Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, June 25, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Radio News: Friday, July 3, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, July 3rd. I'm Mac Watson – The City of Cheyenne announced Thursday it's suspending taking wastewater associated with data center systems after a contractor for Meta contaminated the city's wastewater system. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that the process took months of cleanup. "The city announced on Thursday that it is suspending taking wastewater associated with data center systems after this bacterium was found back in February. Once the bacterium was found, the company, or the contractor, which is Goat Systems LLC, was effectively banned from using the city's sewage system. It took at least a week to 10 days for the state lab to determine what the actual bacterium was. It was something that the city of Cheyenne had never seen before, and there was speculation that it could be linked back to a data center, and that was confirmed with the announcement Thursday that it is connected to the Meta project called Project Cosmos." The announcement was made by the Board of Public Utilities on Thursday in conjunction with naming the Meta company as the source of the initial contamination. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/cheyenne-wont-take-data-center-wastewater-after-meta-company-contaminated-system/] – Recreationists celebrated Wednesday evening as the 18,800-acre Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne was opened to the public. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that the new recreation area provides 13 miles of trails, giving hikers and cyclists a long-promised playground in the city's backyard. "This was the late Councilman Scott Roy Bulls Pet Project. Here, he was its champion for 20-plus years, the 23 years it took for this project to become a reality. He was always the one saying, "We have to open this to the public. It's an amazing recreational opportunity, you know, it belongs to the public. We have to open this to the public, and so, you know, after 23 years, finally it's come to fruition." The new trailhead and roughly 13 miles of singletrack and shared-use paths give hikers and cyclists a long-promised playground in the city's backyard, turning what was once mainly an insurance policy for future water and landfill needs into a full-fledged outdoor destination. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/after-more-than-20-years-cheyenne-opens-belvoir-ranch-to-the-public/] – The Wyoming Business Council's biggest critic in the Legislature, Rep. Ken Pendergraft, was mostly relieved at a Wednesday audit report showing the Wyoming Business Council isn't hiding any bank accounts. But Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports he says he still has questions. "That was scuttlebutt during the appropriations committees meeting, that lawmakers were wondering things like, do we even know what all the business council has going on, and so as part of the budget the business council was required to submit to a department of audit probe, and the department concluded, 'Yeah, there's not these outside accounts, pretty much everything's on the up and up, some negligible and documenting errors.'" Rep. Ken Pendergraft, from Sheridan, made headlines in 2025 when he announced a goal to eliminate the WBC. That's a government-funded entity that gives grants and loans to communities and businesses. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/wyoming-business-councils-toughest-critic-relieved-mostly-by-audit-report/] – Scattered human bones found in Wyoming's rugged Wind River Mountains nearly a year ago have been identified as a Scottish man. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that an investigator from Wyoming Game and Fish found the remains in a remote section of the Wind River Mountains near the Sweetwater Gap Guard Station. "The remains of John Gillies were found near the Sweet Water Muddy Gap Station, and over the course of a 10 month investigation, detectives were able to piece together who he was based on those remains within a 20 mile radius. They were able to find about 85% of the skeleton and some personal belongings that then helped them link him to Gillies and his family in Scotland, and they were able to confirm on June 30 that he was in fact the person who had been found." Deputies found disarticulated skeletal remains, a tent, and personal belongings. Authorities have not announced the cause or manner of death. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/cheyenne-teen-accused-of-torching-rivals-truck-with-molotov-cocktail-after-breakup/]. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – The Wyoming Board of Equalization is suing Gov. Mark Gordon back after he rejected its claims that the state's property tax caps are unconstitutional. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the board is asking Laramie County District Court Judge Nathaniel Hibben to declare that a state law capping residential property tax increases as unconstitutional, and to block its enforcement. "Governor Gordon had sued the Board of Equalization, trying to get the court to make it honor a 4% cap on property tax increases from year to year, and a judge last month said, 'Yeah, for now we're going to go ahead and make the board do that while we consider whether this law is constitutional.' The board fired back Monday with its own counter suit, urging the judge to declare the cap unconstitutional and to free the board from having to enforce it." This cap violates the Wyoming Constitution's requirement that property taxes be assessed at their full value and uniformly within property classes, the board alleges in its filing, through Davis and Cannon attorneys Amanda Esch and Cat Young. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/wyoming-board-of-equalization-asks-judge-to-end-property-tax-cap/] – Wyoming ranchers say a $99 million John Deere right-to-repair settlement doesn't go far enough. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports they'll get small payouts while John Deere keeps control over repair software and one rancher calls that an unfair settlement." "Farmers and ranchers are objecting to a $99 million settlement by John Deere in a right to repair lawsuit. farmers and ranchers say the settlement doesn't even come close to compensating them for losses they endured because of John Deere's proprietary software and diagnostic system. The window to formally object to the settlement opens July 14 and runs through September 14. During that time, any farmer or rancher who is part of this class action lawsuit can formally object to the settlement and seek fairer compensation. After September, then there will be a final hearing on the settlement in October in Rockville, Illinois." The class-action lawsuit claimed the tractor giant was monopolizing the repair market. Right-to-repair advocates say farmers should be able to fix tractors themselves or go to an independent repair shop. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/wyoming-ranchers-99m-john-deere-right-to-repair-settlement-doesnt-go-far-enough/] – An immigration advocacy firm is suing the Laramie County Sheriff's Office claiming the agency is withholding important evidence in a deportation case. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the Cheyenne Police Department confirmed Wednesday that the sheriff's office had issued an inaccurate report. "Kevin Lewis of Cheyenne is working for an immigration firm, and he alleges that the sheriff's office had a flawed report, had to reissue the report, and that the there were there was all sorts of back and forth about the body cam or the camera footage, the sheriff in turn told me on on Thursday, the deputy made some errors and we had him reissue the report, and there's also a specific set of lies, laws about how we can release camera footage." Colorado-based immigration firm Lichter and Associates, and its Cheyenne-based investigator Kevin Lewis, filed the lawsuit complaint Tuesday in the Laramie County District Court. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/lawsuit-accuses-laramie-county-sheriff-of-blocking-evidence-in-immigration-case/] – Clyde "The Buffalo" arrived in Cody for the Cody Stampede Rodeo and Parades, and his first stop Thursday was for a drink. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports the tame buffalo went into Buffalo Bill's Bar in the historic Irma Hotel. "He's been invited to lead off the Cody Stampede parades on July 3rd and 4th, and when he first got the Cody, his first stop was to the Buffalo Historic Buffalo Bill Irma Hotel, where he might be the first Buffalo ever invited inside and served inside. He's made a reputation for just being a very tame, affable bison, and he's going to be the biggest celebrity in town for Cody's Independence Day celebrations." Clyde's owner, Clint Mortenson, tells Cowboy State Daily, "He drinks what I drink. He likes bourbon and margaritas." No word on whether Clyde or his owner was carded by the servers. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/02/celebrity-bison-bellies-up-to-the-bar-at-codys-irma-hotel-for-fourth-celebration/]. — 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 [https://cowboystatedaily.com/] - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ6-7-Nv-0ycvqgTIttIFQ] channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, July 2, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 2nd. I'm Mac Watson – The cause of last week's double fatal crash in remote Natrona County has been released by the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the WHP says the tanker truck plowed into seven vehicles, killing two. "New details released by the Wyoming Highway Patrol on Wednesday morning show that a tanker truck driver failed to slow down or stop when traffic was queued in a construction zone on US Highway 26 This is about 45 miles northwest of Casper on Friday afternoon. The driver so far has not been identified as of Wednesday afternoon. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says this is still a very active investigation." The crash happened at 1:50 p.m. Friday on U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58.3, with the WHP having identified driver inattention as a possible contributing factor in the crash. As of Wednesday, no criminal charges had been announced. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/highway-patrol-tanker-truck-plowed-into-vehicles-in-last-weeks-double-fatal-crash/] – Already at critically low levels, Lake Powell is close to being "dead pool," which means water won't flow downriver anymore. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Wyoming cities and industries are worried that will mean more demand for water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir. "I did connect with a couple people from the municipalities of Cheyenne and Rock Springs, of course. Rock Springs is directly in the Colorado River drainage because of the Green River. Cheyenne is indirectly because of water rights trades. Some of the water that goes into Cheyenne is actually traded for water that comes off the Colorado River. And they both said, 'Yeah, I mean, this is not like an immediate emergency. Oh my god, we're going to run out of water this year,' but they are saying, 'Longer term, we've got to think of some better things, some better solutions, maybe some other sources we can go to for water, because this situation is getting dicey.'" Wyoming state Sen. Larry Hicks, who served on the Legislature's Select Water Committee says Wyoming may have to make some stark choices in the near future because "power generation is subservient" to irrigation water rights, he tells Cowboy State Daily. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/as-lake-powell-nears-dead-pool-wyoming-cities-and-industries-brace-for-impact/] – Wyoming voters are being inundated with attack fliers about political candidates. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that one flier targeting Lander incumbents claim they "endangered children" and "exposed women to their radical transgender agenda." "Make Liberty Win is generally the flyer factory in Wyoming, that's an out-of-state PAC that spends a lot of money backing Freedom Caucus aligned candidates, they've started sending out flyers showing like Senator Kail Case and Representative Lloyd Larson in sheep's clothing, and you know, claiming that they had a radical trans agenda, and both Case and Larson said no, we had nuanced, careful close-up reasons for these votes that you can't, that they're not putting on a flyer, and then on the other side, Americans for Prosperity, which is a PAC that in Wyoming takes some pride in not resorting to cartoon tactics like that. They have gone out hard against House Speaker Chip Nyman because they've endorsed Senator Ogden Driscoll, and they have a bone to pick with some of Nyman's votes." Make Liberty Win backs Wyoming Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates, while Americans For Prosperity backs a variety of GOP hopefuls, generally on libertarian-leaning or business-friendly credentials. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/brace-yourselves-its-campaign-flier-season-in-wyoming/] – A 17-year-old Lander homeschooler who beat out 8,000 other students in what was billed as the "Ultimate Civics Showdown" stood beside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on national TV on Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily's Dale Killingbeck reports that Miriam Washut says she had one week to prepare. "She is one of four sent to regionals in Dallas at the George Bush Library, and then is one of the top four that comes out of that, and then she goes to the Nationals in Washington, DC, where there were 20 kids she was competing against, and she came out on top with $150,000 scholarship, and got to go into the Oval Office and shake hands with President Trump. He presented her with a coin, and she said it was a great experience. She just said she never thought she'd be able to do something like that." Washut had to plow through more than 5,000 pages of books, foundational documents and biographies, as well as know the facts on 10 Revolutionary War battles. She then was tested at state and regional levels before the national finals competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/lander-homeschooler-wins-ultimate-civics-showdown-gets-handshake-from-trump/]. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – After a rocky, two-year run for Gillette's Hoskinson Health & Wellness Clinic, Monument Health has struck a deal to keep the facility open. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that the state-of-the-art facility will be plugged into the Mayo Clinic Care Network. "So Monument Health is going to be taking over the Hoskinson Health and Wellness Clinic, and it's kind of interesting because the Hoskinson family, when they built their clinic in Gillette, had promised they wanted this to be the Mayo Clinic of the West. Well, it's interesting to know that Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic's network, and so, in a way, even though it's not the Hoskinson family that will be operating it anymore, they feel like they've fulfilled their promise." Monument Health, which operates five hospitals and more than 40 clinics and specialty centers in 14 communities across western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming, has direct access to Mayo Clinic expertise and resources, a connection that has now been extended to Gillette. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/monument-health-takes-over-gillettes-hoskinson-clinic-which-was-losing-millions/] – Fresh after socialist-backed candidates' success in New York's U.S. House primaries, Colorado Democrats nominated their own socialist House candidate Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that having a socialist neighbor could galvanize Wyoming's independence even more, so says one politico. "Liz Brimmer, who's a longtime Wyoming politico, said, look, we already say don't Colorado my Wyoming, we're already pretty galvanized in like this independence that this will probably just harden that if anything, and it's it's just a different voice in the giant, the giant US House." Democratic socialist 29-year-old Melat Kiros, defeated 15-term incumbent U.S. House Rep. Diana DeGette in Tuesday evening's primary election. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/now-colorado-dems-have-nominated-a-socialist/] – An 18-year-old Cheyenne man is accused of using a root beer bottle Molotov cocktail to firebomb the truck of another teen dating his ex-girlfriend. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that police say "he often left things on (her) vehicle, including a pile of ashes and a black rose." "Investigators say that the fire bomb, also known as a homemade Molotov cocktail, was made out of a Sprecher root beer bottle that was filled with a rag soaked in gasoline. During the investigation, detectives were able to find out that Seth Hayes had walked into a Menards earlier and bought a four pack of Spreckers root beer. They also learned that just hours before the arson occurred, he had posted Shabbosies, 'Let It Burn' onto his social media." Hayes is set for a Thursday preliminary hearing on a felony charge of third-degree arson. During his initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court late last week, a judge set his bond at $10,000 cash only. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/cheyenne-teen-accused-of-torching-rivals-truck-with-molotov-cocktail-after-breakup/]. – A gun-friendly U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to overturn "assault weapon" bans in Connecticut and the Chicago area — and Wyoming gun dealers are all in favor. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that dealers say that could make it easier to sell to customers in Colorado and other states. "They told me that, well, this would be good for us, insofar as we do get a lot of people coming from Colorado, which doesn't necessarily have a statewide ban, but does have some local bands as well as other states that might have statewide bans, we get customers coming to us. That's how Wyoming firearms dealers could benefit if the Supreme Court decides to do away with these bans on the national level, because it would open up a much wider market for them, and plus, you know, these guys just said on principle they just support the freedom for everybody." Colorado doesn't have a statewide assault-weapons ban, although there are some local bans, such as in Denver. There's a statewide prohibition on "high-capacity magazines" capable of carrying more than 15 rounds. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/07/01/wyoming-gun-dealers-eager-for-supreme-court-to-overturn-assault-weapons-bans/] — 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 [https://cowboystatedaily.com/] - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ6-7-Nv-0ycvqgTIttIFQ] channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 1st. I'm Mac Watson – In an about-face, Gov. Mark Gordon lauded a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday upholding states' bans on trans participation in girls' sports. But, Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that in 2023 he called Wyoming's first trans sports ban "draconian." "Three years later, you have West Virginia and Idaho defending actually more expansive bands in many cases, and they went to the Supreme Court. They argued in defense that their transports bans were constitutional in January. At that time, Governor Gordon urged the High Court to rule in the state's favor. And then on Tuesday, the Supreme Court finally came out and said, 'Yes, these transports bans are constitutional. These states are fine.' The governor applauded that again, so this has been a bit of an about-face for Wyoming's top executive. Governor Gordon's office didn't give a direct response to the question about his change of heart." Idaho passed its Fairness in Women's Sports Act in 2020. It was the nation's first law preventing biological male students from competing on public school and club female sports teams. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/in-about-face-gordon-lauds-supreme-court-ruling-protecting-girls-sports/]. – Montana rancher Neal Collins said a camera on his barn captured a "herd" of seven grizzlies on his property Monday night. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that agents from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hazed 10 grizzlies out of brush across the road from his place. "A rancher up there, he had a surveillance camera mounted on the back of his, his barn, and he said one of his dogs was freaking out, so he went outside and caught a flash of a bear, so, of course, he scrambled back inside. Check the footage later. There's like a whole group. Well, one of his friends kind of jokingly called it a herd, a whole group of like six grizzlies walking, you know, just kind of casually strolling down, you know, down his lane." Collins said no people or livestock were attacked by the bears, and Montana's FWP used non-lethal "cracker" shotgun shells to scare off the bears. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/herd-of-7-grizzlies-surprises-montana-rancher-35-miles-out-on-prairie/] – A Lincoln County man lost control of his truck, crashed through a guardrail, rolled several times and plunged 20 feet into the Snake River. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that the man walked away with minor injuries, but was ticketed by the Wyoming Highway Patrol. "According to the chronology of events, the driver was driving along the Snake River Canyon, lost control of his vehicle, sideswiped a car hauler, and then once he cleared that, he drove through the guard rail and tumbled three or two or three times into the Snake River, and was pretty far out there in pretty deep water, but because he was wearing his seatbelt, at least presumed to be wearing his seatbelt, otherwise, how the heck did he survive that? He walked away with minor injuries and was treated at the hospital in Alpine and released later that same day." The incident occurred near a notorious spot in the Snake River Canyon called the Big Kahuna, the area's largest and most famous rapid. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/man-survives-after-crashing-truck-through-guardrail-and-plunging-into-snake-river/] – Prominent Wyoming Democrats say they are not calling for a split in their party due to the growing socialist movement nationally. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that state Sen. Chris Rothfuss says, "Wyoming is not New York City," so the issues are different. "I asked Wyoming prominent Democrats on Tuesday, 'Hey, is Wyoming seeing this divide?' and they said no. Their reasons were various. There's very few Democrats here. They tend to discuss things and debate things and tolerate dissent, and they, the landscape in Wyoming is different. So, if you're a party focused on meeting people's needs, what Wyoming people need is very different from what New York City people need." The Wyoming Democratic Party is a big collaborative tent, the party's communications person, Mandy Weaver, told Cowboy State Daily in a Tuesday phone interview. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/wyoming-democrats-say-theyre-not-divorcing-party-over-mamdani-socialism-movement/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Speculation is growing over whether a data center could be linked to pollution discovered in Cheyenne's reuse wastewater system earlier this year. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that city officials haven't reported the identity of the industrial user responsible for the discharge. "The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities announced last week that it had found a biohazard in its reusable wastewater system. The bacterium that they found is naturally occurring in soil and groundwater environments. However, it was not recognized immediately by water treatment specialists. Jonathan Brandt is a water treatment specialist at the University of Wyoming, and he told me that it would be likely that a newer industry would be responsible for this. He said data centers, data center discharges would be the first place I would look." The mystery bacterium was found to be cupriavidus gilardii, a naturally occurring organism commonly found in soil and groundwater environments, known for its high resistance to metals. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/four-months-later-cheyenne-residents-demanding-answers-to-bacterium-discharge/]. – Police say a Gillette man first denied hitting his ex-girlfriend with his pickup, running over her and speeding away. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that after detectives showed him surveillance video, police say he told them it "could have been a moment of black-out rage." "Police say that Christopher Paxton allegedly ran over his girlfriend intentionally before driving away. When police arrived at the scene, they saw his girlfriend writhing in pain. She was screaming and yelling, 'My knee, my knee!' When investigators took Paxton in for questioning, he initially denied running over his girlfriend, but then they showed him surveillance video from a neighbor, neighbor's ring camera, and then he said he still said he couldn't remember what happened, but explained that it might have been blackout rage. Paxton has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, that is a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison." Investigators say the victim suffered seizures as a result of the accident and was taken to the hospital. No word on her condition. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/gillette-man-blames-black-out-rage-after-running-over-ex-girlfriend-with-truck/] – Gov. Mark Gordon has designated Wyoming's famous "Path of the Pronghorn," one of the longest land migration routes in North America, as protected — mostly. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that while conservationists hailed the move, an energy landman said he hopes it doesn't impede drilling. "Governor Gordon, on Friday did go ahead and dedicate it as an officially protected migration route, but then there's some caveats that applies only on public land. It does not affect private land in any way whatsoever. And then even on public land, it doesn't mean you get to shut everything down or a bunch of new regulations. It just, it kind of sets some parameters to help protect these lands from things that might impede the passage of the antelope back and forth." The 200-mile Path of the Pronghorn is the common name for the Sublette Antelope Migration Corridor, and it's one of the longest land migrations in the Lower 48 states. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/governor-declares-path-of-the-pronghorn-protected-except-near-farson/] – Yellowstone visitors near the popular Grand Prismatic Spring were outraged Sunday watching a man carry a child on dangerous thermals pools. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that people online have asked, could someone be charged with child endangerment for doing such a foolish and dangerous thing? "They said it was Grand Prismatic Spring, and those sort of incidents aren't unusual in Yellowstone National Park, especially during the busiest time of year, which we're in. But they've raised a question: Can someone be charged with child endangerment by doing something like that? And it's a difficult question to answer, because while a lot of people would say that there was a very obvious, and very, there was an obvious present danger in doing that. Someone could be genuinely unaware of what they're doing if it's not explicitly marked right in front of them." Greg Jackson is a former deputy chief for the U.S. Park Service's Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services in Washington, D.C. During his career, he was presented with several situations where a child endangerment charge was merited. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/30/was-carrying-child-into-yellowstone-thermal-area-endangerment-ex-ranger-weighs-in/] — 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 [https://cowboystatedaily.com/] - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ6-7-Nv-0ycvqgTIttIFQ] channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

Cowboy State Daily Radio News: Tuesday, June 30, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, June 30th. I'm Mac Watson – Winter is back in Wyoming as a late June snowstorm closed the Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone's Dunraven Pass. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that at 9,400 feet, the Top of the World store recorded three inches of snow. "Several inches of snow was reported on the Bear Tooth Highway and in the interior of Yellowstone National Park. It's a significant amount of snowfall, but that's not unusual, especially at high elevations, people forget how high Yellowstone is, let alone the Bear Tooth Pass, which is getting close to 11,000 feet up there. So, when you get a cold front moving in with moisture that manifests as snow, and you're hard pressed to pick any month of the year where there isn't at least a possibility of snow in Yellowstone and on the Bear Tooth Highway." Lance VandenBoogart with the National Weather Service office in Riverton said that's not unusual for northwest Wyoming or Yellowstone, even in the last days of June. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/at-the-top-of-the-world-snow-snow-closes-beartooth-pass-dunraven-too/] – A 75-year-old Goshen County man told investigators he shot a pair of Rottweilers and dumped them in the North Platte River because he feared for his livestock. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that a neighbor told authorities why they disposed of the dogs in the river. "The guy claims that they were threatening his livestock, they're threatening his neighbor's livestock, and he said that he shot one of the dogs, and then another dog, he said, came after him, so he shot it as well. However, the officer in charge of the investigation wrote his affidavit saying that the facts don't really support that, and what was interesting is that there was an accomplice who told police that they put the dogs in the river because they were quote 'too lazy' to bury them." David Cronk made his first court appearance Friday on two charges each of felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor unlawful disposal of a dead animal so as to pollute. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/goshen-county-men-say-they-were-too-lazy-to-bury-shot-dogs-dumped-them-in-river/]. – An older Colorado couple have been identified as the two people killed in a Friday multi-vehicle crash west of Casper. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that a Jackson woman who was among those who stopped to help the couple and others hurt in the crash, telling Cowboy State Daily, "We made sure she wasn't alone." "74-year-old James Cox and 69-year-old Susan Cox were coming from Golden, Colorado, on their way to their house in Ennis, Montana, when they got into a crash about 45 miles northwest of Casper on Friday afternoon. The Natrona County Coroner, James Whipps, confirmed that they were dead on Monday afternoon. Krista Nethercott from Jackson is a funeral director and a mortician. She arrived at the crash site just moments after the collision happened. She said that James Cox was behind the wheel. He was dead immediately. Susan Cox was still alive, and Nether Cot said all she could do was offer some comfort, and made sure she was not alone for her final moments." By the time emergency crews reached U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58 Friday afternoon, two people were dead, seven others had been injured, and strangers were comforting survivors, checking on children, searching for fire extinguishers and handing out bottled water. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/two-victims-in-chaotic-highway-crash-near-casper-identified-as-colorado-couple/] – A new political group called the 'Common Sense Republicans' have erected six billboards urging voters to "STOP The Freedom Caucus Agenda." Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Rep. John Bear, a well-known member of the Freedom Caucus, says he "loves" the billboards. "The Freedom Caucus fired back with them being against a lot of the popular things, you know, like protecting women's sports and an election integrity and keeping illegal aliens out of the country, and the pack came back and said no, we're focused on really local stuff like funding EMS. one of the members of the PAC said that, you know, indicated that the Freedom Caucus doesn't like the billboards, and Bear came back and said, 'No, we love this, we love talking about our agenda, and so you've got this, it's a very direct political battle." Casper-based attorneys Emily Madden and Scott Ortiz co-founded the Common Sense Republicans for Wyoming political action committee (PAC) in March. The PAC has raised six billboards across larger Wyoming towns urging people to "STOP The Freedom Caucus Agenda" and vote in the Aug. 18 primary election. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/common-sense-republicans-declare-war-on-wyoming-freedom-caucus/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Abe Yoder moved his Amish family from Wyoming to Iowa after he says Crook County officials threatened him with stiff fines and removing his children over outhouse permits. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that county officials deny those claims and say they only sought wastewater compliance. "Abe Yoder is really at the center of this. There was one other family who left, and they went to Wisconsin. The rest of the community, the people whose outhouses were found to be not in compliance, did end up complying and following regulations, doing what the county asked them to do. Yoder told Cowboy State Daily that he's more disappointed in the community itself not taking a stand and not fighting back than he is in the county being persistent with its regulations." Yoder recently moved to Iowa, selling off much of his Hulett-area estate and taking his wife and nine of his 11 children with him. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/amish-man-says-family-moved-because-crook-county-infringed-upon-outhouse-rights/] – It has already been a busy year for human-bear conflicts in Wyoming, Montana, and across the West. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that bear observers say it could get worse thanks to drought and other factors. "One of the people I spoke with was our friend Ken Fisher up in Alberta, she's a human bear conflict specialist, and in monitors things not only in Canada, but you know, kind of all through bear territory, even down here in the lower 48 and she said, 'Yeah, it could be, you know, that because of dry conditions and more people going out, just there's more potential for conflict, we could be seeing a little bit more.'" Large carnivore specialist Dan Thompson tells Cowboy State Daily, that from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's perspective, it's essentially been a normal year. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/human-bear-conflicts-across-west-could-be-harbinger-of-more-attacks-removals/] – Sweetwater County School District No. 1 apologized Saturday for what it called the error of a staff member. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the staffer released a campaign message for gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow through the ParentSquare messaging app. "It was addressed to a group of students that are involved in studying public services, and so the my understanding is that they, that it was presented, or it was understood as a volunteer public civic engagement opportunity, and then when it hit, there was this reflection, like, oh, maybe that was political, since it singled out one candidate." Former state House Speaker and now-Sen. Eric Barlow is running for the Republican primary nomination for governor against Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Col. Brent Bien, and Curt Blake of Centennial. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/sweetwater-county-school-district-apologizes-for-barlow-campaign-message-on-parent-app/]. – Greta, a German shepherd with a platform of "more belly rubs for all," is getting huge support in Park County since a "Vote For Greta" sign went up in Cody. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that one voter says, "She certainly can't be worse than, like, half the people running." "I did talk to the Park County clerk, who said that, despite being a dog, and Greta actually is deceased now, he missed the deadline to register as a candidate doesn't say what office she's running from, but it doesn't matter to some, some of the people I talked to, they said it doesn't matter what office I'll vote for her, because she's better." Greta was the beloved pet of Elizabeth Jenkins' parents, who said she made up the campaign sign as a joke. She put it out near the Cody Post Office along Stampede Avenue in Cody late last week with a host of other signs from political candidates. Then she posted a photo of the sign to a local Facebook page. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/29/vote-for-greta-german-shepherd-has-huge-support-in-park-county/] — 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 [https://cowboystatedaily.com/] - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ6-7-Nv-0ycvqgTIttIFQ] channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Monday, June 29, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, June 29th. I'm Mac Watson – "A huge tanker plowed into what I thought was about 6 cars," is how one witness described the scene of a devastating double-fatal crash Friday on Highway 20/26 in Natrona County. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that it was a very chaotic scene with many damaged vehicles, a large debris field, multiple victims, and a large bystander presence. "The deceased haven't been identified yet, so we don't really know much about this crash, whether there's any criminal charges that could possibly come from it, or anything like that. All we know is it was a pretty bad scene. The highway was closed for a good 12 hours. It didn't open up again until after 2am on Saturday." Krista Nethercott, who witnessed the crash and is a funeral director, tells Cowboy State Daily, "I'm used to seeing stuff like this, but it was one of the worst accidents I've witnessed in person." Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/28/witness-to-double-fatal-crash-says-a-huge-tanker-plowed-into-construction-scene/] – The Johnson County Sheriff's Office on Friday released body camera video of state Rep. Bill Allemand's December DUI arrest. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Allemand grew more adversarial toward the deputy throughout his arrest, ultimately calling him an "asshole." "In the video you can see Allemand speaking with the officer, and a lot of people are going to be tempted to make judgment calls based upon his speech, whether the DUI charge is justified. He does speak loudly and with a unique cadence. Normally, he sounds less articulate than usual during the video. The deputy reported that his speech was slurred, so that's going to be a major question that now the public has access to the evidence involved in answering that question." Allemand's attorney Mike Vang tells Cowboy State Daily that Allemand was likely growing frustrated with the deputy because he thought he was being falsely arrested [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/03/04/wyoming-state-rep-says-he-was-unlawfully-interrogated-in-dui-arrest/]. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/26/johnson-county-sheriff-releases-body-cam-video-of-rep-bill-allemand-dui-arrest/] – When Gillette's Kimberly Fry got a phone call at 8:15 a.m. that someone had found their 14-year-old corgi in Wisconsin, she started crying. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that an hour later, her family was on the road and drove more than 1,000 miles straight to get their rescued dog. "Apparently, a couple that was moving from Wyoming to Wisconsin found the Corgi, they said they tried to figure out who it belonged to, and then took it with them, and then once they realized that she was 14-years old and deaf and needed a special diet, they put her on Facebook, classified for free to anyone who take her, so they, the owner, told me she believes that they potentially stole her dog, and then once they realized it was more trouble than it was worth, they just tried to get rid of it any way that they could." Fry is still trying to figure out what happened. She believes her corgi was stolen and abandoned by the people who stole her, making their reunion a miracle. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/27/its-surreal-month-long-search-for-missing-wyoming-corgi-ends-in-wisconsin/] – Wyoming was once a top apple producer in the United States. Cowboy State Renee Jean reports that now those forgotten apple trees are being rediscovered by John Magney, who is mapping out all the varieties that can be grown in the Cowboy State. "At one time Wyoming was at the top of the charts when it comes to apples. It wasn't always all about Washington, right? We once were big in apples too. We were held up as the example. 'Look, if they can grow apples in Wyoming, you can grow apples anywhere.' Jonathan Magney has this little project where he's going around, kind of mapping out all the different varieties of apples that grow in Wyoming, which ones grow the best. Part of his thinking there is, it could be a little industry for Wyoming, another kind of value-added agriculture industry that the state could look into, because apples grow really well here in Wyoming." That history is being rediscovered thanks to a project called the Wyoming Apple Project. Through it, researchers have been cataloguing a hidden network of heritage and volunteer trees that have somehow survived a century or so of drought and neglect. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/27/wyomings-forgotten-apple-trees-are-helping-cider-houses-rule-across-the-state/]. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Authorities are working to unravel the mysterious deaths of a man and woman who were found in Laramie County earlier this year within three months of one another in unrelated incidents. However, Cowboy State Daily's Jen Kocher reports that distinctive tattoos on the individuals have caught the attention of sisters who are genealogists who are working on the case. "On the John Doe, there's a distinctive pool ball, an eight ball, and what looks to be like a bird, and also the. Letter C, but very, very distinguishable, and the Jane Doe has what appears to be a sun and moon. It looks like rain clouds. So, in any case, something that would be identifiable by those who knew those two people. The two sisters started a company called Genetics Uncovered. In fact, they have a project called Not Forgotten, which is a national project, and they're looking for people all over the country." The first person, a woman thought to be between 30 and 50 years old, was struck by a vehicle and killed on the side of Interstate 25 outside Cheyenne in late April, according to Wyoming Highway Patrol. The second is an unknown man found near a commercial building on South Greeley Avenue earlier this month, according to the Laramie County Sheriff's Department. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/27/two-mysterious-cheyenne-deaths-new-to-sisters-efforts-to-id-john-and-jane-does/] – The Common Sense Republicans for Wyoming group says they will alter their billboards after the Wyoming Republican Party warned it could be a violation to use the official GOP elephant logo. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that other candidates and groups are doing the same. "The RNC, the Republican National Committee, has been cracking down, reportedly on unauthorized use of its little elephant logo, and that has filtered down to Wyoming through the Wyoming GOP, which is contacting candidates like, hey, that elephant is too close to the. Will go. Hey, do you have a license to use that elephant? And so you see some candidates are putting stickers over their signs, some are just close enough to pass the smell test. Wyoming Republican Party Chair Brian Miller said, 'Look, we've done crackdowns before, but yeah, the RNC is being very protective of its logo.'" The Common Sense Republicans for Wyoming started a political action committee (PAC) in March to combat the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which is a controversial and populist-leaning group of state House Republicans. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/26/elephants-everywhere-wyoming-gop-cracking-down-on-logo-use-for-rnc/]. – Wyoming hunters who didn't draw antelope tags this year aren't alone. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that hunters are blaming the winter of 2022-23. "I talked to Larry Hicks, who's really knowledgeable about antelope, both as a hunter, and then also as he's a senator in the Wyoming legislature, and so he's dealt with a lot of wildlife policy issues. So he has a pretty good overview, and he said really, we still, we had that horrific winter, you know, 2223 where 10s of 1000s of antelope died. He said the population is still trying to recover from that, so game and fish, just out of good practice, had to cut a lot of the tags in some of these areas." Hicks tells Cowboy State Daily it could take up to eight years for antelope herds to recover from the devastating winterkill losses, "and we're about three years in." Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/26/with-antelope-numbers-still-down-this-years-tag-draw-dismal-for-many-hunters/] – The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana's Glacier National Park, which opened for the summer Monday, is considered by many to be the most beautiful road in America. Cowboy State Daily's Anna-Louise Jackson reports that visitors should prepare to have plenty of company, human and otherwise, on the way to Logan Pass. "It takes you above onto the Continental Divide, over a pass, you can see the glaciers, you can see waterfalls, you can see wildlife. It's considered this engineering marvel because it is cut right into the side of the mountain. This road has just one major switchback, and you are hugging the side of the cliff and just getting this perspective of this park that you wouldn't have any other way, so it's really popular. If you go to Glacier Park, it's kind of like if you don't go on this road, you may not have fully seen the park." Ranked the third most-scenic drive in the U.S. by Tripadvisor reviewers, people tend to throw around superlatives like "stunning," "spectacular," or "unforgettable" to describe it. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/25/2-men-seeking-privacy-caught-after-donkey-kicking-into-cheyenne-bars-liquor-room/] — 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 [https://cowboystatedaily.com/] - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ6-7-Nv-0ycvqgTIttIFQ] channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I'm Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.