Managing Editor

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.

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Latest from Greg Johnson

The mother of Aiden Hall, 22, of Cheyenne, who shot himself while handcuffed in the back of a police car Sunday, is asking how that could happen. She told Cowboy State Daily that police confiscated his pocket knife, but not his pistol.

Mother Of Cheyenne Man Who Shot Himself In Police Car Files Wrongful Death Petition

The mother of a Cheyenne man who shot and killed himself while handcuffed in the back of a police car in January has filed a wrongful death petition. “I don’t want this to happen to anybody else’s family,” the mother said shortly after his death.

Greg JohnsonJune 19, 2026

Cheyenne 14-Year-Old Charged As Adult In Mom’s Shooting Set For Trial

A Cheyenne 14-year-old charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the death of his mother is set for a jury trial in less than two months. His defense claims he was emotionally abused, while investigators say he admitted he hated his mother.

Greg JohnsonJune 18, 2026

The man who shot Sgt. Zach Burns in Baggs last week was likely planning a mass shooting, said the Carbon County Sheriff. “The gunman had stockpiled hundreds of AR-15 magazines ... and had been prepared to initiate a large-scale act of violence," he said.

Sheriff Says Baggs Suspect Who Shot Deputy Likely Was Planning 'Large-Scale Act'

The man who shot a deputy in Baggs last week was likely planning something, said the Carbon County Sheriff. “The gunman had stockpiled hundreds of AR-15 magazines ... and had been prepared to initiate a large-scale act of violence," he said.

Greg JohnsonJune 17, 2026

Sgt. Zach Burns remains in critical condition after being shot multiple times by a suspect in Baggs on Monday. “It wasn’t a good thing that happened, but it was a great thing” in how people reacted, the mayor said, which was “like heroes.”

Deputy Shot In Baggs Saved By Quick-Acting Residents

Sgt. Zach Burns remains in critical condition after being shot multiple times by a gunman in Baggs on Monday. “It wasn’t a good thing that happened, but it was a great thing” in how people reacted, the mayor said, which was “like heroes.”

Greg JohnsonJune 12, 2026

Cheyenne Woman Says She Didn’t Abandon Newborn Boy To Die 38 Years Ago

A 57-year-old woman who was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of a newborn boy in early 1988 repeatedly claimed the baby wasn’t hers. Investigators say DNA testing shows it’s 1.97 million times more likely she’s the baby’s mother than anyone else.

Greg JohnsonJune 10, 2026

Cheyenne Woman Faces First-Degree Murder In 1988 Death Of Newborn Boy

A Cheyenne woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of a newborn baby boy found discarded near a Laramie County intersection 38 years ago. “The baby was a fully developed, full-term, 6.5-pound baby,” authorities report.

Greg JohnsonJune 10, 2026

Sgt. Zach Burns has been identified as the Carbon County deputy who took multiple bullets in a shootout with a suspect in Burns on Monday. He’s in critical condition but improving, the sheriff reported Wednesday.

Deputy Who Took Multiple Bullets In Baggs Shootout Is Critical, Improving

Sgt. Zach Burns has been identified as the Carbon County deputy who took multiple bullets in a shootout with a suspect in Baggs on Monday. He’s in critical condition but improving, the sheriff reported Wednesday.

Greg JohnsonJune 10, 2026

The day after a gunfight that left a deputy shot and the suspect dead, it was business as usual for folks in tiny Baggs — almost. That neighbors rushed to help the deputy doesn’t surprise former Mayor Linday Fleming. “It’s what we do,” she said.

Deadly Shootout In Baggs, Wyoming: Neighbors Helped Deputy After Shot By Suspect

The day after a gunfight that left a deputy shot and the suspect dead in Baggs, Wyoming, former mayor Linda Fleming said it's no surprise neighbors rushed to help the fallen deputy. “It's just what we do. People don’t give it a second thought," she said.

Greg JohnsonJune 09, 2026

The Sweetwater County Bomb Squad arrives at the scene of a shooting incident in Baggs on Monday, June 8, 2026.

‘Active Assailant’ And Officer Shot Reports Has Baggs On Edge

It was a busier-than-usual Monday at the Cowboy Inn along Wyoming Highway 789 near the southern edge of Baggs. Across the road is an apartment building where an “active assailant” incident began that included reports of an officer being shot.

Greg JohnsonJune 09, 2026

Cheyenne Man Arrested After Overnight Armed Standoff

A man who has reportedly threatened “suicide by cop” multiple times held police in a 2.5-hour standoff early Saturday morning. “They are putting him in a squad car, guys. It’s over,” says the man behind Fubar on Patrol, who livestreamed the standoff.

Greg JohnsonJune 06, 2026

Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Chair Tim Thornell, from left, with Wyoming Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Megan Degenfelder, Bren Bien and Eric Barlow.

GOP Gov. Candidates Say Data Centers A National Security Issue For Wyoming And US

Data centers are important to national security and for Wyoming, said the top GOP candidates for governor during a Friday forum. “We are in an AI arms race with China,” Megan Degenfelder said, with all agreeing it will be a priority for the next governor.

Greg JohnsonJune 05, 2026

After he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a more than eight-hour manhunt Thursday, a 27-year-old Cheyenne man was in court Friday, May 1, 2026. Police say after his arrest, Adrian Maggos asked how is "the guy I shot?"

Cheyenne Man Accused In Shooting Over Ex Pleads Not Guilty To Attempted Murder

A 27-year-old man accused of shooting another man and leaving him bleeding in a Cheyenne street after a blowup over a former girlfriend pleaded not guilty Monday to attempted second-degree murder. He allegedly asked police how “the guy I shot” was doing.

Greg JohnsonJune 01, 2026

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A fire tore through an under-construction apartment in north Cheyenne on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, burning so hot and intense it was “a total loss” in minutes, a witness said. “You could feel the heat like you were standing in front of a campfire,” he said.

‘A Matchbox’: 25-Person ATF Team Investigating Huge Cheyenne Apartment Fire

A 25-person team from the ATF is in Cheyenne to investigate the huge fire that burned a four-story apartment building under construction in minutes Tuesday. It was “just a matchbox with open lumber, ready to go up at any time,” said the fire chief.

Greg JohnsonMay 28, 2026

Arthur Huckfeldt, left, demonstrates how the trigger of a shotgun is the only way to make it fire at Frontier Arms and Supply in Cheyenne. Store owner Ryan Allen looks on.

Dog Shoots Woman With Shotgun At Scottsbluff, Nebraska Convenience Store

For those wondering how a dog shot a woman with a shotgun in Nebraska this past weekend, gun experts say it pulled the trigger. If someone says the shotgun went off because it was knocked over or kicked around by a dog, they are "lying out their ass."

Greg JohnsonMay 27, 2026

"Total Loss": Witness Says Fire Ripped Through Cheyenne Apartment Building In Minutes

A fire tore through an under-construction apartment in north Cheyenne on Tuesday, burning so hot and intense it was “a total loss” in minutes, a witness said. “You could feel the heat like you were standing in front of a campfire,” he said.

Greg JohnsonMay 26, 2026

Memorial Day Cheyenne IMG 6348 5 25 copy

Wyoming Veterans Remember The True Military Heroes Who Never Came Back

On Memorial Day, Bill Parr remembers the men he served with during a 22-year career in the Navy who never came home, but he won’t talk about them. “The heroes are the ones that are underneath these stones,” he said Monday at the Cheyenne National Cemetery.

Greg JohnsonMay 25, 2026

A weekend fire that gutted Cheyenne’s Historic Pumphouse may not be the end for the run-down 134-year-old building that, as recent as six months ago, was set for demolition. “We’ve really tried hard not to be the council to tear it down,” says the mayor.

Devastating Fire May Not Be End For Historic 134-Year-Old Cheyenne Pumphouse

A weekend fire that gutted Cheyenne’s Historic Pumphouse may not be the end for the run-down 134-year-old building that, as recently as six months ago, was set for demolition. “We’ve really tried hard not to be the council to tear it down,” says the mayor.

Greg JohnsonMay 20, 2026

A fire ripped through the 134-year-old Cheyenne Pumphouse on Saturday, raising questions about whether a building once been set for demolition can still be saved. Watching it burn “was like witnessing a death, for sure,” says a local preservationist.

Fire Rips Through 134-Year-Old Historic Cheyenne Pumphouse

A fire ripped through the 134-year-old Cheyenne Pumphouse on Saturday, raising questions about whether the historic building can still be saved. Watching it burn “was like witnessing a death, for sure,” said a local preservationist.

Greg JohnsonMay 17, 2026

'Trump Interstate' Proposed For All 1,800 Miles Of Highway 287, Lummis Supports

The 460 miles of Highway 287 in Wyoming would be called the "Trump Interstate" if federal legislation passes renaming the entire highway stretching from Texas to Montana. The "I-47 Future Interstate Act" would designate US-287 as a future interstate.

Greg Johnson & Kolby FedoreMay 14, 2026

A suspicious package left near Gate 1 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base on Thursday, April 16, 2026, prompted an evacuation of nearby homes and the Wyoming State Capitol. “They came in and whispered in the governor’s ear,” then cleared the building.

What Was In Package Left At F.E. Warren That Evacuated Capitol Remains A Mystery

Cheyenne residents will likely never know what was in the package left at F.E. Warren Air Force Base last month that evacuated the neighborhood and state Capitol. “Yeah, I’d kind of like to know,” says a man whose granddaughter was locked down in school.

Greg JohnsonMay 13, 2026

Cheyenne Man In Court Friday Following Shooting, Eight-Hour Manhunt

After he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a more than eight-hour manhunt Thursday, a 27-year-old Cheyenne man was in court Friday. Police say after his arrest, Adrian Maggos asked how is "the guy I shot?"

Greg JohnsonMay 01, 2026