Headlines

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

Gail Symons: Fast Political Labels Are Lazy. Try Thinking.

Columnist Gail Symons writes: "Disagreement with Republicans doesn’t prove allegiance to Democrats. Disagreement with Democrats doesn’t prove allegiance to Republicans. Policy advocacy isn’t candidate politics."

Gail SymonsJuly 13, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Monday, July 13, 2026

Monday's headlines include: * Tourist Injured By Bison * Last Trip For Mom & Dying Daughter * Mexican National Furious Canyon Rampage

Mac WatsonJuly 13, 2026

Children at the National Museum of Military Vehicles picked up Tootsie Rolls as fast as they could.

Dubois Tootsie Roll Drop Remembers How Candy Saved ‘Frozen Chosin’ Marines In Korea

A candy drop at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois was more than just fun for kids. It honored the "Frozen Chosin" Marines who depended on Tootsie Rolls for calories, field repairs and sheer survival on minus-40 degree days in the Korean War.

Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026

From Wyoming Coal Miner’s Son To Closer: How Larry Morgan Achieved The American Dream

Born in a near ghost-town in Wyoming, Larry Morgan’s life is a rags to riches story that begins and ends in Wyoming. Yet he insists the real story isn’t about money so much as freedom — and he's got a best-selling book on Amazon that tells his tale.

Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026

Wyoming History: Chief Red Cloud Was Locked Up In Casper For Killing Wild Game

In 1894, Chief Red Cloud and a band of 50 Indians came through Natrona County on the way to the Wind River Indian Reservation and killed some wild game for food. He was arrested and spent time in a Casper jail while his wife mourned outside.

Dale KillingbeckJuly 12, 2026

Laramie Elk Caller, 9, Guns For World Title Against Others Nearly Twice His Age

Laramie 9-year-old elk caller Axl Anton is set to compete against teens nearly twice his age in the world elk calling championship this month. He's already "in the top five best callers in the country, if not the best,” said a hunting industry insider.

Mark HeinzJuly 12, 2026

Longtime Knifemaker Transforming Dubois' Outlaw Bar From Dive Into Destination

Dubois craftsman Ben Barto owns Bone Daddy Knives, a hobby turned big business that’s now bankrolling a transformation of Dubois' Outlaw Bar and giving the once-seedy watering hole a new vibe. “This was just a dump when we bought it,” Barto said.

Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026

Hollywood producer Hawk Koch shares stories of his career in the Shell Bar in Shell.

Legendary Hollywood Producer Goes To Wyoming Bar And Talks Redford, Gable, De Niro

Hawk Koch, a Hollywood producer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, stopped by the Shell Bar last week to talk about his work on movies such as "Chinatown," "Marathon Man," and "Wayne's World" and his encounters with legendary actors.

Andrew RossiJuly 12, 2026

Clay Gibbons, Washakie County Historian, has stood on several historic sites exactly 100 years after the event occurred. He said that it is a profound experience.

Wyoming Historian Clay Gibbons Outlives Cancer Prognosis, 'Grateful For Every Day'

Wyoming Historian Clay Gibbons has not only outlived the pancreatic cancer prognosis he received but it hasn’t stopped his quest for digging up Wyoming history or advocating for ranching. Gibbons says faith, family and friends are everything.

Jackie DorothyJuly 12, 2026

From Wayne Schell's radiator disaster as a young Marine to pilgrimages ending on the Santa Monica Pier, historic U.S. Route 66 is a 2,400-mile neighborhood packed with memories and myths. “Route 66 has always been the route of dreams,” says historian John Hinckley.

America’s Longest Small Town: Why Route 66 Is The Quintessential American Experience

Historic U.S. Route 66 is America's longest small town — a 2,400-mile neighborhood that one historian calls the "quintessential American experience." 90-year-old Wayne Schell has driven the entire route dozens of times and continues to drive it today.

Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026

A photo of the American flag, Purple Heart, and photos a Gillette man and his sister recently understood they had gathered up a few years ago. They are trying to find the true heirs to the property.

Gillette Siblings On Mission To Return Purple Heart To Family Of Korean War Vet

A Gillette brother and sister are on a mission to find the family of a frame-encased American flag with a Purple Heart medal. They've enlisted the help of Gillette American Legion Post #42 that says the Korean War vet was attached to a frontline battalion.

Dale KillingbeckJuly 12, 2026

Carls Dunrud was running a dude ranch in the former Kirwin mining district when four young criminals made a run for it in 1932. He was asked to track them down and warned that they were now armed with a stolen gun. Their leader was known as Sunshine and was known the be dangerous.

How A Legendary Ex-Yellowstone Ranger Chased Down The Notorious 'Sunshine'

Although young, "Sunshine" was already a dangerous inmate at an institute in Worland. When hand three others escaped, a legendary former Yellowstone ranger was called to hunt Sunshine down. "He's young, but he's a pretty tough hombre,” the warden said.

Jackie DorothyJuly 12, 2026

New York Times bestselling author Maragaret Coel said that she began writing her murder mysteries set on the Wind River Reservation back when phones were tethered to the wall by cords. While copies of her books still sell in her paperback form, the majority of her audience is now discovering her through e-books and audible books. She has retired from writing, but her books have not been retired and are still in print.

Best-Selling Wind River Reservation Mysteries Author Inspired By Famous Chief Left Hand

When Margaret Coel first started writing history – then murder mysteries – she just shut up and listened to the Arapaho elders she met with. This ability to listen led her books to the New York best-seller list and ended up mirroring real life more than she expected.

Jackie DorothyJuly 12, 2026

Wyoming’s mule deer are doing good so far this year, but there’s concern over their forage drying out before they can fatten up enough for winter.

Rain Gives Wyoming Mule Deer A Boost, But They’ll Need To Pack On Fat For Winter

Wyoming’s mule deer are enjoying lush forage for now in the high country, but there’s concern if the low country dries out and winter hits hard. "If it's any sort of normal winter, it's going to be rough," says Bill Ames of the Wyoming Mule Deer Alliance.

Mark HeinzJuly 12, 2026

Man flipped by bison at Yellowstone's Bridge Bay Campground on Friday, July 10, 2026

Tourist Seriously Injured After Yellowstone Bison Launches Man 8 Feet In The Air

A tourist was seriously injured Friday evening after being thrown 8 feet into the air by a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park. Professional photographer Mike Macleod filmed the incident and said the bison was "angry, agitated and charging anything and everything."

Andrew RossiJuly 11, 2026

The 1923-24 “Old Government Bridge” is located about 20 miles from Casper.

Ghost Bridge: Nobody Claims Ownership Of Abandoned 122-Year-Old Bridge Over North Platte

The Old Government Bridge spanning the North Platte 20 miles southwest of Casper is rusting, mostly abandoned and nobody claims ownership of it. But if those nuts, bolts and steel beams could speak, they would tell stories about bootleggers and murder.

Dale KillingbeckJuly 11, 2026

Some say chainsaws should be allowed wilderness areas to clear trails of dead trees. Others argue that wilderness is no place for machinery of any kind.

As Dead Trees Clog Wyoming Wilderness Trails, Some Argue For Using Chainsaws

So many dead trees are piling up on Wyoming’s remote wilderness trails, some outfitters say they should be allowed to use chainsaws to clear them rather than working for days with hand tools. Chainsaws have been banned from those areas for 62 years.

Mark HeinzJuly 11, 2026

Kristen Stauffer on the one-of-a-kind Zerbst Trackway on the Zerbst "Paleo Park" Ranch near Newcastle. Stauffer has been taking tours to the track site, found by her father Leonard, for years. That's why she was "shell-shocked" that someone trespassed on and damaged a rare hadrosaur footprint.

Newcastle Family 'Shell-Shocked' By Vandalism Of Rare Dinosaur Footprints

A trespasser trying illegally to make a copy of rare dinosaur footprints on the "Paleo Park" Zerbst Ranch near Newcastle ended up vandalizing the site. “I was shell-shocked. “We have spent years protecting them,” said the owner.

Andrew RossiJuly 11, 2026

Bill Sniffin: July’s Parades Are Coming Out Parties For Our Wyoming Politicians

Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Early in the year, most politicians operate in obscurity. But once July’s parade season hits, political competition rises to the top of favorite activities.”

Bill SniffinJuly 11, 2026

Joan Barron: 'Property Tax Initiative’ May Be Too Generous

Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Property taxpayers like me are confused. Property taxes pay a large share of the cost of public schools. That lost property tax money will need to be replaced — back-filled — most likely by sales taxes."

Joan BarronJuly 11, 2026

Letter To The Editor: Dave Simpson Is Right About Democratic Socialism

Dear editor: They say it's about affordable housing, education, child care, medical care, jobs that pay a living wage. Then perhaps these people should go live in Venezuela, Cuba or Brazil and other socialist countries where all this was promised...

July 11, 2026

Letter To The Editor: Travel To Europe With Me To See Socialism In Action

Dear editor: May I invite [the woman from Rock Springs] to travel with me to good old Europe where this glorious sytem of socialism has perverted all societies to classic hellholes of distribution, crime and misery.

July 11, 2026

Letter To The Editor: Quit Complaining And Work Harder If You Want A Better Life

Dear editor: I will not apologize for being a baby boomer. If your life isn't the way you want it, work and make it better, stop going to Starbucks, stop cable TV, streaming service and things that you don't need to live.

July 11, 2026

Homes are getting closer to completion at Pronghorn Crossing.

Cheyenne’s Habitat Fix Turns Eight Homes Into Affordable Housing For 12 Families

Two single moms shut out of Cheyenne’s starter-home market are among 12 families getting a chance at homeownership in a new Habitat for Humanity neighborhood. Once set for eight houses, it grew to 12 after Cheyenne rewrote building and zoning rules.

Renée JeanJuly 11, 2026

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