Headlines
Explore a chronological display of Cowboy State Daily’s articles.
News
Remember When: Rocky’s Siberian Training Site In “Rocky IV” Happened In Wyoming
When Rocky Balboa opted for the isolation and desolation of frigid Siberia while training for his revenge fight with the Soviet’s indestructible prizefighter Ivan Drago, it’s actually Wyoming that plays the part of the Russian wasteland. The filming happened 40 years ago outside of Jackson.
Jake NicholsDecember 14, 2025
How Yellowstone Rangers Use Heavy Equipment To Drag 2,000-Pound Carcasses Away
When a 2,000-pound bison dies too close to tourist hotspots in Yellowstone National Park, rangers have to move it. That’s a big job that takes tractors, winches, and front-end loaders.
Andrew RossiDecember 14, 2025
Family Picks Up Search For Missing Gillette Cowboy After Nearly 20 Years
Roy Vavra mysteriously disappeared in January 2006 after friends reported seeing an unknown white pickup parked in his driveway. Apart from one unconfirmed sighting, there have been no traces of the Gillette man in nearly two decades.
Jen KocherDecember 14, 2025
Wyoming History: Gillette Named For Railroad Surveyor Who Never Lived There
Surveyor Edward Gillette saved a railroad thousands of dollars by rerouting tracks near Donkey Creek in northeast Wyoming, and the grateful company named the new town of Gillette after him. Before then it was known as Donkey Town.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 13, 2025
3D-Printed Skulls Mean Hunters Don’t Have To Boil Heads To Mount Trophy Antlers
Until 3D printing technology along, hunters would boil an animal’s skinned head for hours making it easier to scrape off the remaining flesh or get a tank full of carnivorous beetles, eager to devour the flesh and brains, picking the skull clean.
Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2025
Mystery Deepens Over Missing Cattle In Northern Colorado
Dozens of Black Angus cows have vanished from multiple ranches northeast of Greeley, Colorado. Ranchers suspect theft as authorities investigate the baffling disappearances. Rancher Chad Sanger, who is missing 9 cows, says there are no holes in his fences.
Scott SchwebkeDecember 13, 2025
Just Off I-25 In Chugwater, It’s Too Windy Even For A Cup Of Coffee
Wyoming’s infamous winter wind was in full force this week, leaving dozens of blown-over semitrailers littered across the state’s highways. Just off I-25 in Chugwater, it was too windy even to pour a cup of coffee.
Renée JeanDecember 13, 2025
The Humble Sloppy Joe Is Making A Comeback and Sheridan Chef Is Leading The Charge
The lowly Sloppy Joe might dwell at the bottom of Americana comfort food totem pole, but it’s enjoying a revival. Chef Andrew Nord at Smith Alley Brewing in Sheridan is reinventing the sandwich with a gourmet makeover featuring the brewery's Steamboat Stout.
David MadisonDecember 13, 2025
Meet 'The Boss,' Canada's Legendary 700-Pound, 28-Year-Old Grizzly Who Beat A Train
In Wyoming, the most famous bear was Grizzly 399. In Canada, it's a gigantic 700-pound grizzly known as "The Boss." Not only did he walk away after being hit by a train but biologists say he's fathered half the cubs in Banff National Park in Alberta.
Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2025
Joan Barron: Hands Off Wyoming's Exclusive Miners' Fund
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Miners are in a special class when it comes to budgets. They have their very own program, with a healthy pot of money. But, like all healthcare programs, it is faced with increasing costs. Today it totals $99,275,233."
Joan BarronDecember 13, 2025
Bill Sniffin: A Love Letter To My Wife Nancy On Her Birthday
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “When you have spent 60 years with your best friend, the person you love, it is appropriate to write her a personal love letter. This is my best attempt.”
Bill SniffinDecember 13, 2025
Wyoming Army Veteran And Paralympian Gets A New House Near Casper
Army veteran and two-time Paralympian Bryan Price received a fully accessible house near Casper from Homes For Our Troops. It gives his family long-term stability and independence after years in spaces not suited for his wheelchair.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 13, 2025
Buried In Snow, Yellowstone's Bison Have No Problems Weathering Winter
Wyoming’s Yellowstone bison look miserable when caked in snow and frost, but their thick coats, fat reserves and efficient digestion keep them warm and fueled through brutal winters. Snow acts as extra insulating layer, said one biologist.
Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2025
Cattle Ranchers Revive Nebraska Town With Bold Producer-Owned Beef Plant
Nebraska’s new producer-owned packing plant opened in May and is among the first to be built in America in a generation. It’s also an experiment that’s already rewriting the future for a small western town that was once the fastest shrinking community in Nebraska.
Renée JeanDecember 13, 2025
Looking For Love At The NFR: Urban Cowboy Ruins A Honky-Tonk Dream At Gilley's
Rodeo fans stampede to Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo, but one obnoxious “Arizona Urban Cowboy” manages to ruin every romantic possibility. Between mechanical bulls and honky-tonk heartbreak, the only place to escape might be the dance floor at Gilley's.
Zakary SonntagDecember 13, 2025
Interim U.S. Attorney Darin Smith Advances In Scathing Nomination Hearing
The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary advanced President Donald Trump’s nomination of former state Sen. Darin Smith for Wyoming’s U.S. Attorney seat Thursday, though two Democratic senators cast Smith as unqualified and politically charged.
Clair McFarlandDecember 13, 2025
Lawmaker Questions Wyoming Adjutant General Over Presence Of UFOs
At an appropriations hearing Friday, Wyoming Adjutant General Greg Porter fielded a question by Senate Committee Chair Tim Salazar about UFOs in Wyoming. Porter said he preferred not to discuss UFOs in open testimony.
Clair McFarlandDecember 13, 2025
Moose, Wolf, Horse And Wombat Cruelty Allegations Staining Wyoming’s Reputation
The alleged torture of a moose in Uinta County is the latest in a string of Wyoming residents accused of cruelty to animals, raising concerns about the state’s reputation. “It makes us look like a bunch of freaking jackasses,” outdoorsman Zachary Key said.
Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2025
Longmire Author Craig Johnson Embarks On Annual Christmas Story Tour
A real-life skunk encounter inspired Wyoming author Craig Johnson’s annual ‘Longmire’ Christmas story this year. Johnson will read the story at libraries across Wyoming and Montana, a tradition more than 20 years old.
Renée JeanDecember 12, 2025
Lummis Aims To Stop China From Influencing U.S. Coal, Oil Production
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is sponsoring a bill to prevent some countries from participating in federal agency rulemaking. She condemns comments China submitted on proposed EPA rules this year that seek to cripple U.S. coal and oil production.
Sean BarryDecember 12, 2025
Del Ray John “Voice of Jackson Hole” Dies At 80
Del Ray John, who was known for 40 years as "The Voice Of Jackson Hole" died on Wednesday at the age of 80. A Vietnam vet and community fixture, he started every show with the national anthem and signed off the same way, too: "Enjoy yourself and enjoy each other."
David MadisonDecember 12, 2025
Delegation Says Lifting Biden-Era Plan That Would Kill Coal Is Huge For Wyoming
Wyoming’s congressional delegation says President Trump took the state’s coal industry out from under an economic guillotine Thursday by killing rules that would have ended coal after 2041. They say the Biden-era plan was “asinine” and lifting it is huge for the state.
Greg JohnsonDecember 12, 2025
Chuck Gray: I Will Continue To Fight Woke Wind Energy Projects
Sec. of State Chuck Gray writes, "The State Board of Land Commissioners should take a clear stand for what is right and officially reject and defeat this proposed wind lease. We know this proposed woke wind project is wrong for Wyoming. Now the board needs to do the right thing."
Guest ColumnDecember 12, 2025
Dennis Sun: Challenges Of The Beef Industry
Ag columnist Dennis Sun writes, "At some point our cattle numbers are going to be rising and the U.S. beef industry is going to have to have some strong export markets. Now is the time to develop those markets."
Dennis SunDecember 12, 2025