Headlines

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

Lawmakers: Game And Fish Commission Meeting Not Place To Ask About Departed Director

Legislators and Wyoming Game and Fish Department top brass said Thursday that meetings to discuss the agency's funding weren't the place to bring up Angi Bruce's departure as director. Some cited "personnel matters" for not talking publicly about Bruce.

Mark HeinzSeptember 11, 2026

A 16-year-old Casper honor student pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he was among a group of teens who shot up downtown Casper after a confrontation July 15. Bystanders said they heard 30-40 rounds around midnight at David Street Station.

Casper Honor Student Pleads Not Guilty To Shooting Up Downtown In Showdown

A 16-year-old Casper honor student pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he was among a group of teens who shot up downtown Casper during a showdown July 15. Bystanders said they heard 30-40 rounds around midnight at the David Street Station.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 10, 2026

Page and Keith Mamot found this 2-year-old black bear in their second home near Driggs, Idaho. The bear was shot and killed soon after by sheriff’s deputies under a zero-tolerance policy related to occupied structures.

Casper Couple Saddened By Bear Killed For Entering Their Second Home In Idaho

A Casper couple said they’re saddened because a black bear that broke into their second home near Driggs, Idaho, was killed under a zero-tolerance policy for bears that enter occupied structures. “He wasn’t mean or aggressive,” Page Mamot said.

Mark HeinzSeptember 10, 2026

What began as a few local bagpipers honoring the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has become the Lander Bag Pipers, which has become a fixture in the town and memorializes the anniversiary of 9/11 each year since. Above, that first group performs a month after the attacks, as published in the Riverton Ranger/Lander Journal.

Lander Bagpipe Band Began 25 Years Ago As A Response To 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

The Lander Pipe Band began as a one-time performance in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Now 25 years later, it’s played at every local 9/11 memorial service and has become a fixture in the central Wyoming town.

Jackie DorothySeptember 10, 2026

The Pizza Hut restaurant on Gateway Boulevard in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

It Took 6 Officers To Take Down Man With Knife At Rock Springs Pizza Place

It took six Rock Springs police officers to subdue a 6-foot, 260-pound man who threatened to stab them at a local Pizza Hut restaurant, claiming he’d been in prison, that the “cartel” wanted him for being a “snitch” and daring police to “kill me, bitch!”

Greg JohnsonSeptember 10, 2026

Wildlife Groups Applaud Trust Fund As Way To Save Game and Fish From Budget Crisis

With Wyoming Game and Fish facing what its interim director calls a “dire” looming budget shortfall, wildlife groups say a trust fund proposed by a legislative committee has a "juggernaut of support." "God, I hope we dream big," one advocate said.

Mark HeinzSeptember 10, 2026

Former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods, center, leaves at Jefferson County District Court in Golden, Colorado on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Woods pleaded guilty to four felonies in connection with a DNA testing scandal.

Before Colorado DNA Scandal, Disgraced Lab Tech Handled 462 Cases At Wyoming Lab

A disgraced forensic scientist who was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for deleting and manipulating DNA data in Colorado criminal cases handled 462 cases at the state crime lab in Wyoming. “We’re lucky it was pre-DNA,” Wyoming’s crime lab director said.

Kolby FedoreSeptember 10, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center on September 09, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.

Wyoming GOP Leader Says Trump's $5,000 Promise For GOP Sweep Not A Bribe

Wyoming GOP Vice-Chair Bob Ferguson says President Trump's controversial promise to give every American $5,000 if Republicans win both chambers of Congress was taken out of context. “That is an outright lie,” he said of charges that it's a bribe.

Clair McFarlandSeptember 10, 2026

Wyoming Homeschool Parents Frustrated As Education Savings Account Funds Disappear

Wyoming homeschool families say they’re in limbo as Educational Savings Account funding appears in online accounts and then is frozen or taken away. A Department of Education official says the rollout is hampered by a lawsuit and other start-up challenges.

Kate MeadowsSeptember 10, 2026

Argument At Notorious Cheyenne Motel Escalates To Death Threats With Knife

An argument at a notorious Cheyenne motel Tuesday escalated when a resident barged into a neighboring room and threatened to kill people with a knife. It’s not the first violent episode at the Big Horn Motel, following a SWAT standoff earlier this year.

Greg JohnsonSeptember 10, 2026

Hilltop Bank Shutdown Just Confirms Why Wyoming Needs Gold, Lawmaker Says

Sen. Bob Ide didn't want to say "I told you so," because he empathizes with customers and businesses agonizing over Hilltop's cybersecurity shutdown this week. But this is exactly why he's pushed bills to bring gold and silver into Wyoming's economy, he said.

Clair McFarlandSeptember 10, 2026

A 51-year-old Casper woman apologized Thursday morning to the guardian of her former patient and to her former employer for tying a patient’s hair to a bed at the nursing facility where she worked.

Casper Care Worker Gets Probation For Tying Patient’s Hair To Bed Post With Scarf

A Casper care worker received a suspended sentence Thursday after apologizing for tying a patient's hair to a bed post with a scarf last year. The judge also ordered the woman to three years of supervised probation on a charge of intentional abuse.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 10, 2026

Shots Fired At Deputy Before Armed-And-Dangerous Manhunt Near Upton Ends In Capture

The Weston County Sheriff's Office says one of their deputies was fired on while investigating a stolen gun Wednesday evening south of Upton. That set off an overnight manhunt through rugged country that ended with a suspect's capture Thursday morning.

Kolby FedoreSeptember 10, 2026

The sun glows red through thick smoke from the Moonshine Fire on Wednesday afternoon as aircraft work above the blaze in the Laramie Range.

Moonshine Fire Grows To 3,900 Acres, Crews Save Ranch And Brace For 45-Mph Winds

The lightning-caused Moonshine Fire about 17 miles southwest of Wheatland has swelled to an estimated 3,900 acres and remains 0% contained on Thursday, with more than 150 people now assigned to the fire. Crews are now bracing for 45-mph wind gusts.

Kolby FedoreSeptember 10, 2026

A group poses next to a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Grizzly 399 at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson on Wednesday evening.

Huge Crowd At Dedication For Gigantic Grizzly 399 Sculpture At Jackson Museum

A huge crowd of Grizzly 399 fans gathered Wednesday for the dedication of a gigantic sculpture of the world’s most famous bear at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson. "Against All Odds: Grizzly 399” also features the four cubs she had in 2020.

Andrew RossiSeptember 10, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, September 10, 2026

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

Jake NicholsSeptember 10, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, September 10, 2026

Thursday's headlines include: * Hilltop Bank Cyber-Attacked * Wild Chase In Evanston Kidnapping * Shot Dog Makes It Home Before Dying

Mac WatsonSeptember 10, 2026

Tom Lubnau: Medicaid Expansion — We Are Already Paying The Bill. Are We Suckers?

Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "If we expanded Medicaid, the federal government would pay a large chunk of the uncompensated care. The question is, are we suckers for paying the bill ourselves rather than letting the federal government pay part of the bill?"

Tom LubnauSeptember 10, 2026

Wyoming Game and Fish Game and Fish Interim Director Eric Wiltanger, Game and Fish CFO Meredith Wood, and Game and Fish Commissioner Rusty Bell speak with legislators Wednesday in Jackson.

Game And Fish Facing ‘Dire’ Financial Trouble, Interim Director Tells Lawmakers

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department budget could hit crisis level within the next few years due to inflation and a decline in deer tags, the agency’s interim director told lawmakers Wednesday. “We’re not dire right now, but we’re going to be,” he said.

Mark HeinzSeptember 10, 2026

An aerial view shows smoke pouring from the Moonshine Fire in the Laramie Range, where difficult-to-access terrain has complicated firefighting efforts.

Wildfire Explodes To 2,600 Acres Southwest Of Wheatland, Structures Threatened

A wildfire burning in rugged and remote terrain in the Laramie Range southwest of Wheatland exploded to more than 2,600 acres Wednesday. The Moonshine Fire is 0% contained and is threatening structures in the area, officials report.

Kolby FedoreSeptember 09, 2026

For Post-Election Therapy, Jillian Balow Went Bow Hunting And Bagged An Elk

Fresh off her U.S. House primary loss, Jillian Balow trekked her 5-foot-1-inch frame over fallen trees and into a lodgepole pine basin, rested her compound bow against a tree and waited. There, she had to really learn "what stillness is."

Clair McFarlandSeptember 09, 2026

The Penn family with Drover, a border collie who they found dead from a bullet wound on Sunday. Nate Penn said the family dog, who was collared and "never bothered anybody," was shot on another property and made it home before dying.

Fort Washakie Border Collie Made It Home To Family Before Dying Of Gunshot Wound

A Fort Washakie family is devastated after the death of their 6-year-old border collie Drover, who was shot over the weekend after leaving their rural Wyoming property. The dog managed to make his way home before dying from the bullet wound.

Andrew RossiSeptember 09, 2026

Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Controversial Casper Mountain Gravel Pit

Arguments over a Natrona County judge’s reversal of a decision not to renew six gravel-mining leases at the base of Casper Mountain were heard by the Wyoming Supreme Court on Wednesday. Nearly two dozen local opponents of the gravel pit were in the room.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 09, 2026

Hilltop Bank shut down all branches and offices Wednesday after experiencing a "cybersecurity incident" and then disconnected itself from the internet to contain the issue.

Customers Shocked As ‘Cybersecurity Incident’ Shuts Down Hilltop Bank Across Wyoming

Customers were shocked Wednesday to find Hilltop Bank closed across Wyoming and unavailable over the internet. The bank said it had a 'cybersecurity incident' and went offline to contain the issue and has no timetable for reopening.

Clair McFarlandSeptember 09, 2026

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