Wyoming Life
News

Can You Catch ‘Food Poisoning?’ It’s Not Common, But, Yes, And Here’s How
Food-borne illnesses are among the most common in America, sickening more than 48 million each year. But can it be passed on to others? The answer is yes -- as a Cheyenne couple recently found out.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Famous Cheyenne Gunslingers To Be Homeless, Have To Move From Downtown Spot
The famous Cheyenne Gunslingers will have to find a new spot for its Wild West shootouts. The city has approved another historical attraction to take over their location and now the Gunslingers, who delight crowds every summer by shooting each other, have to find a new home.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Bambi, A Disabled 250-Pound Goat That Lives South Of Laramie, Needs A Leg Brace
Bambi, a 250-pound Nubian goat, struggles to get around because of a back injury he suffered in a fight with a ram. The folks at a farm animal sanctuary near Laramie think he can walk again with a leg brace but crafting one has been difficult. So they're asking the public for help.
Mark HeinzMay 10, 2025

Abandoned 163-Foot Bridge In Albany County Is All But Forgotten
The history of an abandoned steel bridge which resides inside a 10,000-acre private ranch in Albany County is a mystery. It is thought to be the second oldest bridge in Wyoming and was part of the historic Lincoln Highway. Outside of that, no one knows much about it.
Dale KillingbeckMay 10, 2025

Gillette Songwriter Co-Wrote Blake Shelton’s No. 1 Smash Country Hit ‘Texas’
Josh Dorr, a singer-songwriter who grew up in Gillette co-wrote "Texas," the No. 1 country hit and lead single from Blake Shelton's latest album. “It’s pretty surreal,” Dorr told Cowboy State Daily.
Andrew RossiMay 10, 2025

UW Project Rediscovers A Massive Meat-Eating Dinosaur Under 100-Year-Old Plaster
University of Wyoming researchers used CT scanning to see how much of the fossilized bones in an historic dinosaur were real. It revealed a lot of plaster — and rediscovered a huge Allosaurus.
Andrew RossiMay 10, 2025

Gillette Firefighter Who Died In 1989 When A Church Fell On Him Still Saving Lives
Alan Mickelson, a volunteer Gillette firefighter, died in 1989 when a church caved in on him while responding to a fire call. While his death still stings for those who knew him, Mickelson is still saving lives through his namesake training center.
Dale KillingbeckMay 10, 2025

Wyoming Rescue Ranch Cheers Shutdown Of Notorious Beagle Test Lab, New Law
Wyoming’s Kindness Ranch in Hartville is cheering this week's shutdown of a notorious beagle testing lab and proposed federal legislation that would retire clinical test animals instead of killing them. The events promise to make the ranch busier than ever.
Jen KocherMay 10, 2025

Kelly Walsh High Won’t Let Casper Girl Wear Native Regalia At Graduation
Kelly Walsh High School senior Zephira Arguello wants to honor her Native American culture by wearing traditional regalia at graduation. The school says “no.”
Dale KillingbeckMay 09, 2025

Wyoming Catholics Celebrate Election Of First American Pope
Catholics across Wyoming celebrated the appointment of the first American pope on Thursday. Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan, who was fishing the North Platte, told Cowboy State Daily he was "tickled to death" to hear the news.
Justin GeorgeMay 08, 2025

Rawlins Residents Fed Up With Gravedigging Ground Squirrels In City Cemetery
Ground squirrels are digging holes daily in the Rawlins Cemetery, including into graves, and local residents are fed up with them. The city is tripling the number of poison traps around the cemetery to try and cut out the critters.
Andrew RossiMay 08, 2025

Wyoming Can Expect Warm, Sunny Weather For Mother’s Day — For A Change
Winter in Wyoming often likes to hang around until after Mother’s Day, says meteorologist Don Day. But for a change, this weekend should be warm, sunny and summer-like with temperatures reaching the high 70s and into the 80s.
Andrew RossiMay 07, 2025

170 Pregnant Ewes Burn In Devastating Ranch Fire Near Wright
A large barn with 170 pregnant ewes inside burned early Monday morning on a ranch near Wright, Wyoming. The rancher said the barn was fine at 4:30 a.m., then by 5:15 was fully engulfed and too hot to approach.
Greg JohnsonMay 06, 2025

Spring Can Begin — Bob The Barrel Reaches The Shore Of Fremont Lake
After spending two months on the ice of Fremont Lake near Pinedale, Bob the Barrel finally reached the shore of Fremont Lake at 6:25 a.m. Sunday. Locals have been watching and waiting on the barrel to break through annually for 85 years.
Andrew RossiMay 06, 2025

Wyoming’s Home-Grown Live Horse Racing Sparks Resurgence Of Industry
Jack Greer grew up on the racetrack, and the Gillette resident is now part of a home-grown movement that’s sparking a resurgence of live horse racing in Wyoming. That’s partly because he and others in the Cowboy State are racing their own horses.
Jackie DorothyMay 05, 2025

For Wyoming Collectors, Vintage Glass Power Line Insulators Are Prized Finds
Those funky glass blobs that used to hang on and around power lines are highly prized by Wyoming collectors. These vintage glass insulators are prized finds for those with a passion for them.
Jackie DorothyMay 04, 2025

After Surviving A Brain Tumor, Casper Boy Can’t Wait To Get A Service Dog
After Mikey Jonnassen was diagnosed with a brain tumor, doctors told his mom that he would spend the rest of his life bedridden. But he wasn’t having any of that. Now he’s walking, talking and looking forward to a service dog.
Mark HeinzMay 04, 2025

Roast Or Let Roost? What Should Backyard Chicken Owners Do With Roosters?
Wyoming communities have long been debating whether to allow people in populated areas to keep backyard chickens. Those who have them inevitably face the great debate about what to do with roosters — roast or let roost?
Anna-Louise JacksonMay 04, 2025

Wyoming Allows, But Doesn’t Regulate, Self-Driving Cars — Yet
As more self-driving cars are on roads across the country, more states are regulating the use of them. Wyoming hasn’t regulated self-driving vehicles, but legislators say it’s only a matter of when that will happen, not if.
Leo WolfsonMay 04, 2025

Rock Springs Deputy Who Rescued 3-Year-Old 15 Years Ago To Give Him Diploma
David Lew will graduate this month from Rock Springs High School. But he wouldn’t if it hadn’t have been for a Sweetwater County Sheriff’s deputy who rescued him from Flaming Gorge Reservoir when he was 3. Now that deputy will give him his diploma.
Dale KillingbeckMay 04, 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

How Do You Practice For Calving Season? With Life-Sized Rubber Cows
One of the most important times for ranchers in Wyoming and across the country is calving season. Every calf counts, so it’s vital as many survive as possible. To do that, some ranchers and kids practice with life-sized rubber cows and calves.
Andrew RossiMay 03, 2025

Video: Cheyenne’s Truck Stop Chapel -- A Place Where Truckers Find Peace
Nestled in the parking lot of a Cheyenne truck stop is a small chapel, a haven for truckers seeking church or a sympathetic ear. The couple who runs the chapel also supports drivers with advice they draw from more than two decades in the trucking industry.
Hannah Brock & Reilly StrandMay 03, 2025

Wyoming Airmen Make Extraordinary Cardiac Evacuation From Antarctica
Two members of the Wyoming Air National Guard played critical roles in successfully evacuating a patient in cardiac arrest from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. “This was more than a mission — it was a life saved against all odds,” Brig. Gen. Michelle Mulberry said.
Leo WolfsonMay 03, 2025
