Latest from Zakary Sonntag

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

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

The Last Person To Explore The Hidden Tunnels In Ames Monument
The remote Ames Monument in southeastern Wyoming is a complete oddity. Although there are four levels of tunnels in the pyramidic structure, it's been sealed up for decades. It was unsealed, however, for one day in 2010 and a descendant of the Ames' family was allowed to explore it.
Zakary SonntagJuly 13, 2025

Two Old Guys Build A Cabin By Hand In Wyoming’s Snowy Range
High up in Wyoming's Snowy Range Mountains – off grid, out of cell range and deep into black bear country at 9,500 feet – two old timers are building a cabin. They first built one 44 years ago. They made a promise to do it again and are "working like dogs" to get it finished.
Zakary SonntagJuly 12, 2025

Hundreds Mourn Jackson Photographer Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver
Hundreds of Jackson Hole residents turned out to remember beloved photographer Florence McCall-Phillips on Saturday, a week after she was killed by a suspected drunk driver.
Zakary SonntagJune 30, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: Shoshoni’s Lucky 5 Is A Whisky And Beer Dive That Has Your Back
At the Lucky 5 Lounge in Shoshoni, the regulars can tell you’re an out-of-towner the second you walk through the door. “You’re not from around here, are you?” they ask when you order wine. This is a whisky and beer bar but they won't hold that wine order against you.
Zakary SonntagJune 28, 2025

Popular Wyoming Facebook Group Decimated By Algorithm Revamp
Wyoming Through The Lens has nearly 465,000 members, making it one of the state’s largest Facebook communities. But a revamp of the platform’s algorithm has decimated its traffic, leaving its creator saddened. "It breaks my heart to see what’s happened to it,” Lorri Lang said.
Zakary SonntagJune 22, 2025

Wyoming Suicide: Rock Springs Teen Screamed He Wanted To Die, Then Made It Happen
The mother of a Rock Springs teen said she desperately tried to get help for her tormented son, even as he refused it. He would scream he wanted to die, until the day he made it happen.
Zakary SonntagJune 21, 2025

Trump, Musk And The Politics Of Being A Tesla Owner In Wyoming
Tesla owners in Wyoming have been targets of vandalism, harassment and internal strife since Elon Musk joined the Trump administration. Now that the Trump-Musk alliance has hit the skids, Tesla owners are hoping all the drama just goes away.
Zakary SonntagJune 15, 2025

Text Scammers Target Wyomingites Posing As State Agencies
As the latest example in a growing trend of text scams that impersonate state agencies, residents are being targeted by fraudsters posing as the Wyoming Department of Transportation. It’s a fake ticket scheme that highlights how hackers have gotten smarter.
Zakary SonntagJune 11, 2025

Evansville Man Draws Swastikas Outside Town Hall To Protest Pride Flags
An Evansville man drew more than a dozen swastikas on walkways around city hall and the police station Tuesday to protest LGBTQ Pride flags planted outside the buildings. He then told the town council he’ll keep drawing them until the Pride flags are gone.
Zakary SonntagJune 11, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: At The Desert Bar In Wamsutter, You’re On Your Own
If you're looking for a fun place to grab drinks and mingle on a Saturday night in Wamsutter, population 193, here are two words for you: Good luck. There’s one option, the Desert Bar.
Zakary SonntagJune 08, 2025

Wamsutter, Wyoming: A Dusty Blip On I-80 Where Everyone Knows Your Business
Welcome to Wamsutter, Wyoming, a tiny blip along Interstate 80 where life runs through the Love’s truck stop and everyone knows your business. Like the truckers and travelers who undergird its economy, most citizens here have all blown in from elsewhere.
Zakary SonntagJune 07, 2025

Casper Gravel Pit Killed By State Land Board
The State Board of Land Commissioners on Thursday denied the renewal of six leases for a controversial gravel mining operation on state-owned land at the base of Casper Mountain. The vote is a victory for locals who waged a 14-month fight against the pit.
Zakary SonntagJune 06, 2025

Flesh-Eating Parasite Inches Closer To US Border And Wyoming Cattle
To say the New World Screwworm is a nasty parasite would be an understatement. The flesh-eating scourge that tortures cattle as it kills has been making its way toward the United States. Wyoming cattle ranchers are watching closely.
Zakary SonntagMay 31, 2025

Collar Of Duty: Training Police K-9s To Serve And Protect Is No Walk In The Park
Getting K-9 officers up to snuff is no walk in the park, as a new class of canine cadets training with the Casper Police Department is learning. These dogs have become an essential asset in the work of interdiction as narcotics hit communities across Wyoming.
Zakary SonntagMay 25, 2025

What The Heck … Are Those 30-Foot Beehive-Looking Things Off I-80 Near Evanston?
Less than 10 miles south of Interstate 80 east of Evanston is a cluster of 30-foot limestone beehive-looking things. Built in 1869, they’re the Piedmont Charcoal Kilns, remarkably preserved symbols of Wyoming’s early history.
Zakary SonntagMay 25, 2025

Wyoming Groups Lobby To Reverse $400 Million In Cuts To AmeriCorps
A number of Wyoming groups are lobbying the state’s congressional delegation to reverse $400 million in cuts to AmeriCorps. But, so far, they have expressed support for DOGE and its mission to cut wasteful spending.
Zakary SonntagMay 05, 2025

Wyoming-Made Honor Bears Give Strength To Gold Star Families
A Wyoming woman’s mission to help gold star military and first-responder families does more than give them renewed strength. Her Bears of Honor program uses their uniforms to make Teddy bears that keeps their service and honor alive.
Zakary SonntagMay 04, 2025

Wyoming’s Most Wish-Listed Vacation Rentals Are Remote Cabins And A Dome
Wyoming’s short term-rental market stands apart from the rest of the country. The state’s most wish-listed vacation rentals show people want to be in the middle of nowhere, but they don't necessarily want to rough it.
Zakary SonntagMay 03, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: Butch's Bar, Name It If You Can
Trying to label Butch’s Bar in Evansville is like trying to nail a Jell-O shot to the wall. It’s a dive bar that moonlights as a dance club. It’s a neighborhood bar that wands you for weapons at the door. It’s a biker bar where bikers don't like it when you call it a biker bar.
Zakary SonntagMay 03, 2025