Greg Johnson
Greg Johnson is managing editor for Cowboy State Daily at the headquarters in Cheyenne.
A veteran journalist of more than 31 years covering Western issues and politics, Greg spent stints in Wyoming as managing editor for the Gillette News Record and Laramie Boomerang. Greg's produced award-winning journalism, and has built a national reputation for his extensive coverage of Wyoming energy -- especially coal.
He previously spent seven years editing and reporting in Alaska, and was managing editor for Sarah Palin's hometown paper when she was tapped as John McCain's running mate in 2008. Greg studied music and English at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Outside the office, Greg likes photography, reading and all things sports.
Latest from Greg Johnson

Cody Mayor Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI, Spends Weekend In Jail
The mayor of Cody, Wyoming, spent the weekend in the Park County Detention Center. Lee Ann Reiter was arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and pleaded not guilty Monday.
Greg JohnsonJuly 21, 2025

A Teen Driver Hit His Car, So Cheyenne Man Bought Her A New One
Someone slides through an icy intersection and collides with your car, what do you do? If you’re Bryan Pedersen, a Cheyenne financial advisor, you buy the other driver — who was at fault — a new car.
Greg JohnsonJuly 13, 2025

10 Years After Cheyenne Coin Shop Double Murder, Trial To Begin
Trial begins with jury selection on Monday a decade after the brutal July 20, 2015, murder of two men at The Coin Shop in Cheyenne. The suspect, Douglas Smith, called 911 that day and wasn’t initially a suspect.
Greg JohnsonJuly 11, 2025

Laramie 100-Year-Old Bought His First Car At 16 — A Model T Ford For $6
Everett Spackman of Laramie, Wyoming, has seen a lot over his 100 years of life. He served in two wars, and remembers the Great Depression, the moon landing and paying $6 for a beat-up Model T Ford when he turned 16.
Greg JohnsonJuly 06, 2025

Cheyenne Murder A Web Of Conflicting Statements And Admitted Lies
Investigators are trying to piece together how an 18-year-old was murdered just after midnight Friday at a Cheyenne mobile home park. The suspect and witnesses have given a convoluted web of conflicting statements and admitted lies.
Greg JohnsonJune 19, 2025

Western Wyoming Wildfire Burns Close To Historic Lookout Post
The Horse Fire burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming on Tuesday has come within 2 miles of a historic fire lookout post on Prospect Peak. The outpost has been covered in an aluminum-based wrap as a precaution.
Greg JohnsonJune 17, 2025

19-Year-Old Cheyenne Man Allegedly Argued With 18-Year-Old Before Killing Him
A second-degree murder charge was announced Monday for a 19-year-old Cheyenne man. He’s accused of shooting an 18-year-old when they “had a disagreement” around midnight Friday.
Greg JohnsonJune 16, 2025

Thousands Of Lego Addicts Find Fix At Cheyenne Convention
Thousands of Lego addicts packed into the Cheyenne Ice and Events Center this weekend to get their fix. From $1 bargain bins to a $750 chrome Darth Vader, it was nirvana for serious collectors and those who just like to play with Legos.
Greg JohnsonJune 15, 2025

Aircraft Fighting Wyoming Wildfire Grounded By Someone Flying A Drone
Aerial efforts to fight a nearly 800-acre wildfire burning in a rugged area of western Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest were grounded Saturday because someone flew a drone over the fire.
Greg JohnsonJune 15, 2025

Two In Custody After Fatal Shooting South Of Cheyenne
The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office is piecing together what happened in the early morning hours Friday that left a person dead just south of Cheyenne. Sheriff Brian Kozak said two people have been detained and that “this is a homicide investigation.”
Greg JohnsonJune 13, 2025

Gillette Teen Posts Threat To ‘Bomb The Pentagon’ — Pentagon Notices
A Gillette 18-year-old learned that even joking about bombing the Pentagon is a bad idea. He got a visit from local deputies Tuesday night after a Pentagon agent asked them to investigate the teen’s X post that said, “It’s time to bomb the … Pentagon.”
Greg JohnsonJune 11, 2025

Welcome To Pete’s Service: More Than A 100-Year-Old Pine Bluffs Gas Pump Graveyard
Pete’s Service along U.S. Highway 30 in Pine Buffs, Wyoming, has become a local landmark for the dozens of rusted out old gas pumps that fill up its yard. But the 101-year-old Mobil station is much more than a gas pump graveyard.
Greg JohnsonJune 08, 2025

Drivers In Cheyenne Navigate Traffic, Crashes And The ‘Crazy White Honda Lady’
A woman driving a white Honda sedan has become infamous on Cheyenne’s roads. Known simply as the “Crazy White Honda Lady,” the unknown driver frequently stops in the middle of traffic to yell curses out her window and prolifically flip people off.
Greg JohnsonJune 07, 2025

Wyoming Entrepreneur In Final Push Of $47.45B Bid To Buy TikTok Before Deadline
Wyoming entrepreneur Reid Rasner says he’s optimistic his $47.45 billion bid to buy TikTok will be successful. The countdown is on, with two weeks left before a deadline for the Chinese-owned platform sell to a U.S. buyer or go dark.
Greg JohnsonJune 05, 2025

Scammers Using Bitcoin ATMs To Steal Thousands From Wyomingites
A Jackson man scammed out of $7,500 wasn’t as lucky as a 78-year-old Gillette woman who narrowly avoided being taken for $22,000 at a bitcoin ATM on Saturday. Bitcoin is as easy to steal as cash, an expert says.
Greg JohnsonJune 04, 2025

Biden Immigration Policy Enabled Boulder Terror Attack, Wyoming Delegation Says
U.S. Sens. John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman on Monday expressed outrage over an illegal Egyptian national who attacked people in Boulder with a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. They say Biden’s immigration policy is to blame.
Greg JohnsonJune 02, 2025

‘Fearless’ Laramie Girl, 10, Dies A Week After Hit By Truck
Sawyer Costa loved animals and playing hockey with boys twice her size. The 10-year-old Laramie girl died Saturday, a week after she was hit by a truck. Those who knew her say that most of all, Sawyer was “fearless.”
Greg JohnsonJune 02, 2025

‘At Least This Time They Showed Up’: 200 Turn Out For Cheyenne Memorial Day Ceremony
About 200 people turned out at the Cheyenne National Cemetery on Monday to remember America’s fallen heroes. “At least this time they showed up,” said one veteran, referencing last year's ceremony where the VA didn't show up.
Greg JohnsonMay 26, 2025

At Lusk Town Meeting, Locals Say Wind Projects Have Ended Friendships
At a town hall meeting in Lusk hosted by Secretary of State Chuck Gray on Wednesday, locals said wind projects on 180,000 acres of land in eastern Wyoming has stirred up anger and resentment.
Greg JohnsonMay 22, 2025

Cheyenne Man Caught On Call From Jail Trying To Arrange To Move His Meth Stash
A Cheyenne man learned the hard way last week that jailhouse calls are monitored when he was caught trying to arrange to have his meth stash moved. It’s an example of “meth around and find out,” said Sheriff Brian Kozak.
Greg JohnsonMay 20, 2025

Peabody And Arch/Core Mines Dominate PRB Coal, But Are Shells Of What They Were
The Powder River Basin’s two largest producers continue to be the canary in Wyoming’s coal mining industry. The 2025 first quarter earnings reports were released last week and show Peabody and Arch/Core mines still dominate, but are only shells of what they once were.
Greg JohnsonMay 18, 2025