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Zakary Sonntag

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Latest from Zakary Sonntag

Macey Dawn Bradshaw of Lyman, Wyoming, was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend in a murder suicide less than three weeks ago despite family warnings. Bradshaw’s family now shares their story to try and stop similar horrific outcomes.

Tortured Relationship Ends In Murder-Suicide In Lyman

Justin Bradshaw was headed to work on Dec. 16 in Lyman when he got the last call he’d ever take from his 20-year-old daughter, Macey. He was there in four minutes, but it still wasn’t soon enough. As he reached to enter the apartment, gunshots sounded.

Zakary SonntagJanuary 03, 2026

Zak Sonntag: I Wrote About A Homeless Couple Thinking It’d Help. Did I Make Their Lives Harder Instead?

Zak Sonntag writes, "I felt so terrible to learn they were 'evicted' from their only shelter – the abandoned sedan – as a result of the story I wrote. "The day after it published, Casper Police knocked on the roof of the car early in the morning and explained they were on private property and needed to leave immediately, Springer told me."

Zakary SonntagDecember 24, 2025

Matthew Allwine is a 67-year-old former Marine and long-haul trucker with a soft heart for kids and soft, and perfecrt belly and luxurious white beard to be Santa. He's in his first season as a Wyoming mall Santa in Casper.

Behind The Beard With A Wyoming Mall Santa (Who Smokes And Drives A Kia)

When his employer told Cowboy State Daily that Santa would not be available for an interview, Santa would not stand for it. “I have a break at 3. You can find me in the parking lot. I’ll be at the gray Kia having a cigarette," he said.

Zakary SonntagDecember 24, 2025

Cowgirls and ranch hands are the true innovators behind today’s Western style, not celebrity bandwagon jumpers. When it comes to fashion or function, dressing like a cowboy — or girl — is all about attitude, not wardrobe. At the National Finals Redeo in Las Vegas, Aspen Edge gets a new Western look.

Beyond the Bandwagon: The Real Pioneers of Western Style

When supermodels Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid this year made the cover of Vogue magazine on the strength of a Western-wear photo shoot in Jackson, they were merely jumping on the bandwagon. The real style pioneers are the cowgirls and ranch hands who live the Western lifestyle.

Zakary SonntagDecember 21, 2025

At The NFR: When It Comes To Belt Buckles, Go Big Or Go Home

Rodeo diehards flock to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo, where belt buckles symbolize pain, pride and a way of life. Western culture is more than a trend for riders and fans, it’s an identity. And when it comes to buckles, go big or go home.

Zakary SonntagDecember 15, 2025

Truxel dishes advice on having a good time at Gilley's saloon and the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Looking For Love At The NFR: Urban Cowboy Ruins A Honky-Tonk Dream At Gilley's

Rodeo fans stampede to Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo, but one obnoxious “Arizona Urban Cowboy” manages to ruin every romantic possibility. Between mechanical bulls and honky-tonk heartbreak, the only place to escape might be the dance floor at Gilley's.

Zakary SonntagDecember 13, 2025

Jaelin Kauf, Wyoming’s world champion freestyle ski star, overcame early setbacks and a 7th-place Olympic finish in 2018 to claim silver in 2022. Now dominating the World Cup circuit and a 2025 world title, she eyes gold in 2026 Milano Cortina.

Wyoming Freestyle Skier Won Silver In 2022 Olympics, Aims For Gold In 2026

Alta, Wyoming’s Jaelin Kauf is one of the world’s most decorated freestyle skiers and currently the “athlete to beat” in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. She won a silver in 2022 and is aiming for the gold medal in February.

Zakary SonntagDecember 06, 2025

Crystal Neal says Thanksgiving this year in Casper at the Wyoming Rescue Mission is an joyous and emotional time. After one setback after another, she said she's finally on an upward trajectory.

For Wyomingites Facing Trauma And Addiction, There’s Much To Be Thankful For Here

The meaning of Thanksgiving takes on a deeper meaning for the clients and volunteers at the Wyoming Rescue Mission in Casper. Those working through trauma and addiction say they have much to be thankful for.

Zakary SonntagNovember 27, 2025

Susan Denker of Cheyenne says she owes her life to her poodle Lily, who alerted a friend after Denker suffered a heart attack.

Hero Poodle Named Lily Saves Cheyenne Woman's Life After Heart Attack

A Cheyenne woman credits her poodle Lily for saving her life after having a heart attack. “If it hadn't been for Lily alerting my friend, I would not be talking to you, because they did pronounce me dead at one point,” she told Cowboy State Daily.

Zakary SonntagNovember 22, 2025

Rae drinks vodka Red Bull at the bar with the lights out at the Bayou Bar in Mills, Wyoming.

Day Drinking With The ‘Millbillies’ During A Power Outage

Day drinking is underrated. It's playfully subversive, and also a little edgy, like a statement that tells the world, “I do what I want, when I want!” Even the power going out doesn’t phase the day-drinking “Millbillies” at the Bayou Bar in Mills.

Zakary SonntagNovember 16, 2025

Saratoga Hot Springs Resort owner Michael Janssen is a world-renowned spinal surgeon. He’s also a powerboat racing champion, which makes him the best guy for the job when it comes to treating injuries in Key West at powerboat races. And there can be plenty of injuries with powerboats that go so fast that they often go airborne.

Wyoming People: World-Renowned Spinal Surgeon And Powerboat Champion Michael Janssen

When the world’s fastest powerboats converge on the Florida Keys for the world championship powerboat races, no one is in higher demand than Wyoming resident Dr. Michael Janssen, the world-renowned spinal surgeon and medical director of the event.

Zakary SonntagNovember 09, 2025

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior 50 years ago, and no bodies were ever recovered. Wyoming meteorologist Don Day grew up in Michigan and remembers the famous wreck — and the weather phenomenon that sunk her, "The Witch of November."

Edmund Fitzgerald: Wyoming Meteorologist Vividly Recalls 'The Witch Of November'

Wyoming meteorologist Don Day was living in the Great Lakes when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank 50 years ago on Nov 10, 1975. Only 8 years old, he vividly recalls hearing storm bulletins crackle through the kitchen radio announcing "The Witch Of November."

Zakary SonntagNovember 08, 2025

Other Authors

Cheyenne LA Dodgers Superfan Makes Dream World Series Trip — Then They Lose Twice

After nearly losing his life last year, Glen Chavez has a new you-only-live-once philosophy. That led the Cheyenne L.A. Dodgers superfan to make a sudden dream World Series trip this week — to watch them lose twice.

Zakary SonntagOctober 30, 2025

The Idelman Mansion across the street from the Wyoming State Capitol

Spirits Haunt Old Morgue In Basement Of Cheyenne Mansion-Turned-Government Offices

Wyoming state government workers swear clients of the century-old morgue in the basement still haunt the 1883 Idelman Mansion across from the Capitol. “I’ve never been so scared in my life,” said Buck McVeigh, former chief of staff for Gov. Mark Gordon.

Zakary SonntagOctober 26, 2025

A pair of vehicles that burned up after a head-on collission on U.S. Highway 287 on Oct. 17, 2025.

Notorious ‘Highway Of Death’ Between Laramie And Ft. Collins Keeps Claiming Lives

A fiery head-on that killed two people last week is the latest deadly crash on U.S. Highway 287 between Laramie and Fort Collins. The 65-mile stretch of highway has been so deadly over the decades that it’s earned the nickname “Highway of Death."

Zakary SonntagOctober 25, 2025

Colorado Rockies announcer Jerry Schemmel saved an 11-month-old baby girl and survived one of the most gruesome plane crashes in American history 36 yearw ago. But sometimes surviving can feel worse than death.

Rockies Announcer Jerry Schemmel Shares How Plane Crash Changed His Life

After surviving United Flight 232, which killed 112 people in 1989, Jerry Schemmel went back in the wreckage to save an 11-month-old baby girl. Years later, wracked by survivor's guilt, he did something he'd never done before: he said a prayer.

Zakary SonntagOctober 12, 2025

From a tiny, rural agency to a modernized force, the Shoshoni Police Department has changed — even if its infamous speed check and reliance on revenue from tickets haven’t. And don’t call it a “trap,” the chief says.

Shoshoni Police Write Thousands Of Speeding Tickets — But Don’t Call It A Trap

Although the town of Shoshoni has a reputation for having a speed trap, the chief of police disputes that. He says the reason 2,372 speeding tickets were issued last year is that people were a threat to public safety and without consequences, you can’t change behavior.

Zakary SonntagAugust 24, 2025

Cattle are detained in the pens of the Chihuahua Regional Livestock Union at the Jeronimo-Santa Teresa border crossing in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Nov. 27, 2024. The United States stops imports of Mexican cattle due to the presence of screwworm. After a case of screwworm was identified in the town of Catazaja, in Chiapas, the United States chose to temporarily suspend imports of live Mexican cattle.

Wyoming Rancher Still Has Nightmares About Flesh-Eating Screwworm As U.S. On Alert

As the threat of a nasty flesh-eating screwworm grows, cattle ranchers across the United States are on high alert. One rancher in Crook County, Wyoming, saw screwworms feast on her family’s cattle decades ago, and says it’s the stuff of nightmares.

Zakary SonntagAugust 23, 2025

When a pair of electricians from Casper found Bob Newman lying face-down along Wyoming Highway 28 on Monday, they thought he was dead. Then he groaned. While Newman's daughter calls the men heroes, they say they did what anyone would have.

They Thought The Biker Lying Face-Down By Wyoming Road Was Dead, Then He Groaned

When two electricians from Casper found a biker lying face-down along Wyoming Highway 28 on Monday, they thought he was dead. Then he groaned. "They're my dad's angels,” sobbed the man's daughter from an Intensive Care Unit at the University of Utah Hospital.

Zakary SonntagAugust 17, 2025

Jennifer Dyke with father and brother at Sturgis.

Sturgis In The Rear View Mirror: A Father’s Memory Lives On At The Annual Rally

Another Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has come and gone. For Jennifer Dyke, who has made the pilgrimage for decades, it's an annual honoring of her father’s passion for riding and preserves a family tradition shared by bikers from around the world.

Zakary SonntagAugust 16, 2025

Bikers, Journalists and even cops — everyone gets red at One Eyed Jack’s Saloon during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The only thing that kills the buzz is some guy named “Insufficient Funds.”

Drinking Sturgis : One Eyed Jack's Saloon Makes Everyone Blush

The main level of One Eyed Jack's is a vast, open-air layout with a dozen separate island bars. It feels kind of like a junior high cafeteria. That is, if in this junior high cafeteria women wear thongs, bartenders paddle patrons on the derriere and random dudes invite you to pet a 30-pound boa constrictor.

Zakary SonntagAugust 10, 2025