Headlines

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

Gail Symons: Careful What You Wish For, GOP

Columnist Gail Symons writes, "The Wyoming GOP wants the freedom of a private group and the power of a public institution. Don’t pretend those are the same thing.”

Gail SymonsApril 27, 2026

The Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum is nearing completion of its renovations.

1942 Casper Serviceman’s Club Getting $2.6 Million Upgrade As Veterans Museum

When it was built in 1942, the U.S. Army serviceman’s club in Casper was only meant to be used for a few years during World War II. Now its the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum, and it’s getting a $2.6 million upgrade that will be more permanent.

Dale KillingbeckApril 27, 2026

Nate Champion and other small-time cowboys were targeted by the Johnson County Regulators/Invaders in spring 1892. They had become outlaws overnight when the Maverick law passed in Cheyenne, outlawing the branding of ‘maverick’ cows to anyone but the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. Mary Taylor Cash was only a young teenager when the trouble erupted and knew many of the men who were on the list to be assassinated.

Wyoming History: The 14-Year-Old Girl Who Survived The Johnson County War

Mary Taylor Cash was just 14 years old when her brother was nearly killed during the Johnson County Invasion of 1892. It was just one of many stories Cash told her granddaughter in 1959 about the northern Wyoming range war that ran from 1889 to 1893.

Jackie DorothyApril 27, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Monday, April 27, 2026

Monday's headlines include: * 60 Tons Of Antlers * Wyo GOP OKs Loyalty Test * Voice From Vietnam: 50-Year-Old Tapes

Mac WatsonApril 27, 2026

Rick French dressed for an opera-singing occasion in a velvet green jacket with a cream-colored shirt and crisply ironed black pants. Singing opera takes both skill and the right mindset.

Wyoming People: The 95-Year-Old Classically Trained Tenor Who Sings Opera In Cheyenne

Rick French, aka “Ricardo” when he’s singing opera, is a classically trained tenor who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Folks in Cheyenne know the now-95-year-old for singing opera for years at a local Italian restaurant.

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

Art Of The Hunt: South Dakota’s Largest Antler Dealer Sells 60 Tons A Year

A side gig for a pair of South Dakota men has exploded into a booming business selling 60 tons of elk, deer and moose antlers a year. Some prized specimens can sell for thousands of dollars each.

Kate MeadowsApril 26, 2026

What The Heck … Are Those Boats Half Buried In The Middle Of Nowhere Near Frannie?

Hull’s Half Acre — many people call it “Boathenge” — gained notoriety when a row of half-buried boats appeared in the middle of nowhere outside Frannie, Wyoming, in 2020. The guy who put them there has a message for those who don’t like it: “Go to hell."

Andrew RossiApril 26, 2026

Brutal And Deadly ’22-’23 Wildlife Winter Inspires New Sportsman Group

The brutal, historic and deadly winter of 2022-2023 that killed tens of thousands of Wyoming deer, pronghorn and elk has inspired a new sportsman-driven conservation group. The group raised $250,000 at its first event.

Mark HeinzApril 26, 2026

As Wyoming is riding an explosion of industries connected to data centers and artificial technology, nursing is a high-demand career that pays well. “AI will never replace us,” nurses say about their industry’s resistance to automation.

‘AI Will Never Replace Us’: Wyoming Nurse Rides Booming Career Wave

Wyoming nurse Ashley Myers escaped hardship into a high-paying nursing career. Her success story highlights rapid wage growth in the health care sector. "AI is a great tool, but it will never replace us. We have to have people to do this work," she says.

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

Grizzly 970 is a massive male grizzly called “van Gogh” because he’s missing his right ear.

Inside Yellowstone: Grizzly 970 Or ‘Van Gogh' Is King Of West Yellowstone

Grizzly 970 is known as "Van Gogh" because he lost his right ear in a fight with another male. Wildlife photographers love him and other bears in his territory dread him. He's a fighter and known as the king of the west side of Yellowstone.

Mark HeinzApril 26, 2026

David Haddenham’s A-frame at Fossil Butte was built in 1918. This photo was taken before it was covered by the National Forest Service to protect it from weather at the site.

Fossil Butte Miner’s A-Frame Cabin Tied To Legacy Of Discovery — And Death

An A-frame cabin at Fossil Butte National Monument was the home for a fossil miner as he discovered Wyoming artifacts. It also is linked to the poisoning of Wyoming’s only convicted female cattle rustler.

Dale KillingbeckApril 26, 2026

Central Wyoming Colleg culinary student Ryan Bradshaw sauces up a bison skewer with huckleberry sauce for an all-Indigenous lunch menu served during the 2026 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Conference.

Wyoming Culinary Students Learn How To Cook James Beard Winner's Indigenous Menu

Wyoming culinary students this week learned how to prepare a celebrity chef’s Indigenous menu — only ingredients native to North America. No wheat, no sugar, no beef, pork or chicken — ingredients European settlers brought that displaced indigenous foods.

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

Armed Man Shot By Sheridan Police Early Sunday

Sheridan Police Department officers early Sunday shot a male who fled a home with a long gun after “several shots” had proceeded from the home. A woman was in distress and said someone wanted to kill her baby, according to the police department.

Clair McFarlandApril 26, 2026

Nearly 50 years after Capt. William Graves of Douglas, Wyoming, died in Vietnam, his family discovered reel-to-reel recordings he sent home. “Just hearing daddy’s voice was overwhelming,” said a daughter about a new perspective she could never have appreciated as a child.

Voice From Vietnam: Nearly 50 Years After Wyoming Man Died, Family Discovers Tapes

Nearly 50 years after a Wyoming man died in Vietnam, his family discovered reel-to-reel recordings he sent home. “Just hearing daddy’s voice was overwhelming,” said a daughter about a new perspective of her dad she could never have appreciated as a child.

Zakary SonntagApril 26, 2026

Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Bryan Miller, far right, listens to a delegate during Saturday's final day of the 2026 Wyoming Republican Party Convention on the state fairgrounds in Douglas.

Saturday Convention: Wyoming GOP OKs Loyalty Tests For Candidates, Will Sue State

The Republican Party decided Saturday that political candidates will need to “strongly” support at least 80% of the Wyoming GOP platform if they want to run as a Republican. The party also declared its independence and will sue the state.

Greg JohnsonApril 25, 2026

Cookie jars are a common decoration in most kitchens in Thermopolis, Wyoming because of the popularity of the Cookie Jar Auctions in the small community. Each year, tens of thousands of dollars are raised to help pay the medical bills of the residents most in need. John Gerrells, who first proposed the idea over 30 years ago, has boxes full of cookie jars ready for the next auction and has kept a few of his favorites as keepsakes. His sheep wagon cookie jar has become a running joke between him and a friend who take turns bringing it to the auctions and bidding on it.

Thermopolis Has Ponied Up $1 Million For Cookie Jars Over Past 30 Years

Cookie jar auctions have become the go-to fundraiser in Thermopolis, Wyoming, where the 4,600 residents have ponied up more than $1 million over the past 30 years. This year, the record $70,000 raised will help the auction’s founder fight cancer.

Jackie DorothyApril 25, 2026

Canadian designer Olivier Dupon has submitted a motorized, 3,920-piece Big Boy 4014 LEGO kit to the company’s Ideas page. If the kit gets 10,000 votes, it will be among designs advanced to LEGO’s review pool for potential production.

Fan Of Cheyenne-Based Big Boy 4014 Pushes To Make Famed Locomotive Into LEGO Set

A superfan of the Cheyenne-based locomotive Big Boy 4014 has submitted a motorized, 3,920-piece Big Boy 4014 LEGO kit to the company. If his idea gets 10,000 votes, it will be among designs advanced to LEGO’s review pool for potential production.

Renée JeanApril 25, 2026

A first-of-its-kind 80 million-year-old giant squid was found in Niobrara County last year. Just where it was found is a closely-guarded secret: “If I told you any more, I’d have to kill you and all your readers,” says the museum’s collection specialist.

Scientists Keep Location Of Prehistoric Squid Found In Eastern Wyoming A Secret

Scientists are keeping the exact location of a 80 million-year-old giant squid was found in Niobrara County last year a secret. That's because there are likely more giant squid and other prehistoric monsters of the deep waiting to be found there.

Andrew RossiApril 25, 2026

Great blue herons have set up a rookery, or collection of family nests, near Buffalo Bill Reservoir in Park County.

Great Blue Herons, Uncommon In Wyoming, Nesting Near Buffalo Bill Reservoir

Great blue herons are uncommon in Wyoming, but a growing number of them have set up a nesting area near Buffalo Bill Reservoir. “They’re really going to town” building new nests to lay eggs, says Cody wildlife photographer Phil Hilson.

Mark HeinzApril 25, 2026

A prototype of the MV-75 in flight at the 2019 Alliance Air Show in Alliance, Texas. Its Cheyenne II name was officially announced on April 15, and Bell Textron is building and testing the aircraft now with delivery to the Army set for next year in advance of a 2030 scheduled rollout of putting the aircraft into service.

Why The Army Named Its Newest High-Speed War Machine After The Cheyenne Tribe

The Army’s newest war machine — a next-generation helicopter designed to fly faster and farther — will carry a name with deep historical and cultural roots: Cheyenne II. The Army says it “immortalize the formidable warrior spirit” that comes with the name.

Kolby FedoreApril 25, 2026

Navy Vet Wants To Build First Memorial With Name Of Every Wyoming Fallen Warrior

A U.S. Navy veteran is raising money to put a memorial next to the Cheyenne National Cemetery. It will be the first and only memorial to display the names of every Wyoming service member killed or missing in action in U.S. military history.

Andrew RossiApril 25, 2026

Molly (Marso) Goodrich was one of the best girls' high school basketball players in Wyoming history until a knee injury suddently ended her playing career. Now a coach, she won state girls' titles for Douglas High School before moving to Lexington, South Carolina, where she's become one of the preeminent coaches in that state.

Wyoming People: Molly Marso, From Star Basketball Player To Championship Coach

Molly Marso — now Goodrich — became one of the best girls’ basketball players in Wyoming history as a standout for Campbell County High. A knee injury cut short her UW playing career, so now she’s become a championship-winning coach in South Carolina.

Ron Morris & For Cowboy State DailyApril 25, 2026

A dairy cow at Shumway Farms with the retail store in the background.

Family-Owned Dairy Farms Disappearing Across U.S. As Commercial Operations Grow

Nationally, 39% of dairy farms disappeared between 2017 and 2022 as the industry is moving toward more commercially-owned operations, instead of family businesses. While dairy farms in Wyoming aren't following that trend, its farmland in general does.

Kate MeadowsApril 25, 2026

Renovation of the Atlas Theatre has uncovered artifacts that hint at new ghost stories. Among the items are hand-sewn railroad overalls stuffed into a ceiling and an Italian stiletto knife.

Secrets In the Walls: Cheyenne's Atlas Theatre Renovation Uncovers New Mysteries

If a novelist was dreaming up cool props for a haunted theater, they couldn’t beat what a renovation crew found hiding in the ceilings and walls of Cheyenne’s Atlas Theatre. The discoveries add puzzling historical details about the theatre's early days.

Renée JeanApril 25, 2026

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