Headlines

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

When the Mount St. Helens volcano blew its top on May 18, 1980, former Powell resident Valerie Pierson was a young forester at the site. She ran for her life that day, and also met the man she would marry.

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

This wolverine was spotted earlier this month near the Lower Green River Lakeside Trail in the Wind River Mountains.

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

By the end of the decade, Gillette will have hosted the National High School Finals Rodeo 15 times, more than any other city. “The NHSFR is in our DNA,” local officials say, adding they’re “heartbroken” that the world’s largest rodeo will never return.

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

Two people are dead after what Casper police describe as a domestic-related shooting Friday between two people at or near this parking lot who knew each other. “I watched them pull a stretcher out here,” says a neighbor who witnessed the aftermath."

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

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.

Fire Chief Says Wind River Canyon Fire Started By BNSF Train "Mechanical Issue"

Fremont County Fire Chief Ron Wempen told Cowboy State Daily the Wind River Canyon fire was started by a "mechanical issue" on a BNSF train. "Initially, they had a fire on board the locomotive itself," he said of Saturday's fire which grew to 133-acres.

Andrew Rossi & Jackie DorothyMay 16, 2026

A Cheyenne attorney and his father, a former Wyoming attorney general, saw what they describe as a huge, super-bright UFO driving Highway 59 in 1991. How 35 years later, Richard Barrett says he’s still trying to figure out what they saw.

35 Years After UFO Encounter, Cheyenne Man Still Trying To Figure Out What He Saw

A Cheyenne attorney and his father, a former Wyoming attorney general, saw what they described as a huge, super-bright UFO while driving on Highway 59 in 1991. Now 35 years later, Richard Barrett says he’s still trying to figure out what they saw.

Dale KillingbeckMay 16, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jeff - Saturday, May 16, 2026

Jeff in the 307. Saturday mornings 6-10 a.m.

Jake NicholsMay 16, 2026

John Knepper, left, and Artemis Langford.

Wyoming Lawyer Not Liable For Embarrassing Claims In Trans Sorority Member Lawsuit

An attorney who tried getting a court to void the membership of a University of Wyoming transgender sorority member was found not liable Friday for personal and embarrassing claims he and his co-counsel included in the bombshell case's public court file.

Clair McFarlandMay 16, 2026

Dennis Sun: The Meatpackers, Always in Trouble

Columnist Dennis Sun writes, "The top four meatpackers always seem to have a bullseye on their backs, and most of the time I think they deserve it. These days, large meatpackers can’t find a win except to say, 'Well, we’re not losing as much money as we were.'"

Dennis SunMay 15, 2026

Fred Harrison: The Authentic Family — How Courts, State Diminished The Human Person

Columnist Fred Harrison writes, "In 1960, just 5.3 percent of children were born out of wedlock. Today, non-marital births hover at 40 percent, and a quarter of American children grow up without a father — driving poverty, crime, and generational trauma."

Fred HarrisonMay 15, 2026

Jonathan Lange: You Cannot Certify An Uncertainty

Columnist Jonathan Lange writes, "Whenever I read a gender-bender brief, I get a stabbing pain in my frontal lobe. That’s part of the plan: Disorient potential dissenters so much that they are forced to give up and put a cold compress on their foreheads."

Jonathan LangeMay 15, 2026

Casper Man Who Bit Deputy’s Finger Off, Barks Like Dog Gets 28-35 Years In Prison

A 40-year-old Casper man who bit the tip of a deputy’s finger off and barked like a dog at a judge was sentenced Friday to 28-35 years in prison. He was on parole for earlier nearly biting off the finger of a hospital security guard.

Dale KillingbeckMay 15, 2026

New Owner Of Meadowlark Ski Resort Says He Wants To Keep It Small

Rather than a luxury expansion, the new owners of Meadowlark Ski Resort in Washakie County plan to keep it small. “There are going to be some skeptics” because “you have a group from Florida who came in and bought a mountain,” the new owner said.

Renée JeanMay 15, 2026

Fremont County Man Accused Of Keeping Puppies In House Of Horrors Covered In Feces

A Fremont County man faces 17 animal cruelty charges after deputies say they found dogs and 12 puppies living in a trailer without food and covered in feces. The “overwhelming odor of feces” was so bad a HAZMAT team had to recover the animals.

Kolby FedoreMay 15, 2026

Black Bear Killed In Subdivision North Of Cheyenne; 2nd Bear In Area This Week

A black bear was shot and killed late Friday morning in a subdivision north of Cheyenne. This is the second black bear spotted in the Cheyenne area this week. The property owner gave a neighbor, who had a bear hunting tag, permission to shoot the bear.

Mark HeinzMay 15, 2026

Judges Dismiss Nine Felony Cases, Including Murder, Over Darin Smith Misconduct

Wyoming’s federal judges on Friday dismissed nine felony-level criminal cases, including one first-degree murder case, due to prosecutorial misconduct through “inflammatory and inappropriate” comments interim U.S. Attorney nominee Darin Smith made to a grand jury.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2026

Why Google Maps Keeps Closing Yellowstone’s East Entrance When It’s Open

The East Entrance of Yellowstone opening this month was a big day for Cody businesses, but Google Maps told visitors it was closed. Randomly closing Yellowstone entrances in Wyoming is an ongoing problem that's no closer to being fixed, officials say.

Andrew RossiMay 15, 2026

Donny Paul of Cody likes to go bear hunting in the Bighorn Mountains.

Wyoming Hunter Angry After Putting Out Bait, Then Another Uses It To Shoot Bear

A Park County hunter is angry after putting out bear bait only to have other hunters use his bait to shoot a bear. He says that’s “unethical and immoral,” while one of the other hunters says they never got close and it’s a misunderstanding.

Mark HeinzMay 15, 2026

Rebecca Bextel, a conservative political activist from Teton County, is running for the Constitution Party's nomination for governor in hopes of getting enough votes to make the Constitution Park Wyoming third major political party.

Constitution Party Hopes Bextel Run For Governor Makes Wyoming A Three-Party State

Running Rebecca Bextel as a Constitution Party nominee for governor is part of a larger strategy to get enough votes to make Wyoming a three-party state. “We are transitioning from a protest party to a legitimate party,” says the party’s chairman.

Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2026

Wyoming’s Fossil Cabin, ‘World’s Oldest Building,’ Moved To Medicine Bow Museum

Wyoming’s world-famous Fossil Cabin was built from more than 6,000 dinosaur bones, weighs 52 tons and was a target for vandals along U.S. Highway 30. It made a nail-biting, 7-mile crawl this week to a new permanent home at the Medicine Bow Museum.

Renée JeanMay 15, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Friday, May 15, 2026

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

Jake NicholsMay 15, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Friday, May 15, 2026

Friday's headlines include: * US 287 Rename “Trump Highway” * Supreme Court Overturns School Choice * Data Center Takes 30 Million Gallons Of Water

Mac WatsonMay 15, 2026

Workers erect a tower to string power transmission lines in this image from Rocky Mountain Power.

Rocky Mountain Power Says 8.8% Rate Hike Request Not Because Of Data Centers

Rocky Mountain Power is asking Wyoming regulators for another rate hike prompted by rising costs, this time for 8.8%, the company announced Wednesday. “None of the increases ... have anything to do with data centers,” the company says.

Kate MeadowsMay 14, 2026

After A Sheridan County Schools Chief Fired, Two Board Members Quit On The Spot

After a Sheridan county school board voted 3-2 Wednesday to terminate its superintendent’s contracts, two board members quit on the spot. A "lack of decision-making” by the board made the termination not surprising, says the former schools chief.

Clair McFarlandMay 14, 2026

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