Wyoming Life

Storm Brings Up To 2 Inches Of Water, But Not Close To Busting Wyoming’s Drought

Parts of Wyoming got up to 2 inches of water from this week’s storm that shut down I-80 and Rawlins for more than a day. But it wasn’t a drought-buster. “Getting rid of a drought is like eating an elephant — one bite at a time,” said meteorologist Don Day.

Andrew RossiMay 21, 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

Rawlins Slowly Reopens After 36 Hours With No Power & Stranded Motorists On I-80

It took at 36 hours, but most of Rawlins had power restored Tuesday as a fast and furious spring snowstorm wreaked havoc in southcentral Wyoming. The Carbon County Sheriff's Office spent the day rescuing residents and helping snow-stranded drivers.

Andrew RossiMay 19, 2026

As a "grumpy mama duck” freaked out over ducklings that fell into a Sheridan storm drain this past weekend, a stranger with a “big beard” climbed in after them. A woman who watched the rescue says it restored a little of her faith in humanity.

Hooray! Big Bearded Man Climbs Into Sheridan Storm Drain To Save Ducklings

After a mama duck panicked when her ducklings fell into a Sheridan storm drain this past weekend, a big bearded hero climbed in to get them. A woman who watched the rescue says it restored a little of her faith in humanity.

Kolby FedoreMay 19, 2026

Hadley Thompson, 18, topped some of the world’s best breakaway ropers at the American Rodeo’s West Regional Finals in Las Vegas.

Yoder 18-Year-Old Breakaway Roper To Compete For Historic $2 Million Payout

Yoder breakaway roper Hadley Thompson, 18, could make history this weekend as the first to earn $2 million with one throw of a rope. “It’s life-changing money,” competitors in the American Rodeo say about the huge payout for beating the best in the world.

Julie MankinMay 19, 2026

A WYDOT plow truck clears the westbound lane of I-80 between Rawlins and Wamsutter on Monday evening. Dozens of drivers were stuck on I-80 after both lanes between Rock Springs and Laramie were shut down for most of the day due to winter weather conditions, and at least one accident involving a WYDOT plow truck was reported.

Motorists Stuck On I-80 Overnight As Snowstorm Shuts Down Southern Wyoming

A snowstorm shut down more than 200 miles of I-80 on Monday leaving motorists stranded for hours — some overnight — while killing power in Rawlins. “I figured I was going to be here until tomorrow morning,” said one trucker after 11 hours of waiting.

Andrew RossiMay 19, 2026

Snow at The Friendly Store in Centennial, Wyoming, on Monday, May 18, 2026

Snowstorm Shuts Down Southern Wyoming, Motorists Stranded On I-80 For Hours

Parts of southern Wyoming are shut down Monday by a snowstorm that’s closed Interstate 80, took out power grids, and stranded motorists for hours. In Centennial, residents report more than 24 inches of snow have fallen.

Andrew Rossi & Jimmy OrrMay 18, 2026

When a large, purple urn mysteriously appeared at Holliday Park in Cheyenne, people had a lot of questions about whose cremains were inside and why they were left there. That happens "more often than people may realize,” says the Laramie County coroner.

Coroner Says Mystery Urn Left At Cheyenne Park Is More Common Than People Think

When a large, purple urn suddenly appeared at Holliday Park in Cheyenne, people had a lot of questions about whose cremains were inside and why they were left there. That happens "more often than people may realize,” the Laramie County coroner said.

Kolby FedoreMay 17, 2026

By 1905, the town of Battle in the Sierra Madres of Wyoming had been mostly abandoned and the buildings left behind by the 1910s. Once a lively town, Battle boasted five saloons, numerous houses of ill repute, several retail stores, two hotels, a post office, newspaper and school.

Wyoming History: In Ghost Town Of Battle, Miners And Sheep Men Hated Each Other

Now a ghost town, Battle in the rugged Wyoming Sierra Madres lived up to its name, where miners and sheepherders hated each other. “The raucous music of its honky-tonks was interrupted more than once by a miner-herder foray,” historians wrote.

Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2026

Thor Stephenson Jr. thought he’d die after a shotgun blast destroyed his leg during a pheasant hunt in 2013. The Wyoming amputee still hunts, fishes and hikes on a custom $68,000 brown and gold Bucking Horse prosthetic he says symbolizes being cowboy tough.

Amputee Shows His Love For Wyoming With $68,000 Brown-And-Gold Bucking Horse Leg

Thor Stephenson Jr. thought he was going to die after a shotgun blast destroyed his leg during a pheasant hunt in 2013. Not so. He still hunts, fishes and hikes on a custom brown and gold Bucking Horse prosthetic he says symbolizes being cowboy tough.

Kolby FedoreMay 17, 2026

Paul Hutton looking over items in the auction, and trying to decide if the Buffalo Bill Center of the West will bid on anything.

Wyoming Museums Can’t Afford Historic Wild West Items So They Go To Auction

A glass negative of Butch Cassidy’s prison photo and Sitting Bull’s contract to be in Buffalo Bill’s ‘Wild West Show’ are among the items in a Western auction. Authenticity questions and steep prices put them out of reach for most Wyoming museums.

Renée JeanMay 17, 2026

Jenica and Dave McMaster in the Oval Office with President George W. Bush

Casper Couple Traces 20-Plus-Year Marriage To George W. Bush White House

A Casper couple traces their marriage of more than 22 years to meeting while working in the George W. Bush White House. From the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to calls from Air Force One, they now live in the hometown of Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney.

Dale KillingbeckMay 17, 2026

The first cars to legally enter Yellowstone National Park happened in 1915. Thirteen years before, Henry G. Merry crashed through the gate with his 1897 Winton which was officially the first car to drive into the park.

Wyoming History: First Car In Yellowstone Was A Gate-Crasher Who Got Cars Banned

Henry Merry became the first person to drive a car in Yellowstone in 1902 when he crashed the park’s gate at 25 mph in his 1897 Winton. After he and his wife were kicked out, cars were officially banned in Yellowstone for another 13 years.

Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2026

Drivers on a Texas highway stopped under an overpass during a hailstorm caused a traffic jam and outraged people stuck out in the hail. It’s not legal, and trying that in Wyoming would get someone a ticket — or worse if they cause a crash.

No, You Can't Legally Park Under A Wyoming Overpass During A Hailstorm

No matter how tempting it is to park your car under an overpass during a hailstorm, it's illegal. Not only does it impede traffic but could cause major pileups. For emergency vehicles, not being able to get through could mean a matter of life or death.

Andrew RossiMay 16, 2026

By the end of the decade, Gillette will have hosted the National High School Finals Rodeo 15 times, more than any other city. “The NHSFR is in our DNA,” local officials say, adding they’re “heartbroken” that the world’s largest rodeo will never return.

How Gillette, Wyoming, Lost The World’s Largest Rodeo

By the end of the decade, Gillette will have hosted the National High School Finals Rodeo 15 times, more than any other city. But the organization announced this spring that after 2029, it has no plans to ever return to Wyoming.

Julie MankinMay 16, 2026

A Cheyenne attorney and his father, a former Wyoming attorney general, saw what they describe as a huge, super-bright UFO driving Highway 59 in 1991. How 35 years later, Richard Barrett says he’s still trying to figure out what they saw.

35 Years After UFO Encounter, Cheyenne Man Still Trying To Figure Out What He Saw

A Cheyenne attorney and his father, a former Wyoming attorney general, saw what they described as a huge, super-bright UFO while driving on Highway 59 in 1991. Now 35 years later, Richard Barrett says he’s still trying to figure out what they saw.

Dale KillingbeckMay 16, 2026

Bob Beck, Longtime Voice Of Wyoming Public Radio, To Get Honorary Doctorate From UW

Bob Beck, the longtime voice and leader of Wyoming Public Radio, returns Saturday for the University of Wyoming to give him its highest accolade — an honorary doctoral degree. “I am not speechless often,” says Beck, but he was about this surprise honor.

Wendy CorrMay 13, 2026

Singer, songwriter Michael DeGreve played at Cheyenne's Hitching Post for 30 years

Cheyenne Musical Legend Michael DeGreve Dies At 78

Longtime Cheyenne performer Michael DeGreve, who sang at The Hitching Post six nights a week for 30 years, died Monday in Oregon. The singer, who performed with Neil Young, Graham Nash and other legends, had been battling prostate cancer, his wife said.

Zakary SonntagMay 12, 2026

Wyoming Man Hospitalized After Exposure To Fumes During Lithium-Ion Battery Fire

A Daniel, Wyoming man who narrowly averted a fire in his home last week after a lithium-ion battery spontaneously combusted, has landed in the hospital after inhaling fumes from the burning battery. "It literally blew up kind of in our faces," he said.

Renée JeanMay 12, 2026

Pepper Fipps, the Cow Boss at the Rafter Star Ranch near Sheridan, uses only “Big Wonderful Wyoming” mud flaps on the ranch flatbeds and big rigs. He’s having trouble finding replacements.

Rancher Won’t Use Anything But ‘Big Wonderful Wyoming’ Mud Flaps, Can’t Find More

A Sheridan-area rancher is on a quest for “Big Wonderful Wyoming” mudflaps — and won’t use anything else on the ranch’s trucks. “I’ll order eight sets of them,” she told a Wyoming auto parts dealer.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2026

Folks were enjoying the 83-degree weather at Cheyenne's Holiday Park on Monday, May 11, 2026, less than a week removed from a snowstorm that dumped several inches of heavy, wet snow on the city.

Extreme Wyoming Weather Swings From 10 Inches Of Snow To 90 Degrees In A Week

Last week, parts of Wyoming got up to 10 inches of snow during blizzard conditions, but by Monday temps were in the 80s and flirting with record highs — and on their way into the 90s. “May is very susceptible to mood swings,” says meteorologist Don Day.

Andrew RossiMay 11, 2026

Portuguese Fort Painting inset scaled 5 10 26

Wyoming History: Oldest Fur Trading Fort Survived Indian Attacks, But Not Jim Bridger

Antonio Montero and his mountain men survived a 40-day attack by Sioux warriors at what’s known today as the “Portuguese Houses,” Wyoming’s oldest fur trading fort founded in 1834. But it was rival Jim Bridger and Crows that finally chased Montero away.

Jackie DorothyMay 10, 2026

A dog named Charlie a Wyoming couple rescued from a California shelter running off with a whiteout blizzard on the way triggered a 24-hour search. It was a miracle, Charlie’s owners believe, that a newlywed couple in the middle of nowhere found him.

Newlyweds On A Hike Find California Rescue Dog Lost In A Wyoming Whiteout

A couple in remote southeastern Wyoming thought they might never see their new rescue dog again after he disappeared in a spring snowstorm last week. But 24 hours later, a pair of newlyweds hiking through the area spotted the shivering dog and saved him.

Renée JeanMay 10, 2026

Lander native Jake Kauffman may be the chillest dude in Wyoming, and now he's is chasing freedom in a VW van. His turning point came at age 14, when he flatlined after drowning in the water of ironically named Lucky Pond, then was saved by his brother.

Wyoming Artist Chases Freedom In A Van With Girlfriend, A Drifter & Welding Equipment

After drowning and later overdosing, Lander's Jake Kauffman tried conventional adulthood but it wasn't for him. So now the Wyoming artist is chasing freedom in a VW van with his girlfriend, a drifter he met in Oregon and his welding equipment.

Kolby FedoreMay 10, 2026

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