Cowboy State Daily's The Roundup

Cowboy State Daily
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The Roundup is a gathering of voices, opinions and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State of Wyoming.

  1. 6h ago

    Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, August 6, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, August 6th.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – The Wyoming Freedom Caucus claims national group Americans for Prosperity is attacking "true conservatives" running for the state Legislature. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Wyoming's AFP director says, "We don't look at caucus alignment." "It looks, on the surface, it looks like a dichotomy where Americans for Prosperity, which is a national group that has a Wyoming a director with deep Wyoming roots and residency, is backing pretty much non-Freedom Caucus candidates to the legislature. Now, Representative Bill Allemand, a caucus member, says that 'yeah, they're targeting true conservatives.' He casted as kind of a coordinated agenda to take out the Freedom Caucus, whereas Americans for Prosperity's Wyoming director Tyler Lindholm said, 'We're not looking at caucus membership. We're looking at specific votes.'" Headquartered in Virginia, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a major player in Wyoming's primary election cycle, influencing voters' choices between different Republicans. Read the full story HERE. – A new 30-year analysis shows longtime Jackson Hole luxury property values matched — and in some cases beat — stock market gains. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that one 5.43-acre property increased in value from $275,000 in 1995 to $5.45 million in 2025, an almost 2,000% gain. "Demand is huge. Supply is tiny. That's how you get these high prices in Jackson, and of course, every zoning ordinance, every restriction that they've put on Development ultimately ratchets supply down. Right, you know, at one time you could have a three-acre parcel in Teton County, but they changed that. I think in the '90s and made it a minimum of 35 acres. So you immediately turn supply down as soon as you do that, prices go up." Though not many properties in Jackson Hole have outpaced the stock market, their appreciation is still eye-catching, ranging from 6.6 times higher on average for luxury single-family homes to 14 times higher for luxury residential vacant land.  Read the full story HERE. – Secretary of State Chuck Gray brought up data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator during a U.S. House forum Tuesday night in Sheridan. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland was in Sheridan and reports that Reid Rasner criticized Gray, while multiple candidates claimed to be leading the race. "With a field this full, what's getting interesting is to watch everyone argue about who's in second place, because for the anti-gray crowd, the anti-gray crowd might want to galvanize under the name of whoever is in second place. Steve Friess has said that he is in second or first; that it's a two-man race with him and Gray. So conservatives should coalesce under Friess. Whereas last night Gray announced that it's actually Kevin Christensen, and Christensen agreed with that. And you know, at some point during all of these claims, Jillian Balow shook her head, and so you have these not only positioning where people are trying to cast themselves as front runners, but they're also getting into the fray about who's in second." On Wednesday, Gray and Rasner both asserted via Facebook post that they'd won the debate. Giralt thanked PBS for hosting. Biteman posted a link to the full debate Tuesday. Christensen authored a post expounding one of his short, lightning-round answers. The primary election is Aug. 18. Read the full story HERE. – A wildfire burning in timber west of Pinedale in the Wyoming Range has grown, doubling its size in a day and is expected to bring forest closures. Cowboy State Daily Kolby Fedore reports that fire officials say as of Wednesday night, there was zero containment. "The Bear Fire burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest doubled in size on Wednesday. It went from 400 acres to 800 acres by Wednesday night. Fire officials say they are attacking the blaze with helicopters, ground crews, and an Incident Three management team. With 0% containment, officials say that the Bridger-Teton National Forest is expected to close. No word so far on how long." The U.S. Forest Service added that the wildfire also spread from national forest land onto adjacent Bureau of Land Management property before moderating during the early evening. The cause remains under investigation. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.     Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  – A bill to delist wolves across the Lower 48 co-sponsored by Wyoming U.S. Sens. Barrasso and Lummis was blocked by a New Jersey Democrat. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Rep. Hageman on Wednesday blasted "elitist East Coast politicians' continued objections to common-sense proposals." "I talked to Jim McGagna from the Wyoming Cattleman's Association, and as you can imagine, he thinks it's a good idea to delist wolves across the Lower 48. Even if this nationwide delisting goes through, that doesn't mean grab your guns and head for Colorado to shoot wolves. It's not going to be a free for all, but it could maybe loosen the parameters of allowing wolves to be killed. That it could damage their reintroduction program." Wolves have been delisted for several years in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and can be hunted in all three states. Colorado launched a reintroduction program in late 2023, and wolves remain protected there. Even if a nationwide federal delisting passes, state protections for wolves would still apply. Read the full story HERE. – Lower humidity and relatively cool nights helped Wyoming cattle endure a record heat wave, ranchers say. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that South Dakota wasn't so fortunate, losing as many as 2,000 head to heat and humidity at a time when America's herd is at a 75-year low. "It's been hot in Wyoming, but the dry lack of humidity and cooler temperatures at night have really cut Wyoming some slack, whereas its neighbor South Dakota hasn't been so lucky. South Dakota ranchers may be eligible for a federal livestock indemnity program that could compensate owners for deaths caused by eligible adverse events. That could be an act of Mother Nature. Warren Rushe with the South Dakota State University Extension Office said that he believes ranchers have done everything that they could to save their cattle, and that was something that he really wanted to stress. So it was nothing that they could help that this happened." A combination of scorching temperatures and high humidity proved deadly, depleting herd numbers and highlighting just how vulnerable livestock can be during extreme weather. Read the full story HERE. –  A special prosecutor has cleared a Sweetwater County deputy in the April fatal shooting of an 18-year-old in Rock Springs. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the conclusion of using deadly force was legally justified after the man pointed an AR-style rifle and other firearms at officers. "An independent investigation by the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations says that Sweetwater County Deputy Nathaniel Hull acted lawfully when he shot an 18-year-old. Rock Springs police were sent to the area for a hit and run when dispatch called in that there was a suicidal subject who had already shot himself and was making comments that he might shoot law enforcement.When Deputy Hole arrived, Zander Bolan was pointing a rifle at him, as well as people who were being evacuated from the area. Deputy Hull fired three rounds from his. So sorry, Deputy Hull fired three rounds from his duty pistol, and the suspect was taken to the hospital. He later died from his injuries." Carbon County Attorney Sarah Chavez Harkins served as a special prosecutor to determine whether Deputy Nathaniel Hull's actions violated Wyoming or federal law. In a written determination dated July 31, Harkins concluded Hull's use of deadly force was justified, bringing the criminal review to a close. Read the full story HERE. – Bungee jumpers keep leaping off the 112-foot Fremont Canyon Bridge despite a tragic history that goes back more than 50 years. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi spoke with one woman who says anyone "who wants to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane." "What you need is the proper equipment and a good anchor. And the Fremont Canyon Bridge serves as an excellent anchor. And the thing about it is that it's a narrow canyon with steep walls, and the water's not that far. It's 112 feet in the air, and that's part of the allure for bungee jumpers. It adds to the experience. The free fall is incredible because of what you're seeing in your peripheral vision. The water comes right up at you.  It's an incredible experience, and anybody can do it, provided they have the equipment and they know what they're doing." Like many outdoor recreation activities, bungee jumping is becoming increasingly popular in Wyoming. Read the full story HERE. — And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

  2. 1d ago

    Cowboy State Daily Video News: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, August 5th.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – A Laramie man who pleaded guilty Tuesday for saying he might assassinate Gov. Mark Gordon says his Facebook rant has cost him his apartment, job, and college future. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that Dawson Cooley says he regrets his actions. "Back in April, Dawson Cooley was accused of making death threats online to Governor Mark Gordon. Cooley wrote on Facebook, 'Gov.Gordy. If I have to talk to you with a gun in your office, so be it.' He added, 'and I might assassinate you.' Cowboy State Daily spoke to Cooley after his sentencing, and he expressed deep remorse for his actions. He says he knows what he did was wrong, and if he could take it all back, he would." Dawson Cooley was sentenced Tuesday in Albany County Circuit Court after pleading guilty last week to a reduced misdemeanor charge of sending a death threat electronically.  Read the full story HERE. –  Numerous Wyoming Republicans are claiming some degree of credit for a trans sports ban championed by Sen. Wendy Schuler. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Schuler says she's happy if they think they helped but it was the Legislature that got the bill "across the finish line." "It became a debate when Senator Tara Nethercott did a post saying, 'Hey, let's give credit where it's due,' because she was recognizing that a lot of people and their caucuses were campaigning on the issue. She did not directly name the Freedom Caucus, but the Freedom Caucus is one that is taking some credit for the trans sports bans. When I asked Senator Wendy Schuler, she didn't really want to speculate on whether it would or would not have happened without the Freedom Caucus, but she did say 'it takes a village.'" Schuler's first blanket trans sports ban failed the state House of Representatives in 2022. Her second ban, for grades 7-12, passed the Legislature with 79 Republican lawmakers in favor.  So did her third girls' sports bill extending the ban to college.  Read the full story HERE. – Seven months after allegedly kidnapping her 11-month-old son, fleeing the state, then killing the infant during a standoff with law enforcement, a trial has been set for Madeline Daly. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that the baby's father says  "There's a special kind of evil at work here." "The father is being pretty guarded. He doesn't want to say too much before the trial because you know he wants to let that process come through. and he says quite frankly he would prefer that she's being tried in a federal court because in New Mexico there is no death penalty and in the federal court there is." Since there is no death penalty in New Mexico, life in prison also can mean a convicted felon could be up for parole after 30 years. Read the full story HERE. – Nearly 200 people showed up Monday to discuss the safety of Teton Pass following a dump truck crash last month that killed two people and an out-of-control RV that barreled down the pass a week later. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that crashes have increased by 20% on the roadway in five years. "That meeting happened on Monday and drew about 200 people to talk about possible solutions to make Teton Pass safer, because people have said enough's enough. Gary Kofinas, who I talked to, one of the organizers said this was not a government meeting. This was a community meeting, kind of formed on an ad hoc basis. So there's no specific solution, no specific step moving forward. It's a matter of just proactively thinking and trying to come up with ideas. There, there is a group that will continue to brainstorm and keep the public informed." Teton Pass, which carries traffic between Jackson and eastern Idaho, is one of the steepest highway grades in the continental United States, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Traffic reaches roughly 10,000 vehicles per day in winter and about 15,000 daily during the summer tourism season. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.     Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  – In the span of a week, Teton County will host a 500-person, invite-only, digital-asset "Davos." That will be followed by the Federal Reserve's elite annual retreat. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that each event is another round in a high-stakes wrestling match over the future of money. "The guys behind this conference have had conferences in Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, London, Singapore. You know all the big major metropolitan places in the world, and Jackson is on that short list here in Wyoming, so that was kind of point one, and then you know seven days after they clear out, here comes Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, with 120 of the traditional gatekeepers of legacy finance. The theme for this year's Federal Reserve is financial innovation implications for payments and policy. So both of these are clearly about the future of money. It's all happening in Jackson Hole." The fact that a digital asset conference with so much global heft is happening in Jackson Hole is not an accident, even if its timing with the Federal Reserve's annual symposium might be coincidental. Wyoming has spent the better part of a decade quietly rewriting its laws to court this kind of moment. Read the full story HERE. – Sublette County residents came out mostly against proposed mountain biking trails near Pinedale on Tuesday, telling commissioners they worry about harming a vital migration corridor for some 20,000 mule deer. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that opponents say the trails won't overlap. "What is a big deal for some people, is that they say that it would imperil the migration route for mule deer through their for the sublet sublet mule deer herd about a herd of about 20,000 mule deer that that use that that path to migrate back and forth between summer and winter range, and so opponents of this proposed bicycle trail system say it would you know it put a bunch of people right in the deer's territory a bunch of people in human activity and so could disrupt the migration patterns." Supporters told the commission the project is planned in a way that it wouldn't disturb the deer and could provide much-needed recreational access for locals and visitors. The final decision rests with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees the roughly 600 acres involved.  Read the full story HERE. – A Utah auto dealer accused of using forged Wyoming titles to turn hail-battered cars into clean-title bargains is now facing 15 felony counts and up to 30 years in prison. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that prosecutors say the scheme involved nearly $2 million worth of damaged vehicles. "Pryor allegedly obtained these vehicles through an online salvage auction from vehicles that were totaled in an August 2025 historic hailstorm in Cheyenne. Not only did Pryor obtain cars in Wyoming, he's being accused of buying these cars that were damaged throughout the nation. The defendant is currently out of jail on a $5,000 signature bond. He's expected to appear before a judge again for an arraignment in the coming weeks." After a preliminary hearing Monday, Scott Keith Pryor, 50, owner of The Good Car Dealer in Salt Lake City, was bound over on 15 felony counts of altering, forging or counterfeiting a certificate of title. Laramie County Circuit Court Judge Antoinette Williams found prosecutors presented enough evidence for the case to proceed. Read the full story HERE. – Scott Artis was just trying to get a video of a thunderstorm for his dad when he captured the lightning strike that started the Kohns Fire in Campbell County on July 27th. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that when the fire started roaring, his wife jumped into action. "Scott saw the lightning strike. A few minutes later, he saw the red glow on the horizon, and his wife called in to 911. And while the Campbell County Fire Department was responding to multiple fires that day, they hadn't heard about that one until they called. So not only did they see the instigating incident, they were responsible for letting the county know that there was a fire that they needed to address. They contained it at 2,700 acres." Artis, along with his wife, moved to Wyoming from California's Bay Area, and is a former molecular biologist. Read the full story HERE. — And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

  3. 1d ago

    Cowboy State Daily Radio News: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, August 4th.  I'm Mac Watson. This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Gambling sites PolyMarket And Kalshi both favor Steve Friess to win the Republican nomination for U.S. House and Eric Barlow to win the GOP nomination for governor. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that bettors, so far, have wagered $210,000 on these two Wyoming races. "So these markets, according to pollster Dustin Olson, are not really a crystal ball. They're more a reflection of headlines and chatter, and sometimes publicly released polls, and sometimes internal polls that people know about. So on the one hand, it's kind of a composite of chatter and publicly released polls and headlines. On the other hand, people are at least confident enough that they're willing to put money forward." Dustin Olson, owner of American Pulse Research and Polling, tells Cowboy State Daily that political wagering is, "one of the more fascinating things to happen in politics in the last decade." But it carries risks of fixed races, dishonest polls, and even inside political maneuvering. Read the full story HERE. – Worland athlete Roman Parra died Sunday, eight days after being ejected from his vehicle in Colorado. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that his mother says her son's purpose in life was to spread kindness." "A 20-year-old Worland man died eight days after a crash in Weld County, Colorado, that claimed the lives of three others on impact. Roman Parra was traveling in the car with four others when the vehicle got into a rollover collision. All five occupants were thrown from the vehicle, according to the Colorado State Police. Investigators are examining whether alcohol played a role in the crash, as there were opened and unopened alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle." The Parra family has established a GoFundMe to help cover Roman's medical and funeral expenses. Read the full story HERE. –  For most of Wyoming, July was the hottest month in recorded history. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that Worland's scorching 110 degrees on July 12th was the hottest, while many towns saw as many 100-degree days in one month as they usually see in several years. "The numbers are in – July 2026 was not only the hottest month of the year; it was the hottest month on record for many Wyoming communities, and some of those records go back as far as 1891. In the case of Lander, several communities had many days where there were 100 degree plus temperatures, for example, in Riverton, I think they had at least five, 100 degree plus days. That's as many as they might have in several years." National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Straub in Riverton, tells Cowboy State Daily that seven communities either set records or tied for the hottest July on record. Read the full story HERE. – Sen. Eric Barlow says attack ads accusing him of voting to allow sex changes and voting to send money to illegal immigrants are not true. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Barlow says the bills he voted against were poorly written or rushed and are being twisted against him. "These attack ads in some of them will they'll attack Eric Barlow, Senator Barlow, for these attack ads will go after Senator Barlow for voting against a child sex change ban in 2023 when he actually voted for a different child sex change ban that same year, same thing with immigration – they'll go after him for voting against a sanctuary, an anti-sanctuary cities bill in 2025 when he voted for what he thought was a more careful version of it that same year." The new attack ads say Barlow voted to send money to illegal immigrants. He denies making such a gesture, saying his nay votes on two immigration bills were due to the short, rushed nature of the budget-planning sessions that fall on even-numbered years. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.     Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  – A Rawlins churchgoer says her "heart was just so broken" after worshippers stepped outside of Sunday service to find remnants of a bicycle crash that killed an 8-year-old boy. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that worshipper Michelle Greer says, "I work at the school, and I knew it was one of our kids." "An eight-year-old Rawlins boy was struck and killed on Sunday in Rawlins at a busy intersection on East State Street and Jefferson Avenue. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says the boy was heading north and possibly went through a stop sign when he was struck. A witness named Michelle Greer says she was in church when she heard the sirens. Everyone in the church went outside, and there they saw the mangled bicycle. There was a black tarp covering a body, and she believes the man was brought to the hospital for what she is calling a nervous breakdown." Investigators reported the roads were dry, the weather was clear, and the pickup driver was not injured. The crash remains under investigation and authorities have not released additional details. Read the full story HERE. – Big Horn County Search & Rescue is second only to Teton County in calls due to booming tourism and uniquely rugged and remote terrain leading to the high-risk missions. But Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that as demand for rescues have quadrupled, the agency's budget has been cut in half. "Property tax legislation has caused Bighorn County Search and Rescue to see huge cuts in their budget for operating. They went from 106,000 a few years ago down to 50,000 in 2025. Meanwhile, their calls for help have quadrupled as more and more people travel through Bighorn County on their way to Yellowstone or sometimes to The Bighorn Mountains. When the Wyoming legislature voted to cut property taxes, that scrapped a lot of funding for these rural search and rescue operations. Bighorn County receives the second most volume of calls for their search and rescue behind Teton County search and rescue." The challenge facing Big Horn County is unique. Although only about 12,000 people live in the county – which ranks among Wyoming's lowest for median family income – nearly 1 million visitors travel to or through it each year. Read the full story HERE. – A Thermopolis woman accused of neglecting an 87-pound elderly man who's mostly deaf and blind, and wears diapers that allegedly hadn't been changed in 10-14 days has reached a plea agreement. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that the deal calls for no jail time and a year of probation. "Part of the agreement is that she would still be part of the abuse registry. If you're convicted of certain abuse crimes, you have to register and be on some registry. Now this is a plea agreement. It doesn't mean that the judge has to accept it or not. That that we don't know. The court file didn't say whether the judge has actually accepted this plea agreement or not, and then sentencing won't happen for at least 60 days, so we don't know exactly what sentence she'll get." A no-contest plea isn't an admission of guilt, but acknowledges there's enough evidence to secure a conviction. If 67-year-old Colleen Blakesley had been convicted of a felony, she would've faced up to 10 years in prison. Read the full story HERE. – For years, a huge male grizzly called Bruno was one of the brawniest bears in Grand Teton National Park. But Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Bruno is past his prime and those who routinely watch him are saying he's gotten thinner and "is on the downhill side." "He's somewhere around the age of 22, which, according to what a bear biologist told me, is roughly about 10 years past a bear's you know the peak of their prime, so he is showing his age a little bit. Some people say he maybe looked a little thin right about now, but they haven't really gotten, you know, that they do that pig out right before they go into hibernation. They haven't really had that yet, so he might still put on some weight. But he is getting old. He's past his prime." Bear biologist Cecily Costello tells Cowboy State Daily that dominant, male grizzlies hit their peak sometime in their early to mid-teens. She also added that Grizzlies rarely live past 30 in the wild. Read the full story HERE. — And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

  4. 3d ago

    Cowboy State Daily Radio News: Monday, August 3, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, August 3rd.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Searchers are optimistic that the barrel and a trash can they found two weeks ago at the bottom of Fremont Lake contain the bodies of a young mother and her two sons murdered by notorious killer Gerald Uden. Cowboy State Daily's Jen Kocher reports that their next step is to recover the barrels. "When Bill Doshey and his team were going back through the drone footage a couple days after the search, they saw what appeared to be a trash can at the bottom of the lake. Now this finding is significant because Gerald Uden claims to have placed the bodies of his two stepsons, Richard and Reagan, in that 35-gallon-trash can, so combined to find both the barrel and the trash can in the same vicinity at the bottom of the lake would confirm lends lends great credence to the fact that Udin is in fact telling the truth in his confession when he said he did put their bodies in the lake." Uden has already confessed to the killings. In 2013, he told Wyoming investigators he shot Virginia Uden and the boys — Richard, 11, and Regan, 10 — in September 1980, luring them out under the pretense of a hunting trip. Their bodies have never been found. Read the full story HERE. – Just as firefighters seemed to be getting a handle on a nearly 300-acre fire burning just outside the southwest boundary of a closed Devils Tower, another fire erupted to the southeast Sunday. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that one county official gave a blunt assessment.  "When I was talking to the Crook County Emergency Management Coordinator. I just basically asked 'how's the situation up there?' He was pretty blunt. He said, 'it sucks.' Now, interestingly enough, some of the places and businesses around the park that aren't directly impacted by the fire are still open. Like the KOA campground, which is right next to Devil's Tower, it's still open now." Although the 282-acre Left Creek Fire burning to the west is not as bad as it was, Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Robinson tells Cowboy State Daily that having another wildfire so close to the monument's boundary "certainly doesn't help any."  Read the full story HERE. – Ann Simpson, mother of three and wife of 70 years to prominent Wyoming political figure and late U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, died Friday morning in her daughter's arms. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that her daughter, Sue, remembers her mother as the most beautiful woman, "inside and out, that ever lived." "Sue said that Anne could not get enough of her family, her husband, her family, and that everyone in their everyone should have someone in their life who can't get enough of them, and so the way Pete Simpson described it, she was just encouraging even in the political fray." Son Colin Simpson said his mother was diagnosed with an illness about two months earlier. Ann Simpson was 94-years old. Read the full story HERE. – For nearly 60 years, Vern Palmer has searched Wyoming ranches and forgotten dumps for old Wyoming license plates. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that at 90, the Big Piney mechanic has a Wyoming license plate from every year, except one.  "90-year-old Big Piney man Vern Palmer has spent 60 years collecting license plates. Part of his collection is getting every plate from 1913 until now in the state of Wyoming. In every county available, the state started issuing license plates in 1913, and that remains the only elusive plate for this collector so far. They would go out on ranch land into old dump grounds, and it was always a treasure hunt, just looking for old bottles and things when they started collecting these plates and it kind of became an obsession and the two still to this day love to go out hunting for old treasures and they always are hopeful they'll find the one missing plate they need to complete their collection." Ask Palmer about license plates and you'll quickly discover they're much more than stamped pieces of metal. They're tiny time capsules. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.     Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  –  As a young man, Cheyenne native George Wienbarg figured out how to trademark the famous Hollywood sign in L.A. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that did that because he fell in love with a Korean fashion student and promised to make her line of clothing famous by associating it with that sign.  "He came up, basically ,with a stunt based on the work that he had already been doing with the Hollywood sign to sell pieces of it. He trademarked the Hollywood sign, and you know, I think at the time he couldn't have imagined this would be controversial in any way, but Hollywood's like, 'wait a minute, that's the name of our city! You can't just put that on a line of clothing.' We want a piece of that, right? So they took some steps because he had already trademarked the sign." Wienbarg found a clever New York attorney to help him trademark the sign for his girlfriend's clothing line, and then they were in business. Wienbarg soon had articles appearing in places such as Variety, the Los Angeles Times, and many others, delivering on his promise in a big way.  Read the full story HERE. – President Trump has not endorsed anyone in the nine-candidate Republican race for U.S. House and it's unclear if he will. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports the president has a good batting average in Wyoming, but his endorsement hasn't meant a win every time. "There is absolutely no telling if Trump is going to endorse in the U.S. House race because he endorsed Foster Freese on election day when Foster Freese ran for governor. Now we see Foster Friess's son Steve Friess vying against eight other people for the Republican nomination. The Politico Bill Cuban said 'maybe this isn't the best race to spend an endorsement' because Wyoming is likely going to elect someone who will work with Trump either way." One of the nine GOP candidates, conservative activist Steve Friess told Cowboy State Daily in a Friday interview that he's heard he's under consideration for an endorsement. The White House did not respond to a request for confirmation. The election is Aug. 18. Read the full story HERE. – Summer heat has sent water temperatures soaring above 70 degrees in some of Wyoming's prime trout fishing waters, so Game and Fish is urging anglers to quit before noon. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that when it gets that hot, catch-and-release fishing stresses and can kill trout. "What Game and Fish is asking people to do is to carry a water thermometer with you. Maybe fish only in the mornings, in the early mornings, and once the water starts hitting that 68, 70-degree mark, just put your fishing rod down and go do something else. Unless, like I said, if you're fishing for food that you intend to keep and kill for food anyway, like if you're fishing for bass or if you want to keep the trout to eat, go ahead." Avid angler and fishing guide Bradey Hall of Casper tells Cowboy State Daily that  a water temperature of 70-degrees is widely considered the red line, particularly for trout. Read the full story HERE. – One of the most extraordinary petroglyph sites in North America is hidden away in a secret spot near Newcastle, Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports the petroglyphs of Whoopup Canyon depicted in 150 sandstone panels are between 3,000 and 10,000 years old.  "Whoop-up Canyon is unique because while they're still petroglyphs, they're depicting a lot of what life would have been like, anywhere from 3,000 to up to 10,500 years ago, when there weren't any of the established tribes that we're aware of today, these would have been nomadic peoples that were following game across the landscape. And the image, the panels at Whoop Up Canyon depict the animals, the people, and the technologies that the people were using to hunt those animals." Hundreds of images are carved into the sandstone walls across 150 known panels. They depict people, animals and even the technology used by some of the earliest Indigenous people in North America. Read the full story HERE. — And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

  5. 6d ago

    Cowboy State Daily Radio News: Friday, July 31, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 31st.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – After taking in a friend's baby, a Casper foster mom says her family became the target of anonymous threats by the biological mother. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the bio-mom is charged with two stalking felonies.  "Investigators allege that 27-year-old Daji Carter used fake messaging apps, social media accounts, and more to reach out to a foster mom while she had custody of her biological son. When the infant was first placed in Monroe's care, she received an anonymous message that said, "You're going to die" with a knife emoji and blood. Monroe quickly took us to the police, and an investigation was able to link it back to Dodgy Carter. The threats continued for several weeks, even after protection orders were put in place." Carter was bound over to district court Tuesday after a preliminary hearing on two felony counts of stalking and two misdemeanor counts of violating a stalking protection order. She posted a $3,500 surety bond July 15 and was released from custody.  Read the full story HERE. – U.S. House candidate Steve Friess received 19 endorsements Thursday by Republican lawmakers, former legislators, and others. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Chuck Gray calls them "a tired class of political 1% insiders." "Steve Friess, who's running for U.S. House, garnered 19 endorsements this week, including from former Republican Governor Jim Garinger, a host of Republican lawmakers, former lawmakers, oil and gas industry leaders, Secretary of State Chuck Gray fired back by calling them a class of insiders, essentially, who are in favor of woke wind and data center projects. That may come as a surprise to some of them. For example, Dan Docksteder, who was among the endorsers, was one of the very few votes against big tax exemptions for data centers." Gray has come out against data centers, while Friess has said state and county governments – not Congress – should lead data center permitting decisions in ways that protect Wyomingites. Both men tout a pro-traditional-energy stance. Read the full story HERE. – Another 10 illegal drivers were busted in Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak's latest Truck Around and Find Out operation this week. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that includes one speeding with what looked like emergency lights.  "The last truck around campaign that they did, they arrested 46. Since they started this back in November, there's almost 130 illegal drivers have been taken off the road. But Kozak said that really it's not about. Although that gets the headlines, it's not about just going out and rounding up illegal drivers. It's about unsafe truck driving, and people who are illegal and don't have licenses are unsafe. Kozak also said that he knows the 'Truck Around and Find Out' campaign is going to get criticism. It's going to be politicized, and he says he's expected that, and that has happened." Overall, this week's Truck Around and Find Out resulted in about 120 traffic stops, with 40 tickets issued to drivers and 10 arrested for being in the country illegally, said Sheriff Kozak and Chief Deputy Chance Walkama. Read the full story HERE. – A suspended Newcastle police sergeant pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges alleging a yearlong pattern of abuse toward a woman. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that he faces up to 27 1/2 years in prison. "On Thursday, a suspended Newcastle police sergeant pled not guilty to six criminal charges. Prosecutors say that 36-year-old Nicholas Kaminsky, in uniform, terrorized an ex-girlfriend. He used a police cruiser, a canine, and allegedly a knife.  Kaminsky posted a $35,000 cash bond weeks ago. His next court appearance will be for a trial unless they come to a plea agreement before then." During the hearing, defense attorney Ryan Titus told the court Kaminski had found new employment that requires travel. He asked the judge to modify Kaminski's bond conditions to allow him to leave the Sixth Judicial District for work. Crook County attorney DaNece Day did not object, telling the court it was important Kaminski remain employed. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.   Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  –  A federal judge has OK'd a class-action price-fixing lawsuit against the nation's four largest meatpackers. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm says, "The packers have controlled the destiny of beef for decades, but people are starting to push back." "A whole group of people is listed in this class action lawsuit that alleges that the four big meat packers in the U.S. price fixed beef during a five-year time span 2015 through 2020. They allege that these meat packers conspired to manipulate prices, so they bought low from producers and then sold high to grocers and consumers. That's the allegation. Crook County Rancher Tyler Lindholm said it is absolutely up to Congress to fix this. That the government needs to get involved. He said, "What is allowing these big four to capture so much business under one umbrella? He said, "Congress needs to go break the back of these packers." Currently, four companies control more than 80% of the U.S-fed cattle processing market, giving them wide influence over cattle prices and the nation's beef supply. Read the full story HERE. – Wyoming legislators have advanced a "Band-Aid" to food freedom laws that led to shutting down Hippie Cow Creamery in Cody over selling raw milk lattes. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that one lawmaker says, "I'm under no illusion we're going to fix this overnight." "Senator Bob Ide had said that he's under no illusion they're going to fix the Food Freedom Act overnight. He called this stopgap measure a band aid. What it does or proposes to do if it passes is to have the director of the Department of Agriculture have an exemption privilege to where he could exempt certain people from the Food Freedom Act, so they can sell their wares at a non-designated location. Senator Barry Craigel worried, like, is this giving false hope?" The bill seeks to give the director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture the discretion to give one exemption each, for home food sellers wanting to sell products outside the designated food-freedom sale sites already in law.   Read the full story HERE. – Cheyenne native Alan O'Hashi vividly remembers being caught in the canyon when the Big Thompson Flood, the deadliest flood in Colorado history, hit on July 31, 1976. Cowboy State Daily's Executive Editor Jimmy Orr reports that O'Hashi survived when a floating portable toilet snagged his car and carried it to safety. "It's a spooky story because as he's driving up the canyon, he's the only one driving up, and he sees a ton of cars driving down in quickly, and he had no idea what happened. Well, a dam burst, and it's the deadliest flood in Colorado history. And Alan Ohashi, the star of the story, is doomed. This wall of water comes down, and it's a it's about to whisk him, off the mountain, when a portable toilet is floating by, floating by, and knocks him into the canyon wall somehow, and and he survives. He shouldn't have survived, and he says that he should not have survived." As a young college student working as a graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming in 1976, Alan O'Hashi had landed a plum summer job along with his university gig. He was a ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. A Cheyenne native, O'Hashi, now 73 and living in Boulder, Colorado. The flood killed 144 people and cost 30 to 40 million dollars in damage. Read the full story HERE. – Just because a Douglas man facing 72 child sex and pornography-related charges was a no-show for his arraignment hearing on Tuesday doesn't necessarily mean whoever put up $250,000 cash to bond him out of jail will lose all that money. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports according to Wyoming law, Converse County could benefit. "When all is said and done with this bond money, whether it's just deemed to be forfeit, whatever is left over, what happens to it is it goes to local schools. That's according to Wyoming law. It will go to the Converse County Treasurer's office for them to put in that county school fund. So the answer to what happens at $250,000 ultimately, whatever isn't eaten up in court costs, fines, anything like that, goes to schools." Smallbone also could be ordered to pay for the costs of the Converse County Sheriff's Office to go get him from San Francisco, where he was arrested late Tuesday, four hours after he missed his court hearing. Read the full story HERE. — And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

  6. Jul 30

    Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, July 30, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 30th.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – U.S. House candidate Reid Rasner's attorney filed a police report Wednesday on a Chuck Gray supporter and former sheriff's deputy for allegedly threatening Rasner. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the former deputy denies making a threat.  "Reid Rasner's attorney filed a report initially with the sheriff, and then it was bumped to the PD, accusing a former deputy of threatening Rasner, saying he needs to watch his back. And I called the former deputy, and he adamantly denies it. He said, 'No, I never made that call. I have made negative comments to Raisner on socials, but I never made that call.' The former deputy sent me what appears to be a screenshot of his wireless carrier's call log for him. Team Raisner sent a screenshot that appears to be his call log that shows the call as being received Sunday morning, at this point, we can't confirm if the call was made. We have dueling screenshots from both men."  A person who makes a false report to law enforcement can be charged with false reporting, and a person who lies to law enforcement in an investigation can be charged with interference, both misdemeanors punishable by jail time. But, Torrington Police Chief Matt Johnson emphasized in a Wednesday interview, people shouldn't be charged with either of those crimes unless they "knowingly" provided a false report or lied about evidence. Read the full story HERE. – Four hours after no-showing in court on 72 child sex and pornography charges in a Wyoming court on Tuesday, John C. Smallbone was nabbed in San Francisco. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports Sheriff Clint Becker says, "We didn't want a person with those types of charges to be out and about." "He forfeited the $250,000 cash that someone posted for him for bond. However, only four hours after that hearing ended, he was arrested in San Francisco on a new warrant that the judge had just issued for him. Doing the math, that cost him about $62,500 per hour of extra freedom there.  The Converse County Sheriff, when I talked to him, he really credited his investigators for doing that. I asked the sheriff how they knew to alert the San Francisco police to go get him to look for him, and he said you really can't really can't say they really can't divulge how they knew that he was going there." The San Francisco Sheriff's Office confirms through its online inmate roster that Smallbone remains in custody there, being held on the Wyoming fugitive felony warrant. Read the full story HERE. – Teton County Search and Rescue recovered the body of an unidentified Australian man in the Teton Range on Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports the man, who was attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, is believed to have died from a fall off a ridgeline. "He had reached Old Faithful in Yellowstone by July 19th, and the last update his family got via satellite device was on July 23, but it didn't include a message or any coordinates. The Teton County Search and Rescue was able to get coordinates from that message. They got a short-haul helicopter on Wednesday morning to head out to that area, and unfortunately, the man was found deceased at the bottom of a ridge line. It's believed he died from the fall." According to Teton County Search and Rescue, the 28-year-old Australian man was hiking the full Continental Divide Trail, a 3,028-mile route that stretches across the Rockies from Alberta, Canada, to Chihuahua, Mexico. The body was recovered and transported to the Teton County Coroner's Office.  Read the full story HERE. – A Utah man who died after collapsing inside a Lincoln County jail following his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that 38-year-old Tyson Alvarez is being remembered by friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him. "Lifelong friend Stacy Izzat says that she knew him all her life. Growing up, he was a great guy. He would give anybody the shirt off his back. She did acknowledge that he struggled with addiction for his whole life. He was in and out of treatment, and it was something that he fought like hell to beat. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations is continuing to investigate this in custody death. Sheriff Shane Johnson said that there was no use of force involved." The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office says EMTs cleared Alvares for booking. He arrived at the detention center at about 9:30 p.m. and collapsed in a holding cell around 10:20 p.m. while being booked. Detention officers began lifesaving efforts after noticing he was no longer breathing, but he could not be revived, according to the sheriff's office. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.   Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  – A social media influencer and others are offering a $10,000 bounty for the identities of hunters who shoot members of Yellowstone National Park's famed Mollie's wolf pack this fall. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Wyoming Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce calls the bounty "outrageous." "They put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identity of any hunters who, if anybody ends up shooting one of the Molly's pack wolves during the upcoming hunting season, they've offered a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to the public publicly identifying that person. So basically, it's trying to dox wolf hunters. This gets complicated because all three states-Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho have statutes written into law that the the identities of wolf hunters must remain confidential because they don't want people anti-hunters doxing these guys."  Social-media influencer Jonas Black of Austin, Texas, tells Cowboy State Daily that posting the reward is necessary to protect the pack, particularly 12-year-old Wolf 1090 F. Black adds that the wolves have spent most of their lives in Yellowstone and aren't afraid of people, so there's no way it could be a "fair-chase" hunt.  Read the full story HERE. –  Republican U.S. House candidate Steve Friess told Riverton's political old guard Wednesday he wants to turn the EPA into an advisory board for state environmental agencies. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the Sierra Club of Wyoming called that idea "ridiculous and harmful." "Friess was going along business as usual, talking about being pro-life, pro-gun, pro-energy. And he goes, "Hey, can this be off the record? And I was like, "I guess you can have one. And he says that he wants to turn the EPA, which is a federal agency with some prosecutorial investigative teeth, into an advisory board to where it it gives advice to state agencies, but it's no longer this big federal thing with with teeth to start you know criminal cases, and I said, "Why would that be off the record? And he goes, 'Take it.' The Sierra Club of Wyoming called it ridiculous and harmful to hardworking Wyoming communities, and pointed to the environmental concerns surrounding data centers." Freiss tells Cowboy State Daily that he agrees "entirely" with the Sierra Club's point that Wyoming is in charge and should exercise leadership regarding data centers.  Read the full story HERE. – Park County commissioners say geography and other factors mean data centers aren't imminent, but they want to have regulations in place if or when the industry does arrive. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that Park County residents are telling them they are "100% no" on data centers. "Park County commissioners and planning and zoning officials have been going back and forth for months, working on a draft plan to rework the zoning for the county because it hasn't been touched in 10 years. A whole zoning plan. A big part of this is whether the county could absorb a data center where you know residents are completely against. The Park County officials are not completely against data centers, but said, 'we need more education around them, and it's just such a quickly evolving technology.' County Commerce County Commission Chairman Scott Stewart said that residents are 100% no on data centers." The county has spent months reorganizing its zoning classifications, updating industrial districts and revising land-use regulations. The process has included numerous public meetings. Read the full story HERE. – Time for Good News, Bad News. The good news is no one vandalized the Persian Gulf War Memorial in Rock Springs. The bad news is that it crumbled anyway. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that the mayor says, "It should never have been allowed to reach a point where it is that vulnerable." "Apparently a small child had been looking at the monument, and that's when that's when it all came crashing down, and that nobody was hurt with that. One of the remarkable things that people are really taking notice here is the only reason that they know it wasn't vandalism is because the mother of the the child came forward and said, 'Yeah, now that I see this, I realize this is why my child was all covered with dust because it collapsed while my child was looking at it.' I talked to one Rock Springs man who who's already stepped up and said, 'Hey, look, I'll do whatever I can to to to donate my time to make this right.'" After the Parks and Recreation Department announced the crumbling fixture, a flood of people reached out to the city asking how they could

  7. Jul 29

    Cowboy State Daily Video News: Wednesday, July 29, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 29th.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – A Wyoming man facing 72 felony child sex charges was a no-show for his plea hearing Tuesday in Douglas. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson was in the courtroom and reports that John Smallbone didn't show up and law enforcement officials are angered that he was set free. "I'm in Douglas at the Converse County Courthouse, where I came to see what everybody around here has been wondering too, whether John Smallbone was going to show up for his arraignment hearing. The short answer to that is no, he didn't show up. Which means he forfeits a $250,000 cash bond that was posted for him. He also has a new warrant for his arrest. And what's interesting about this is as soon as I got out of his hearing, I got an email from the Larimer County District Attorney's Office down in Fort Collins. The district attorney there also asked for a $250,000 bond to be held so they can get back to Wyoming. And as you see in my story, they had some pretty strong words for that." Already a wanted man, Smallbone should have already been in police custody and available for Tuesday's arraignment, Converse County Deputy Attorney Nathan Shumway said. The prosecutor referenced an incident in Colorado last week when a Fort Collins magistrate allowed Smallbone to walk out of the Larimer County Detention Center on his own recognizance instead of holding him on a fugitive warrant out of Wyoming. Read the full story HERE. – Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins is asking for the public's help in finding the shooter responsible for a 5-year-old getting struck in the head by a bullet. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that she was watching the July 4 fireworks show at F.E. Warren Air Force Base when hit by the stray bullet. "As of Tuesday, nearly four weeks later, investigators are asking the public for help or any information that helps them find the shooter. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said he wanted to tell the public immediately after it happened, but they delayed the announcement to give investigators some time to work the case. The child survived and was life-flighted to Aurora, Colorado. Doctors performed surgery and were able to remove the bullet, and the child is now recovering at home." Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at 307-432-2114. Read the full story HERE. –  In the more than 1,100 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary released over the weekend, he mentions Wyoming's low COVID vaccination rates, as well as his conversations with Dick Cheney. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports the former chief medical advisor to the president appeared fixated on the "hot and heavy" press. "So Fauci has this 1,100-some page diary that Senator Rand Paul released in advance of a Wednesday hearing where he'll be challenging Fauci. He spoke often with former Vice President Dick Cheney, a Wyomingite. He urged the Vice President to get a booster shot when Dick Cheney's cardiologist wasn't sure because Cheney had had heart problems. He praised the former representative Liz Cheney's courage in opposing Trump and expressed gratitude because she had stood up for Fauci. And he mentioned a phone call with Governor Mark Gordon where the governor was seeking advice because he wanted to reopen the state." Fauci cast the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as incompetent – repeatedly across multiple entries. He described an at-times affectionate, at-times icy relationship with Trump, almost always worsened by the press's fervor in making Fauci a calm and well-informed anti-Trump figure. Read the full story HERE. – Severe mental illness and Wyoming's legal standards for criminal responsibility make charges impossible despite a violent assault that left a Rock Springs nurse with a broken nose, facial injuries and bruising. Cowboy State Daily's Zak Sonntag reports that the Sweetwater County Attorney says he's not happy about it, but the law cannot charge the patient under these circumstances. "So the nurse had expressed intent that he wanted to see criminal charges brought, and Sweetwater County Attorney Danny Erramouspe said that he cannot bring charges because the patient does not meet the standard for mental capacity and intent, and this is related to what's known as Title 25 in Wyoming law, which determines what culpability and criminal charges can be brought in cases related to mental health. The law cannot charge them, and that is what the attorney found in this case. And so he says, no charges will be brought. And it's not an easy decision. Everybody I talked to said this is really one of the hardest issues that you have to deal with in the world of mental health and criminal justice." Nurse Christian R., who asked Cowboy State Daily to withhold his last name, says the blow broke his nose and touched off a chase through the emergency department, where the patient repeatedly caught him and continued the attack by throwing more punches and kneeing him in the head and face. A security officer intervened as the chase reached the department lobby, allowing Christian to seek the safety of a locked supply closet. He was treated for a nasal fracture, facial injuries and bruising. Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.   Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  – Potential man camps in neighboring Uinta and Lincoln counties are moving forward. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that Kemmerer cleared zoning for a workforce housing site for a nuclear power plant, while Uinta County is a step closer to a 3,400-bed camp for a hyperscale data center. "Reactions are mixed with both projects. People in Uinta County, some are for the man camp, some are against it for various reasons, the economics, the socio economics, public safety, that kind of thing. The property that was approved for rezoning at the city council meeting in Kemmer on Monday night is interesting because it's different than the Antelope Ridge subdivision. There was a property right near that subdivision that was drawing a lot of public criticism because people don't want this man camp, you know, right next to their neighborhood." Although both proposals involve temporary housing for large construction workforces, they reflect a broader challenge facing Wyoming communities as billion-dollar industrial projects move forward in rural areas with limited housing availability and resources. Read the full story HERE. – After angry landowners near a recreation area north of Evanston complained of their property being destroyed, state and federal officials closed the roads. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that BLM spokeswoman Courtney Whiteman says, "The landowners are sick of having their land torn up." "Game and Fish put up signs saying road close, but I think some people got the impression it was just a unilateral decision by Game and Fish to just close off what they thought was public land, and that is not the case. Game and Fish is just following through with the landowners' wishes because again, this is like any time you go to a walk-in hunting area, hunter management area, or what they call what this is, which is a public access area, people need to be mindful that at least some, if not all, of that area is actually private property that's been granted an easement." The episode encapsulates the complexities of public recreation areas set on easements across private land. In exchange for public access, Game and Fish establishes and enforces conditions set by landowners, including dates of use, access points, limits on motorized travel, and the like. Read the full story HERE. – A former Lincoln County deputy prosecutor from Afton is facing a solicitation charge in Idaho. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that investigators say attorney John Bowers offered to pay for a sexual encounter through an app. He says his conduct was "morally wrong" but denies solicitation. "A private citizen contacted the Montpelier Police Department in Idaho after he says that he believes someone was soliciting prostitution. Investigators allege that John Bowers offered to pay $300 to party using a dating app called Sniffies. Bowers told police, quote, I know what I did was morally wrong and inappropriate. Still, he told them that he did not believe that he was actively soliciting. His defense attorney, Richard Block, maintains his client's innocence, and he's calling the charge frivolous." The 66-year old was charged July 22 in Bear Lake County with one misdemeanor count of solicitation for commercial sexual activity. Read the full story HERE. – While it seemed ludicrous to one Cheyenne driver who was stuck behind people riding their electric scooters on a two lane highway near Laramie, it's entirely legal. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that one motorist says, "Scooters need to be off the highway. It's not a vehicle, it's a toy" "Electric scooters are children's toys to a lot of people, and they frustrate a lot of people. But technically, under Wyoming law, they are classified as in the same class as bicycles. So they are road legal vehicles. Now that might be because they're still relatively new, so the Wyoming legislature hasn't had a bill specifically addressing electric scooters. But as the law stands right now, while it's not recommended, you can legally drive and you can legally drive an electric scooter on Wyoming's highways."  Cody Campbell was d

  8. Jul 28

    Cowboy State Daily Video News: Tuesday, July 28, 2026

    It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, July 28th.  I'm Mac Watson.   This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas! Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism. – Just hours after news broke Monday that a Uinta County brand inspector had pleaded guilty to helping torture a moose, the state livestock director fired him. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Gov. Gordon had strong words about the situation. "Governor Gordon said this is absolutely irresponsible behavior unbefitting a brand inspector, and he said that Martin is no longer working for the state, and you know hours earlier, the Wyoming Livestock Board director Steve True had said that Martin was a brand inspector. So I called True back, and he said, "Yeah, in the couple hours since this story broke, I fired him. True said that it was his decision to fire Martin. The governor didn't influence that decision." Martin has not been sentenced and he reserves the right to appeal how law enforcement pulled evidence from his phone. At the preliminary hearing, Evanston Circuit Court Michael Greer said, "this was done for the sheer joy of dominating a wild animal who appeared to be already in poor health and possibly blind."  Read the full story HERE. – Retired Wyoming employees of Peabody Energy say they feel betrayed by its decision to end a medical retirement benefits program. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that the company says the program no longer fits "market competitive practices." "Letters from Peabody Energy started showing up in mailboxes of retirees a couple weeks ago, announcing the termination of their retired medical program, and Peabody Energy is saying that they're doing this because they're terminating this program. Peabody Energy is saying that they're terminating this program because it no longer aligns with the market and the competition. They did not give any more specifics, nor did they answer our questions about how many retired employees does this affect?"  In 2020, the company cut health benefits and terminated life insurance for retirees older than 65 as part of a cost-cutting strategy. Retirees younger than 65 could maintain their coverage. Read the full story HERE. – Charges on a stolen credit card tracked a Wyoming man wanted on 72 child sex abuse charges to Colorado last week. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that his former landlord reported to the Converse County Sheriff's Office on July 20 that John Smallbone was using his credit card without permission.  "When a charge came through from Expedia for hotel rooms down in Colorado. The first thing that hit his mind is he running? Is he running from these charges? And he texted the guy and said, 'Hey, are you running?' And he says that the guy texted back to him and says, 'No, I'm I'm here in town.' This is what put Wyoming law enforcement on the radar that he wasn't in the state anymore, which is not allowed according to the $250,000 bond that he posted." The $250,000 question now is will John Smallbone show up for his arraignment in Converse County District Court on Tuesday afternoon? A call to a phone number linked to Smallbone in his court file went to voicemail. His former landlord isn't holding his breath. Read the full story HERE. – Scenic boat tours on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park have shut down two months early due to low water levels as southern Idaho agricultural users draw from the lake. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that according to park authorities, large boats are unable to get out of Colter Bay Marina onto the main lake. "They're going to feel it this year because you know they had to quit two months early, and then the Bureau of Rec guys said for folks with like average size motorboats and smaller motorboats, you should be okay kind of until that September timeframe, and then after that, it's going to be pretty much canoes and kayaks. Pretty much by then, the water will have dropped far enough. You're not going to be able to use boat ramps. So, long story short, the boating season on Lake Jackson is coming to an end." The natural lake, fed by the Snake River, was already one of the largest in the West when it was enlarged by a dam in 1911. That dam was enlarged in 1916 and rebuilt in 1989.  Read the full story HERE. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.   Cowboy State Daily News continues now….  – In reflecting on Wyoming's U.S. house race, departed candidate Frank Chapman on Monday said both Chuck Gray and Steve Friess haven't had significant careers. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Chapman says, "We're being given choices of people that haven't really achieved anything in life." "He said that the candidate that peels votes away from Gray is Beau Biteman, a conservative legislator currently president of the Senate. He casts Friess' and Gray's professional legacies as unimpressive. He said that Jillian Baylow is doing well, and he also waited on the governor's race, which he said he took pull in for earlier in his own race, and said Eric Barlow is doing well." Chapman announced Thursday he's bowing out of the race, leaving nine Republican candidates still vying for the GOP nomination to the U.S. House seat Rep. Harriet Hageman is leaving to run for U.S. Senate. Read the full story HERE. – A man accused of triggering an hourslong standoff outside the Casper Police Department refused to appear in court Monday. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the judge set William Randall Patricelli's bond high at $50,000 because his "effect and danger to the community is significant." "This was near the police department, just adjacent to it, in David Street in downtown Casper, on Monday he refused to appear before the judge for his first hearing. The sheriff's deputy from the jail said that Patrice Celly was being uncooperative. The judge said she would see him on Tuesday, and declined to tell reporters what his two misdemeanor charges are until he has been formally charged." Patricelli was arrested Saturday evening after Casper police responded to what they described as an active incident involving a barricaded subject in the 200 block of North David Street. The response closed multiple streets and intersections for several hours as officers worked to resolve the situation. Police ultimately took Patricelli into custody. Read the full story HERE. –  A Wyoming eagle called Aurum was barely a year old and suffering from lead poisoning when she was hit by a car near Meeteetse. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that she somehow survived both and is now beating the odds by raising her young in the Bighorn Basin. "So I went to Ironside Bird Rescue in Cody and that lady Susan who runs that place she's been for over three decades The bird was in pretty bad shape but fortunately as it been hit by a car but it was bruised nothing was broken so that was a huge plus and then yes it had a serious lead poisoning infection. Like it was, it needed to be treated. But it wasn't so bad that they had to take it all the way to injections. Like the counter, the counter agent. They were able to treat this eagle with pills in the way she did. He said, "I just took a dead rat, cut the belly open, tossed a pill in there, and then fed that to the eagle." That's how you get pills to an eagle."  Wyoming is prime golden eagle habitat, both for resident eagles and those that migrate in from the north during the fall to spend winters here. Golden eagles prefer small game such as prairie dogs and rabbits, so they're drawn to open prairies or vast sagebrush steppes.  Read the full story HERE. – How do you get vehicles stuck up to their axles in mud on the bottom of a lake bed? You call a tow company that has remote-controlled winches, a custom-built winch foot, and hundreds of feet of tow straps. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that the owner of Alpine Redneck Rescue says, "This is a normal situation for us." "What they did was they set up their truck pretty far away and used these long 1000, like 30,000 pound capacity tow straps to get the Jeep out using one of the other stuck vehicles as an anchor because you need an anchor in these things, they haul the Jeep out, and then with a custom rig that they have that distributes the energy, they use a 1994 F250 to get those much larger, heavier pickup trucks out of the mud. So I spoke to Jim Cummings, who's the owner of Redneck Rescue, and he said that on every call you have to get creative." Redneck Rescue has "yet to be unsuccessful" with any of its calls, Cummings tells Cowboy State Daily. He chalks a lot of that up to being over-prepared with the right equipment but anticipates the inevitable call that won't go according to plan. Read the full story HERE. — And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

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The Roundup is a gathering of voices, opinions and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State of Wyoming.

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