Headlines

Explore a chronological display of Cowboy State Daily’s articles.

Black bears have gotten increasingly bold around cabins in the Spanish Peaks region in southern Colorado.

Coloradans Call For Bear Baiting And Hounds To Deal With Unprecedented Bear Conflicts

Some Colorado residents want the state to allow using bait and hounds again to hunt black bears due to a substantial rise in conflicts. Colorado's sightings and conflicts have doubled to more than 6,000 this year, including six attacks on humans.

Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2026

The Sheridan man shot by three police officers in April after allegedly opening fire on them from an upstairs window has now been arrested and accused of trying to murder the officers who ultimately shot him.

Sheridan Man Shot By Police Now Accused Of Trying To Murder Three Officers

A Sheridan man appeared in court Monday to face three attempted murder charges after allegedly opening fire on police officers who then shot him in his driveway. He allegedly fired shotgun blasts out of a window screaming "Just let me die!"

Kolby FedoreAugust 24, 2026

Tango, right, with his brother and members of the Green family at their Gillette home.

Extraordinary All-Out Search Launched North Of Casper For Runaway Livestock Guard Dog

An extraordinary search for a 120-pound white livestock guard dog has been launched after he ran away on Friday. Personnel from Wyoming Game and Fish, law enforcement, someone with a plane and even the previous owners have all joined in on the search.

Kolby FedoreAugust 24, 2026

Bears’ Fall Feeding Frenzies Can Get Them Into The Strangest Places — And Trouble

When bears go into a fall feeding frenzy to fatten up for winter, they can end up in odd places. One died in a car in Colorado Springs, Game and Fish once baited a grizzly with M&M’s candy, and a black bear roamed the halls of a Montana high school.

Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2026

Brent Bien (center in light blue shirt) at a campaign event in August, 2026

Governor's Race: Write-In Effort For Brent Bien Emerges, But He's Not Behind It

A groundswell of Brent Bien supporters are vowing to write him in for Wyoming's gubernatorial race in the general election. Bien told Cowboy State Daily he's flattered, but not pushing a write-in campaign. “I’ve got plenty to do, personal stuff," he said.

Clair McFarlandAugust 24, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Monday, August 24, 2026

Jake in the 307. Weekday mornings 6-10 a.m.

Jake NicholsAugust 24, 2026

A large Meta data center campus under construction just south of Cheyenne.

Developers Now Targeting Public Lands To Build Huge AI Data Centers

Wyoming is courting massive AI data center projects, but so far none have been proposed for the state's 30 million acres of public lands. But a fight in Nevada is raising questions about building data centers on public lands.

Kate MeadowsAugust 24, 2026

Gail Symons: Wyoming Voters Rejected Arrogance And Detachment, Not Ideology

Columnist Gail Symons writes: "None of the winners ran the kind of personal, inflammatory attacks that surfaced on the Freedom Caucus side - where the argument was rarely about policy; it was about whether the opponent belonged in the party at all."

Gail SymonsAugust 24, 2026

Legend has it Thomas Edison had his "Eureka!" moment for the light bulb while fishing at Battle Lake in Carbon County, Wyoming. Nope, says a historian.

No, Thomas Edison's 'Eureka!' Light Bulb Moment Wasn't While Fishing In Wyoming

Legend has it that Thomas Edison's "Eureka!" electric light bulb moment came from a burning pole while fishing at Battle Lake in Wyoming in 1878. There's even a historical marker at the site. But Wyoming historian Phil Roberts says the story is a myth.

Andrew RossiAugust 23, 2026

One of six hot springs pools for soaking at Astoria Hot Springs Park in Jackson Hole.

Jackson's Astoria Hot Springs Offers Soak And Million-Dollar Views For Under $30

The collective charms of Astoria Hot Springs Park include milky turquoise water, wildlife sightings, and million-dollar mountain views along the Snake River. And because it's run by a nonprofit, the fee is less than $30, a bargain for Jackson Hole.

Renée JeanAugust 23, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Monday, August 24, 2026

Monday's headlines include: * Wyo Police Using AI * Intense Search For Gillette Man * World Record Golf Drive In Rawlins

Mac WatsonAugust 23, 2026

Katie Garner is a server at Wyoming Ale Works in Casper, where she said tipping 20% "is normal."

Wyomingites Among America’s Most Generous Tippers, Averaging Nearly 21%

According to a new restaurant industry report, Wyomingites are among the nation's most generous tippers, averaging nearly 21%. One Casper bartender says 20% is normal. She considers 15% on the low end and estimates her own tips average closer to 30%.

Kolby FedoreAugust 23, 2026

Pennsylvania Couple Starts Tradition With First Brand At Wyoming Ranch Wedding

When Spencer Long and Morgan Kulik got married at the Diamond View Ranch near Powell earlier this month, they had a branding — with their own brand. The Pennsylvania couple's goal is to own ranch where horses and cattle will bear their family’s brand.

Andrew RossiAugust 23, 2026

In America’s golden age of big bands and jazz, the tiny out-of-the-way Garden Spot Pavilion in Elk Mountain, Wyoming, drew the biggest names of the day. Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey and Lawrence Welk were among the stars to play the Pavilion.

Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey Among Big Names To Play Elk Mountain’s Garden Spot

In America’s golden age of big bands, the tiny out-of-the-way Garden Spot Pavilion in Elk Mountain drew the biggest names of the day. Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey and others were on regular rotation to play to raucous, alcohol-fueled crowds until 4 a.m.

Renée JeanAugust 23, 2026

Harve Ray was a more notorious Hole-in-the-Wall outlaw than Butch Cassidy in the late 1800s, but no photo evidence of him existed until recently. A Wyoming historian has uncovered an 1897 photo that identifies him as part of a branding on Kirby Creek, seen above at right.

Wyoming Historian Uncovers Only Known Photo of Hole-in-the-Wall Outlaw Harve Ray

Wyoming historian Michael Bell has officially verified a photo of the notorious Hole-in-the-Wall outlaw Harve Ray who ran with Butch Cassidy in the late 1800s. The 1897 photo, the only known photo of the outlaw, shows him at a branding on Kirby Creek.

Jackie DorothyAugust 23, 2026

Wyoming police, including the Sheridan Police Department, are testing using AI to write reports and analyze evidence, but the rules of how that happens haven’t caught up. “The thing that worries me about AI is just the ability to hallucinate,” said former Attorney General Gay Woodhouse.

Wyoming Police Departments Testing AI To Generate Reports, Look At Evidence

Wyoming police are testing artificial intelligence to write reports and analyze evidence, but the rules of how that happens haven’t caught up. A former Wyoming attorney general has mixed reactions on it and said her concern is AI's ability to "hallucinate."

Kolby FedoreAugust 23, 2026

A Casper contractor renovating a “cat squatter house” says feral felines keep coming back to trash the place. He said the cats have turned the project into a nightmare, he can't figure out how to stop them and the city is no help.

Feral Cats Of Casper Turn Remodel Of Trashed House Into Contractor’s Nightmare

A Casper contractor has spent weeks trying to make a trashed house livable again, tearing out urine-soaked flooring, ripping down drywall and digging moldy cat food from clogged drains. There’s just one problem. The cats refuse to move out.

Kolby FedoreAugust 23, 2026

More Evidence Found During Intense Search For Gillette Man Missing Since June

An intense search in rugged territory in northern Campbell County this past week has found more evidence of 43-year-old Derek Schaff of Gillette, who has been missing more than two months. It brings officials closer to “the answers our family so desperately needs,” said his sister-in-law.

Jen KocherAugust 23, 2026

A member of the Air Force crash investigation team surveys the tail section of the Air Force C-130 that crashed and burned near the top of Sheep Mountain near Jackson, Wyoming, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 1996. The C-130, which carried support equipment for President Clinton's vacation, went down on takeoff late Saturday night. Nine people were killed in the crash.

Wyoming History: 30 Years Ago Clinton Plane Crashed Into Jackson Mountain

It was a pitch-black night 30 years ago this week when a President Clinton support C-130 ignored takeoff protocol and slammed into Sheep Mountain above Jackson at 200 mph, killing all nine onboard. The impact created a fireball that could be seen for miles.

Jake NicholsAugust 23, 2026

Wyoming History: Wagon, Whitewater Only Way To ‘Doc’ Barry’s Bighorn Dude Ranch

“Doc” Barry arrived in the Bighorn Canyon in the 1890s seeking gold, but after losing a fortune, he built a luxury dude ranch where guests could only get to via wagon or whitewater. All that remains today is a ghost camp infused with memories.

Jackie DorothyAugust 23, 2026

Sarah Kelly, from Pennsylvania, and Iyonna Young, from Maryland, learned firsthand Wyoming operates on its own level after they landed in Teton County armed with a color-coded schedule aimed at diving deep into their idea of an ideal Western getaway.

Two Eastern Greenhorns Get A Crash Course In Wyoming’s Western Ways

There’s a moment when every first-time Cowboy State visitor realizes Wyoming does not operate by the same laws of physics, fashion, or hospitality as the rest of the world. That’s what a pair of Eastern greenhorns learned when they landed in Jackson Hole.

Renée JeanAugust 23, 2026

The only deeded residential property on the eastern shore of Lake De Smet is for sale and priced at $7.5 million. Texaco owned the property, but it became a retreat with views of the lake, Bighorn Mountains and the legendary "Smetty" lake monster.

Only Home On Lake De Smet's Eastern Shore Is Available For $7.5 Million

The only deeded residential property on the eastern shore of Lake De Smet is for sale and priced at $7.5 million. Texaco once owned the property, but it became a retreat with views of the lake, Bighorn Mountains and the legendary "Smetty" lake monster.

Renée JeanAugust 23, 2026

Joan Barron: After The Freedom Caucus Crash, What’s Next?

Columnist Joan Barron writes, "One of the repercussions of the Freedom Caucus rout in last week's Republican primary election is the interim work of the Legislature."

Joan BarronAugust 23, 2026

Bill Sniffin: Eric Barlow Has Chance To Lead Wyoming Into True Age Of Prosperity

Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Barlow will have both a friendly legislature and four other friendly members of state boards. There will be little to hinder economic progress in the near future. It will be a boom time.“

Bill SniffinAugust 23, 2026