Cowboy State Daily Video News: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Friday, June 26, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, June 26th. I'm Mac Watson – Idaho is switching from lethal injections to firing squad executions on July 1st. Wyoming almost added firing squad executions as an alternate method in 2014 because lethal injection drugs were scarce. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Wyoming won't be changing its execution methods any time soon. "This does not affect Wyoming right now, because we don't have anyone on death row, and we rarely execute anyone. We haven't executed anyone since 1992 but it came up in 2014 when Dale Wayne Eaton was on death row before he had, before his death sentence had basically fizzled on appeal. We didn't have a gas chamber, which is our fail-safe method if lethal injection is unconstitutional, and the lethal injection drugs were scarce nationwide, and so Bruce Burns, who was a state senator at the time, was like, What are we going to do here if we can't get the drugs and we don't know the gas chamber, and so he made a bill that would have if the lethal injection wasn't available, that would have allowed for firing squad. That bill tried twice to get into the legislature and failed both times." Idaho is spending $1.2 million to retrofit an execution chamber for its new firing squad method, the Idaho Statesman reported. [https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/crime/article316066906.html] Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/25/idahos-reviving-the-firing-squad-wyoming-almost-did-for-the-lil-miss-killer/] – A sex solicitation sting in Cheyenne led to the arrest of two men last weekend. Cowboy State Daily's Kerry Drake reports that Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak says it's the beginning of a new effort to stop human trafficking that has been ignored for too long by law enforcement. "Sheriff Kozak says that for too long, Laramie County, and particularly Cheyenne, have been a safe haven for sex trafficking, and he said it's going to stop now. This is the first operation that they've had in many years with the Laramie County Sheriff when he was the chief of police in Cheyenne about 10 years ago. He said he wanted to train everybody, at 240 people on the staff, including civilians, and he wanted everybody training, and so they've brought in experts from around the country to do that, and they had one here yesterday." Sheriff Kozak tells Cowboy State Daily that the department has noticed an increase in trafficking, particularly in Cheyenne, because of Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the amount of interstates that run through Laramie County. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/casper-teen-charged-as-adult-after-police-find-cache-of-stolen-guns-credit-cards/] – President Trump announced Thursday he will attend the July 3 fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore, commemorating America's 250th. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that the event also marks the return of fireworks over Mount Rushmore for the first time in six years. "Trump coming to Mount Rushmore is a big deal in South Dakota. There will be tight security, a lot of security. Roads will be closed, and the last time he came in 2020 there was quite a protest by the Native American community who contend that Mount Rushmore was never there by permission, and the Black Hills belong to them. President Trump was personally invited to Mount Rushmore for this Fourth of July holiday by South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden. Trump will also be at the opening for the Theodore Roosevelt National Library in North Dakota a few days prior." The announcement was made on the Freedom 250 website and confirmed in a statement released by South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/25/its-official-trump-will-attend-july-3-fireworks-celebration-at-mount-rushmore/] – Wyoming lawmakers met in Lander on Thursday to address School Finance Recalibration. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that they repeatedly promised a crowded room that they would fix a $3.9 million decrease in public school sports and activities funding. "The school districts as a whole are facing like nearly $4 million in activity shortfalls. The brunt of that is actually on the high school side, whereas middle school and elementary are actually gaining money. And so the high schools are bearing this huge activity shortfalls, and that affects different schools and districts differently. So, lawmakers of the recalibration committee faced a crowded room Thursday in Lander of people who were lamenting these losses, and they promised, 'Look, we're going to fix it, but we don't know how yet.'" Committee members and staffers floated multiple different strategies for fixing the problem. The committee meets again Aug. 25 in Cheyenne. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/wyoming-outhouse-expert-says-retrieving-sunglasses-from-vault-toilets-is-bad-idea/]. – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – A Texas man is accused of exposing his penis in the parking lot of a busy Mexican restaurant in Jackson on Tuesday evening before driving away intoxicated. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that if convicted on all four counts he could face up to 3½ years in jail. "Police were dispatched to a Mexican restaurant in Jackson called El Abuelito just before 8pm after a Texas man had allegedly exposed himself to the public. One witness at the scene recorded part of the incident with her cell phone, she gave that over to police, so that they could review the video. Police could see him kissing a woman, and then he unbuttoned his pants and exposed himself. They arrested him under suspicion of driving under the influence when they took him into custody and took an inventory of his truck. They also found psilocybin mushrooms, along with a little bit of marijuana and a grinder." Durkas appeared Wednesday in Teton County Circuit Court, where he was arraigned on one count each of public indecency and driving under the influence, along with two misdemeanor counts of possessing controlled substances. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/25/texas-man-accused-of-flashing-erect-penis-outside-busy-jackson-mexican-restaurant/] – Facing extreme drought in the wake of an exceptionally mild winter, officials in Colorado and Oregon have told anglers at some reservoirs: Catch all the fish you want, because they're going to die anyway. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that here in Wyoming, emergency measures are on hold. "I reached out to a couple people in Wyoming. Well, two of our biggest reservoirs here, Boysen and Flaming Gorge, they said, 'Our water's down, but we're not, we're nowhere near that level.' The guy at Boysen told me that Boysen is still 73% full. But our picture is far from rosy. There's a million acre feet that are still scheduled to be pulled out of Boysen, or pardon me, Flaming Gorge Reservoir to replenish the really hard shortage of water they're having down at Lake Powell." Fisheries management coordinator Mark Smith tells Cowboy State Daily that some of Wyoming's larger reservoirs have conservation pools, or "dead pools," to act as buffers for fisheries when water is running low. He also added that Game and Fish is watching closely for a "tipping point" that might warrant a change in fishing regulations. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/25/emergency-fishing-measures-on-hold-as-wyoming-bucks-drought-trend-for-now/]. – Rep. Harriet Hageman is vowing to continue the fight for her bill which mandates country-of-origin labeling for beef. But Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that's despite the Senate Ag Committee's failure to include it in the Farm Bill. "Hageman pushed for this amendment in order to allow American consumers to understand where their beef comes from, and she saw it as a way to give ranchers fair competition. Other people, including ranchers and others in the beef producing industry, do not support this because they say it just adds too much bureaucracy, and there is no clear direction as to who would pay to monitor for this, and it's just one extra step with government that we don't need." Had the bill become law, it would require meat labels to clearly state where an animal was born, raised and slaughtered. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/25/mandatory-country-of-origin-labeling-facing-long-odds-after-senate-omission/] – Police say two Cheyenne men looking for "more privacy" wound up in the Crown Bar's employee-only basement. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that's where one "donkey kicked" a locked liquor room door and then stuffed three bottles of tequila in his pants before they were caught. "23-year-old Casey Fox and 18-year-old Carlos Glaub were making out in a bathroom stall when they decided to go find some privacy, so that's how they ended up in the basement when Glaub reportedly donkey kicked the door open so that they could get into the liquor shed, where he was reportedly putting the tequila in his pants." Fox pleaded guilty on Monday to criminal entry, which is a misdemeanor. Glaub is facing a felony count of burglary, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. 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.

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

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, June 25th. I'm Mac Watson – Wyoming congressional candidate Reid Rasner, who works as a financial advisor, was "discharged" from his broker clearinghouse company in late April. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports the dismissal was based on allegations that Rasner "engaged in unapproved outside business activity," federal filings say. "Rasner had been with LPL Financial for like nine years, and he, he did run for Senate in 2024 not not successfully against Barrasso, and then in 2025 was being very public about a hope to purchase TikTok, that didn't pan out, but then this year he's been running for US House, the seat that Representative Hageman is vacating. So, the LPL discharged him in late April, that would have been several months after he, that would have been months after he declared for office, a few weeks after his campaign finance reports came out, and several months after the TikTok deal kind of fizzled." The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) profile of Rasner says he was registered previously as a broker "and is currently registered as an investment advisor." The profile also states that he's held state registrations in New York and Wyoming. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/wyoming-congressional-candidate-reid-rasner-fired-by-clearinghouse/] – An armed female suspect surrendered to law enforcement after a multi-hour standoff on Cody's south side Wednesday afternoon. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that the woman was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, property destruction, and interference with a police officer. "So, the Cody Police Department responded to a call of an unauthorized entry in an unoccupied Cody home around noon on Wednesday, and they found a female suspect who barricaded herself inside that home with a firearm. The standoff lasted around five hours, and then the suspect was arrested. The suspect surrendered and was arrested without incidents, and there were no reported injuries. 41-year-old Dawn Blaycock has been charged with multiple offenses." Blaylock is currently being held in the Park County Detention Center. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/armed-woman-arrested-near-cody-golf-course-after-multi-hour-standoff/] – A Sheridan rancher says an "asinine, stupid" outhouse crackdown is pushing Amish families out of the Hulett area. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that rancher Pepper Fipps says landowners were threatened with fines of up to $30,000 per day if they failed to comply with outhouse regulations. "This controversy goes back to 2024 when a wastewater specialist with Crook County discovered what he considered to be an illegal outhouse on an Amish owned property, Pepper Thips is calling it government overreach and saying they're after money, and it's all about making a buck. County commissioners are saying it's about environmental quality and making sure that our groundwater is not polluted by illegally made out houses that have no, you know, no protections from the wider world, so to speak." Fipps tells Cowboy State Daily that about 40 Amish families live in the Hulett area. Founded in 2011, the Hulett Amish settlement is one of five in Wyoming. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/asinine-outhouse-dispute-fuels-claims-amish-leaving-states-oldest-settlement/]. – A Johnson County judge ruled that anything Wyoming state Rep. Bill Allemand said while handcuffed for 12 minutes during a DUI traffic stop can't be used as direct evidence against him. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that's because his arresting deputy failed to give Allemand his Miranda rights. "He was not free to leave, he was handcuffed for 12 minutes. Originally, it was for a good idea, they saw a gun on the seat, they were worried about officer safety, they detained him so they could take care of the gun, but he stayed handcuffed, and the deputy was asking him questions, and so the judge was like, look, you can't, you can't keep for your main case any potentially incriminating stuff that he said while you're questioning him while he was in custody and hadn't been warned against incriminating himself. It benefits Aleman by whittling the main evidence that the state can bring against him." Allemand, a Republican state representative of the Mills area, was charged Dec. 29, 2025 [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/12/30/wyoming-house-rep-bill-allemand-says-hell-dispute-dui-arrest/], on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Johnson County – one day after a Buffalo traffic stop just off Interstate 25. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/judge-rules-rep-allemand-wasnt-read-miranda-rights-when-stopped-for-dui/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Five young Arapaho braves snuck off from Fort Robinson 150 years ago this week and fought the 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn, where General Custer met his demise. Cowboy State Daily's Jackie Dorothy reports that two of the braves later told their story to actor and adopted member of the Arapaho tribe, Tim McCoy. "These five Arapaho men were not supposed to be where they were, and they were actually captured by the Sioux, and one thing led to another, and next thing you know, the Arapahoes, these five young men are part of the battle against Custer. The two bucks, as they refer to themselves, actually saw Custer during this battle. Left Hand saw him standing and shooting into the Indians with his pistols. Waterman, when he saw Custer, Custer was on all fours on the ground, bleeding out of his mouth with a wound in his side, and Waterman must have been impacted by it, because what he said he saw was Custer watching the Indians – silent, just watching them. This battle took place 150 years ago today, and there were no prisoners taken, because the philosophy of the Indians was that you had two choices: you either fight or you die. There was no such thing as surrender." They have been dubbed by historians as the Arapaho Five, warriors who found themselves fighting against General Custer 150 years ago. Their names were Left Hand, Yellow Eagle, Yellow Fly, Water Man, and Sage. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/the-arapaho-five-unsuspecting-braves-who-fought-custer-150-years-ago-this-week/] – Colorado wildlife agents are trying to determine why a black bear attacked a woman on a hiking trail in Denver and then followed her for 30 minutes despite her shouting and throwing rocks at it. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that the woman who took video of the encounter said it was "circling her." "At one point, a couple other hikers joined her because they heard the ruckus, and also started yelling at the bear, and it still wouldn't leave. Eventually the bear wandered off down another leg of the trail, and apparently started following other hikers. So I reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and they said they don't think that this would qualify as what they would call a predatory incident with the bear." The consensus among bear biologists is that while grizzlies are more likely to attack humans, black bears are more likely to attack in a purely predatory manner. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/colorado-wildlife-officials-uncertain-why-black-bear-attacked-followed-woman/] – A Casper teen accused of attacking his mother led police to a hidden cache of stolen firearms and credit cards tucked behind a secret wall in his bedroom. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that court documents paint a picture of a family dispute that escalated into a foot chase through Casper neighborhoods . "They went into his room, where they found about four stolen pistols. There is a fifth pistol they found that they also believe was stolen, but that's not confirmed yet. So, he is facing at least four felonies for these stolen guns. His mother said that earlier she had seen a credit card skimmer or a scanner. They did not find it that day, however, they did find several credit cards, so there may be further charges in the future. I spoke to the Natrona County Prosecutor, Dan Itson, and he said this 17-year old will be charged as an adult." Honor Jason Wickert, 17, appeared Tuesday afternoon in Natrona County Circuit Court, where he was formally charged with four felonies and several misdemeanors, including interference, domestic battery, carrying a concealed weapon, and being a minor in possession of tobacco products. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/casper-teen-charged-as-adult-after-police-find-cache-of-stolen-guns-credit-cards/] – The owner of a Wyoming sanitation company said it's not worth it to jump in a vault toilet to retrieve sunglasses like a man in California did last week. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that Adma Fink, owner of Laird Sanitation says nothing besides a family heirloom is worth diving into a vault toilet. "Vault toilets can be anywhere from three to 10 feet deep, and a lot of them, they don't use water, but they might be filled with the chemicals that you find in Port-a-johns, so if you go in there, you might be floating once you're in there, because it might be so deep you won't be able to touch the ground." The incident occurred June 20th at Camp Edison on the Sierra National Forest, northeast of Fresno and according to media reports, the unidentified man trying to recover his sunglasses was stuck inside for about 15 minutes before being rescued. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/24/wyoming-outhouse-expert-says-retrieving-sunglasses-from-vault-toilets-is-bad-idea/]. — 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, June 24, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, June 24th. I'm Mac Watson – During a lengthy meeting that grew contentious, the Kemmerer City Council on Monday approved an ordinance establishing regulations for a possible man camp inside city limits. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that despite resident's objections, Mayor Robert Bowen says, "The groundwork's been laid. "The Kemmerer City Council was adamant at the meeting on Monday that there is no man camp guaranteed. The ordinance just lays this groundwork. One place that has gotten interest from potential developers for a possible man camp is an area near this Antelope Ridge subdivision. Multiple people were at this meeting who live in that subdivision saying we don't want this in our backyard. the main concerns are safety, one woman brought up, you know, when you have people in groups, strange things happen." Developers are proposing a temporary hub to house workers who will build the TerraPower nuclear power plant near Kemmerer. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/kemmerer-lays-groundwork-for-possible-man-camp-as-residents-object/] – The Wyoming Supreme Court denied a Cheyenne-based attorney's request for an order appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Secretary of State Chuck Gray for handing sensitive voter data to the federal government on Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the high court also denied the attorney, George Powers' second request. "George Powers had asked the Wyoming Supreme Court to make the Attorney General's office recuse itself from Fowler's requested investigation of Chuck Gray, and for the High Court to appoint a special prosecutor for that investigation itself. And now, while the Attorney General fired back last week, like we already got special prosecutors to look into this. The high court officially ended the case on Tuesday, saying, 'George Powers, you didn't show that the Attorney General's office had shirked a clear duty here,' so we're not going to make the Attorney General do certain things." The U.S. Department of Justice last year urged Gray to hand over unredacted voter rolls bearing driver's licenses or partial social security numbers. Gray did so, public records indicate. He's since said repeatedly that Kautz's office advised him in this, and approved the release. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/wyoming-supreme-court-declines-to-appoint-prosecutor-to-investigate-chuck-gray/] – At a meeting in Denver on Tuesday, Wyoming's state engineer said 2026 is "one of the worst, if not the worst, hydrologic years on record." Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports the engineer added it's due to the dire water situation in the Colorado River's Upper Basin states. "There's a representative from each of the four states, which are Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico. Our representative is our state engineer, Brendan Gebhart. Bottom line is looking really grim. I think Gebhart said, from a hydrological standpoint, it's one of the worst, if not the worst years we have on record for the Colorado River. The commissioner from Utah mentioned that there's already towns there that have run out of water and are having to truck it in little towns in Utah." Members of the Upper Colorado River Commission expressed frustration during the meeting, saying water-management policy needs to shift away from legal wrangling and toward the realities of water availability. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/colorado-rivers-dire-water-picture-expected-to-hit-green-river-ranchers-hard/]. – The Wyoming group that launched a civility movement after the killing of Charlie Kirk has gotten candidates to sign a peacemaker pledge to love their enemies. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that includes gubernatorial candidates Eric Barlow and Megan Degenfelder. "They launched in September after the killing of Charlie Kirk, calling for civility in politics. They, this candidate, see this election season, they released a pledge for candidates to sign if they wish, where they're basically promising to love their enemies, stand on their principles, but not resort to cruelty. And as of Monday, 35 candidates had signed it, including two running for governor." Three of the 10 Republican U.S. House candidates have also signed the pledge: Senate President Bo Biteman, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, and Casper-based veteran Kevin Christensen. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/35-candidates-including-two-wyo-gov-hopefuls-sign-love-your-enemies-pledge/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Cheyenne's City Council moved a massive 3,500-acre data center annexation closer to approval Monday night, rejecting an effort to secure a $50 million community benefits agreement. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that Mayor Patrick Collins recently described as "extortion." "What are the impacts of that? Councilman Wolf felt that the city should be looking to get more out of the deal, so that it could handle or deal with those impacts, but the council did not agree. There were three votes for such seeking an agreement and the rest were against. It's a nine-member council. The mayor was absent, and so you know that went down to defeat. Some of the councilmen pointed out that they can still seek annexation agreements." The tract, roughly one-fifth the size of Cheyenne and adjacent to Microsoft's existing data centers, is envisioned as a long-term expansion site where it would build its facilities out over the next 10 to 20 years. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/cheyenne-oks-huge-microsoft-annexation-rejects-50m-community-benefits-deal/] – The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory confirmed Tuesday that a hydrothermal explosion occurred in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that Yellowstone authorities say they observed water spouting 30 feet into the air. "When geologists went out there the next day, they found a 21-foot-wide crater filled with boiling water, a 60 foot long fissure, and several vents that were draining water into the nearby Fire Hole River. I spoke with Mike Poland, the scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, and he said that this is evidence that these incidents are very shallow and they're very localized, that they only occur in individual thermal features rather than affecting an entire basin." Biscuit Basin has been closed since a similar explosion occurred at nearby Black Diamond Pool in July 2024. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/steam-explosion-creates-20-foot-crater-of-boiling-water-in-yellowstone/] – Wyoming lawmakers started work on Tuesday to lift the upper limit on county prosecutors' salaries, topping out at $180,000. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the bill would raise Wyoming Supreme Court Justices' salaries and district court judge salaries as well. "A lot of these salaries for prosecutors, judges were set like 18 years ago in state law, so that's a hard figure that remains rigid in state law, even as inflation and other factors take off, and so they're having a look at raising those, those amounts, and also maybe tying them to some kind of an escalator that hinges on economic factors like inflation and cost of living." If it becomes law, the bill now being drafted would raise Wyoming Supreme Court Justices' salaries from $187,250 to nearly $225,000, district court judge salaries from $171,200 to almost $202,000, and circuit court judges from $153,700 to $180,000. Those figures would change over time based on economic metrics, as they'd be tethered to federal judge salaries, which have built-in escalators. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/wyoming-lawmakers-considering-raises-for-prosecutors/] – A Colorado woman, accused of stealing $2,000 worth of pyrotechnics from Artillery World along Interstate 25 in Cheyenne, is headed to district court. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the woman allegedly drove toward store employees at high speed to avoid being detained. "61-year-old Sandra Bafia loaded up her cart at a fireworks stand at Cheyenne, and then left without paying. As she was putting the fireworks into her car, two employees tried to stop her. Bafia scratched one employee, and then she pushed off the other one, got into her car, and then turned the car around and drove toward the employees as if to hit them. She missed them. If convicted, Bafia faces up to 10 years in prison. Anything over $1,000 in the state of Wyoming is considered a felony." Sandra May Bafia waived her preliminary hearing on Monday in Laramie County Circuit Court, sending the case to district court more than a year after the alleged theft. If convicted, Bafia faces up to 10 years in prison. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/23/colorado-woman-accused-of-stealing-2-000-in-fireworks-headed-to-district-court/]. — 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 23, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, June 23rd. I'm Mac Watson – Black Hills Energy says it's ready for data centers that draw as much power as small states. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that Vice President Wes Ashton says its large-load tariff makes cost-causers pay their full cost, even as AI demand has jumped from megawatts to gigawatts. "The question is, how well is it going to scale when we go from megawatt to orders of magnitude greater gigawatt scale? Black Hills tells me they're very confident that this large load tariff is going to scale, they're not worried about that at all. In fact, they think that folks might see that their rates are continuing to be held back, because as these large companies are building this infrastructure there's economy of scale there, and it's resulting in less cost for regular rate payers, because these guys are paying for ginormous upgrades to the right reliability and efficiency and overall capacity of the grid that serves everyone, and so they, they only see benefits from this down the line as we continue to build this out." Project Jade, as just one example, will come into Wyoming with a "bring-your-own-power" mentality for an initial 2.7 gigawatts of power, which is nearly three times what industry analysts have said Wyoming uses now. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/how-black-hills-energy-is-preparing-for-surge-of-power-hungry-wyoming-data-centers/] – Demand for nuclear fuel, a ban on imports from Russia and booming data center-driven electricity needs are sending uranium producers back into Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that mining association chief Travis Deti says, "We need the fuel, and the fuel starts with Wyoming uranium. "There's a renewed interest in this mineral nationwide, and the need globally is huge, and Wyoming has a lot of uranium and a lot of exploration to be done, so companies are at work in the Powder River Basin. I talked to the CEO of a smaller company, he is from Australia, but owns American Uranium Limited, and they have an operation in Wyoming that is ongoing and expects to be producing in the next few years. Uranium is key for energy development and could also play a role in data center build out in the future." Nuclear energy still supplies about 20% of the nation's electricity, and the United States operates more nuclear reactors than any other country in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Association. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/wyoming-uranium-surges-as-nuclear-demand-national-security-concerns-align/] – Almost a week after a semitruck carrying millions of bees flipped over in Yellowstone National Park and destroyed hundreds of hives, bees are still swarming on trees in the area. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that one Wyoming beekeeper calls it " a swarming mechanism." "Bee trees are kind of like staging stations for bees, as they're trying to find new homes. So, when you see a tree covered with bees, it's most likely that there's a queen there, and the other bees are swarming around her, while scouts go out to find a suitable location to build a new hive. If you see those trees, beekeepers know that they can still collect that colony and relocate it to an apiary or another beehive safely, but if you stop seeing those trees, it means the bees have moved on." The fact that bee trees can still be seen along U.S. Highway 191 six days after the June 16 crash might indicate the bees are having trouble finding an ideal place for a new home. But it definitely means the colonies can be safely recovered. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/millions-of-bees-swarm-on-trees-in-yellowstone-after-hives-smashed-in-semi-crash/]. – Data from the National Weather Service revealed the last three months have been the driest spring on record for most of Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that's following one of the driest winters on record, which doesn't bode well for the summer months ahead. "After one of the driest winters in Wyoming's recorded history, it makes sad sense that it was one of the driest springs in recorded history. Many Wyoming communities got less than half, in some places barely more than a quarter of the moisture they typically receive between March 20-first and June 20, but there could be some potential salvation on the horizon. It's been a very active weather week in Wyoming, and there could be more moisture moving in. The downside to that is if we get that moisture, it's going to most likely come in the form of thunderstorms, and with the thunder comes the lightning, and if we get a thunderstorm that doesn't produce much rain but does produce some lightning, then we're talking about a heightened risk of wildfires on a landscape that's already deep in the drought." Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day tells Cowboy State Daily, "March was so bad, April was not great, May was really bad in places, and June has been a bust. Those months are so critical, and they didn't come through for us." Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/summer-drought-in-forecast-after-record-dry-winter-driest-spring-in-decades/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – When a bull moose wandered into Wheatland on Sunday, wildlife agents drugged it, then rolled the massive animal onto a tarp to move it into a waiting horse trailer. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that one fire-rescue responder said, "Once he woke back up, he was not too pleased." "The moose was getting spookily close to I-25 and a lieutenant from the Wheatland Fire and Rescue told me that they've had a lot of deer get hit in that same area, so they really don't want that moose hanging out there. So Game and Fish came in and tranquilized the moose, and they called in Wheatland Fire Rescue to assist. Then they managed to get it rolled onto a tarp, and they just had like eight or 10 guys getting a circle around the tarp, he lifted up and carried into a horse trailer, and then once it got in the horse trailer, they took it up to the Snowy Range Mountains and released it back out into the wild." Jeff Herb of Wheatland Fire-Rescue tells Cowboy State Daily that no one is sure where the moose came from. He speculates that the moose might have wandered out of the Laramie Range because it's been so dry lately in those mountains. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/tarp-provides-a-lift-as-game-and-fish-rescues-moose-flirting-with-i-25-disaster/]. – The Natrona County Commissioners approved an agreement to keep the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper for the next 10 years. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports the CEO of Visit Casper says the economic boost to Natrona county is huge. "It's become a tradition. Annette Pitts with Visit Casper said that this brings about $3 million in economic impact to the Casper community. Casper College's head rodeo coach, Faith Anders, said that Casper is a great place for the CNFR because people in Central Wyoming really understand rodeo culture. In other states, there are some misconceptions about animal cruelty, whereas in Wyoming, there are ranchers, farmers, veterinarians, people who care about animals and really understand livestock production, so it's a great place to celebrate Western culture." The CNFR has been a fixture in Casper for more than a quarter-century, bringing hundreds of the nation's top college cowboys and cowgirls to Wyoming every June. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/casper-keeps-college-national-finals-rodeo-for-next-10-years/] – Terlingua, Texas, crowns the world's chili champions, but many say their favorite contest is in Chugwater, Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that for 40 years, the Chugwater Chili Cook-off has been a Father's Day bucket-list contest for the best chili cooks on the planet. "Many of them are former Terlingua winners. Terlingua is the competition that crowns the world's chili champion every year, and talking with some of these guys who came up here from Texas, this is a bucket list competition for them right here in Little Old Chuck Water, Wyoming. A lot of these folks who do this, who are from Wyoming, do it as a family activity. They get together kind of like families do over the holidays for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well, they get together over chili, and there's some fantastic chilis here. If you don't find something that you like at this festival, well, then you just don't like chili, because there's some really good chili at this event." Many contestants pair their chili fest trip with subsequent Yellowstone and Devils Tower adventures. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/why-world-chili-champions-flock-to-tiny-chugwater-for-its-annual-chili-fest/] – Mount Rushmore expects a huge turnout for the nation's 250th Independence Day celebration that will feature fireworks returning for the first time in six years. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that you'd better have a lottery ticket to get in. "The idea of celebrating Fourth of July at Mount Rushmore for America's 250th birthday was so popular that the National Park Service had to implement a lottery system for tickets. Nearly 103,000 people vied for 4800 tickets, and the lottery closed in April. So there will be 4800 people at Mount Rushmore, and many more people who would love to be there. They are showing up all over the Black Hills and Keystone, which is the community nearest Mount Rushmore, has reported an increase of 127% in visitors over last year." There is also speculation that President Trump will attend this event, but the White House has not confirmed. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/22/4-800-win-lottery-to-attend-mount-rushmore-fireworks-display-for-nations-250th/] — 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: Monday, June 22, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, June 22nd. I'm Mac Watson – Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn't work. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that even middle-class wages aren't high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise. "They're building homes that are 400,000 and up, and so why not any affordable units for regular working class people who have a median income of 75,500. When I went to developers about why aren't people building homes in this range, that would be the affordable range for Americans, and they basically can't pencil out below $400,000. So we have this huge gap, between $300,000 and $400,000. They can't make the numbers work." Scott Hoversland, who heads up the Wyoming Community Development Authority, puts the number of homes the state needs somewhere between 28,000 to 38,000 by 2030 — roughly 2,070 to 3,680 homes annually to keep up with population growth and aging infrastructure. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/21/why-a-shortfall-of-more-than-20-000-homes-isnt-enough-to-get-wyoming-building/]. – A Cheyenne judge Friday ordered the Wyoming Board of Equalization to apply a law capping residential property tax increases at 4% annually, for now, despite the board's claim the cap violates the Wyoming Constitution. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Gov. Gordon sued the board last week. "Gordon's office, through the Attorney General's personnel, asked Judge Hibben, 'Hey, make the tax board follow the law real quick while we sort through these tax values.' And Judge Hibben granted that request. The judge basically said, 'Look, we're going to sift through the constitutional issues. The court's going to look at those and decide, but for now you just follow the law.' So, this is what we call a temporary restraining order. It's generally a very quick court order telling people what they're supposed to do while the controversy is going on in court." The Wyoming Constitution calls for equal and uniform property taxes within each tax category, and this tax cap creates stark disparities in how some homes, despite being nearly identical, are taxed in different regions, the report says. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/19/judge-orders-wyoming-board-of-equalization-to-enforce-4-property-tax-cap-for-now/] – A tornado made a rare appearance in Sublette County on Saturday, bringing with it more than 700 power outages. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that Meteorologist Don Day calls it a "landspout" tornado. "It's not a true tornado in the sense that it comes down from the clouds, rather it's a spinning closer to the surface that winds its way up to the clouds, and it lasted probably no more than 30 minutes, and even that's really long. They tend not to be long-lived, and they're not as destructive as tornadoes. So it was literally just a perfect storm of circumstances as thunderstorms and a cluster of thunderstorms was moving through Wyoming on Saturday that brought rain to some places and thunderstorms to others." Meteorologist Don Day tells Cowboy State Daily that landspouts tend to be more common in the spring and summer, especially when Wyoming's area gets humid. When summer thunderstorms carry moisture into Wyoming, the likelihood of landspouts increases. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/18/john-bear-one-of-the-freedom-caucus-most-powerful-members-has-a-challenger/] – A Casper man says his wife is making him sell his beloved Bigfoot-hunting rig. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the car is a lifted, 1984 AMC Eagle wagon with 150,000 miles that owner Austin Griess says attracts too much female attention. "Griess posted the car online last week, and it got a lot of attention, especially from males who commented that maybe he should keep the car and get rid of something else. According to gearhead Ron Gordon in Sublette County, who spent a lifetime admiring station wagons, this AMC Eagle would have been the perfect family car. It is all-wheel drive, so it was made to go camping, especially lifted." Griess found the 1984 AMC Eagle 4X4 Wagon on Facebook Marketplace during the dead of winter. During the cold months he worked on it, installing a lift kit, tuning it up and making it reliable enough to serve as a daily driver. Then he said he turned it into a true "chick magnet" by adding a modern stereo. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/20/casper-man-selling-his-1984-amc-eagle-chick-magnet-because-wife-wants-it-gone/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Laramie's Erika Babbitt-Rogers considers herself to be a professional "worm wrangler." Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that she says anglers and pet owners are regular customers, but the real demand is for worm poop. "She has discovered that really worm castings, which is just a fancy way of saying worm poop, is a huge seller, and the reason is that it makes really good, highly nutritious, slow release fertilizer for plants or lawns and whatnot. She says sells mass amounts of worm poop to people, and she said some people turn it into tea, and don't get the wrong idea, it's not tea you drink. What they do is they make like a tea mixture that they can spray on their plants or spray on their lawn, so it's tea for plants, not for people." Erika Babbitt-Rogers grew up in agriculture and always figured livestock would be part of her life, but she didn't expect that "livestock" would be worms. Around 2009, she got the idea to raise worms on a larger scale and sell them for fishing bait and food for people's pet reptiles and, of course, worm poop for gardening. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/21/wyomings-worm-wrangler-sells-nightcrawlers-for-bait-worm-poop-for-fertilizer/]. – The American Dream in Powell is Wyoming's last operating drive-in theater and has survived since 1949 as a retro experience for movie-goers. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that the current owner, Kathleen Heny, bought it in 2004 just to save it. "One day her husband came home from the hardware store, and, 'Oh, honey, our drive-in theater is for sale.' They kind of had a soft spot for this theater, and they just decided that they were afraid that somebody's going to buy this and, you know, knock it down and build something else, and they didn't want that, and so they bought it themselves. They operated themselves.There are 370 drive-in theaters left in America. These guys are the Iron Man of an era that is long gone, the 1950s and 60s. These were fueled by the post-war boom. Everybody had their automobiles with their flashy chrome fenders. They needed places to show it off. The drive-in theater was perfect." Some of the locals go so far as to bring full-size couches in their pickup beds and camp stoves to make s'mores and other snacks as the overhead sky darkens and a sweep of stars begins to shine. Read the full story HERE [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/20/wyomings-last-drive-in-theater-powells-american-dream-open-for-78th-season/]. – Wyoming's prisons have 109 vacant positions, despite years of recruiting. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that now, the Wyoming Department of Corrections is turning to a certain group of people because of their training. "Former retired director of the WDOC, Bob Lambert, said that these positions are incredibly hard to fill. It's a demanding job. There are a lot of safety concerns. Inmates, as he puts it, are not usually there for singing too loud in church. Prison officials are currently recruiting active duty military members to serve as correctional officers in these prisons, so it's a pipeline that would help members who are nearing the end of their contract with the military to quickly start a new career with the Wyoming Department of Corrections." Through a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense's SkillBridge program, transitioning service members can train with the Wyoming Department of Corrections before separating from active duty, creating what officials hope will become a new pipeline into correctional careers. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/18/hageman-barrasso-wont-support-democrat-bill-to-stop-federal-land-sales/] – Yellowstone rangers resorted to using a front-end loader and a bit of creativity to get a 2,000-pound bison carcass away from a busy road near Canyon Village on Friday. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that a wildlife photographer said a grizzly was circling the area determined to have the roadkill for breakfast. "First they tied a chain around the bison's neck and lifted it, but then they couldn't get it up high enough to get in the dump truck, so they had to tie up one of its legs and lower it in that way, and this was all within public view. Most things that die in the park stay in the park. So when there's a bison carcass that people see near the road and the parks move it, they take it to a secret location where it can be dumped, and then it's free for all the animals in the park to utilize, because that's a big source of food for a bunch of animals." Photographer April Mead has seen and shared images of Yellowstone's carcass removal process before, but this one was notably different. It seemed as if the park's experienced staff were improvising the best way to get the job done quickly and safely. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/19/yellowstone-rangers-bulldoze-2-000-pound-bison-roadkill-while-grizzly-circles/] — 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.