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Gail Symons: The Difference Between The 1994 And 2026 Republican Platform
Columnist Gail Symons writes, "In 1994, the Wyoming Republican Party wrote a platform about governing Wyoming. In 2026, it’s made its platform a purity test. That shift — more than any single policy position — tells you where this party has gone."
Gail SymonsMay 17, 2026

Coroner Says Mystery Urn Left At Cheyenne Park Is More Common Than People Think
When a large, purple urn suddenly appeared at Holliday Park in Cheyenne, people had a lot of questions about whose cremains were inside and why they were left there. That happens "more often than people may realize,” the Laramie County coroner said.
Kolby FedoreMay 17, 2026

Wyoming History: In Ghost Town Of Battle, Miners And Sheep Men Hated Each Other
Now a ghost town, Battle in the rugged Wyoming Sierra Madres lived up to its name, where miners and sheepherders hated each other. “The raucous music of its honky-tonks was interrupted more than once by a miner-herder foray,” historians wrote.
Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2026

Amputee Shows His Love For Wyoming With $68,000 Brown-And-Gold Bucking Horse Leg
Thor Stephenson Jr. thought he was going to die after a shotgun blast destroyed his leg during a pheasant hunt in 2013. Not so. He still hunts, fishes and hikes on a custom brown and gold Bucking Horse prosthetic he says symbolizes being cowboy tough.
Kolby FedoreMay 17, 2026

Pilot Peak Is One Of Yellowstone’s Most Famous Mountains, And Toughest To Climb
The 11,699-foot-tall Pilot Peak is one of the most famous mountains around Yellowstone, its sharp point making it one of Wyoming’s most recognizable. Known as a “mini-Matterhorn,” it's also one of the state's toughest climbs.
Andrew RossiMay 17, 2026

No Regrets: Artists Decide To Sell Buffalo’s Legendary Hitching Post Gallery
The Hitching Post Gallery has been a fixture in Buffalo for more than 30 years. Father-and-son artists William and Hugh Jennings have quietly closed the doors. “Time is the most precious thing,” Hugh said, noting that he's not done making art.
Amber SteinmetzMay 17, 2026

From Feedlots To TikTok, Young Ag Influencer Tries To Bridge Beef Divide
A young ag influencer who didn’t grow up on a ranch is becoming one of the beef industry’s most recognizable faces. She says she’s trying to narrow the widening gap between ranchers and the people who eat what they raise.
Kate MeadowsMay 17, 2026

Fire Rips Through 134-Year-Old Historic Cheyenne Pumphouse
A fire ripped through the 134-year-old Cheyenne Pumphouse on Saturday, raising questions about whether the historic building can still be saved. Watching it burn “was like witnessing a death, for sure,” said a local preservationist.
Greg JohnsonMay 17, 2026

Wyoming Church Members Targeted By Scammers Stealing In The Name Of God
Scammers are increasingly targeting Wyoming churchgoers, appealing to their generosity and good nature to help out others in need while stealing from them in the name of God. Beware of emails from pastors that ask you to buy gift cards.
Jen KocherMay 17, 2026

Wyoming Museums Can’t Afford Historic Wild West Items So They Go To Auction
A glass negative of Butch Cassidy’s prison photo and Sitting Bull’s contract to be in Buffalo Bill’s ‘Wild West Show’ are among the items in a Western auction. Authenticity questions and steep prices put them out of reach for most Wyoming museums.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2026

"Sheep Are In My Blood": San Diego Woman Fell In Love With Ranching With Wyoming Help
Brittany Cole Bush’s path to an agriculture-based life as a shepherdess isn’t typical. Growing up in San Diego, Bush was more in tune with the surfer culture than leading a next-generation shepherding revolution that has its roots at a Wyoming ranch.
Kate MeadowsMay 17, 2026

Author Of Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act Says He Will Fix Law To Fight Overreach
The author of Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act says recent decisions by the state Dept. of Ag. to shut down sales of locally produced food are government overreach. “They’ve managed to find their way around our laws and intent," Tyler Lindholm said.
Kate MeadowsMay 17, 2026

Wyoming People: Eldon Hongo Traded 6-Figure Career To Train Champion Bird Dogs
Eldon Hongo quit a six-figure career to do what he really loves — training bird dogs — and made just $12,000 his first year. Now the Cheyenne-area trainer’s resume includes 17 national champion bird dogs and a reputation as the best in the business.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2026

Casper Couple Traces 20-Plus-Year Marriage To George W. Bush White House
A Casper couple traces their marriage of more than 22 years to meeting while working in the George W. Bush White House. From the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to calls from Air Force One, they now live in the hometown of Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney.
Dale KillingbeckMay 17, 2026

Wyoming History: First Car In Yellowstone Was A Gate-Crasher Who Got Cars Banned
Henry Merry became the first person to drive a car in Yellowstone in 1902 when he crashed the park’s gate at 25 mph in his 1897 Winton. After he and his wife were kicked out, cars were officially banned in Yellowstone for another 13 years.
Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2026

After Mother Run Down By Distracted Driver, Sheridan Woman Fights For Tougher Laws
Kate Gladdin rounded a corner in downtown Sheridan last year to see the aftermath of her mother’s death, having been run down by a distracted driver. The driver, a repeat offender, faces up to a year in jail under what Gladdin sees as Wyoming’s lax laws.
Jen KocherMay 16, 2026

Joan Barron: Time To look At Home Rule Again
Columnist Joan Barron writes, “The growing public concern over the crush of data projects, the huge man camps and gambling parlors show that the influx is too much to absorb, and needs to slow down.”
Joan BarronMay 16, 2026

Bill Sniffin: Three Women and Three Unusual Deaths; Hantavirus Outbreak Memories
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “During my long newspaper career, I covered many strange deaths. These three were probably among the strangest involving exotic diseases not expected to be found in Lander.”
Bill SniffinMay 16, 2026

Haunted: 53 Years After Casper Girl Killed, Best Friend Thinks She Could’ve Stopped It
The best friend of a Casper girl kidnapped with her sister and killed by being thrown off the Fremont Canyon Bridge is still haunted 53 years later. She was asked to go with them that day and thinks she could’ve saved them, but her dad said “no."
Dale KillingbeckMay 16, 2026

No, You Can't Legally Park Under A Wyoming Overpass During A Hailstorm
No matter how tempting it is to park your car under an overpass during a hailstorm, it's illegal. Not only does it impede traffic but could cause major pileups. For emergency vehicles, not being able to get through could mean a matter of life or death.
Andrew RossiMay 16, 2026

Former Powell Woman Recalls Being At Mount St. Helens When It Erupted 46 Years Ago
When the Mount St. Helens volcano blew up on May 18, 1980, a longtime Powell resident was a young forester at the site. "I glanced up at the mountain, and I saw the top of it shaking. And then I watched the whole thing come right off," she said.
Wendy CorrMay 16, 2026

Hiker Has Incredibly Rare Wolverine Encounter In Wyoming's Wind River Mountains
A software designer and wildlife watcher who was hiking in Wyoming last week had an incredibly rare encounter with a wolverine at the Green River Lakeside Trail in the Wind River Mountains. Photos he took clearly show a tracking collar on the animal.
Mark HeinzMay 16, 2026

How Gillette, Wyoming, Lost The World’s Largest Rodeo
By the end of the decade, Gillette will have hosted the National High School Finals Rodeo 15 times, more than any other city. But the organization announced this spring that after 2029, it has no plans to ever return to Wyoming.
Julie MankinMay 16, 2026

2 Dead In Casper Shooting Involving People ‘Known To Each Other’
Two people are dead after what Casper police describe as a domestic-related shooting Friday between two people who knew each other. “I watched them pull a stretcher out here,” said a neighbor who witnessed the aftermath."
Kolby Fedore & Dale KillingbeckMay 16, 2026
