Cowboy State Daily Video News: Friday, May 22, 2026

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, June 4, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, June 4th. I'm Mac Watson – More than 32 years after her body was found along I-80, the woman known as "Shafter Jane Doe" has been identified, officials announced Thursday. Cowboy State Daily's Jen Kocher reports Mary Alexander's nude body was posed on the ground, arms extended to either side in the shape of a cross. "Nobody reported her missing, because her family, she was a free spirit, so she was, they thought, laid on the side of the road for about seven days until she was found. So that was in 1993 And today the Elko County Sheriff's Office announced that they have identified her after 32 years. Her name is Mary Alexander, and she was a German immigrant, she moved to California in about 72 and she left home about 18 or 19. There was a lot of emotion in the room when the investigators announced her identity. These guys have been working on it for decades, and this is a huge story. In that, she's thought to be one of the nine victims in what's called the Great Basin murders, which took place between 1983 and 1997." Elko authorities announced Alexander's killer as Roger Durkee of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Investigators were getting ready to fly out to Wisconsin with an arrest warrant to take him into custody, when they discovered he had already passed away in November of 2025. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/32-years-after-her-posed-body-was-found-along-i-80-shafter-jane-doe-identified/] – The transgender Laramie resident who protested Wyoming's cross-sex access ban for public bathrooms at the Capitol last summer is now waging a self-defense argument in a felony assault case. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Rihanna Kelver says he didn't go looking for a confrontation. "Kelver was charged in September with aggravated assault, possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intents, and interference with a peace officer, so that's two felonies and one misdemeanor. That case got knocked down to two misdemeanors at some point, like November, and there were negotiations underway where the prosecutor and the defense were trying to figure out what sentencing was appropriate, and the court file indicates that fell apart, and the prosecutor ratcheted back up to the two felonies and the one misdemeanor, and it's now on the level of the felony court." 26-year-old Rihanna Kelver made headlines last summer [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/07/01/trans-woman-breaks-wyomings-new-bathroom-ban-in-state-capitol-nothing-happens/] for using the women's bathroom in the Wyoming Capitol when a new state law was activated banning the practice. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/transgender-bathroom-protestor-faces-felony-assault-charge-claims-self-defense/] – A Torrington family says the Goshen County Sheriff's Office told them a suspect turned himself in for shooting their Rottweilers, whose mutilated bodies were found in the North Platte River. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that the sheriff's office confirms there is a suspect in the case who has not been identified. "On Wednesday morning, Angelica Garcia learned from police that a suspect had come forward and turned himself in. However, the Goshen County Sheriff, Corey Fleener, said that they are keeping his identity private for now because it's a public safety concern. The suspect is not currently in custody, and they have not formally been charged as of Wednesday afternoon. An organization out of Washington, DC, is offering a $2,500 reward for anyone who has information that will help convict the person responsible for what they see as an unlawful killing of these dogs." The president of the Animal Wellness Action, Wayne Pacelli, tells Cowboy State Daily that the reason the group became interested in this case is because of the well-studied link between animal cruelty and broader patterns of domestic violence. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/torrington-family-says-suspect-turns-self-in-for-shooting-mutilated-rottweilers/] – Laramie doesn't have any plans for data centers, but that didn't stop locals Tuesday calling for a permanent moratorium on them. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that because of resident's concerns, the mayor is taking action. "One gentleman suggested that the council consider a permanent moratorium on data centers. Mayor Sharon Cumby told me that they are planning to now fast-track a joint session between city council and county commissioners to talk about what you know if data center developers come in asking for proposals the city and county come together to have a very clear set of guidelines or procedure to answer those questions." Laramie city staff is compiling information that will explore the scope and ramifications of data centers and Mayor Sharon Cumbie said she wants to make sure that her staff has adequate time to thoroughly gather the latest information, so the joint groups are well informed when they come together. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/laramie-has-no-data-center-plans-but-that-doesnt-stop-locals-from-opposing-them/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – An Evansville man accused of not returning to a Casper halfway house after work faces more charges for allegedly breaking into people's homes. Cowboy State Daily's Dale Killingbeck reports that he "grabbed a container of orange juice from the fridge" when confronted by a frightened woman at one house. "She called 911 and said, 'I don't know where he went, but there was a guy that came into my house and took orange juice.' This guy, before he left, said, 'Yeah, I've been staying at your trailer in the backyard.' Then, about an hour later, they get another call from a woman who sees a guy who is apparently drunk or something walking down an alley. Police go there and find the man that matches the description from the other residences, they start talking to him and understand that, yeah, he's the guy that took the orange juice." Court documents show Garrett Maheu's renewed encounter with the court system began with his failing to return to the halfway house facility by midnight May 25th following a shift at the Outback Steakhouse in Casper. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/fugitive-accused-of-breaking-into-casper-area-homes-taking-orange-juice/] – Despite huge storms in southern Wyoming, May was Jekyll and Hyde, either exceeding or falling short of moisture expectations — with much of the state still in drought. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports meteorologist Don Day says some towns in Wyoming are dry as a bone. "In some places, like Buffalo, they got less than 30% of their historical average for precipitation in the month of May, that's the seventh consecutive month of below average, below average monthly precipitation in Wyoming. There is a chance that June and July could be more wet as we get into an El Nino, and the North American monsoon begins to form, but unfortunately it's very rare for June or July to turn around a drought situation." After the warmest, driest winter on record for areas across Wyoming, experts described the snowpack [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/03/05/wyomings-snowpack-is-anywhere-from-just-okay-to-basically-horrible-as-winter-ends/] going into May ranging anywhere from "just OK" to "basically horrible." Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/despite-huge-storms-during-jekyll-and-hyde-may-much-of-wyoming-still-in-drought/] – The Wyoming Department of Education warned lawmakers this week that artificial intelligence is coming, so students should receive training outside of Facebook and Instagram. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that "The job of a school is to create real intelligence," said Rep. Ocean Andrew. "The person who works in this area for Sheridan County School District number 1 said, 'Yeah, we just, we just work on guidance because it's more flexible, more malleable, urge against plagiarism, urge against surveillance, urge against bad topics like that, talk about AIs have biases and can hallucinate, and we just try to teach our people how to warn and safeguard against these things.'" The committee ultimately didn't draft legislation during its Tuesday meeting, but questioned the department on next steps. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/wyoming-department-of-education-says-prepare-for-ai-because-its-coming/] — As Yellowstone buzzed with tourists and other bears were caught up in courtship, a black bear apparently decided he'd had enough and zonked out by the roadside near Tower Junction. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that the bear was out so hard, some people worried that it was dead. "This black bear that's just, just off the road, flopped over on his back, just absolutely passed out. Snooze and tongue hanging out. Other bears are running around, and you know, because it's courtship mating season, so other black bears are really up and active and chasing each other, and all that, but this one was just not. It's 80 degrees, I'm flopping on my back and taking a nap. The bear was passed out so hard, some folks were worried that it was dead, and he said a lot of other people never even saw it, they had their eyes up looking at the other bears that are running around. They didn't notice this one right in front of them, that was just, just zonk." Wildlife photographer Corey Pettis tells Cowboy State Daily Grizzly bear activity [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/sandhill-crane-gets-aggressive-to-scare-young-yellowstone-grizzly-away-from-nest/] has been getting plenty of attention in Yellowstone National Park this spring, but around Tower Junction, it's all about black bears. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/03/tired-of-mobs-and-mating-season-yellowstone-black-bear-zonks-out-by-roadside/] — 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 3, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, June 3rd. I'm Mac Watson – Police in Montrose, Colorado, say a Gillette resident bought a gun in Wyoming, drove hundreds of miles and started randomly shooting. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that police say they don't know why 42-year-old Eduardo Garcia Barrera did it. "Barrera, a part-time resident of Gillette, bought a gun at a local sporting goods store in Wyoming, and then he drove 11 hours to Montrose, Colorado, where he then unleashed a fury of bullets in downtown Colorado, in a busy commercial section, he did strike a 22-year-old pedestrian before he ultimately turned the gun on himself. The 22- year-old victim is in stable condition." Police say the incident unfolded over roughly 35 minutes Saturday morning as Barrera fired at moving vehicles and pedestrians as he entered the western Colorado city. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/gillette-man-goes-on-shooting-spree-in-colorado-town-before-shooting-self/] – A Bozeman woman is home following a 24-day hospital stay after her hand was ripped off in a terrifying horse accident at the Montana State University rodeo practice arena. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports the woman's husband and MSU rodeo coach sent team members to find the detached hand. "Presely Whitaker was training a horse in a small enclosure with a rope, and something happened to spook the horse or buck her off somehow. The horse drug her through the arena and she hit a fence and broke her jaw, and that's where she also lost her right hand. Presley was flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City, where surgeons tried to reattach her hand. However, the damage was too extensive, and they were unable to do so. Casey Ray Sellers, the rodeo coach at Gillette College, told me that she's seen people lose fingers in rodeo accidents and horse accidents. She's seen a lot of wrecked legs, but she's never seen someone lose a hand." On May 4, Presley was pen roping a young horse — a horsemanship technique that teaches young horses how to handle cattle and grow accustomed to working with a rope — when the horse she was on threw her and took off. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/montana-woman-loses-hand-in-rodeo-accident-i-thought-she-was-going-to-die/] – Cheyenne attorney George Powers, who filed a complaint calling for a criminal investigation against Chuck Gray for releasing sensitive voter data to the federal government, asked the Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday to appoint a special prosecutor. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports Powers wants answers. "Powers has said, 'Well, get a special prosecutor, you know, find a way to rope in a special prosecutor. And then Kautz, the Attorney General, said, 'You know, I'm handling this in accordance with the rules, not in the public arena, so that's what that's what Attorney General Kautz said to Powers on May 4th, and so then Powers pushed again May 20th, like I need to know something's going on, we're probably, we can file a writ of mandamus, making you do the thing, so that so he did end up filing that writ of mandamus. Which is a petition to a court to make an official do something that is clearly that official's duty." Powers also asked the high court to issue an order "commanding," Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz and the AG's office to recuse themselves from investigating whether Gray could have committed a crime. It's unclear whether the AG's office already has, or has not recused itself from the matter. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/cheyenne-attorney-asks-court-to-make-prosecutor-investigate-chuck-gray/] – Cheyenne planners are recommending denial of most of the provisions in a huge 3,200-acre Microsoft data center expansion. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that one resident said during a marathon five-hour hearing Monday that this would overtake the city. "A fifth of Cheyenne's size, this 3200 acres coming into the city. It's huge. It's just a huge track that really did kind of put some scale to it. So the person who brought that up was one of the commissioners, Megan Connor, and she just wanted to know, you know, how did the planning people come to determine it's beneficial to the city? It's kind of hard to imagine, and then because it's in the beginning stages, Microsoft really hasn't planned it out, or you know, there's no way to know how much water it will eventually use, or you know exactly how many data centers will go there." Only one part of the plan — assigning agricultural zoning to the 3,050-acre Highlands area if it is annexed — will reach the June 8 City Council meeting with a recommendation to approve. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/cheyenne-planners-recommend-denial-for-most-of-microsofts-data-center-expansion/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. — A young grizzly named Storm got too close to a sandhill crane's nest in Yellowstone. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that the crane was having none of it and drove the bear off. "She apparently got too close to a crane, a sand hill crane nest, and so you see this, the crane came out, you all stood up big and tall with its wings spread out, being all intimidating, and stood the grizzly bear down. I talked to some bird experts, bird biologists, and they said, 'Yeah, you know, birds whether they're big birds like crane or even smaller birds, they will take off after something as big or even considerably larger than them if they think their nest is at stake.'" Drawing itself up to its full height, the crane towered over Storm with its wings spread wide in a display of aggression during their close encounter on Saturday in Yellowstone National Park. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/sandhill-crane-gets-aggressive-to-scare-young-yellowstone-grizzly-away-from-nest/] – The city of Rock Springs is catching backlash after declaring June "pride month." Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that one councilman says people are upset. "Councilman, Rick Malonis, was talking about how, you know, he cast it as ironic. They took a photo of the Pride display, the flags, and everything under a banner that said 'In God We Trust,' and so Malonis derided the proclamation, but the other council members that I talked to on Tuesday said that the backlash is being overblown." Rock Springs has declared June "pride month" for years, but this year's proclamation has generated a surge of backlash, as shown through 543 comments on the city's Facebook post and 43 shares as of Tuesday afternoon. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/city-of-rocks-springs-catches-backlash-for-pride-month-declaration/] – A Casper man who tried to burn down his ex-boyfriend's house last summer — but made sure to save his own pet snake — was sentenced Monday to six to eight years in prison. Cowboy State Daily's Dale Killingbeck reports that the ex says David Lee Wilkinson "destroyed everything in my life." "Casper Mann, 31 years old, faced his last day in court, presumably when he was sentenced for setting fire to his ex-boyfriend's home last summer, and the ex-boyfriend did testify to say that you know his relationship with this guy was great and terrible at the same time, and that you know he felt like he took a bullet for others that might be in a future relationship with him. He said that alcohol fueled a lot of his problems, and he had trauma in his past. Meanwhile, the defendant just sat at the table and kind of just sat there and watched and listened, and then when it was his turn, he apologized for what he had done." Wilkinson entered a plea deal with the Natrona County District Attorney's office on Feb. 19 where both a first-degree arson charge for the July 16 fire and a domestic battery charge for an Oct. 11 incident were admitted via an Alford plea. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/casper-man-who-tried-to-burn-down-exs-house-but-saved-snake-gets-6-8-years/] – Wild turkeys recently attacked an elderly California woman, leaving her bruised and bloody. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that Game and Fish says Casper's urban turkeys "have absolutely established a reputation for aggressive, bold, and disruptive behavior." "Gaming Fish told me that they do get - they haven't had like in bonafide turkey attacks yet, but they've had instances of turkeys, you know, trying to fight people's dogs, turkeys chasing people, trapping people in their cars, those sorts of things. And I talked to a resident who lives right next to the downtown area, and she says, I haven't really had a run-in with the turkeys yet, but I don't get really close to them either. Don't take for granted that turkeys can't be aggressive." 83-year old Mary Jo Kelly, of Alameda, California described the turkey attack as terrifying. She suffered severe bruising and cuts to her right hand that required stitches at a local hospital. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/02/when-urban-turkeys-attack-like-those-in-casper-wild-flocks-can-become-bullies/] — 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 2, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, June 2nd, I'm Mac Watson – A Torrington family is in shock after finding their mutilated dogs partially submerged in the North Platte River. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that Angelica Garcia said two people made the grisly discovery of her dogs in the river. "The Garcia family says that they let their dogs out Friday morning, and they escaped, which was a common occurrence. They were known to get loose and wander about town. Angelica Garcia says that most of the time people would just bring the dogs back, and it kind of became a running joke in the community. The dogs went missing in the afternoon, and were discovered in the early evening by a woman walking with her young son. She found the dogs half submerged in the North Platte River. There were two Rottweilers, and it looked like they'd been blasted by a shotgun, one was missing its head, the other was missing its neck and its chest." Goshen County Sheriff Kory Fleenor confirmed Monday that his office has an open investigation into the incident, but declined to comment on whether investigators have determined a cause of death or whether any suspects or persons of interest have been identified. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/01/torrington-family-says-rottweilers-were-mutilated-and-dumped-in-the-river/] – The poll U.S. House candidate Chuck Gray touted Monday leveled disparaging claims about opponents Reid Rasner and Steve Friess. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the poll, conducted by Fabrizio, Lee, and Associates, claims Friess "never had a real job" and Rasner acted like a "Hollywood celebrity" during a marriage to "his gay husband." "They concluded that Gray was leading with 21% of the vote if the election were held mid May, but there was also a push poll phase, and I received screenshots shortly after reporting the favorable poll with very charged, very loaded attacks on Reid Rasner and Steve Freese. The commentary about Rasner was dredging up things from his 2020 to 2022 divorce proceedings, including a subjective comment saying he had hyphenated his name like a celebrity. The prompts about Steve Friess were calling him an elitist and calling him out of touch with Wyomingites." The survey was a poll of 400 Wyoming Republican voters from May 13-16th and reveals Secretary of State Chuck Gray leads a crowded GOP U.S. House race with 21% support. Casper businessman Reid Rasner is second at 14%, and Teton County's Steve Friess is third at 10%. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/01/chuck-grays-u-s-house-poll-leveled-disparaging-remarks-against-rasner-friess/] – The family of a woman killed by a distracted driver in downtown Sheridan a year ago said they feel slighted by the 60-day sentence he got Friday. Cowboy State Daily's Jen Kocher reports that the woman's daughter says the sentence brings "deeper grief," not closure. "Kate Gladden, her daughter does not feel like justice was served, and they were quite disappointed because they had been hoping that the judge might take into consideration their victim statements and charge him with the full penalty under the law, which would be up to a year and $2,000 fine, but that did not happen. She stuck with the plea agreement for 60 days." 65-year-old Julie Fitzsimmons was visiting her daughter Kate Gladden and her husband Nate, in Sheridan. Julie died of blunt force trauma to the head after being struck and thrown more than 7 feet by the vehicle. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/31/evanston-has-spent-decades-and-28m-restoring-its-historic-railroad-roundhouse/] – A 27-year-old man accused of shooting another man and leaving him bleeding in a Cheyenne street after a blowup over a former girlfriend pleaded not guilty Monday to attempted second-degree murder. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that Adrian Maggos allegedly asked police how "the guy I shot" was doing. "He sat quietly along with 11 other inmates from the jail, they all were wearing the bright orange jumpsuits, the orange proxy, he had his legs were shackled together, and when it was his turn, he got up and didn't say much to the judge, just answered his questions, 'yes sir,' 'no sir,' and when he, when the judge asked him for how he pleaded to the charge of attempted secondary murder, he said, 'not guilty.'" The judge then set an Oct. 6 trial date for Maggos, while his attorney informed Judge Hibben that a motion to reduce his $250,000 cash-only bond would be filed in writing. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/01/cheyenne-man-accused-in-shooting-over-ex-pleads-not-guilty-to-attempted-murder/] – I'll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – A Wyoming barrel racer was stunned to learn that the teen girl accused of stabbing three horses in Las Vegas over the weekend tried to borrow one of her horses last month. Cowboy State Daily's Julie Mankin reports that Laura Nichols says "It makes my skin crawl to realize she was stalking my horses, too." "She said we need to back up about a month ago at a big show in Utah. After that show, I got a message from a random girl out of the blue that wanted to know if I'd let her run one of my horses, and I wanted to help. I didn't really have one, and she just kept asking about these specific horses of mine, and, and so this weekend I looked to see if that was the same person, and it was the accused from Las Vegas, so it's just chilling." Nichols, who has earned more than $400,000 competing on the half-brother of one of the stabbed horses, said she's especially horrified by the attack. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/01/wyoming-barrel-racer-says-she-was-targeted-by-alleged-horse-stabber/] – A Cody-based search and rescue team helped coordinate the search for the body of "Alaskan Bush People" star Matt Brown. Cowboy State Daily's Jen Kocher reports that Brown's body was found Sunday after he went missing four days earlier after allegedly shooting himself along a Washington state river. "Bill Dohse, who founded Find 911 and OSAR, which is a national search and rescue group with many different partners from around the country. And so what Dohse did in this particular instance was work with his partner agencies to deploy assets to the scene in Washington, which was extremely remote and near the Canadian border, and the sheriff's department and family were very grateful to have those assets on the ground. Dosey was able to work from his incident command center on the side of the road because he was en route to Washington to get there when Brown was found." Dohse, a former Fremont County Deputy Sheriff and Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper, founded the Cody-based search and rescue group founded in 2015 that specializes in finding missing people and pets. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/01/cody-based-search-and-rescue-team-helps-find-body-of-alaskan-bush-people-star/] –- This year's election climate could make the perfect storm for Libertarian Shawn Johnson to win Wyoming's U.S. House seat, politicos say. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that experts say if Johnson can court conservatives, and the winner of the GOP primary is hugely unpopular, he could have a shot. "Sean Johnson gave a speech at his Sunday nomination at the Libertarian Party convention, that was, I mean, it was visibly electrifying to the attendees, and I got to thinking about it later. It very much resembled the Declaration of Independence, where there was this list of grievances, grievance after grievance of tyrannies that the people have endured, and it ended with this, this call for revival, and this pledge of one's own honor to the cause. And I asked him Monday, did you mean to structure that like the Declaration of Independence? He's like, no, he was just speaking from the heart." Johnson will face the lone survivor of a hotly contested 10-person GOP primary contest, and the winner of a two-way Democratic primary election. Both major party primary elections are set for Aug. 18. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/freedom-caucus-member-scott-smith-challenging-curt-meier-for-wyoming-treasurer/] – Fifty years ago, the cameras rolled on "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" at Devils Tower after a handshake between a then-unknown Steven Spielberg and rancher Jesse Thomas Driskill. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that a high school student named Ogden Driskell (who would later grow up to be a current state senator) remembers Spielberg was adamant about not telling anyone about the movie before it debuted. "It was a funny story that Ogden told Spielberg swore them to secrecy about the movie because he didn't want the public to see that tower before the movie came out. He was just sure, you know, that nationwide people had not seen, did not know about this tower, and he knew the kind of impression it was going to make. His dad's the one who made the deal with Steven Spielberg, and Spielberg's like, 'I don't want anybody to know about that tower. Nobody knows about that tower. You have to keep it secret. Don't let anybody know what's going on.' But you know, so August, like, well, they thought he was kind of crazy." Close Encounters of the Third Kind was a blockbuster science fiction movie that was released in 1977. Written and directed by Steven Spielberg, it would go on to completely reshape tourism in northeast Wyoming. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/30/25-000-from-1933-kidnapping-ransom-could-still-be-buried-somewhere-in-cheyenne/] — 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 1, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, June 1st, I'm Mac Watson – In a setback to the Wyoming Republican Party's long mission to gain independence from state law, a Uinta County judge Friday upheld multiple Wyoming election laws, dismissing the state Party's claims that its rights trump them. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Uinta County District Court Judge James Kaste's Friday ruling gives a concrete, but appealable, answer. "What we had was a hot springs county Republican party spat that exploded into a much bigger debate about whether the Wyoming Republican Party and its counterparts are private groups that have associational rights that trump the restrictions that state law places on them, and at least for this struggle, which pertains to some county membership and voting criteria, and the involvement of this basically the state party's arbitration committee, the judge said, 'No, the party's associational rights aren't that burden. The state does have a legitimate electoral public interest in keeping these processes orderly, and the laws are constitutional.'" If it so chooses, the party can appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court challenging the judge's decision. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/30/wyoming-gop-loses-autonomy-case-state-law-found-constitutional/] – Trucker Riaz Ahmad Noori is now facing homicide charges, accused of triggering a 26-vehicle crash in the Green River Tunnel in 2025 that killed three people. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that an affidavit says "human error was the primary factor contributing to these crashes." "Investigators say that Noori was going over the speed limit when he ran into the back of a pickup, setting off a multi-vehicle collision and pile up. He was going about 10 miles per hour over the illuminated posted speed limit. Despite snowy conditions, there was also ice on the road. So he's also facing litigation from a lawsuit that was filed in September, saying that he was driving recklessly and caused the fatal crash." The Feb. 14, 2025, initial crash ballooned into a 26-vehicle catastrophe that filled the westbound Interstate 80 tunnel near Green River with fire, explosions, and thick, black smoke. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/29/trucker-faces-homicide-charges-for-2025-green-river-tunnel-inferno-that-killed-3/] – Living homeless in a Las Vegas wash, hooked on meth, and surviving by the reflexes of his past gang life, Rusty Rawson turned to his adolescent son for guidance. Cowboy State Daily's Zak Sonntag reports that the answer brought them back to Casper and a path toward recovery. "So they've been back in Casper 18 months, and they're going through the rescue missions discipleship program, and that has been a big change for Rusty specifically. But just having a bed to sleep in, a place to get a hot meal, and a community has provided the stability that they need to start thinking about the future again. And for Sterling, who is now 14-years old, the improvements are just monumental. I mean, here's a kid who didn't finish sixth grade, didn't attend a single day in seventh grade, and then he comes back, jumps into the end of eighth grade, and here he is graduating his freshman year from Kelly Walsh High School this week with a 3.8 GPA, and that's just because he has the support of this community." For the last 18 months, Rusty and Sterling have been staying in beds at the Mission, where Rusty has joined its Discipleship Program, and getting back to being a truck driver. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/31/how-a-casper-father-and-son-saved-each-other-from-lives-of-gangs-and-drugs/] – Halle Crozier of Buffalo is inspiring Wyoming's high school rodeo community as she fights to recover from a vaccine reaction that destroyed her body. Cowboy State Daily's Julie Mankin reports that Halle says she could've chosen to not get better, or choose to be positive and work hard to get better. "Rodeo is something that has allowed Halle to heal, and it makes her feel alive, and honestly, she has the heart of a cowgirl, it's been in her blood her entire life. Halley's grit and determination is so inspiring, and fans have gone so nuts to watch her, that the Wyoming High School Rodeo Association changed their rules after decades to allow this timed event star to partner with her as his second partner. It's usually only one partner, but they love Hallie and what she's done for the culture of rodeo." Despite limitations with lifting her arms and lingering balance and coordination problems, things are looking up for Halle. The 16-year-old got her driver's license last year. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/30/how-rodeo-is-healing-a-wyoming-teen-after-vaccine-reaction-destroyed-her-body/] – I'll have more news from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Despite a series of bizarre, controversial, and sometimes outrageous campaign videos, Wyoming politicos say Reid Rasner's campaign for U.S. House is not a parody. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that state Rep. John Bear says, "Why would somebody spend this much money on a joke?" "You find commenters piling up in an ever-increasing mountain, asking, is this a parody? Is this satire? Because some of the videos are zany. I talked to people from both ends of the political spectrum in Wyoming, serving in offices or that have run statewide campaigns, and they said no. No one's going to spend $1.3 million ish, on a joke, and so, which is, you know, as of April 1, that's about the size of the Raisner campaign. His spokesman said that they reach people through social media, but they do also take hard policy stances and forward-thinking positions. I also spoke to one drama coach, Michael Stadile, out of Casper. He coached drama for 45 years. He said, 'If this is satire, this man gets an A.'" Rasner was among the earliest to declare for what's now a 10-person GOP primary contest for the House seat, which incumbent Rep. Harriet Hageman is vacating to run for U.S. Senate. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/democrats-now-have-parties-in-all-23-wyoming-counties-for-the-first-time-in-modern-memory/] – A century after Union Pacific stopped using it, decades of work has saved and restored Evanston's historic Roundhouse and Railyards. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that $28 million has been spent so far but it's one of the rare roundhouses in the U.S. that's still completely operational. "It's all part of the vision of a guy named Jim Davis. He was hired as the urban renewal manager, worked for the city for many, many years. His charge was to revital. He happened to meet and befriend an architect along the way, and that guy knew how to do historic preservation, and so you know by teaming up with people in the community they were able to forge a path forward to save the depot. That became a springboard for the larger project, the Round House; he built a core of people who could see the value in saving these old buildings, which there aren't many of them left in the country." The Roundhouse [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/08/26/ghosts-of-wyomings-railroad-heyday-haunt-evanstons-historic-roundhouse/] is a 63,000-square-foot, 96-foot-deep curved brick-and-mortar behemoth built around a post-and-beam interior. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/31/evanston-has-spent-decades-and-28m-restoring-its-historic-railroad-roundhouse/] – FBI files from 1933 reveal that $90,000 in ransom loot from a Machine Gun Kelly kidnapping scheme ended up buried somewhere around Cheyenne. Cowboy State Daily's Dale Killingbeck reports about $25,000 is still unaccounted for. "According to FBI documents I found in a newspaper article at the time, the money supposedly they turned out the money to the FBI, but there's only of their take, there was $75,000 apparently in that suitcase, and the FBI accounted for like 38,000, but so there's like $25,000 that has never been recovered, whether that's remained in Cheyenne, was it taken to the West Coast. We don't know for sure." FBI documents from the time are not clear about whether all of that money was removed or recovered; however, the ground somewhere around the Wyoming Capitol in those months played a part in one of that decade's notorious gangster sagas. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/30/25-000-from-1933-kidnapping-ransom-could-still-be-buried-somewhere-in-cheyenne/] –- New research published by the Geological Society of America has revealed that Devils Tower is actually constantly moving. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that an international team of geologists determined that it's perpetually and ever-so-slightly swaying, twisting, and turning in the wind. "Now, the thing is, you'd never know that, because the amount of movement is less than a micro meter, that's 1,000,000th of a meter, so it's not happening on a scale that humans can see. They put two sensors at the base of the tower and one sensor at the top of the tower, and then they had the climb up, put the sensor up, then climb up the next day to collect it and analyze that data, and what they found were the signatures of vibrations that have a definite movement to them." Devils Tower is a giant, eroded plug of volcanic rock. It was an intrusive body of magma that cooled under the surface and was gradually exposed by millions of years of erosion. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/freedom-caucus-member-scott-smith-challenging-curt-meier-for-wyoming-treasurer/] — 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: Friday, May 29, 2026

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, May 29th. I'm Mac Watson – Just weeks after unveiling a 3,200-acre data center expansion around Cheyenne, Microsoft is adding two more parcels totaling 420 acres. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that the move comes amid a deepening debate over data centers, growth, and water. "They're going to add 420 acres to the overall 3,200 acre footprint that they announced in April, so that announcement in April tripled their footprint in Cheyenne. So it's adding on to what was already a pretty massive expansion as far as their data center footprint goes, and so you know, I don't know exactly what they plan to do on those parcels, they were very close-mouthed about that, they wouldn't answer any further questions." The two areas are on opposite sides of Cheyenne, but one of them, a 385-acre parcel, is near the 3,200-acre site, which is not far from Laramie County Community College. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/weeks-after-unveiling-3-200-acre-data-center-expansion-microsoft-adds-another-420/] – A 25-person team from the ATF is in Cheyenne to investigate the huge fire that burned a four-story apartment building under construction in minutes Tuesday. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that the fire chief says it was "just a matchbox with open lumber, ready to go up at any time." "The fire chief said it's not a secret why it burned so fast, and it was so hot. It was under construction, so a lot of the finishes hadn't been put on, which a lot of those have fire retardants. What's interesting, that this giant, four-story apartment building, they were just at the phase of construction that you said, where they were going to be putting in, you know, the internal fire suppression system. Obviously, that's not happening now, but they said a lot of things went right for this fire to go as fast and as hot as it went." Cheyenne Fire Rescue Chief Andrew Dykshorn told Cowboy State Daily that ATF investigators have been at the scene since Wednesday and "bring the federal assets" to handle a major event like the fire at the Ridge View Apartments and Townhomes in north Cheyenne. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/a-matchbox-25-man-atf-team-investigating-huge-cheyenne-apartment-fire/] – Nearly two years after the decomposing body of a Cody man was found in a house after a drug bender with a female friend, the woman turned herself in to authorities this week. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that Brook Messick says she wants to take accountability for her actions. "Brooke Messick remembers a night of drugs and partying during the weekend, right before August 14 in 2024. She was leaving the house when she decided to go back in and check on a friend who was snoring loudly. She tried to wake her friend up; he would not wake up, and she decided to leave without calling the police or saying anything to anyone. Investigators say that loud snoring after you've been using hard drugs like methamphetamine is a telltale sign of a potential overdose.Toxicology reports later revealed that the victim died as a result of bad drugs. The fentanyl and the methamphetamine had methadone in it, and then later they were able to find on the suspect's phone, Google searches, looking up how to inject methadone." Messick is being held in the Park County Detention Center on involuntary manslaughter and drug possession charges on a $50,000 cash-only bond. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/cody-woman-turns-self-in-nearly-2-years-after-decomposing-man-found-in-bed/] – Yellowstone visitors were furious after seeing an illegal drone harassing a grizzly bear and her two cubs. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that the man who shot video of the incident says, "Everybody was madder than hell." "Someone was flying a drone near a mother bear and her cubs in mid-May. We don't know who it was, because the pilot was behind a hill at the time, but we do have the drone on video, and whoever was flying it was getting really close to those bears. The response to that video was pretty universal. Everyone was outraged, because it is illegal to fly drones in Yellowstone, and you certainly don't want to disturb the animals." If convicted of flying a drone in a national park, the person or persons would be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to six months in jail and $5,000 in fines. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/madder-than-hell-famous-mother-grizzly-harassed-by-illegal-drone-in-yellowstone/] – I'll have more news from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom right after this. Cowboy State Daily News continues now…. – Democrats now have parties in all 23 Wyoming counties with Niobrara and Lincoln counties finally reviving theirs. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Niobrara County is one of the reddest counties in the nation, but as of May 1st, it contains 35 registered Democrats, out of 1,233 registered voters. The Wyoming Democratic Party announced it now has county iterations in all 23 Wyoming counties. For the first time in the current leadership's memory, they couldn't even remember a time when they had 23 county parties, and they just secured that this month. And interestingly, there's a few interesting parts of this, is that some prominent Republicans have been calling for more Democratic presence, saying we're weaker when we're a one-party state. Also the Lincoln County Democratic Party Chair, Donald Shelton, was saying, 'I really want to galvanize workers and the working class and hear their concerns and get some momentum behind that.'" Rep. Tom Kelly, R-Sheridan, in a Facebook post earlier this month, "All of us are better off with a functioning opposition party." Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/democrats-now-have-parties-in-all-23-wyoming-counties-for-the-first-time-in-modern-memory/] – Uinta County planners voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend permit approvals for a huge 1.25-gigawatt data center. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that one person who attended the standing-room-only meeting said, "Officials need to do their research on data centers." "In Evanston, the gal I talked to after the meeting, you know, she said she really hasn't made up her mind yet. She just has a lot of questions, you just want to understand things a little bit better. She wants to make sure the benefit is really worth any of the risks involved, and some of her questions I felt really were more about AI in general, and how it's being used in society." After weeks of questions and skepticism at public forums and on social media, most of the standing-room-only crowd listened quietly as commissioners voted unanimously to recommend zoning and conditional use permit approvals to Uinta County commissioners for the proposed 1.25 gigawatt, 500-acre, off-grid campus. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/uinta-county-planners-give-unanimous-ok-to-1-25-gigawatt-prometheus-data-center/] – Dashcam video released Thursday shows the wild end to a 120 mph chase on the I-80 where a woman was struck by her own moving car as she bailed out and ran on foot. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that according to officials, even with two flat tires, she was still driving more than 100 mph. "When deputies with the Albany County Sheriff's Office tried to pull over 45 year old Sarah Grayson, because she was wanted in connection to a vehicle theft. She took off going 120 miles per hour on I 80. Sheriff's deputies deployed stop sticks. The car, even with two pop tires, continued rolling at 100 miles per hour as it slowed. Grayson hopped out of the car, which is how she accidentally ran over herself. Law enforcement did take her to the hospital. She sustained minor injuries. She is wanted on felony warrants out of Sublet County, as well as the recent charges connected to a vehicle burglary and larceny." The Albany County Sheriff's Office reports the chase began around 6:25 p.m. on Saturday after a sheriff's sergeant spotted a stolen vehicle traveling eastbound near mile marker 323 on Interstate 80 in Albany County. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/wyoming-woman-flees-police-at-120-mph-gets-hit-by-her-own-car/] – Lingle-based state Rep. Scott Smith, a member of the Freedom Caucus, is challenging Wyoming Treasurer Curt Meier for his seat. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Smith says he wants to increase Wyoming's wealth, while Meier says, "He says he's going to do the same thing I am." "Treasurer Kurt Meyer has a challenger, and that's Representative Scott Smith of Lingle, who's a two-term representative, served on the appropriations committee this year. Myers, he's a two-term incumbent himself, and he made headlines starting in October for having record high investment earnings for the state of Wyoming, generally surpassing minerals. I know there were some caveats to that, but it was the first time the analysts had seen it, had seen him pass those mineral pools that they were referencing." Three weeks earlier, Virginia-based group Make Liberty Win publicly endorsed Smith for the seat, though he hadn't declared an interest in it at that time. Read the full story HERE. [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/28/freedom-caucus-member-scott-smith-challenging-curt-meier-for-wyoming-treasurer/] — 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.