Wyoming Life

After Nearly 70 Years, Cheyenne YMCA Will Close For Good Sept. 26

The Cheyenne YMCA has been serving people in Wyoming's capital city for nearly 70 years, but needs $8 million in repairs and is 800 members short of breaking even. Now the facility is in its last two weeks and will close its doors permanently Sept. 26.

Renée JeanSeptember 16, 2025

Deadly Kissing Bug Spotted In Wheatland: What To Know About Chagas Disease

Researchers have confirmed the presence of "kissing bugs" that carry the Chagas disease in Wyoming. The CDC says the parasitic disease is often fatal if not treated, and can linger in a body for years.

Renée JeanSeptember 15, 2025

Snow falling on Togwotee Pass on Monday morning, Sept. 15, 2025.

It’s Already Snowing In Wyoming’s High Country; Up To 6 Inches For Beartooth Pass

It’s already snowing in Wyoming’s high country. It was falling on Togwotee Pass on Monday and the Beartooth Highway could get as much as 6 inches this week.

Andrew RossiSeptember 15, 2025

A 20-year-old Sheridan woman made headlines across the country in 1931 when she drove 1,131 miles from Berlin to Moscow. She slept in haystacks, foraged for food and was the target of hostility — and had the adventure of a lifetime.

Sheridan Woman’s Daring 1931 Berlin-To-Moscow Drive Launched A Life Of Adventure

A 20-year-old Sheridan woman made international headlines in 1931 when she drove 1,131 miles from Berlin to Moscow. She slept in haystacks, foraged for food and was the target of hostility — and had the adventure of a lifetime.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 14, 2025

A solicitor approaches a Cheyenne home, and admits seeing a "no soliciting" sign, but came to the door anyway.

Cheyenne Residents Angered Over Door-To-Door Salesmen Ignoring ‘No Soliciting’ Signs

One Cheyenne resident captured video last week of a solicitor first lying that he wasn't selling anything and then admitting he ignored the 'no soliciting' sign. The company responded that they have "escalated these concerns to leadership."

Jackson WalkerSeptember 14, 2025

Train enthusiast and vintage railcar expert Michael Pannell has rescued a 113-year-old boxcar from oblivion in Cheyenne. Inside, the car has signatures of workers, something Pannell intends to preserve.

Cheyenne Man Restoring 113-Year-Old Union Pacific Boxcar

Cheyenne train enthusiast Michael Pannell is restoring a 113-year-old Union Pacific boxcar. Although passersby may think the train car is ready for the junk heap, to Pannell, it can be a museum -- complete with signatures and dates from railroad workers.

Renée JeanSeptember 14, 2025

How A Bullied Casper Kid Went Viral As The Internet’s Gothic KingCobra

He invented a religion, was relentlessly bullied and died too young at 34 last month. To know Josh Saunders — YouTube’s viral gothic KingCobra — is to scroll through a troubled existence documented in video after video which have been viewed more than 20 million times.

David MadisonSeptember 14, 2025

Wyoming native Mark Valenzuela and friends at a Buffalo Bills game in Buffalo, New York

Reporter's Notebook: The Very Real Bond Between Wyoming And Buffalo, New York

Reporter Anna-Louise Jackson writes, “Something special has happened in Buffalo over the past several years that’s fostered a sense of kinship between Wyoming and Buffalo, New York, thanks to Josh Allen and an award-winning wing-maker."

Anna-Louise JacksonSeptember 13, 2025

Former Wyoming Gov. Ed Hershcler's recipe for brown elk had quirky food blogger Bennett Rea skeptical, but he admitted it's "pretty tasty." I starts with a bath in 7Up and is finished with a package of brown mushroom gravy mix.

Internet Chef Unearths Wyoming Gov Ed Herschler’s Brown Elk In Beer Recipe

A quirky chef who has an Internet series called “Cookin' With Congress" has unearthed former Wyoming Gov. Ed Herschler’s brown elk recipe, made with beer and 7Up. He questioned putting powdered gravy on an expensive cut of elk, but admits it’s “pretty tasty.”

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2025

87-year-old Martin Andreen is a self-taught appliance repair man. He repairs both modern and older models, especially washing machines. He is not fazed by circuit boards and modern technology. Andreen has found ways to repair sensors and other new-fangled contraptions that come his way to his shop in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Meet Mr. Fix-It: 87-Year-Old Martin Andreen Keeps Thermopolis Running

At 87, Martin Andreen is a Thermopolis throwback who's kept the small Wyoming town running for decades as a self-taught appliance repairman. He’s known to locals as Mr. Fix-It, and if he doesn’t know how to fix something, he’ll figure it out.

Jackie DorothySeptember 13, 2025

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

A group of Josh Allen fans in Buffalo for a game, including 7220 Sports founder and Wyomingite Cody Tucker, second from right. The sign shows Buffalo appreciates Wyoming as much as the Cowboy State has embraced the Bills.

Buffalo To Wyoming: Thanks For Josh Allen, And Welcome To The 'Bills Mafia'

Since former University of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen was the No. 1 draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2018, many Wyomingites have adopted the team as their own. In return, Buffalo has bonded with Wyoming, welcoming its fans into their rabid “Bills Mafia."

Anna-Louise JacksonSeptember 06, 2025

Wheatland beekeeper Pete Herman has installed an electric fence and surveillance after his hives were ransacked this week. A tuft of fur points to a hungry bear, which he fears will return to get the rest of his honey.

Wheatland Beekeeper Devastated After Bear Ransacks His Hives

A Wheatland beekeeper has installed an electric fence and surveillance after his hives were ransacked this week. A tuft of fur points to a hungry bear, which he fears will return to get the rest of his honey.

Jackson WalkerSeptember 05, 2025

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