Headlines

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

The Roundup: A Conversation With Megan Anderson

This week, host Wendy Corr chats with Cody native and entrepreneur Megan Anderson, an AI expert and public speaker who lives, works, and adventures full-time on the road in her conversion van - but always comes home to Wyoming.

Wendy CorrJuly 18, 2025

Douglas Smith, 68, was arrested June 25, 2024, in California on suspicion of first-degree murder for the killing of two men during a 2015 robbery of The Coin Shop in Cheyenne. He was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder July 18, 2025.

Guilty: Jury Says Douglas Smith Gunned Down 2 Men In Cheyenne Coin Shop In 2015

A 69-year-old California man is guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for killing two men in a Cheyenne coin shop 10 years ago, a jury decided Friday afternoon. Douglas Smith now faces two mandatory life sentences.

Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Dennis Sun: Quit Blaming Cows

Columnist Dennis Sun writes, "For years now people have been blaming cattle for playing a large part in global warming by producing methane. While cattle do produce methane, the truth is they don’t produce near the amount some people think."

Dennis SunJuly 18, 2025

Jonathan Lange: Attorney General Kautz Came Out Swinging

Columnist Jonathan Lange writes, "Kudos to our new attorney general, Keith Kautz. On Thursday, he hit the ground running by swiftly appealing the outrageous preliminary injunction against Wyoming’s Steamboat Legacy Scholarship program."

Jonathan LangeJuly 18, 2025

Barbed fishing hooks inflict ghastly injuries to prized trout in the North Platte River near Casper. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission ruled to ban barbed hooks along sections of the river.

Mouth-Ripping Barbed Hooks Banned On North Platte Blue-Ribbon Trout Fisheries

Barbed fishing hooks inflict ghastly injuries to prized trout in the North Platte River near Casper. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission this week banned barbed hooks along sections of the river, a move fishing guides say is overdue.

Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2025

A box truck lost its brakes on Thursday and was saved by the “catchnet” vehicle arrestor system installed on Teton Pass, one of two in the state.

One Of Wyoming’s 2 ‘Catchnet’ Systems Saves Driver Of Runaway Truck On Teton Pass

One of Wyoming’s two “catchnet” systems to stop runaway vehicles saved the driver of a box truck that lost its brakes on Teton Pass on Thursday. The catchnet uses a series of energy-absorbing nets that can slow and stop high-speed and heavy vehicles.

Dale KillingbeckJuly 18, 2025

Wyoming Supreme Court building in Cheyenne.

Guest Column: If You're Curious About Court, Get In There

The Wyoming Judicial Branch writes: "You’ve read the headlines, but how do you know exactly what a judge, jury, or justice decided in any given case, and why? It’s easy to find out. With some exceptions, Wyoming courts are and always have been open to the public."

Wyoming Judicial BranchJuly 18, 2025

The National Park Service has put up lighthearted signs warning people of a fox, or foxes, stealing shoes from the Lizard Creek campground in Grand Teton National Park.

Fox-Turned-Shoe Bandit Makes Grand Teton’s ‘Most Wanted’ List

At least one naughty fox has been making off with people’s shoes from a campground in Grand Teton National Park. At least 32 shoes have been stolen so far, prompting the park to put the fox on its “Most Wanted” list.

Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2025

In a scathing court filing Wednesday, Campbell County denies wrongdoing in the 2023 firing of the former library director Terri Lesley, who is suing. The county says her claims are full of bogus “self-praise” and paint an inaccurate “self-heroic tale.”

Sued By Ousted Library Director, Campbell County Says She's No LGBTQ Hero

In a scathing court filing Wednesday, Campbell County denies wrongdoing in the 2023 firing of the local library director, who is suing. The county says her claims are full of bogus “self-praise” and that she's no LGBTQ hero.

Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Wyoming Company Helps Develop Tech-Driven Early Alzheimer’s Detection Tool

Wyoming technology company Lunavi has helped develop a tech-driven digital tool to detect Alzheimer’s disease before most other tests can. It will make the tests inexpensive and available to anyone with an internet connection.

Renée JeanJuly 18, 2025

Austin King, left, with his father, Brian King-Henke

Massive Recovery Mission Planned For Yellowstone Hiker Who Vanished 10 Months Ago

A team of private-sector outdoorsmen and another of Yellowstone National Park personnel and volunteers are preparing missions next month to recover Austin King. He’s the 22-year-old hiker who vanished after summiting Eagle Peak last September.

Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Accused Serial Killer Suspected Of Murdering 2 Women In Wyoming Dies In Tennessee

Clark Perry Baldwin, a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer linked to the deaths of two women in Wyoming, died Friday in Tennessee. His death leaves a Wyoming prosecutor frustrated he won’t stand trial here for the decades-old murders.

Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Friday, July 18, 2025

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

Jake NicholsJuly 18, 2025

U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) speaks in front of poster of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on

House Votes To Defund Public Media, Gouging NPR and PBS

By a 216 - 213 vote, the U.S. House on Thursday approved a Trump administration plan to rescind two years' budget from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman voted for the measure, which also impacts PBS and NPR.

Jimmy OrrJuly 18, 2025

Guest Column: When PBS Stopped Listening, America Stopped Watching

Joanna Kail, CEO of Wyoming PBS, writes, "PBS’s unwillingness to confront growing concerns about ideological bias created a perception that it no longer served the public equally. Viewers walked away, unsure if PBS was still for them."

Guest ColumnJuly 18, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Friday, July 18, 2025

Friday's headlines include: * Kill NPR/PBS Vote Friday * After 33 Years, I-90 Jane Doe Identified * Degenfelder Fights Judge’s School Choice Order

Wendy CorrJuly 18, 2025

More than $9 billion in federal clawbacks — including $1.1 billion in cuts for PBS and NPR — has to hit President Donald Trump’s desk by Friday. It’s part of a rule that requires Congress to act withing 45 days of the president asking for clawbacks.

Friday Or Bust: House Under Legal Deadline For PBS, NPR Cuts

The U.S. House of Representatives has a legal deadline of Friday at 11:59 p.m. to vote on the proposed $1.1 billion in cuts to public television and radio. Wyoming's congressional delegation is firmly in favor of the cuts.

Sean Barry & Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025

The Upper Green River, one place where the Upper Colorado River Basin begins.

Wyoming Irrigators Frustrated By Getting Shut Off Earlier In Colorado River Basin

Western Wyoming irrigators are frustrated after being shut off earlier than normal to send Colorado River Basin water downstream. State officials are holding public meetings to keep tabs on Wyoming’s share of the Colorado River.

David MadisonJuly 17, 2025

Casper Drug Mule Pleads Guilty, To Testify Against Others In Meth/Fentanyl Ring

A 49-year-old Casper woman who was trafficking meth, fentanyl and cocaine from Colorado to Wyoming pleaded guilty Thursday in a plea deal with prosecutors. She received eight years in prison, and in return will testify against others in the drug ring.

Dale KillingbeckJuly 17, 2025

Michelino Sunseri is an Idaho ultrarunner who has been prosecuted for deviating from a trail running up Grand Teton. Now Wyoming U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman is getting involved, asking the prosecutor for documents in what she says may be an overzealous prosecution of Sunseri.

Hageman Wants Answers About Prosecution Of Grand Teton Trail Runner

Idaho ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri is awaiting a verdict in a criminal trial for cutting a switchback while running up Grand Teton last fall. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman says she’s investigating a possible overzealous prosecution.

Sean BarryJuly 17, 2025

Wyoming leaders announced Thursday they’re challenging a judge’s order that blocks the state’s new school-choice program. They’re taking their appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court, a move Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder applauds.

Degenfelder Fighting Judge's Block On School Choice Program

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder announced Thursday the State of Wyoming is challenging a judge’s order that blocks the state’s new school-choice program. “I am grateful for the Attorney General’s swift action,” Degenfelder said.

Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2025

Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak talks about the new mental health pods at the Laramie County Detention Center, describing how a significant number of inmates have serious mental problems but the jail didn't have an adequate place to hold them.

Laramie County Jail To Open Wyoming’s First In-House Mental Health Sections

Nearly half of the inmates in the Laramie County jail have some sort of mental illness, and about 11% are “extremely” ill. That’s why the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office created Wyoming’s first in-house jail pods specifically for mentally ill inmates.

Clair McFarlandJuly 17, 2025

Dallas Dickinson, 20, of Casper is accused of pulling a loaded handgun on a group of teen girls at the skate park next to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming pleaded not guilty in Natrona County District Court on Thursday, July 17, 2025 .

Casper Man, 20, Denies Pulling Loaded Handgun On Girls At Skate Park

A 20-year-old Casper man accused of pulling a loaded handgun on three teen girls at a skate park pleaded not guilty Thursday in Natrona County District Court. He’s accused of racking the weapon and pointing it at the girls “gangster style.”

Dale KillingbeckJuly 17, 2025

A black bear with a taste for human food that was involved in "a series of concerning incidents" in Yellowstone National Park campgrounds had to be killed, park officials say. The last straw was the bear ransacking a tent and tearing down food storage poles.

Park Service Kills "Food-Conditioned" Black Bear In Yellowstone

The National Park Service announced Thursday that a black bear in Yellowstone was killed because it had developed a taste for human food. The last straw was ransacking a tent and tearing down food storage poles.

Andrew RossiJuly 17, 2025

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