Headlines

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

Mount Rushmore Expects Huge Turnout For 250th With Return Of Fireworks, Maybe Trump

Mount Rushmore expects a huge turnout for the nation's 250th Independence Day celebration that will feature fireworks return for the first time in six years. There's also speculation that Trump might attend, but the White House hasn't confirmed.

Kate MeadowsJune 22, 2026

A "bee tree" near U.S. Highway 191 in Yellowstone National Park. Cheyenne "bee whisperer" Michael Jordan said this is what honeybees do when trying to establish a new hive, but this is a temporary solution until they've started building a new hive in a permanent location.

Millions Of Bees Swarm On Trees In Yellowstone After Hives Smashed In Semi Crash

Almost a week after a semitruck carrying millions of bees flipped over in Yellowstone National Park and destroyed hundreds of hives, bees are still swarming on trees in the area. “It’s what's called a swarming mechanism,” said a Wyoming beekeeper.

Andrew RossiJune 22, 2026

Casper Keeps College National Finals Rodeo For Next 10 Years

The Natrona County Commissioners approved an agreement to keep the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper for the next 10 years. The CEO of Visit Casper said the economic boost is a big one as last year's event generated $3 million in economic impact.

Kolby FedoreJune 22, 2026

Uranium companies like American Uranium Ltd. are ramping up uranium exploration and production in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, riding a renewed focus on domestic uranium dependence.

Wyoming Uranium Surges As Nuclear Demand, National Security Concerns Align

Demand for nuclear fuel, a ban on imports from Russia and booming data center-driven electricity needs are sending uranium producers back into Wyoming. "We need the fuel, and the fuel starts with Wyoming uranium," said mining association chief Travis Deti

Kate MeadowsJune 22, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Monday, June 22, 2026

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

Jake NicholsJune 22, 2026

Gail Symons: Waiting Tables Woke Me Up Pretty Fast

Columnist Gail Symons writes, "After tuition and expenses, my flexibility hinged on tips. Those tips reflected how well I served people. There was a direct connection between effort and result, and good service mattered."

June 22, 2026

Cody Chamber of Commerce Director Jennifer Thoma (left) and Sandy Newsome, chair of the Wyoming Semiquincentennial Planning Task Force, hold the Betsy Ross flags that will be displayed on Sheridan Avenue through the summer.

500 American Flags Line Three City Blocks As Cody’s Patriotic 'Field Of Honor'

A patriotic sight greets anyone who happens down Cody’s “Field of Honor," which for three blocks is lined with 500 full-sized American Flags. It's all part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Amber SteinmetzJune 22, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Monday, June 22, 2026

Monday's headlines include: * Wyoming’s Housing Shortage * Rare Tornado In Sublette County * What Exactly Does A Worm Wrangler Do?

Mac WatsonJune 22, 2026

The Bighorn 100 is one of the nation's most challenging ultramarathons, crossing the mountains of northern Wyoming starting and finishing in Dayton.

When Trees Become People: The Strange Reality Of Running 100 Miles In Wyoming

This weekend, runners descended on Sheridan for one of the West's most respected ultramarathons. They'll tell you the 100-mile race is a test of what a person can endure: aching muscles, phantom voices and trees that suddenly look like people.

Kolby FedoreJune 21, 2026

Archaeologists at the Old Faithful petroglyph site in 2011. These circular petroglyphs were the first pieces of rock art found in Yellowstone National Park, and remain controversial to this day.

50 Years Of Controversy Over Yellowstone's Only Known 'Petroglyph'

Yellowstone's “first” petroglyph remains controversial. Some archaeologists don't buy it. While Yellowstone was a significant site for indigenous cultures rock art was rare. That changed with the discovery of the Old Faithful "petroglyphs" in 1977.

Andrew RossiJune 21, 2026

Teapot Dome Oil Fields Were Plenty Scandalous Before Historic Scandal Of 1920s

Years before armed Marines invaded Wyoming and a cabinet secretaries went to prison for the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920s, those same oil fields were already plenty scandalous. Arguments over land were often settled by whoever had the quickest draw.

Jackie DorothyJune 21, 2026

Roger Haight started carving ivory soap as a Boy Scout and, after retiring as a professor of microbiology, joined a Big Horn wood carving group. His home is now a wood carving museum with over 400 carvings on display, mostly of birds.

Wyoming Woodcarvers Say Their Work Is A Hobby, Others Call It Art

Sheridan's Don Johnson and Roger Haight may not consider themselves artists, but they create extraordinary works based on what they see every day. Johnson builds modern birdhouses while Haight carves lifelike birds, and both are being hailed as Wyoming folk artists.

Jackie DorothyJune 21, 2026

Harry Campbell, a former Casper oil worker and bus driver in the 1920s, careened into a life of crime with the infamous Karpis-Barker gang that included murders, kidnappings, and robberies. He was the FBI's No. 2 most-wanted before being caught and sent to Alcatraz.

From Casper To Alcatraz: Former Bus Driver Hit No. 2 On FBI’s Most Wanted List

A former Casper oil worker and bus driver in the 1920s careened into a life of crime with the infamous Karpis-Barker gang that included murders, kidnappings, and robberies. He was the FBI's No. 2 most-wanted before being caught and sent to Alcatraz.

Dale KillingbeckJune 21, 2026

Wyoming Communities: How Dubois, Wyoming, Got Its Name And Its Pronunciation

Dubois is a name that, to this day, is spoken out of spite. It's pronounced “dew-boys” instead of the French “deh-bwah" as a slight to U.S. senator Fred Dubois — who named the town after himself — and hated it when people mispronounced his French surname.

Andrew RossiJune 21, 2026

Clair McFarland: Y'all Could Learn A Thing Or Two From My Dad

Clair McFarland writes, "To me, the valiant man of our world is the one who makes things run, makes things last, makes things hold their purpose under pressure. That’s my dad.”

Clair McFarlandJune 21, 2026

Erika Babbitt-Rogers of Laramie is a “worm wrangler” selling customers worms for fishing bait and food for pet reptiles. See also sells worm castings, or worm poop, as fertilizer.

Wyoming ‘Worm Wrangler’ Says Nightcrawlers Are Popular But Worm Poop Is Bestseller

Laramie's Erika Babbitt-Rogers considers herself to be a professional “worm wrangler." She says anglers and pet owners are regular customers, but the real demand is for worm poop. “Everybody’s wanting that worm poop on their gardens,” she said.

Mark HeinzJune 21, 2026

$Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn’t work. Middle-class wages aren’t high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise.$

Why A Shortfall Of More Than 20,000 Homes Isn’t Enough To Get Wyoming Building

Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn’t work. Middle-class wages aren’t high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise.

Renée JeanJune 21, 2026

Wyoming’s understaffed prisons have 109 vacant positions, despite years of recruiting efforts. Now they're turning to military veterans because “there's not too many people in prison that are there for singing too loud in church,” said a former official. Above, a pair of Wyoming correcrtions officers move an inmate in a file photo.

Facing Huge Staffing Shortfalls, Wyoming Prisons Recruiting Military Veterans

Wyoming’s prisons have 109 vacant positions, despite years of recruiting. Now they're turning to military veterans because of their training. "The veterans we recruited were excellent correctional officers," said former corrections chief Bob Lampert.

Kolby FedoreJune 21, 2026

The Yellowstone You’ll Never See: Filmmaker Spends 50 Years Capturing Its Secrets

Most tourists see just 5% of Yellowstone from roads and boardwalks. Bozeman filmmaker Stephen Quayle has spent 50 years filming the places most never reach. “It’s like a whole different world,” he said. “You literally wouldn’t know you’re on planet Earth.”

Renée JeanJune 21, 2026

Lou Taubert chats with a customer while sporting a cowboy hat and wild rag — staples of western style that remain popular with both ranchers and rodeo fans.

Rodeo Week In Casper Means Mustaches, Mullets And Visitors Buying Up Western Wear

Fringe, pearl snaps and enough cologne to stun a horse. For one week each June, thousands of competitors, families, vendors and spectators pour into Casper for the College National Finals Rodeo. Judging by the attendees, western fashion is alive and well.

Kolby FedoreJune 20, 2026

Miners brought their families with them to the coal mining camps and the children attended small schools, usually with just one teacher. When not in school, Stanely Kuzara said that it was fun to play in the hills, around the mines and, during the winter, on the iced over river.

Wyoming History: Surviving A Dangerous Childhood Growing Up In Coal Town Of Dietz

The ghost town of Dietz was once a thriving coal mining community near Sheridan. Stanley Kuzara grew up around the mines where explosions were commonplace. Families would rush to the mines to discover if the men working that shift had survived.

Jackie DorothyJune 20, 2026

The giant Winchester rifle on top of what used to be Jack's Sports in Cody, which adopted the motto "Everything Under the Gun."

What The Heck … Is That 30-Foot-Long Winchester On Top Of A Building In Cody?

On July 4, 1976, John Wayne paraded through Cody with a 30-foot-long Winchester rifle. 50 years later, that rifle was still sitting on a rooftop next to the Irma Hotel until it was temporarily taken down but it will make its glorious return by July 4.

Andrew RossiJune 20, 2026

The National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois has something new — a reproduction of the Vietnam War gun truck nicknamed “Uncle Meat.” The name is from a 1969 rock album a lieutenant would "listen to while he was stoned,” said museum owner Dan Starks.

Legend Of Vietnam War Gun Truck ‘Uncle Meat’ Lives On At Wyoming Museum

The "Uncle Meat" gun truck is the latest important artifact at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois. “I know a lot of these truck drivers and a bunch of them ended up dying of Agent Orange and nobody knows their story,” the museum's owner said.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

Casper Man Selling His 1984 AMC Eagle 'Chick Magnet' Because Wife Wants It Gone

A Casper man says his wife is making him sell his beloved Bigfoot-hunting rig — a lifted 1984 AMC Eagle wagon with 150,000 miles he says attracts too much female attention. "I knew this day would come, but that doesn't make it hurt any less,” he said.

Kolby FedoreJune 20, 2026

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