Headlines

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

Matthew Nick Leslie has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges stemming from the discovery of more than 30,000 files of child pornography in his posession.

Casper Man Accused Of Having 30,000 Child Porn Files Pleads Guilty

A 48-year-old Casper man pleaded guilty Monday to eight charges involving child porn, including images involving sadomasochism and bestiality. He was accused of having more than 30,000 files of child porn and will get a maximum 16-year sentence.

Dale KillingbeckMay 12, 2025

Guest Column: Transfer, Sale Of Public Lands Is No Longer Just A Threat -- It’s A Reality

Rick Mickelsen writes, "The prospect of selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands to the highest bidder has seemed like a hypothetical issue — until now."

Guest ColumnMay 12, 2025

Wyoming lawmakers decided May 9, 2025, to consider assessing harsher penalties for public officials who don’t produce public documents upon request.

Legislators Eye Tougher Fines For Officials Who Won't Give Up Public Records

Wyoming lawmakers decided Friday to consider assessing harsher penalties for public officials who don’t produce public documents upon request.

Clair McFarlandMay 12, 2025

Thirteen Bozeman police officers were caught playing games of “Crime Bingo,” the department reported. The customized bingo cards included incidents to check off during traffic stops, like “arrest 2 people” or “butt-ass naked.”

‘Crime Bingo’ Results In 9 Montana Felony Cases Being Thrown Out

Nine felony cases connected to Bozeman, Montana, police officers playing “Crime Bingo” have been tossed by the local county attorney. The arrests could be tainted by the potential for officers to make them based on the game.

David MadisonMay 12, 2025

A protester shouts into a microphone and hits a drum while marching through the streets to demonstrate against U.S. President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Letter To The Editor: Why Should Wyoming Care About Habeus Corpus?

Dear editor: If we cannot trust our current federal representatives, then I hope we can at least count on Wyomings' leadership and their sense of frontier independence to ensure that we as a state resist blatant disregard for the Constitution...

May 12, 2025

Transgender rights activist and supporters participate in the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington City.

Letter To The Editor: Many May Be Surprised To Know That Sex Is Not Binary

Dear editor: The idea that sex is binary is not supported by science, as there are many common sex chromosomal variations that don't exactly match a binary.

May 12, 2025

Guest Column: Don't Listen To The Loudest Voice And Mistake It For The Truth

Rep. Cody Wylie writes, "Rep. Darin McCann wrote a guest column criticizing legislators for not supporting a 2024 Freedom Caucus bill on parental rights. That version of the story is misleading at best — and a Freedom Caucus hack job in misinformation at worst."

Guest ColumnMay 12, 2025

Foxhill Apartments Building 23 was the scene of an incident that left two people shot Sunday evening, May 11, 2025.

Casper Woman Heard Gunshots, Opened Apartment Door To Find Body At Her Feet

A woman living in an apartment complex in Casper said she heard gunshots in the apartment above hers Sunday night and a plea for someone to call 911. She ran to the door of her building to find the body of a masked man at her feet.

Dale KillingbeckMay 12, 2025

Letter To The Editor: South Pass Gold Mine – Celebration or Concern?

Dear editor: I was interested to read the Cowboy State Daily article about the history of gold mining in the South Pass Area and the possibility of a new mine in the area. So, the question is, how can this new mine NOT contaminate the environment?

May 12, 2025

Dave Simpson: He Negotiated Like Donald Trump

Columnist Dave Simpson writes, “Like Ronald Reagan walking out of nuclear arms talks with Gorbachev in Reykjavik, he got up and walked out. Time to head home to Gillette.”

Dave SimpsonMay 12, 2025

Cody Volunteer Fire Department at the Cody Stampede Parade

Cody Fire Department Pulls Out Of Parade Because They Can't Throw Water Balloons

The Cody Volunteer Fire Department is pulling most of its fire trucks from the Cody Stampede Parade because they can't throw water balloons, a longtime tradition. The problem, the parade committee said, is innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire.

Andrew RossiMay 12, 2025

A visitor to Yellowstone National Park gets up close and personal to a bison to get a selfie with it in May 2023.

Ornery Bison Don't Just Gore People, They Break Bones And Crush Organs

Most bison “goring” attacks involve massive blunt force trauma, not people getting skewered by horns in the torso. An emergency room doctor says people who get too close can suffer broken bones, crushed organs and also can take a horn to the butt.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2025

The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house in Laramie, Wyoming.

Court Gives Sorority Women 30-Day Deadline In Lawsuit Over Wyoming Trans Member

A Wyoming-based federal judge is giving the women suing their sorority for inducting a Wyoming transgender member 30 days to re-file their lawsuit or give up the case. The women's attorney told Cowboy State Daily they plan to refile the case.

Clair McFarlandMay 12, 2025

The ExxonMobil plant in La Barge, Wyoming, not only is a world leader in carbon capture, it also produces about 20% of the world's helium.

Second Major Helium Plant Planned For Southwest Wyoming

Wyoming already produces 20% of the world’s Grade A helium supply from one plant east of Kemmerer. Now it’s about to get another major helium plant in southwest Wyoming.

Renée JeanMay 12, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake — Monday, May 12, 2025

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

Jake NicholsMay 12, 2025

Police cars idle outside of Foxhill Apartments in the 1900 block of South Missouri Avenue. Two persons were transported to Banner Wyoming Medical Center with gunshot wounds.

Casper Police Investigating Two Separate Shootings Sunday Night

Casper police on Sunday are investigating two unrelated shootings involving two victims at one scene and one at another. All three have been taken to the hospital

Dale KillingbeckMay 12, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Monday, May 12, 2025

Monday's headlines include: * Cartel Drug Smuggler From Thermopolis * Why Wyoming Hasn’t Executed Anyone Since ‘92 * Casper Man Risks Prison & Death By Smuggling Bibles

Wendy CorrMay 12, 2025

PC Corey Favino Courtesy Elephant Family USA and Newport Restoration Foundation 5 11 25

Herd Of 32 Life-Sized Elephants On Way For Month-Long Stay In Jackson

The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson will have 32 life-size elephant sculptures for a month starting this week. It’s a stop on The Great Elephant Migration, a public art exhibit promoting conservation and coexistence with wildlife.

Andrew RossiMay 11, 2025

Wyoming Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis are urging the FDA to cut nationwide access to abortion pills. (Cowboy State Daily)

Letter To The Editor: Barrasso And Lummis Don't Really Represent Wyoming

Dear editor: If anyone still has those "Keep Public Lands In Public Hands" bumper stickers, send them to Sens. Barrasso and Lummis.

May 11, 2025

Cowboy State Daily reporter Leo Wolfson straddles two walls inside Spirit Mountain Cave.

Explore Wyoming: Deep Into Spirit Mountain Cave Above Cody

Not only is Spirit Mountain Cave above Cody full of history, it’s a passageway into a mysterious and dark underworld where even night goggles won't work. Only a few hundred people explore these caves every year.

Leo WolfsonMay 11, 2025

A 25% residential property tax cut approved earlier this year by the Legislature has cities and counties across Wyoming crunching numbers. Many tell Cowboy State Daily they’re already contemplating where to cut their budgets.

Letter To The Editor: Why Are We Paying Any Residential Property Taxes?

Dear editor: We have over $30 billion in reserves. Our bi-annum budget is around $14 billion or $7 billion a year. Why are we paying any residential property taxes?

May 11, 2025

Drones have been used to chase wolves away from cattle in Oregon. There’s hope the tactic might work in Wyoming and Colorado.

Latest Tactic To Keep Wolves Away From Livestock: Dive-Bomb Them With Drones

Dive-bombing wolves with drones equipped with lights and speakers have scared them away from cattle in Oregon and a wolf conservation advocate hopes to work with ranchers in Colorado and Wyoming to see if drones have a similar effect here.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2025

Cassie Craven: Lawsuit Challenging Wyoming Voter ID Law Treats Women Like Idiots

Columnist Cassie Craven writes, "The Left appears conflicted on women, as if we were only a means to an end: Take our sports, our definitions and our dignity – but moralize about women’s rights when we’re asked to get our voting documentation in order."

Cassie CravenMay 11, 2025

Gail Symons: What I Actually Mean When I Say 'Fourth-Generation Wyomingite'

Columnist Gail Symons writes: "We’re fiercely protective of Wyoming’s identity because we’ve seen how hard-won it is. But that perspective, if not tempered with humility, can come across as arrogant. As if being born here makes someone more Wyoming than anyone else. That’s not how it works."

Gail SymonsMay 11, 2025

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