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Explore a chronological display of Cowboy State Daily’s articles.
News
Wyoming Breaks 150-Year-Old High Temperature Records
Meteorologists are still analyzing Wyoming's Christmas temperatures, but it seems this was the warmest Christmas on record going back over 150 years. Temperatures on Christmas Day were up to 36 degrees higher than seasonal averages.
Andrew RossiDecember 26, 2025
How Trump's Energy Agenda Is Reshaping Wyoming's Oil And Gas Industry
From expanding coal lease sales across the Powder River Basin to a new energy secretary with fracking credentials, Wyoming's oil and gas industry found the Trump administration a friendlier federal partner in 2025.
David MadisonDecember 26, 2025
One Year Later, Star Plunge Hot Springs Still Closed As Legal Stalemate Continues
Almost a year after the popular Star Plunge at Hot Springs State Park abruptly closed, it remains shut. A legal stalemate over who will operate the attraction continues.
Renée JeanDecember 26, 2025
Mom Says She Doesn’t Know Why She Shot 11-Month-Old, Was Too Slow To Kill Herself
A woman who fled Wyoming with her baby boy more than a month ago told authorities she doesn’t know why she shot and killed him Tuesday. She also said she “wasn’t fast enough” to kill herself before officers got to her.
Greg JohnsonDecember 26, 2025
U.S. Breaks 15-Year Run Of Coal Declines With Increased Demand
The International Energy Agency reports global coal demand is expected to hit a new record high in 2025. In the U.S. and Wyoming, it’s expected to increase 8%, breaking a 15-year run of 6% annual declines.
Kate MeadowsDecember 26, 2025
Company Denies Claims That Yellowstone Tour Buses Routinely Block Roads
It's against the rules to stop in the middle of the road in Yellowstone National Park, but people do it anyway. Some claim big tour companies get away with it, but the park’s largest tour provider says that’s not the case.
Mark HeinzDecember 26, 2025
Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Friday, December 26, 2025
Jake in the 307. Weekday mornings 6-10 a.m.
Jake NicholsDecember 26, 2025
Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: December 26, 2025
Friday's headlines include: * Bears Haven’t Hibernated Yet * Tragic Ending For Ten Sleep Baby * Despite Hype, NVIDIA Not In Kemmerer
Mac WatsonDecember 26, 2025
Letter To The Editor: Be Wary Of Harriet Hageman
Dear editor: In the past 18 months, Rep. Hageman has been a staunch defender of the GOP's public-land disposal scheme. She has repeatedly supported the Utah-based notion that the people must sell off their public lands to the highest bidder.
December 25, 2025
Letter To The Editor: Artificial Intelligence Helps Our Citizens Unlike CSD's Coverage
Dear editor: The recent coverage of the Platte County complaints missed the forest for the trees. By focusing on the petitioners’ use of AI as a negative, the article disparages the very concept of an engaged citizenry.
December 25, 2025
Letter To The Editor: Quit Throwing Money At University Of Wyoming Athletics
Dear editor: I am extremely frustrated with the lack of reporting on the total expenditures and amount of money the University of Wyoming continues to fund for poorly performing athletic department programs. It seems UW is now back to the legislature asking for MORE MONEY!
December 25, 2025
Letter To The Editor: Thanks For Covering The Lexington Beef Processing Plant Story
Dear editor: Thanks for going to Lexington. It isn't just about the jobs at the plant and the rendering facility. It's about who we are and where we live.
December 25, 2025
Letter To The Editor: Not Much Has Changed Since The Days Of The Montana-Bahn
Dear editor: My wife and I drove Montana highways during the "Montana-Bahn" era, and noticed that people didn't drive any different than they do now (with most speed limits at 75 mph.)
December 25, 2025
Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, December 25, 2025
Jake in the 307. Weekday mornings 6-10 a.m.
Jake NicholsDecember 25, 2025
Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: December 25, 2025
Thursday's headlines include: * Pablo Escobar's Thermop Drug Runner * Byron Tragedy: Most Difficult Interview Of Career * "Trying To Help Homeless Couple, But Did I Make It Worse?"
Mac WatsonDecember 25, 2025
Dale Killingbeck: Mystery And History, Where Did This Wooden Airplane Propeller Come From?
Dale Killingbeck writes, "History and mystery are two of my favorite things. Who doesn’t love a cool mystery especially when it involves an airplane? "So, when I received an email about a wooden propeller found in the middle of nowhere and gifted to a woman and her husband in return for their kindness, I was intrigued."
Dale KillingbeckDecember 24, 2025
Renee Jean: Prison Gave Pete Bass A Second Chance In Life
Renee Jean writes, "Pete's lived a life that sounds like it came from a movie, and I was immediately hooked into listening. It starts with him running away from home to Hollywood, where he was almost raped. "That scared him back home, but didn’t scare him straight. Eventually, his drug addictions landed him in prison. "But remarkably, he’s not bitter about any of that. He sees that as God’s way of offering him a second chance in life. A chance that he embraced."
Renée JeanDecember 24, 2025
Andrew Rossi: "Wyoming's Dinosaur Mummies" Was My Favorite Story Of 2025
Andrew Rossi writes, "I immediately knew that this story was special. I wanted to do a story on "Wyoming's dinosaur mummies" since I started at Cowboy State Daily, and here was an exciting new discovery from Lusk, published by Paul Sereno and his colleagues in Chicago. I had to cover this one."
Andrew RossiDecember 24, 2025
Clair McFarland: The Byron Tragedy Was The Most Significant Story Of My Life
Clair McFarland writes, "I drove to Bryon to interview people about the mother who'd shot her daughters, then herself, in their snowclad home. Her husband voiced a grim resolve to tell me the truth so that at least - at least - the gaping public would have the most accurate account of this already-exposed tragedy."
Clair McFarlandDecember 24, 2025
Jen Kocher: A Drug Runner For Pablo Escobar Or A Wyoming Kid Gone Bad
Jen Kocher writes, "I scanned the pages about Richard’s story that read more like a spy novel full of action-packed moments of flying planes feet above the ocean in the dark dodging radars, outwitting bandits and drug lords hellbent on stealing his loot, and years in a Mexican prison where he was simultaneously tortured then allowed to start a fitness equipment business. "In short, the life of a drug runner for the notorious cartel head, Pablo Escabar, during the height of the cocaine epidemic in the 1980s. "I immediately messaged my source back: 'This a Wyoming guy????'" "'Yeah, Thermopolis,' he replied. 'A Wyoming kid gone bad.'"
Jen KocherDecember 24, 2025
David Madison: The Wyoming Guy Who Killed The Unlimited Speed Limit In Montana
"Rudy Butch Stanko was a complicated character with traits ranging from heroic to pioneering to puzzling. He was a bare-knuckle fighter in life and in the courtroom. "When he got out of prison, he was clocked driving over 121 mph in Montana, which had no speed limit at the time. "And he ended up putting an end to the Montanabahn — that glorious era of no-speed-limit travel under the big sky."
David MadisonDecember 24, 2025
Greg Johnson: Shutdown Of Lexington Beef Processing Plant Similar To Coal Mine Shutdown In Gillette
Greg Johnson writes, "Just like when the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr coal mines were shut down abruptly in Gillette, the same thing happened in Lexington, Nebraska. "Less than a week before Thanksgiving, Tyson Foods showed up and informed the 3,200 workers there that as of Jan. 20, they’re out of jobs. The company is closing the huge beef processing plant."
Greg JohnsonDecember 24, 2025
Mark Heinz: Cancer Took Randy Svalina's Leg But That Didn't Stop Him
Mark Heinz writes, "if you twisted my arm, I'd have to say the tale of Randy Svalina of Laramie was my favorite of 2025. "After a decades-long battle with bone cancer, he ended up losing most of a leg recently. But he wasn’t about to let that stop him, or even slow him down much, from working, spending time with his family, or even hunting."
Mark HeinzDecember 24, 2025
Jackie Dorothy: Wyoming Sleuths Help Return WWI Dog Tags Buried In France For A Century
Jackie Dorothy writes, "As a historian, I have heard it said that a 'second death' occurs is when someone is forgotten here on earth. It is thus one of my greatest joys when I get to be part of someone coming back to life, so to speak, when their story is shared. "Of all the stories I was able to unearth in 2025, my favorite story that exemplifies someone ‘coming back to life’ would be the story of the World War I dog tags and how strangers came together half a world apart to find the families that they belonged to."
Jackie DorothyDecember 24, 2025