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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.