Wyoming Life

Best-selling author and former Casper resident Ron Franscell wrote about the kidnapping and murder of an 11-year-old girl who lived next door and played baseball with him and other guys on the block. Amy Burridge was thrown off a more than 100-foot-high bridge in Fremont Canyon southwest of Alcova with her body ending up in the North Platte River. He also chronicled the kidnapping and rape of her 18-year-old half-sister Becky Thomson, whom he had admired and respected when he was 16. She also was thrown off the bridge and somehow survived.

When Evil Came: Sisters Kidnapped, Thrown Off Bridge Haunt Casper 52 Years Later

It will be 52 years this month since two sisters were kidnapped, raped and tossed off the Fremont Canyon Bridge. It’s a crime that still haunts Casper, which remembers Sept. 25, 1973, as the day when evil came.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 13, 2025

Rudy “Butch” Stanko: The Wyoming Maverick Who Ended Montana’s No Speed Limit Era

Back when there was no speed limit in Montana, highways there were known as the “Montanabahn.” Then along came a stubborn cattle hustler from Wyoming named Rudy “Butch” Stanko, whose lead foot and hard head inadvertently brought the no-speed limit era to an end.

David MadisonSeptember 13, 2025

UW Student Paper Called Out For Quote Saying Kirk ‘Deserved' To Be Shot

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus called out the University of Wyoming student newspaper The Branding Iron on Friday for an anonymous quote in a story that said Charlie Kirk “deserved” to be shot.

Jackson WalkerSeptember 13, 2025

That Soul-Penetrating Thunder From F/A-18s Taking Off In Casper? Get Used To It

Aviation groupies who love to ooh and ahh at anything cool with wings, there’s nothing like the bone-shaking rumble of a fighter jet taking off. A pair of F/A-18 Hornets hot refueling and taking off Tuesday wasn’t just loud, it was “an experience.”

Greg JohnsonSeptember 11, 2025

Several University of Wyoming football fans were frustrated with long lines at War Memorial Stadium for the home opener. University officials are working to rectify the situation ahead of a major matchup with 20th-ranked University of Utah.

UW Football Fans Frustrated By Long Lines To Get Into Game

A number of University of Wyoming football fans were frustrated with long lines at War Memorial Stadium for Saturday's home opener. University officials are working to rectify the situation ahead of a major matchup with 20th-ranked University of Utah.

Jackson WalkerSeptember 11, 2025

The Western Thunder Marching Band from the University of Wyoming outside Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday. The band was on the sideline ready to perform during halftime of a Broncos game when lightning delayed the game and canceled their performance.

Lightning Cancels UW Band At Broncos Game Seconds Before Halftime Show

The University of Wyoming Western Thunder Marching Band was on the sideline ready to perform at halftime of Sunday’s Broncos home opener at Empower Field at Mile High. Then lightning in the area cleared the field and canceled the show.

Jackson WalkerSeptember 08, 2025

Why A Huge Blue Spruce In Casper Neighborhood Is ‘Maxine’s Tree'

There is a tree in a Casper neighborhood with roots that run deeper than the Alzheimer’s that eventually took the woman who grew up there. They follow the memories of a mother named Maxine who never gave up on the tree or on life.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 08, 2025

Two Weeks Into Cellphone Ban At Evanston High School: 'Kids Aren't Phone Zombies’

Like a growing number of schools across Wyoming, Evanston High School has banned cellphones in classrooms. Two weeks into the new school year, teachers report that “kids aren’t phone zombies now, they are humans."

Don CoggerSeptember 07, 2025

Five years after Bridger Walker, now 11, stepped in front of an attacking dog to save his younger sister Brielle, then 4, the Cheyenne pair, along with their parents and three other siblings, have experienced a whirlwind of attention from around the globe. Brielle says her brother's her hero, and he says what he likes most in live is being a "normal boy."

5 Years After Saving Sister From Dog Attack, Bridger Walker Likes Being A ‘Normal Boy'

Bridger Walker of Cheyenne was 6 in 2020 when he made international headlines for rescuing his younger sister from a vicious dog attack. Five years later, he’s now 11 and likes just being a “normal boy” — who calls Bo Jackson "Uncle Bo" and may just have an action figure modeled after him.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 07, 2025

Wild patches of weeds poke up out of the filled-in reservoir that used to be located here, in what is actually the backside of the pumphouse.

Clock Ticking For 133-Year-Old Cheyenne Pumphouse, Which Needs $4M Restoration

Cheyenne’s Historic Pumphouse was built in 1892, and now stands neglected as those who want to save it are racing against the clock — and city priorities. It needs a $4 million restoration, but so far nobody seems interested.

Renée JeanSeptember 06, 2025

Part of the team in the cave, from left, Katie Slenker, Adam Fitch, Mikey Rowe, Andy Grass, and Jean Krejca.

Massive, Near-Complete Mammoth Skeleton Discovered In Natural Trap Cave

The latest discovery in Natural Trap Cave in the Bighorn Mountains, considered one of the world's premier Ice Age fossil sites, is the nearly complete skeleton of a massive mammoth. Getting out of the 85-foot-deep hole will be cold, wet work.

Andrew RossiSeptember 06, 2025

Three years after rising country music star Luke Bell died, his friends and family have announced a new album of his unreleased music. Sales from the Cody singer-songwriter’s new album, “The King is Back,” will help those who struggle with depression.

‘The King Is Back’: Three Years After His Death, New Luke Bell Album Announced

Three years after rising country music star Luke Bell died, more than two-dozen of the promising Cody, Wyoming, artist’s songs are being released. Sales will benefit those who struggle with the same depression and darkness that claimed him at 32.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 06, 2025

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