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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

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

80-somethings brawling in the parking lot, irreverent jokers, indoor smoking and an ear lost in a brawl are all part of the lore at Glenrock's Deer Creek Lounge. The down-and-dirty dive has a reputation for other vices, too.

Drinking Wyoming: Glenrock’s Smoky Deer Creek Lounge A Down-And-Dirty Dive

It’s a hot August afternoon at the Deer Creek Lounge in Glenrock, and a man named Nile is reflecting proudly on the time he clocked his 84-year-old brother in the mouth. “I should have hit him a second time,” he said.

Zakary SonntagAugust 22, 2026

After four customers dined and dashed the Sweet Zoey restaurant in Casper, the owner posted photos of them online instead of calling the police. “You come in and order this much, and just leave without paying? Who are these people?" asked the owner.

After Being Hit Again By Dine-And-Dashers, Casper Restaurant Skips Police

After being hit again by thieves who dined and dashed, the owner of Sweet Zoey restaurant in Casper posted photos of the offenders instead of calling the police. "They intended to steal,” she said, noting that calling the police in the past didn't work.

Zakary SonntagAugust 08, 2026

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