Headlines
Explore a chronological display of Cowboy State Daily’s articles.
News
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
Bill Sniffin: Going to the Killpecker Sand Dunes Is Like Going To Another Planet
Bill Sniffin writes, "For all my Wyoming life, at the top of my bucket list, has been a visit to the huge Killpecker Sand Dunes north of Rock Springs. I finally made that trip in August. It was a wonderful trip and I wrote a big story about it for Cowboy State Daily."
Bill SniffinDecember 24, 2025
Zak Sonntag: I Wrote About A Homeless Couple Thinking It’d Help. Did I Make Their Lives Harder Instead?
Zak Sonntag writes, "I felt so terrible to learn they were 'evicted' from their only shelter – the abandoned sedan – as a result of the story I wrote. "The day after it published, Casper Police knocked on the roof of the car early in the morning and explained they were on private property and needed to leave immediately, Springer told me."
Zakary SonntagDecember 24, 2025
Some Wyoming Grizzlies Still Out Roaming In Unusually Warm Weather
Unseasonably warm weather has kept some of Wyoming’s grizzlies out late, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re taking advantage of spring-like temperatures to go hiking. Normally, they’d be hibernating with full bellies by this time of the year.
Mark HeinzDecember 24, 2025
Tom Lubnau: Christmas Opportunities
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "It was Christmas Eve. I was a teenager, which meant I already knew everything worth knowing and listened to almost nothing."
Tom LubnauDecember 24, 2025
Despite Aggressive Facebook Hype, No Evidence NVIDIA Is In Or Coming To Kemmerer
An investment broker is flooding Facebook with ads insinuating NVIDIA may be in or coming to Kemmerer and that the small Wyoming town is ground zero for minting the nation’s next millionaires. A Wyoming finance watchdog says don’t bet the farm on it.
Renée JeanDecember 24, 2025
Wyoming GOP Still Anti-Marijuana, Despite Trump's Push For Medical Use
President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug departs from the tenets of the Wyoming MAGA crowd that usually aligns with him, multiple state leaders said Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandDecember 24, 2025
Wyoming Could Be On The Edge Of Massive Western Geothermal Energy Push
Revamping federal lease sales, policy changes and legislation is positioning geothermal as America's next energy boom. Wyoming is on the edge of a massive push for Western geothermal energy as oil and gas expertise could transfer to the industry.
David MadisonDecember 24, 2025
Hageman's Senate Run Reignites Criticisms Over Public Lands
When Rep. Harriet Hageman declared her run Tuesday for U.S. Senate, it revived her critics' concerns over federal public land holdings. Hageman grappled with the theme for months this year, saying her foes have distorted and oversimplified the issue.
Clair McFarlandDecember 24, 2025
Officials Say Mother Of Missing 11-Month-Old Killed Baby During Standoff
A monthlong search for a missing 11-month-old boy last seen in Wyoming ended in tragedy Tuesday in New Mexico. Authorities say the baby’s non-custodial mother, who had disappeared with the child, shot and killed him as authorities attempted to negotiate a handoff.
Jen KocherDecember 24, 2025
How Christmas 1829 Turned Joe Meek From A Greenhorn Into A Mountain Man
Then a teenage runaway, Joe Meek survived a brutal winter stretch lost along the Yellowstone River before finding Capt. William Sublette’s mountain men right before Christmas 1829. Though young, he’d impressed them enough to call him one of their own.
Jackie DorothyDecember 24, 2025
Behind The Beard With A Wyoming Mall Santa (Who Smokes And Drives A Kia)
When his employer told Cowboy State Daily that Santa would not be available for an interview, Santa would not stand for it. “I have a break at 3. You can find me in the parking lot. I’ll be at the gray Kia having a cigarette," he said.
Zakary SonntagDecember 24, 2025
Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Jake in the 307. Weekday mornings 6-10 a.m.
Jake NicholsDecember 24, 2025
Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: December 24, 2025
Wednesday's headlines include: * Hageman To Run For U.S. Senate * Degenfelder Considers Gubernatorial Run * Wild Audio Recording In Attempted Murder Charge
Mac WatsonDecember 24, 2025
Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse Saved From The Wrecking Ball — For Now
Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse is getting a reprieve from the wrecking ball, with the Cheyenne City Council replacing a resolution that set a deadline for its demolition with one that calls for restoring it to use again.
Renée JeanDecember 24, 2025
Attempted Murder Charges For Cheyenne Teens, Recording Details Plans To Kill Rival
Two Cheyenne teens facing attempted first-degree murder charges in a failed plot discussed their plans in a profanity-laced audio recording, police say. “Imma kill him,” one suspect says, according to a court affidavit made available Tuesday.
Scott SchwebkeDecember 23, 2025
Yellowstone’s Unpredictable Black Diamond Pool Erupts Twice In Two Days
Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone National Park has been active since its massive hydrothermal explosion in July 2024. It’s also “decidedly unpredictable,” erupting twice in two days last week, spewing mud and water 40 feet into the air.
Andrew RossiDecember 23, 2025
Wyoming Oil And Gas Operators Cheer Delay Of Biden-Era 1,400% Bond Rate Hike
Wyoming oil and gas operators are cheering a BLM announcement last week to delay a Biden-era 1,400% hike on bonding costs. The huge increase threatened to shutter small oil and gas producers across the state.
David MadisonDecember 23, 2025
Ken Buck: The Freedom of Christmas
Columnist Ken Buck writes, "Religious intolerance and violence is occurring all over the globe. Thousands of Christians have been slaughtered by jihadists in Nigeria. Fifteen Jews were recently murdered at a Hannukah celebration at an Australian beach."
Ken BuckDecember 23, 2025
Wyoming Animal Shelters Scramble To Find Foster Homes For Holidays
Animals shelters across Wyoming are scrambling to find foster homes for homeless pets for the holiday season. They say dogs who are fostered typically get adopted more quickly because they often behave differently in homes than they do in the shelters.
Kate MeadowsDecember 23, 2025