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Writer

Zak Sonntag

Zak Sonntag is a general assignment and features reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Casper, Wyoming. Previously, Zak wrote for the Casper Star-Tribune, along with the City Journals and Deseret News in Utah. He's an award-winning journalist with the Wyoming Press Association and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists Headliners Contest.

Latest from Zak Sonntag

When Lisanne Fear sat down to write a suicide note, she couldn't bring herself to part with a mustang named Phineas. That decision led to the Pinedale, Wyoming, woman's 5,000-mile ride across the U.S.

Wyoming Woman's 5,000-Mile Mustang Ride Began With A Promise To Stay Alive

When Lisanne Fear sat down to write a suicide note, she couldn't bring herself to part with a mustang named Phineas. Her love for Phineas grew into a 5,000 mile trek across the country with a clique of adopted mustangs to raise awareness for wild horses.

Zakary SonntagOctober 03, 2026

Third-generation Boulder Bar owner Burke Steele enjoys a beer on a break from running the bar.

Drinking Wyoming: The SOB Who Showed Up Four Days Late To The Boulder Bar

The crowd at the Boulder Bar on a Sunday in September offers a representative sample of rural Sublette County: rancher, fishing guide, washed-up rodeo rider and retired rig mechanic. "You’re the son of a bitch from the newspaper, aren't ya?” the owner says.

Zakary SonntagSeptember 20, 2026

A pair of AI Wyoming Border Patrol agents named Buford and Rip are turning lessons for Coloradans to "become a productive member of Wyoming society” into a real business for a Laramie group. It works because it's so absurd and over the top, observers say.

How Wyoming Border Patrol Turned Coloradan Jokes Into A Viral Business Sensation

Wyoming Border Patrol is a hit on social media. Viral videos with millions of views lampooning Colorado have turned the Laramie apparel company into a media brand. "Even a Coloradan can become a productive member of Wyoming society," its latest video says.

Zakary SonntagSeptember 13, 2026

A rediscovered extortion letter sent to Cheyenne National Bank President Bill Allen in 1972 threating to kill family unless he paid $2,000 brings back frightening memories of a fake ransom drop and a daughter who stood guard with a golf club.

Cheyenne Woman Recalls Extortion Letter Threatening To Kill Husband, Kidnap Family

A 95-year-old Cheyenne woman was going through keepsakes when she rediscovered an extortion letter threatening to kill her husband, the president of a Cheyenne bank, and kidnap her family. "Your home is being watched. I will kill you myself," it reads.

Zakary SonntagSeptember 06, 2026

Search teams battled harsh conditions Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, and used a specially designed "claw" like device designed and fabricated by Bill Dohse and Dave Sparks to raise a 55-gallon barrel off the bottom of Fremont Lake.

Barrel Up! After 46 Years, Victim Of Triple Murder May Be Out Of Fremont Lake

A barrel lifted from Wyoming’s deepest lake Saturday night may finally solve at least part of a 46-year-old triple murder. Authorities believe It may contain the body of Virginia Uden who, along with her two boys, was killed by her ex-husband in 1980.

Jen Kocher & Zakary SonntagAugust 30, 2026

The Old West Bar in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, is the social hotspot for the tiny town of 240 people. “The people in this town want to live their life, make their money, and be left alone," says Mayor Justin George. "That’s the culture of this town.” 

Drinking Wyoming: Nut Buckets, Red Bull And No Police At Medicine Bow's Old West Bar

It’s Saturday night and there are seven people at the Old West Bar in Medicine Bow. A local is explaining one feature of life in rural Carbon County: eating livestock testicles. “Cut em off quick, then put em with a little salt water in the nut bucket."

Zakary SonntagAugust 30, 2026

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