Man's Mission To Resurrect Wyoming's Aspen Alley

Dennis Faerber's mission is to restore Wyoming's famed Aspen Alley back to its full glory. Half of the trees on Forest Road 801 off the Battle Pass Scenic Byway in southern Wyoming were dead and another 25% were dying. So, they're starting over.

Andrew RossiSeptember 06, 2025

Mustang rolls on Beartooth 9 2 25

Wild Video Shows Man Totaling Mustang On Beartooth Highway

A tourist captured a man totaling his Ford Mustang this weekend when he took a hairpin turn too fast on the Beartooth Highway. The wild video shows the vehicle flipping numerous times. Somehow, the driver walked away from the crash with minor injuries.

Andrew RossiSeptember 02, 2025

Sunset south of Gillette

Wyoming Will Lose More Than An Hour Of Daylight Before Fall Officially Starts

Your eyes aren't deceiving you, it's getting dark a lot earlier as the first half of September is when we lose daylight the fastest. Between now and the start of autumn, Wyoming will lose about an hour and 10 minutes of daylight.

Andrew RossiSeptember 02, 2025

Cows in snow 3 6 23

Meteorologist Don Day Not That Concerned Over La Niña Watch Prediction

Although the National Weather Service has issued a La Niña Watch for late fall and early winter -- which could mean warmer temperatures and lower snowpack -- meteorologist Don Day says to slow down."Everybody's hair is on fire, but this isn’t a slam dunk situation," he says.

Andrew RossiAugust 31, 2025

Working on one of the huge tailbones of the Jurassic ass are, from top left, Bryan Aivazian Ryan Tutt Jon Yoder Dan Kurfis Dallas Smith and Diego Rao

Digging Wyoming: Casper's Tate Museum Hauls A Jurassic Ass Out Of Alcova

A team of staff and volunteers from the Tate Geological Museum at Casper College spent the first half of August excavating the 150-million-year-old butt of a Brontosaurus-like dinosaur found on a hilltop near the Alcova Reservoir.

Andrew RossiAugust 31, 2025

On a prominent hill in Star Valley, a 1,500-square-foot American flag flies from a 130-foot-tall flagpole. When the massive flag needed to be replaced after a storm, ranch owner Darcel Hulse, 78, insisted on doing the work himself.

78-Year-Old Rancher Scales 130-Foot Flagpole To Fly Massive American Flag Over Star Valley

78-year-old rancher Darcel Hulse said he wanted to show off his patriotism in a big way, so he flies a 1,500 sq. ft. flag from his ranch in Star Valley. When it needed replaced after a storm, he insisted on doing the work himself. "I'm an old guy, but I'm not afraid of heights," he said.

Andrew RossiAugust 31, 2025

Farmers and fire crews work together to place irrigation pipes around West Yellowstone, Montana, in September 1988. When the still-raging Yellowstone fires turned toward West Yellowstone, fire crews asked local farmers if they could bring their irrigation pipes to form a defensive barrier around the gateway community and save it from the flames.

Firefighters Once Blew Up A River To Save West Yellowstone From Wildfire

During the 1988 Yellowstone wildfires, Idaho farmers set up irrigation pipes to save West Yellowstone from the fast-moving flames. To move enough water through the pipes, they used explosives to blow a hole in the Madison River.

Andrew RossiAugust 30, 2025

Other Authors

From left, Deputies Mosbacher, Harriso and Konegni with the Laramie County Sheriff's Office

Texas Uses Cowboy Hats To Recruit Cops — In Wyoming It's The Culture, Not A Perk

Earlier this week, the Dallas Police Department made a big deal about adding cowboy hats to their official uniform. In Wyoming, it's ingrained in the culture and as automatic as underwear, where “going commando” could easily mean you’re not wearing your cowboy hat.

Andrew RossiAugust 30, 2025

A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was hurt Tuesday when a semi crashed into a patrol vehicle on Interstate 80 near Rawlins. A witness who was there said a lot of drivers, not just the semi, failed to slow down or yield to the crash scene or responders.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Struck By Semi On I-80 At Scene of Another Incident

A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was hurt Tuesday when a semitruck crashed into a patrol vehicle on Interstate 80 near Rawlins. A witness who was there said a lot of drivers, not just the semi, failed to slow down or yield to the crash scene or responders.

Andrew RossiAugust 28, 2025

The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday that the body of Grant Gardner, 38, has been found and recovered from Cloud Peak in the Bighorn Mountains. Gardner summited the peak on July 29, touching off an extensive 20-day search.

Body Of Missing Minnesota Hiker Found, Recovered From Bighorn Mountains

The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday that the body of Grant Gardner, 38, has been found and recovered from Cloud Peak in the Bighorn Mountains. Gardner summited the peak on July 29, touching off an extensive 20-day search.

Andrew RossiAugust 28, 2025

Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, a Dodge Durango struck a Yamaha R6 motorcycle from behind on Horse Creek Road northwest of Cheyenne. The Yamaha rider was wearing a helmet and is expected to recover from serious injuries, authorities say.

Motorcyclist In Hospital After Getting Smashed From Behind On Wyoming Highway

The rider of a Yamaha R6 motorcycle was hospitalized Tuesday night after getting smashed into from behind by a Dodge Durango on Wyoming Highway 221. The collision embedded the Yamaha deep into the front end of the Durango.

Andrew RossiAugust 28, 2025

Traffic drives through a Wyoming snowstorm in this file photo.

Computers Say Snow For Labor Day In Wyoming, But Don Day Doesn’t Buy It

A long-range computer forecast calling for snow in the first week of September, and possibly on Labor Day, can be misleading, meteorologist Don Day says. Those computer predictions “drive me nuts and gets people all ramped up,” he says. “I hate it.”

Andrew RossiAugust 26, 2025

Forget the night before Christmas, Santa hits Yellowstone National Park four months before. Christmas in August was celebrated Monday, and has been an annual tradition in Yellowstone National Park for more than 70 years.

Why Are They Celebrating Christmas In Yellowstone -- In August?

Forget the night before Christmas, Santa hits Yellowstone National Park every August. Christmas was celebrated on Monday, and has been an annual tradition in Yellowstone for more than 70 years.

Andrew RossiAugust 25, 2025

Calcite Springs in the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park smells bad, even by Yellowstone standards. That's because it's one of the few places in the park where molten sulfur and petroleum come together to form giant, putrid-smelling balls of oil.

The Worst Smelling Place In Yellowstone: Calcite Springs, Where Sulfur And Oil Come Together

Calcite Springs, a thermal feature in the northeast corner of Yellowstone, is one of the park's lesser-known thermal features. It's best known for how awful it smells due to the molten sulfur and petroleum melding to form giant, putrid-smelling balls of oil.

Andrew RossiAugust 24, 2025

You may have never met Frank Alvarado, but you likely have his best friends — a pair of green aliens along the road to Yellowstone’s East Entrance. His daughter thinks they’re “hideous,” but her Vietnam Vet dad loved them, so the aliens stay. They've also been known to do some sightseeing from time to time.

Those Green Aliens Along The Road To Yellowstone A Tribute To Wapiti Vietnam Vet

You may have never met Frank Alvarado, but you may have seen his best friends — a pair of green aliens who occasionally appear on the road to Yellowstone. Now they serve as mobile memorials to the kind Wapiti man, a former Los Angeles cop who survived nearly 50 missions during the Vietnam War.

Andrew RossiAugust 24, 2025

When a car hits a deer or antelope, it can mean expensive repairs. Hitting a cow is much worse — and possibly demolish you as well. Wyomingites would be wise not to underestimate how devastating hitting a 1,000-pound cow can be.

Hitting A Cow Won't Just Total Your Car, It'll Demolish It — And You

When a car hits a deer or antelope, it can mean expensive repairs. Hitting a cow is much worse, it will likely destroy your car and you as well. Wyomingites would be wise not to underestimate how devastating hitting a 1,000-pound cow can be, assuming they don't become hamburger in the impact.

Andrew RossiAugust 23, 2025

A week after a 7-year-old Siberian husky named Beo got lost in the Wind River Mountains while on a camping trip with his family, he was back in Cheyenne with his family Friday. He was found by a pair of hikers more than 55 miles from where he ran off.

Husky Lost For 7 Days In Rugged Wind River Wilderness Is Back Home in Cheyenne

A week after a 7-year-old Siberian husky got lost in the Wind River Mountains while on a camping trip with his family, he was back in Cheyenne at home on Friday. He was found by a pair of hikers more than 55 miles from where he ran off.

Andrew RossiAugust 22, 2025

Union Pacific Railroad is investigating what sent 20 railcars off the tracks and caused a small fire near Bolser in Albany County on Wednesday. The derailment also left the tracks littered with packages.

20-Car Derailment In Albany County Starts Fire, Leaves Packages All Over Tracks

Union Pacific Railroad is investigating what sent 20 railcars off the tracks and caused a small fire near Bosler in Albany County on Wednesday. The derailment also left the tracks littered with packages.

Andrew RossiAugust 21, 2025

Lighting, thunder and severe weather moving over Devils Tower

Cold Front To Bring Relief For Wildfires, But First It Will Make Things Worse

Wyoming’s fire season is in full swing, and an incoming cold front is poised to potentially make things worse, temporarily. Then, it could make things a lot better: cooler temperatures, more humid air, and a higher chance of precipitation.

Andrew RossiAugust 21, 2025

In a “heartbreaking” decision, the search for a Minnesota hiker who disappeared July 29 in the Cloud Peak Wilderness has been suspended. “We have to face the reality” that Grant Gardner’s odds of survival “have run out,” said the Big Horn County sheriff.

Search Suspended For Minnesota Hiker Who Disappeared After Climbing Cloud Peak

In a “heartbreaking” decision, the search for a Minnesota hiker who disappeared July 29 in the Cloud Peak Wilderness has been suspended. “We have to face the reality” that Grant Gardner’s odds of survival “have run out,” said the Big Horn County sheriff.

Andrew RossiAugust 21, 2025

Beo, a 7-year-old Siberian husky, went missing when he crossed a river during a family camping trip in the Wind River Mountains. People kept spotting Beo, but weren't been able to catch him for a week.

People Keep Seeing Cheyenne Dog Lost In Wind River Mountains, But Can’t Catch Him

Beo, a 7-year-old Siberian husky, has been missing since he crossed a river during a family camping trip in the Wind River Mountains on Friday. People keep spotting Beo, but haven’t been able to catch him yet.

Andrew RossiAugust 20, 2025

State health officials are still looking for hundreds of people from 38 states and seven countries potentially exposed to rabies while staying at a lodge in Grand Teton National Park. A bat colony infected with the disease was found in the attic.

Health Officials Still Looking For Lodge Guests Exposed To Rabid Bat Colony

State health officials are still looking for hundreds of people from 38 states and seven countries potentially exposed to rabies while staying at a lodge in Grand Teton National Park after a bat colony was found in the attic.

Andrew RossiAugust 19, 2025

People meet, mingle, and admire the 103 pieces of art selected for the 44th Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale.

World Famous Buffalo Bill Western Art Show And Sale Opens For 44th Year

The world-famous Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale in Cody is open for its 44th year. More than 100 works of Western art valued at more than $1.25 million are on display through the show’s live auction Sept. 19.

Andrew RossiAugust 19, 2025

Cold temperature bank

Don Day’s Way-Too-Early Winter Forecast: Colder, Snowier And Longer

If Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day's extended winter forecast is right, the 2025-2026 winter season will come early, stick around longer, and be colder and snowier. It’s what he calls “a good, old-fashioned Wyoming winter.”

Andrew RossiAugust 18, 2025

interior shot of wooden architecture of Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States of America

Travel Wyoming: Old Faithful Inn Is Still Architectural Icon Of National Park Service

121 years after it opened in 1904, Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park is not only still standing, it’s an icon and model for National Park buildings across the nation. It even inspired a whole classification of building design—“parkitecture.”

Andrew RossiAugust 03, 2025

Teton County will decide Monday to recommend renaming Mount Woodring to either Raven Peak or Equality Peak. The name change would sever the connection of one of Grand Teton’s most photographed peaks with an accused, and acquitted, child abuser.

Teton County To Recommend Renaming Mount Woodring On Monday

Teton County will decide on Monday to recommend renaming Mount Woodring to either Raven Peak or Equality Peak. The peak is currently named after the first superintendent of Grand Teton National Park.

Andrew RossiAugust 03, 2025

More than 180 people last month successfully climbed to the top of Snow King Mountain 19 times in 36 hours, called "Everesting" because that approximates the 29,029 feet of elevation of Mount Everest. One man died from the attempt, putting a spotlight on the Everesting trend.

Spotlight On ‘Everesting’ After Man Dies Trying To Climb Snow King Mountain 19 Times

The death of a 43-year-old man who attempted to climb Snow King Mountain 19 times is drawing the spotlight on an increasingly popular trend called “Everesting.” That’s trying to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest’s 29,029 feet in 36 hours.

Andrew RossiAugust 02, 2025

Justin Robbins, who has a very popular YouTube page, about hiking demonstrated the punishment horse at Ft. Bridger

Why Criminals At Fort Bridger Preferred A Jail Cell To The Punishment Horse

In the 1860s, the "punishment horse" at Fort Bridger was a brutal and feared form of discipline. Today, it's the most popular attraction because people quickly learn why prisoners preferred a jail cell to sitting on the wooden horse.

Andrew RossiAugust 02, 2025

When it comes to wildfire seasons, there’s no forgetting the devastating fires that hit Yellowstone National Park in 1988. They burned 800,000 acres, which is why even small fires today get an aggressive response. Here, wildfire rages at Grant Village in the park.

Yellowstone Always On Alert To Avoid Repeat Of Devasting 1988 Wildfires

When it comes to wildfire seasons, there’s no forgetting the devastating fires that hit Yellowstone National Park in 1988. They burned 800,000 acres, which is why even small fires today get an aggressive response.

Andrew RossiAugust 01, 2025

Other Yellowstone visitors were horrified Monday as they watched a man in flip-flops walking off the board walk onto the bacterial mats around Grand Prismatic Spring. He was picking up hats that had blown off people’s heads — and breaking the law.

Other Yellowstone Visitors Horrified Watching Man Walk On Grand Prismatic Spring

Other Yellowstone visitors were horrified Monday as they watched a man in flip-flops walking off the board walk onto the bacterial mats around Grand Prismatic Spring. He was picking up hats that had blown off people’s heads — and breaking the law.

Andrew RossiJuly 31, 2025

A 29-year-old Cheyenne man was arrested Monday for taking a motorized golf cart off-roading inside the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. He was “visibly intoxicated,” drove the cart on a motorized walkway and faces a list of criminal charges.

Wyoming Man Arrested For Drunken Golf Cart Rampage Through New York Airport

A 29-year-old Cheyenne man was arrested Monday for taking a motorized golf cart off-roading inside the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. He was “visibly intoxicated,” drove the cart on a motorized walkway and faces a list of criminal charges.

Andrew RossiJuly 30, 2025

Lone Star Geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

Teen Hiking Near Yellowstone Geyser Suffers ‘Significant Thermal Burns’

A 17-year-old tourist suffered “significant thermal burns” while hiking in the Lone Star Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park on Monday morning. He broke through the thermal crust and into the scalding water.

Andrew RossiJuly 29, 2025

Steve Wallace grew up milking cows on a dairy farm, but now he’s milking Wyoming history for all it’s worth. The Casper man’s huge milk bottle collection traces 175 years of Wyoming’s rich dairy history.

Huge Milk Bottle Collection Traces 175 Years Of Wyoming’s Rich Dairy History

Steve Wallace grew up milking cows on a dairy farm, but now he’s milking Wyoming history for all it’s worth. The Casper man’s huge milk bottle collection traces 175 years of Wyoming’s rich dairy history.

Andrew RossiJuly 27, 2025

Casper Planet is Wyoming’s go-to source for satire and ridiculous fake news. It’s the hysterical, and warped, hobby of Justin Hathaway, a Cowboy State oil field worker who’s closing in on 100,000 followers.

The Oil Field Worker Behind Casper Planet, Wyoming’s Most Popular Fake News

When Casper Planet founder Justin Hathaway wrote a story about a semitruck spilling hundreds of king cobras on I-25, it made international headlines. His satirical page continues to outrage and fool people, which only fuels his desire to keep it going.

Andrew RossiJuly 27, 2025

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