Cowboy State Daily

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By Jen Kocher, Cowboy State Daily

Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday announced the addition of Leo Wolfson to the digital news organization’s staff.

Wolfson will take over state government and political reporting duties for Cowboy State Daily effective immediately.

Jimmy Orr, editor of Cowboy State Daily, said the addition of Wolfson is an important hire for many reasons.

“As we carefully and deliberately grow our staff, we will choose people who already have a good understanding of Wyoming and Wyoming values,” Orr said. 

“Leo has done a great job at the Cody Enterprise and we have been impressed with his work for some time,” he said. 

Jim Angell, managing editor for Cowboy State Daily, said the state government and political reporting job is a plum assignment in Wyoming because reporters have direct access to decision makers without the intervention of a spokesperson.

“In Washington, D.C., everything goes through a spokesperson. That’s not the case in Wyoming. If the people voted for you in Wyoming, they expect to hear directly from you,” Angell said. “Of course that extends to our Wyoming delegation in Washington as well.”

At the Cody Enterprise, Wolfson covered politics, environmental issues, and courts and crime.

“When the chance to cover state politics for Cowboy State Daily came around it was an opportunity I could not pass up,” Wolfson said. “I couldn’t be more excited to cover those making critical decisions for the future of Wyoming. I’m also proud to be reporting for Cowboy State Daily, a news organization with great talent, a strong sense of ethics and an extremely bright future.”

“Leo is a real pro,” Angell added. “We are fortunate he’s joining our team.”

Wolfson is the latest addition to the to Cowboy State Daily since the news organization was acquired in February.

Last month, the voice of the Wyoming Cowboys, Dave Walsh, and Clair McFarland, formerly of the Riverton Ranger, both joined the organization.

Cowboy State Daily will continue to add journalists to cover a number of beats including energy, business and tourism, public lands and wildlife, and agriculture.

“We’re not stopping there,” Orr said. “This is just to get us to a firm starting point for Cowboy State Daily 2.0. We’ve got more exciting announcements to come. Stay tuned.”

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By Jennifer Kocher, Cowboy State Daily

Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday announced the addition of Dave Walsh to the digital news organization’s staff.

Walsh, known as the “Voice of the Wyoming Cowboys” for calling the play-by-play of both football and basketball games for the University of Wyoming for nearly four decades, will write a weekly column for Cowboy State Daily beginning on Friday.

Jimmy Orr, editor of Cowboy State Daily, said the addition of Walsh is significant because it further signals that “we are 100% Wyoming.”

“Dave Walsh is Wyoming,” Orr said. “No one is more of a household name than Dave Walsh. We are thrilled to have him on our team.”

Walsh has called more than 1,500 games for the Wyoming Cowboys.  During that stretch, he called out the names of many UW legends who went on to play in the NFL and the NBA such as Josh Allen, Fennis Dembo, Theo Ratliff, Larry Nance, Jr., Jay Novacek, and Logan Wilson.

Walsh said he was looking forward to putting his stories down on “paper.”

“I’m so excited to tell my stories and share my Wyoming experiences, accumulated over the last 40 years,” Walsh said. “We’ll be recounting some unique and extraordinary games, and there have been many of those.”

Walsh said his column will have a sports hook but will be broader than just a recap of games.

“There are so many places and things to write about, but it’s the people who I have come in contact with over the years who have provided most of the memories, and fodder for these columns,” Walsh said.

Orr said Dave Walsh was one of the top-two targets for Cowboy State Daily. He said bringing both Walsh and Wyoming meteorologist Don Day to the team was a priority.

The rapidly expanding organization will soon announce more hires, including a state government/political reporter, an energy reporter, a business/tourism reporter and a public lands, wildlife, and agriculture reporter.

“And this is just the start. We’re just beginning,” Orr said.  “It’s an exciting time for Wyoming journalism.”

Walsh’s column will be published on Friday and joins columns by other Wyoming authors such as Bill Sniffin, Rod Miller, Cat Urbigkit, and Dave Simpson.

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By Jimmy Orr, editor

A Wyoming businessman and philanthropist has purchased the assets of Cowboy State Daily, a Wyoming-based digital news operation based in Cheyenne.

B. Wayne Hughes, Jr., founder of the Hughes Charitable Foundation, purchased the digital news site effective Feb. 1, 2022.

Hughes said he purchased the news organization because of its reputation for presenting the news fairly and “straight down the middle.”

“In a sea of misinformation and disinformation, Cowboy State Daily is a bright, shining beacon of truth — not to mention optimism and fair-mindedness,” Hughes said. “In a time where information is dispersed so quickly, there’s not a lot of time — in many cases — to check to see if that information is accurate, but Cowboy State Daily takes that time.

“Cowboy State Daily represents a state and its unique culture that is still in touch with who it is, and that is very attractive to me,” he continued.

The news organization, which was founded in January, 2019, is staffed by a number of longtime Wyoming journalists including Jimmy Orr, Jim Angell, and Ellen Fike in Cheyenne, Bill Sniffin in Lander, Jen Kocher in Gillette, and Wendy Corr in Cody.

Hughes said Cowboy State Daily will continue to be based in Cheyenne and added he was looking forward to bolstering the operation with new staff.

He said the first hires will be a full-time political reporter and a full time reporter covering the energy industry.

“We will announce additional hires down the road,” he said. “Know this, I am committed to investing the resources it takes to build Wyoming’s most trusted and robust news organization.  Our state deserves it.”

Hughes is a full time resident of Wyoming where he resides in Jackson. Besides the Hughes Charitable Foundation, Hughes owns a number of businesses in Wyoming including the Esponda cattle ranch near Buffalo.

Cowboy State Daily was founded in 2019 by Annaliese Wiederspahn and Jimmy Orr.

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We will not be publishing during the last week of December so the Cowboy State Daily team can spend time with their families.

We appreciate your support and we’ll see you on January 3.

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By Bill Sniffin, publisher

Across the Cowboy State, folks are making donations on Wednesday, July 14, which is known as WYOGIVES to non-profits.

Cowboy State Daily is a 501 c 3 non-profit and we rely on donations from our friends to keep publishing.

If you have not donated before, this is a great time to do so. Just click on the “donate” button  on our web site or on the newsletter and you can pay by credit card. 

Feel free to send a check to:

         Cowboy State Daily

         Box 900

         Lander, WY 82520

Now that is the kind of support we are getting from people all across the state.

During a recent donor drive, we have also heard so many wonderful comments from our readers, much like Walter Olson. Retired Army officer Olson walked up to me at a Rotary meeting, handed me a $100 bill and said: “That’s for Cowboy State Daily. Keep up the good work!”

Shauna Roberts of Cody sent a beautiful card with the inscription: “Thank you for the Wyoming News – just the facts – no spin!”

Marianne Bidart says: “Thank you for all the bear stories I am looking forward to hearing more about 399 and her four cubs.  How about a feature on Wyoming Ranch dogs at work or being silly?  This all makes me smile and have a laugh – we all need it. Many thanks to all at the Cowboy State Daily.”

Up in Buffalo, Brenda Bayliss writes: “Thanks for the news and keeping me in the loop!”

And finally, Linda Sue Golding of Dayton writes: “Keep up the good work!”

We hope folks will respond to this special day of giving. It will raise money, which helps us bring you the news every day in two big ways:  First, we send you this daily newsletter which we like to call Wyoming’s Morning News and second, with our big web page, which is updated all day long with statewide stories.

Because we have so many subscribers — lots of you folks do not realize you can go to www.cowboystatedaily.com at any time and see the news updated all day long. You can even scroll down the site and catch up on the news for the past week.

Most of our donors donate by clicking on the “donate” button and paying by credit card. Unfortunately, this does not allow for comments.  Thus, if you want to comment, please email them to news@cowboystatedaily.com or send comments to bsniffin@wyoming.com. We appreciate hearing from you.

During tough times like we saw in 2020, it helps to have someone to turn to. In the past year, Wyomingites turned to Cowboy State Daily in record numbers. We anticipated your questions and we provided the answers.

Thanks for helping us continue our mission of keeping Wyomingites informed. In a year when information literally saved lives, we came through, thanks in no small part to your loyalty, which means so much. 

Cowboy State Daily is owned by YOU.  We are a 501 C 3 non-profit corporation. With ownership comes responsibility.  We are reaching out to our 16,000-plus subscribers and asking you to make a tax-deductible donation to help us do our job.

“Don’t just watch us grow – join us” has certainly come true this past year as our subscriber list has surged.

Cowboy State Daily continues to grow.  We have been adding 1,000 new subscribers per month for the past year. That pace is actually increasing this year.

Whether you chip in with a donation or with your continued attention, we’re so grateful for your support.

Again, please click on the donate button to donate by credit card or send your check to: Cowboy State Daily, Box 900, Lander, WY 82520. Thanks!

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By Bill Sniffin, publisher

 Tuesday is known as “Giving Tuesday” and we would like to invite you to consider Cowboy State Daily for your giving.

If you are reading this right now, this means you are a subscriber to our free service.  But it takes money to provide this service and Giving Tuesday makes a lot of sense as a time to donate.

Cowboy State Daily has become very popular.  There are now 10,056 subscribers and we consider all of you to be the owners of Cowboy State Daily.

That’s because we are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charity.  We have no owners in the traditional sense of business.  But there really are owners – Cowboy State Daily is owned by the people who use our service – YOU.

To keep this news service going, we need your financial support.
Since being asked to be publisher 11 months ago, it never occurred to me how important it is to stress who owns Cowboy State Daily.

With ownership comes responsibility.

That is why we are publishing this message looking toward Giving Tuesday. If you like reading Cowboy State Daily and want it to prosper and expand, please consider making a tax-deductible donation this year.  

As publisher, it is my job to raise money and keep the site going. Little did we know when taking this job that the twin negative dynamos of COVID-19 and a faltering Wyoming economy would smack us in the nose.

And yet, we keep growing. Our readers love what we are doing.  Not only are we growing on our website and on our Facebook page, but we are now averaging over 1,000 new email subscribers each month.

And with the help of forward-thinking advertisers like Black Hills Energy, Carbon County Tourism, SageWest Medical, and others, we have generated a small amount of advertising. We are always looking for more and ask that if you know anyone needing statewide advertising to contact us.

Grants from the Humanities Council and the Wyoming Business Council have also made it possible to keep publishing.

Now we are at the end of the year and since all donations to Cowboy State Daily are tax-deductible, we are optimistic that our readership and our other supporters will step up and help fund us for the upcoming year.  

If you decide to include us in the organizations that you support, our goal is to make you happier that you donated to us than any of your other choices.

We welcome your ideas on specific sponsorship of stories or features. Just let us know. We welcome your input.  Please tell us what you think of Cowboy State Daily.

Please consider clicking on the “donate” section on this newsletter or our web site to make a credit card donation.  Send your checks to Cowboy State Daily, Box 900, Lander, Wy 82520.  Thanks!

If you have already donated – thanks!  Please send this message to your friends who you think would be interested in supporting Cowboy State Daily.

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By Bill Sniffin, publisher of Cowboy State Daily

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s fastest growing digital daily news service.  As we celebrate this fact it is now time to reach out to our friends who share our enthusiasm for high quality news coverage of events here in Wyoming.  

This is a short fund drive, starting today and ending next Tuesday. During that time, we would ask you to please consider mailing a check to Cowboy State Daily, which will help us do our job. 

If you are reading this, it means we believe you are the kind of person who appreciates the importance of having an independent, high-quality Wyoming news source.

And that you are also willing to reach in your pocket to help financially support our effort.  We are reaching out to a group of folks who realize how important it is to have a Wyoming-owned and Wyoming-based news service that reports the news in a fair manner. 

We are fast-growing.  Our subscribers are up 45 percent in just three months.  Our readership through the daily newsletter, the web page, and our Facebook posts are through the roof. One story last week had 100,000 views.

So far, the Cowboy State Daily staff has generated more than 1,000 Wyoming-based news stories and 100 video presentations.  Each month, more than 100,000 people are exposed to CSD stories. Don’t just watch us grow – join us!

The staff of the Cowboy State Daily includes Publisher Bill Sniffin, Editor Jim Angell and staff writers Ellen Fike and Ike Fredregill. Contributors include Dave Simpson, Cat Urbigkit, Tim Monroe, Dave Bonner, Jim Hicks, and many others. We also feature weather by Don Day and sports features by Cody Tucker. 

Never has Wyoming needed a hard-working digital statewide media service like ours more than today.  Please join our team in helping to make our fund drive a success. Thanks!

Obviously, any donation will be appreciated. We want to thank you in advance for considering Cowboy State Daily as a service that you can support. Feel free to pass this appeal along to your like-minded friends. 

The Cowboy State Daily is a 501( C ) ( 3) corporation so any donation is tax deductible. 

Checks can be sent to: Cowboy State Daily, Box 900, Lander, WY 82520 or credit cards can be handled by contacting Bill Sniffin at bsniffin@wyoming.com or calling (307) 349 2211.