Features Reporter

David Madison

David Madison is an award-winning journalist and documentary producer based in Bozeman, Montana. He’s also reported for Wyoming PBS. He studied journalism at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has worked at news outlets throughout Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana.

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Latest from David Madison

Wyoming Coal Shortage Could Hit by 2030, Congress Told

A House subcommittee heard testimony Wednesday that 14 years without new federal coal leasing has put the nation's energy supply of coal at risk. “Doing nothing on this important issue is simply not an option,” U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman said.

David MadisonMarch 27, 2026

Smithsonian Voting Exhibit Tours Wyoming, Museums Put Democracy On Display

The "Voices and Votes" traveling exhibit on American democracy and voting history will begin a six-stop tour across Wyoming starting April 18 in Sheridan. It’s based on a display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

David MadisonMarch 26, 2026

Mills Mayor Frustrated Giant Solar Project Has Been Scaled Back, Delayed 3 Years

The mayor of Mills is frustrated that a Tuesday ruling postponed and scaled back a 440-megawatt solar farm that was supposed to transform thousands of acres of private land north of Mills into one of Wyoming’s largest renewable energy installations.

David MadisonMarch 24, 2026

Spencer Carsten, one of the wardens who cracked the case of the Cody serial poacher

How Wyoming Game Wardens Cracked The Cody Serial Poaching Case

Game wardens sat in the dark for five nights in Cody waiting for a serial poacher to strike again. On the fifth night, they heard the sound of a compound bow. The science that followed tied one man to nine dead deer and a slaughtered cow.

David MadisonMarch 23, 2026

Darts Til Dawn — A Lovell Bar Owner's Campaign To Party All Night

Audrey Bay lobbied the Lovell Town Council to bring back a drink-until-sunrise tradition during the Wyoming town's biggest summer celebration. She got two extra hours — and a 24-pound alligator.

David MadisonMarch 22, 2026

Wind River Brewing Company and the town of Pinedale draw their water from Fremont Lake, and the beer drinkers are among the beneficiaries.

Wyoming Brewers Say It's All About The Water

Wyoming brewers say great beer starts with what comes out of the ground — water. “That’s why our beer’s so good,” Wind River Brewing Company head brewer Thomas Simms says. "We have glacier-fed water that serves as a base for the beer, and it’s delicious.”

David MadisonMarch 22, 2026

As Nebraska Burns, Neighbors Not Only Fought Back Flames — They Held A Cage Match

As The Morrill and Cottonwood Fires scorched across the prairie, two guys teamed up in North Platte, Nebraska, to resupply first responders on the frontlines. Then they squared off inside a cage.

David MadisonMarch 21, 2026

When Cheyenne Was Knocked Out By 92 MPH Wind, The "Troublemen" Got Power Back On

Last week, when wind gusts cut power to 14,000 in Cheyenne, first responders known as "troublemen" battled the winds that toppled trees and power lines and got Cheyenne's power back on. “Those guys really are the rock stars of our trade."

David MadisonMarch 20, 2026

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was among a laundry list of state and federal officials at Ramaco's Brook Mine for a ribbon cutting for the first new rare earths mine to open in the U.S. in 70 years on July 11, 2025.

Ramaco Accuses Former Executive Of Stealing Rare Earth Trade Secrets For Rival

Sheridan-based Ramaco is accusing its former director of critical minerals of emailing trade secrets to himself before jumping to a rival. The company is asking a federal judge to seize personal devices and any equipment issued by his new employer.

David MadisonMarch 20, 2026

An areia view of some of the area of the 572,000-acre Morrill Fire in Nebraska.

As Wildfires Burn More Than 750,000 Acres In Nebraska, Wyoming Is Just As Dry

With out-of-control wildfires having burned more than 750,000 acres across his state, Nebraska’s governor has declared a state of emergency. Wyoming agencies are sending help, even as conditions at home are just as dry and windy.

David MadisonMarch 17, 2026

Will New Wyoming Law End Poker Games Like The One At Yo’s Poker Palace?

A new law aimed at shutting down illegal gambling halls in Wyoming bars rewrites the rules for every friendly poker game in the state. In Alpine, Yo’s Poker Palace continues to insist it's running a friendly — and legal — game.

David MadisonMarch 16, 2026

It was once the “second front page,” the thing people talked about at coffee shops and backyard barbecues. Now some Wyoming papers say the laughs and entertainment offered by local police blotters aren’t worth the potential downsides.

Wyoming Newspapers Weigh The Cost Of Publishing Police Blotter Laughs

The police blotter was once the “second front page,” the thing people talked about at coffee shops and backyard barbecues. Now some Wyoming papers say the laughs and entertainment offered by local police blotters aren’t worth the potential downsides.

David MadisonMarch 15, 2026

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Two golf buddies from Sheridan, Wyoming, couldn’t score a tee time at the hottest public golf course in America — in rural Nebraska. Then a lottery selection for a new tournament became their golden ticket.

Toughest Place To Book A Tee Time In The U.S. Is Golf Course In Rural Nebraska 

The Landmand Golf Course in Nebraska is called the toughest place to get a tee time in the U.S., booking all 11,000 of its tee times in 45 minutes. Two Sheridan golfers were locked out but were selected in a lottery to represent Wyoming in an August tournament.

David MadisonMarch 15, 2026

A fourth crock — a near twin to a crock that sold in January for $32,000, will be auctioned off in April by Ken Bramer, pictured here with his wife Sherry and their pooch Abby.

After News Of 91-Year-Old Getting $32,000 For Crock, Man Finds He Has Identical One

After a 91-year-old Nebraska grandma received $32,000 for a crock that she thought was worth $20, a man in South Dakota discovered he has an identical crock. Much like the grandma, he's putting his crock up for auction at the same Nebraska auction house.

David MadisonMarch 14, 2026

Buy A Cow: A Wyoming Guide To Filling Your Freezer For $5.40 A Pound

Grocery store beef prices jumped 15% last year, and the USDA says they're not done climbing. Across Wyoming, families are cutting out the middleman and buying whole, half or quarter cows straight from local ranchers -- and saving a lot of money.

David MadisonMarch 14, 2026

Self-taught storm chaser Dan Fitts has spent three decades pursuing supercells across the High Plains, armed with a storm-scarred F-150 and a hail-proof NASCAR windshield. This week, he walked into 98-mile-an-hour winds near Chugwater.

Wyoming’s Leading Storm Chaser Is A Nebraska Farmer Known As “The Ice Man”

Thursday was a big day for storm chaser Dan Fitts , who clocked winds of 98.4 mph near Chugwater. Fitts has spent three decades pursuing supercells across the High Plains, armed with a storm-scarred F-150 and a hail-proof NASCAR windshield.

David MadisonMarch 13, 2026

A pumpjack works an oil well in Converse County, Wyoming.

Huge Wyoming 5,000-Well Oil Project Loses In Court, But Drilling Continues 

A federal judge threw out approval for Wyoming’s massive 5,000-well Converse County Oil and Gas Project over environmental flaws. But drilling continues under a different plan as conservationists and industry battle over wildlife and revenue.

David MadisonMarch 10, 2026

Full Speed Ahead: TerraPower Can Officially Move Forward With Nuclear Plant

TerraPower officially received a construction permit Monday for its first-of-a-kind Natrium reactor in Kemmerer. “This demonstrates advanced nuclear technology is moving from concept to commercialization," the CEO said of the Bill Gates-backed project.

David MadisonMarch 09, 2026

Wildfire Insurance Rates Soar For Wyoming Rural And Vacation Properties

Insurance rates have soared for rural and vacation properties across Wyoming due to wildfire risk designations. “My insurance tripled from one year to the next just because they had changed the fire rating,” Taft Love told Cowboy State Daily.

David MadisonMarch 09, 2026

A Wyoming legislator who loves Olympic curling wants to take on "those guys in skirts" in Scotland and Wales and end their monopoly on making curling stones. Sen. Cale Case says Wyoming granite could make the world’s best stones. Some of Wyoming's most recognizable granite formations are in the Vedauwoo Recreation Area between Cheyenne and Laramie.

Did You Know? Wyoming Granite Could Be Perfect For Making Olympic Curling Stones.

Wyoming may have the geology to produce Olympic-grade curling stones, a state geologist says. State. Sen. Cale Case, who loves curling, wants to take on "those guys in skirts" in Scotland and Wales and end their monopoly on the making of curling stones.

David MadisonMarch 08, 2026

Jeff Garnett started as a customer looking to erase tattoos and replace them with new ones. Then he co-founded Inkless and continues to clear his personal skin slate, making room for new, better tattoos.

People Are Getting Tattoos Removed — Just To Replace Them With New Tattoos

For many people, erasing a tattoo isn't about giving up on body art — it's about clearing space for something better. A national tattoo removal brand opened its first Wyoming location in Casper, bringing cutting-edge laser technology to the state.

David MadisonMarch 07, 2026