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It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Friday, May 3. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button at https://cowboystatedaily.com/

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Thursday, May 2nd. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button at https://cowboystatedaily.com/

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Wednesday, May 1st.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Tuesday, April 30th.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Monday, April 29th.

Tune in to The Roundup, a podcast featuring voices, opinions, and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State. This week, host Wendy Corr has a conversation with Major General Stacy Jo Huser, the commander of the 20th Air Force in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Maj. Gen. Huser is the first female commander of the 20th, and she talks about her journey from pre-med student to two-star general; what it's like to move up in the ranks as a woman in the military; and her love for her family, for the Air Force, and for the Cowboy State.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Thursday, April 25th.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Wednesday, April 24th.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Tuesday, April 23rd.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Monday, April 22nd.

Tune in to The Roundup, a podcast featuring voices, opinions, and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State. This week, host Wendy Corr has a conversation with Casper radiologist Dr. Joe McGinley, who isn't just famous for his globally-recognized orthopedic practice - McGinley is setting out this week to climb the seventh of the tallest peaks on the seven continents! Tune in to hear about his preparation to climb Mount Everest; about his 130 (and counting) patents for groundbreaking medical equipment; and about living his best life in the Cowboy State.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Friday, April 19th.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Monday, April 15th. A Boston-area woman who came to Wyoming to work on a ranch last May was kidnapped the day she got to the state. But despite that traumatic experience, Janelle Gibson told Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland that she chose to build a life here anyway. “this guy approached her and basically threatened her and said horrible things would happen if she didn't go with him for the day and said, you will live. I'll let you go at the end of the day. She managed to get away by only unlocking - she hit her key fob once, and she only unlocked the driver's side of her car and hopped in and sped away. … But what's remarkable, I think about this story is that she went and talked to police, and then she went on and got her job and worked on a ranch outside of Buffalo like her plan was all along. So she didn't let this horrible first brush with the West poison her taste for it.” Gibson is mostly recovered from the incident now, though she doesn’t go places alone if she can help it. Her kidnapper pleaded guilty to felony charges on March 21st. Wyoming bees help pollinate massive almond groves in California, but while there, they’re at risk of being stolen by bee rustlers. Like the cattle rustlers of the Old West, modern day bee rustlers are organized, determined and crafty. But Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that it would be more difficult for those bad actors to get away with a crime like that in Wyoming. “if we put our hives out on private land, we do politely ask the ranchers and farmers to please keep an eye on them. Let them know if they see any strangers snooping around them. He said it's probably a big problem in California because they have huge almond groves there and people will contract their bees out to pollinate the almond groves. And that's when these thieves swoop in and steal the bees.” The demand for bees in California has become so intense that some farmers will hire bee rustlers to go swipe hives off others’ land. Wyoming coal supplies power for millions of Americans, provides thousands of high-paying jobs and ... could be the secret to achieving silky smooth and healthy skin. That's what a group of investors willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars money is betting on. Energy Reporter Pat Maio says Sandy, Utah-based TriSight has bought 136 acres of land near the Naughton coal-fired power plant in Kemmerer and is digging up the landscape to make way for a new line of skincare cosmetics made from coal. “ it wants to take that coal and use proprietary processes to turn it into a serum that they want to call it ‘Heros’. That would be a skincare, and they’d market it anywhere in the country basically.” TriSight is juggling many projects to turn coal into something “green,” rather than burning it for power generation. Google Maps has a bad habit of sending travelers down closed roads in Wyoming. It's led to 28 search and rescues in Sweetwater County alone, leaving motorists stranded in below-freezing weather with 22-foot high snowdrifts. But Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean says WYDOT is trying to fix that particular problem. “As we all know, Google Maps is not the best at directing motorists. … So WYDOT has just announced that it has succeeded in opening up improving third party access to this data about road closures and road maintenance, to hopefully help curtail that in the future.” Wyoming’s 511 app is updated in real time and includes information about road closures, strong winds, significant ice or snow and other situations where motorists need real-time data. And the 1980 Miracle on Ice U.S. Olympic hockey team made history when a ragtag collection of the best college hockey players became a perfect team at the perfect time. That same magic was captured by this season’s Team Wyoming 18U hockey team, which put 20 of the state’s best youth hockey players together to win the state’s first national USA Hockey championship on April 7 in Pennsylvania. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck said the young men overcame crazy odds to win. “They had little time to practice. They played games basically one weekend a month, and then they all came together to go play five games in a row and win every game - putting 17 pucks in the net over those five games. So great job to Team Wyoming.” The team’s coach said the character of the team reflected the “blue-collar” attitude of Wyoming kids, who arrived with support from their families and were ready to work. In short, they did things the Cowboy Way. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily.com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

Tune in to The Roundup, a podcast featuring voices, opinions, and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State. Episode 19 features Chip Jenkins, Superintendent of Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Chip talks about what it's like to live and work in the shadow of the iconic Teton Range; the collaboration between Grand Teton and Yellowstone and the surrounding communities; and what it takes to balance the needs of wildlife and the land against increasing visitation.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Friday, April 12th. The Wyoming Department of Health has approved about $3,000 in public money to help throw an annual drag queen bingo party in Laramie as an anti-AIDS fundraiser. The party is being put on by the nonprofit organization Wyoming Aids Assistance, but in promotional banners for the April 27th event, the Department of Health, which is a public entity, was listed as a sponsor. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a group of socially conservative Republicans serving in the state Legislature, condemned the funding, and questioned whether helping to throw drag events is the role of government. “And I went and contacted Department of Health and the spokeswoman Kim de Tae confirmed that Department of Health is pledging $3,000 toward this event. She said it's it's part of their unit that fights infectious diseases, diseases, and since that nonprofit sends its proceeds to combat aids, the department's I guess the sub department judge that an appropriate use of that $3,000.” Wyoming Aids Assistance says it is offering free rapid HIV testing before the event. Developers of wind and solar projects in Wyoming are about to get a jolt of economic benefits from a new federal rule issued Thursday. The Biden administration on Thursday announced a new rule which would give solar and wind developers an 80% cut on rents and fees on public lands - a rule which mining, oil and gas interests are having a difficult time digesting, according to energy reporter Pat Maio. “they're going to lower the rents and fees for wind and solar developers by 80%. on public lands, like for the Bureau of Land Management. Well, guess what? oil and gas industry and the coal mining industry here in Wyoming are not happy, because they would summarize it by us is they're both saying that it's an uneven playing field. It's not fair, that they get a leg up the solar and wind industry at their expense.” The new regulation is designed to help the administration achieve its goal of creating a pollution-free power sector by 2035. The Wyoming Board on Geographical Names is considering a proposal to rename a prominent peak in the Grand Tetons that currently honors a man with a checkered past. At its meeting next week, the board will consider a name change proposal for 11,595-foot Mount Woodring, named after Samuel Woodring, the first superintendent of Grand Teton National Park. Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that in 1934, Woodring was accused of attempting to rape an 11-year old girl. “The charges were eventually dropped at that time when the alleged victim's parents did not want to put their daughter through having to testify during a trial and things of that nature. And just being the times of what they were this information likely kind of dissipated, even though Woodring resigned from his position as superintendent and never worked in the National Park Service again, and basically disgraced at least in Teton County, he left the area after all this happened.” The suggestion has been submitted to rename the mountain Raven Peak. I’ll be back with more news, right after this. The Biden administration moved Thursday to close a so-called "gun show loophole" for background checks. The new rules would require anybody who sells firearms for profit to have a federal firearms license, and all buyers would be subject to background checks — including at gun shows, flea markets and the like. But outdoors reporter Mark Heinz spoke to several Wyoming gun show organizers and firearms dealers, who said they don’t expect the move to change anything. “they said, it seems, first of all, they don't know how it would even be enforceable. Secondly, it seems redundant. Because it already is against the rules to sell firearms for profit. If you don't have a firearms license” Gun shows in Wyoming frequently involve a mix of licensed dealers that require background checks, along with people buying, selling or trading their personal firearms, with no licenses or background checks required. And in a story that reads like a script for a television cop show, a Casper coin shop owner has been accused of conspiring with a convicted burglar to fake the theft of a coin collection worth up to $100,000 that he was appraising for a client. But Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that the allegations against 35 year old Justin Wayne Foster, owner of Colonial Coins and Currency in Casper, are the real thing. “apparently collaborated with a man who was known to be a burglar and on probation. That man went into the home, took the coins and then later return them to the owner. So there is quite a web of facts and allegations happening in Casper circuit court.” A warrant has been issued for Foster’s arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft and false reporting. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily.com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

Good morning! Welcome to Cowboy State Daily News. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from around Wyoming for Thursday, April 11th. In response to a public records request, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Wednesday evening released two short video clips of a wolf that had been captured and tormented by a Wyoming man before being killed. Please be aware, some viewers may find this video disturbing. (VIDEO) Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that the video confirms some of the details of earlier reports of a wolf being captured, having its mouth taped shut and displayed in a bar before being killed. “The report says that the wolf was first taken to Cody Roberts house and then to a local business. We've been told that was a bar but Game and Fish did not confirm that detail. I think it's pretty straightforward, pretty self explanatory. It's extremely difficult to watch. Just it's just just a pathetic, exhausted looking animal on the floor. Somewhere. You can hear people talking in the background, but this is I mean, I think this this is just kind of the epicenter what of what everybody really not only around Wyoming, but around the nation and even around the world have been talking about.” The Sublette County Sheriff has received more than 7,000 emails about the incident, and according to crime and courts reporter Clair McFarland, some of those have been threats. “DCI director Rodney Jones told me on Wednesday that the agency which is a statewide policing agency is aware of threats made toward Wyoming Game and Fish personnel in the wake of a viral news story about a man reportedly torturing and shooting a wolf that he captured. The Sublette County Sheriff's Office also said that Sheriff's and county personnel have been receiving threats and the sheriff's office has been dispatching extra patrol and just hackles up during this whole situation. Sheriff Lear also said that Roberts' family has been receiving threats, and the Green River bar as well.” The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office says they are working with the County Attorney and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to investigate the allegations against Daniel resident Cody Roberts, which may result in additional charges. Helping students struggling with the sudden and violent death of a 14-year-old classmate has been a main focus at Dean Morgan Middle School in Casper this week. A Sunday confrontation at Eastridge Mall ended with the stabbing death of Bobby Maher Jr., and two other teens facing adult first-degree murder and attempted-murder charges. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that for school administrators, a priority has been to make sure counseling services are available for any of the 600 students at the school. “I talked to the principal of the middle school where the victim of Sunday's stabbing attended. And he said that since Monday, they've had ongoing additional counselors available. counseling students, he said at first, it was pretty heavy. The amount of counseling going on, it's kind of up now. But they're going to be still available as there continues to be a need.” While the school is not a sponsor of the planned vigil for Maher on Thursday evening, the principal said the school will be ready Friday with help for students if needed. And a Wisconsin woman walked into a Cheyenne bank, faked someone else’s identity and tried to cash a nearly $1 million check from the federal government. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that 55 year old Pamela Kubesh has been charged with forgery against the United States. “The Federal investigator who was alerted to this situation went and found via IRS and other records that the federal US Treasury Department had cut a nearly $1 million check to Los Angeles residents going by that name. In the meantime, Kubesh is in jail with the federal prosecutor asking permission to keep her in jail because the prosecutor fears that Kubesh can be a flight risk.” Kubesh could face up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily.com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

The 14 year old boy who was stabbed to death at Casper’s Eastridge Mall on Sunday was reportedly there to protect his girlfriend; it’s possible that the Sublette County man accused of abusing a wolf could get his hunting privileges taken away; and there’s a $30 million project underway to move 3 miles of U.S. Highway 30 near Kemmerer. We’ll take a look at these stories and more today from Wyoming’s largest news organization. I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily. A 14-year-old boy who was stabbed and killed at the Eastridge Mall in Casper on Sunday was reportedly protecting his girlfriend. Bobby Maher was allegedly killed by two underage suspects, who have been charged as adults, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck. “Court records show that the young man, 14 years old, went to the mall because his girlfriend called him, and some boys were following her around the mall. And so he went there to protect her. And there at the mall, he was trying to tell them to leave. And then they go outside, and then there was a confrontation. And that's when the stabbing occurred. And apparently, these young men were wearing masks and had stolen knives from a Target store.” Jarreth Plunkett of Evansville faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault and battery, and theft. His alleged accomplice, Dominique Harris of Casper, faces conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault and battery, and a misdemeanor theft charge. Amid a growing outcry for stiffer penalties in the case of a Sublette County man who allegedly tortured a wolf, a retired federal game warden said there might be further legal action that could be taken. Outdoors reporter Mark Heinz spoke to Tim Eicher of Cody, who said a revocation of hunting privileges could apply. “looking at his understanding of the law and looking into Wyoming statutes, he said in this particular case, a potential penalty could be a revocation of hunting privileges. It's kind of one of those things that have to take place after the fact he said once, once a fine has been forfeited, which reportedly it has been in this case.” Any such revocation would likely be temporary, perhaps three to five years, according to Wyoming statutes. But it would still be more than the $250 fine issued for alleged illegal possession of a live wolf, so far the only recorded legal action taken in the case. The landscape west of Kemmerer’s port of entry is about to get bulldozed up. The $30 million makeover isn’t to hunt for fossils. It’s to make it easier to get coal for power plants, according to energy reporter Pat Maio. “the reason they want to move the road north from where it is currently is because, you know, they want to tap something like 9 million tons of coal reserves. And the project would begin presumably sometime early next year, wouldn't take that long, maybe a year, year and a half to complete.” An estimated 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt will be moved from the rolling hillsides located just west of the port of entry. A Uinta County judge Monday dismissed the felony case against an Evanston man who was accused of using yard signs on his own property to intimidate his neighbor. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the charges against 44-year-old Quinn Groneman were dismissed at the request of the neighbor, who was also a witness against him in a town nuisance case. “The judge presiding over Groneman's intimidation case, dismissed the case on Monday. Now that's without prejudice, meaning that the prosecutor could bring the case again if circumstances change, but according to the prosecutor's filing, asking for the dismissal, it was at the neighbor's request.” Had he been convicted, Groneman could have faced up to 10 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines. And to get ahead of likely continued efforts to repeal Wyoming gun-free zones, the Campbell County Health board of trustees is considering lifting some firearms restrictions at the Gillette hospital. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz spoke to the chairman of the Campbell County Health Trustees, who said allowing firearms in Campbell County Memorial Hospital, or at least parts of it, could help the facility stay ahead of a cantankerous debate over Wyoming’s gun-free zones, which is sure to come up again in the Wyoming legislature. “what they're hoping to do is fashion a policy where perhaps they can have either some authorized hospital personnel who've been properly trained to be armed maybe to cover some of the entrances or maybe have security staff or just something there that that kind of the way he puts it kind of meets everybody's wants and needs.” The chairman pointed out that there are some places in CCH where it would be best to still ban guns, such as the mental health treatment wing, and around strongly magnetic medical imaging equipment. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily.com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is fielding outraged comments over an incident in which a Sublette County man allegedly captured and tormented a wolf before killing it; and three underage boys are suspects in the stabbing death of another young male at Eastridge Mall in Casper Sunday. We’ll take a look at these stories and more today from Wyoming’s largest news organization. I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily. There’s been a firestorm of public outrage over a Sublette County man allegedly capturing and tormenting a wolf before killing it. The incident involving a wolf in Daniel, Wyoming was already generating angry blowback, but the scope of livid reactions from all over the country — and world — went to entirely new levels Saturday when Cowboy State Daily obtained and published a photo showing local resident Cody Roberts on Feb. 29 posing with the wolf, which had its muzzle taped shut. Much of that public outrage has been directed at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, with a perception that the agency was too lenient with Roberts. But Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz spoke to Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik on Monday, who said the agency is in a precarious position - and the statues related to releasing information about wolf hunting are complex. “When the wolves were delisted, the legislature passed a statute saying that information about people who take wolves legally during wolf hunting seasons, their identities have to be kept confidential. And the reason for that is as they were worried about blowback, people getting vetted docs, possibly even getting stalked by animal rights extremists or whoever, in other parts of the world that really isn't fond of us shooting wolves here in Wyoming… The illegal part was when an individual decided to keep a wolf alive for an extended period of time, take it to other locations before killing it. That is why the individual was charged with illegal possession of a live wolf, the penalty for which was decided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.” Nesvik is publicly condemning the alleged torment of the Sublette County wolf, as is Wyoming’s Governor. “Governor Mark Gordon also released a statement this morning saying it also he finds that the cruelty to animals completely disgusting, and says that it tarnishes Wyoming's reputation - and I also spoke to some animal welfare wildlife advocate people and they're saying the same thing, that really this has put Wyoming unfortunately, it's put Wyoming in the national and even international spotlight, but in a really unfortunate manner.” Other angry comments, along with threats of physical harm and violence, have been directed at Cody Roberts, the man who allegedly tormented and ultimately killed the wolf at the center of the controversy. But Heinz reports that innocent bystanders are being put in the crosshairs of the angry public – namely, the other Cody Roberts that live in Wyoming. “I spoke personally with two other Cody Roberts, one from Kimmerer and one from Thane and they told me that they've found out that there's at least five there's a grand total of at least seven Cody Roberts in Wyoming. And apparently they are all getting mean harassing, sometimes threatening, sometimes just purely demented - like, ‘I'm going to cut you to pieces’ type of threats.” I’ll be back with more news, right after this. A pair of underage boys have been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of another young male outside Eastridge Mall on Sunday afternoon. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that there are three suspects in the incident at the mall, including the two who have been arrested and another, who for various reasons, has not been taken into custody. But he says police are keeping tight-lipped about the investigation. “All we know right now is that there were those three involved. There was a lot of people that witnessed the scene… one woman with her little toddler was up there doing some exercise and playing and she said that she thinks the mall changes a lot when school gets out. Another couple said that they have seen a difference at the mall since the first of January with lots of young men that show up during school time.” Additionally, the police department has increased its presence around Natrona County schools in response to a threatening social media post that has been debunked, but yet has caused some students to fear going to school. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily dot com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

A public outcry has been sparked by a photo depicting a wolf with its muzzle taped shut next to his captor, who later shot the animal; the town of Kemmerer looks to modular housing to head off an expected employment boom in coming months; and why hasn’t one of Wyoming’s most historic - and largest - mansions sold? We’ll take a look at these stories and more today from Wyoming’s largest news organization. I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily. Cowboy State Daily has obtained a photo of a wolf that was captured and had its mouth taped shut while it was reportedly taken to a local man’s house and a bar in the rural town of Daniel, before it was killed. Cowboy State Daily’s editor, Jimmy Orr, received the photo, which has sparked outrage the likes that Orr said he’s never seen for this publication. “so Wendy, as soon as we were able to get the photo, that's when the story really exploded… I mean, hundreds of emails that we've received over the weekend. And there were two commonalities in those emails. And one was, how is it possible that there is no penalty for this… outside of the equivalent of a parking ticket, which is a $250 Fine. For illegal possession of a wolf... This the second thread is Where is the outrage by the elected officials? Why isn't anyone saying anything?” The photo shows the wolf with red tape wound tightly around its muzzle sitting and looking down while Daniel resident Cody Roberts poses with the animal in his house. With more than 12,000 workers expected in the coming years to build billions of dollars worth of energy development projects, Kemmerer is looking to modular housing as one solution to an expected crunch. Energy reporter Pat Maio says the Lego-like homes, created by a Colorado-based company, will start arriving next spring. “they're gonna be building literally hundreds and hundreds of single family homes multifamily apartments. And that's, and I took a look at what they're they're building. And it's, they're actually pretty, pretty contemporary, pretty modern looking.” The company believes it can produce roughly 30 homes in a 35-day period at its factory in Buena Vista, then deliver the modular homes 400 miles north to Kemmerer. An Encampment woman has been found guilty of scamming welfare agencies out of thousands of dollars by running a scheme in which she pretended to live apart from her husband and on virtually no income. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Sarah Fitzwaterand her husband Matthew Wagy were outed due to their Facebook posts. “Sarah Fitzwater would send in applications for Medicaid benefits or food stamps or energy assistance, and she would sign off on these as if she were living on about $1,000 a month of child support…DFS in eligibility investigators started … fishing around on Facebook. And there were all these posts like there were photographs of their wedding in Cabo, Mexico. There are photographs where she's bragging on her husband, Matthew, there's one post by the Little League thanking them for a generous donation.” McFarland reports that the couple defrauded the welfare system out of roughly $44,000 dollars over the last five years. I’ll be back with more news, right after this. The discovery of 14,000-year-old artifacts near the historic former mining town of Sunrise in southeast Wyoming has the area poised to become an archaeology tourism destination. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the finds are so remarkable that the area is preparing for an influx of both domestic and international tourists - as well as students. “Eastern Wyoming College has set up a new program for archaeology and anthropology that's going to include a six week summer field school there at sunrise. So I think we're gonna see some really interesting things happen in the Torrington area as a result of some partnerships to really develop that site and really dig into the science that's there. It's going to be world class.” The field school is designed to be a premier opportunity for students to literally get their hands dirty, working with real scientists who are making discoveries that could rewrite our understanding of North America’s human history. And Laramie’s Holliday House, originally built downtown in 1878 and moved out of town in 1978, features 13 bedrooms, seven baths and 7,000 square feet of space. The listing price has decreased by nearly $300K but it still hasn't found an owner, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz. “the price has been dropped all the way down to $525,000. And for that, you get not only the mansion, you get the basement that it was set on the more modern basement that it was set on top of and it was moved there in 1978. And you also get there's also a three unit little mini motel behind it that's included as well as three acres and a Quonset hut for you know, so that's quite a deal for $525,000… Somebody could turn it into a bed and breakfast, a wedding venue, or something along those lines, and there would certainly be plenty of room on site for the owners to live.” Most recently the Holliday House was the home of a socialist LGBTQ commune. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily dot com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

This week's guest is Rob Wallace, who served as the Assistant Secretary for the Interior from 2019-2021. Rob's experiences in the National Park Service, his unique viewpoint on wildlife and wild lands, and his love for his home state of Wyoming are just a few of the topics of conversation in this week's episode!

Despite public outrage about an alleged killing and tormenting of a wolf in Sublette County, Wyoming animal cruelty laws don’t apply to predators; a $2.5 billion dollar coal-to-ammonia plant is planned for Kemmerer; and the Casper police officer who shot a suspected Sheridan cop-killer in February is back to work. We’ll take a look at these stories and more today from Wyoming’s largest news organization. I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily. A man who allegedly tormented a wolf in Sublette County has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stiff charges in the case, but Wyoming’s animal cruelty laws don’t extend to wolves. Those statutes apply only to domestic animals such as livestock and pets - and a “predatory animal,” such as a wolf in Sublette County, is explicitly excluded, according to outdoors reporter Mark Heinz. “animal cruelty laws really don't extend a wildlife and they especially don't extend to what would be considered a predatory animal, which, in that part of Wyoming and Sublette county there, that's wolves are classified as a predatory animal in that part of the state… you can get up to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine for a felony animal cruelty violation. But again, it does not apply to wildlife in general, and a predatory animal in particular” Some have suggested that Game and Fish had treated the case too lightly, but the agency stated that it had applied the relevant charge and penalty. A new project would make Kemmerer the home to a $2.5 billion coal-to-ammonia plant. Energy Reporter Pat Maio says the joint venture backers — which includes Glenrock Energy of Casper and a Cheyenne-based unit of a Canadian energy company — have proposed building the factory in Kemmerer to turn coal into ammonia, which is a key ingredient in fertilizer, and has other industrial uses. “This particular partnership is looking at export markets to like Japan and South Korea, because you can also use it to mix in with your coal fired plant, for instance, to burn a cleaner fuel, you know, thus, less pollutants and things of that sort.” The Kemmerer Decarbonization Works project would be built adjacent to the Kemmerer Coal Mine, which last year produced nearly 2.5 million tons of coal. The Casper police officer who shot and killed a man suspected of gunning down Sheridan Police Sgt. Nevada Krinkee following a prolonged standoff in February is back at work in a modified capacity. The department this week identified Officer Michael Chand as the officer who finally ended the standoff in Sheridan between law enforcement and 46 year old William Lowery, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland. “they chose to publicly identify Officer Michael Shaw and as the CASPER police officer who shot Lowry after the standoff and they all announced that while Shawn was on a period of administrative leave, he is now back at work in a modified capacity. And the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is still investigating this shooting.” Lowery had reportedly shot Sheridan Police Sgt. Nevada Krinkee on February 13th, then fled to the home of a woman whom he did not know, where he engaged in a roughly two-day armed standoff with police. I’ll be back with more news, right after this. A 560-acre tract of pristine state trust land in Sheridan County will remain open to the public after a 3-1 vote by the State Board of Land Commissioners to deny a proposed land swap. The owner of a local ranch had wanted to trade about 628 acres of his ranch along with some cash to the state for the state trust land sitting at the base of the Bighorn Mountains about 10 miles away. But Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that most of the general public opposed the transfer. “the thing with this whole issue was that the state land was pretty much undeniably more valid and more desirable than Matthews ranch land is closer to the mountains it offered better hunting and fishing opportunities. And there was really a perception that for many in Sheridan, that this was a bad deal, and that some things in life just aren't for sale.” The rejection will not block the private landowner from proposing a different land exchange, but they would have to completely restart the exchange process that has been underway since 2019. And a scammer posing as a used car dealership in Gillette, Wyoming, has roped in at least three potential victims over the last few weeks. The most recent scam happened Tuesday, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Ellen Fike, when a South Carolina woman reported to the Gillette Police Department that she was nearly taken for $56,700 while attempting to buy a vehicle online through a website that imitated Wild West Auto in Gillette. “UnderSheriff Quinton Reynolds out of Campbell County did not know how she figured out it was a scam. She had initiated a wire transfer of about $56,000. To said scammer, but she figured it out in time and she called her bank and had them cancel the transfer before it went through.” This is the third fraudulent sale from the scammer posing as Wild West Auto in less than a month, although the Gillette Police Department says the local business isn’t involved. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily dot com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

Hunters and Biologists express anger over an Alleged Wolf Torture Case; a human Skull Found In Wyoming’s Vast Red Desert Was A Man Age 25-35; and the Historic Gros Ventre Ranch In Teton County has sold - it Had Been Listed For $58 Million. We’ll take a look at these stories and more today from Wyoming’s largest news organization. I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily. The alleged capture, tormenting and killing of a wolf in Sublette County could damage the reputation of wolf hunting in the Cowboy State. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that the incident ratchets up emotion over an already touchy topic, according to hunters and biologists speaking out on the incident. “pretty much everybody across the board is condemning the action is unethical. They say it you know, it casts wolf hunting in Wyoming's wolf policy in a really bad light… people are saying it doesn't really reflect Wyoming's values, or the success of Wyoming's wolf management program… hunters are saying, you know, they are concerned that this is just will, you know, anti hunting groups will will will take this and, you know, use it to to boost their cause.” According to the account of events, the man ran the wolf down with a snowmobile Feb. 29, disabling it, then taped its mouth shut and kept it alive for some time, at one point showing it off to bar patrons. An elk hunter stumbled across a skull last November while tracking elk through the vast desert. He described the discovery in the vast desert as a fluke of the odds. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the Wyoming Crime Lab started DNA analysis on the skull Feb. 7, and the findings might help solve a 43 year old mystery. “the water County Coroner confirmed on when they this skull belong to a male between the ages of 25 and 35… There's only one man missing from Sweetwater County, listed in the federal database who matches that bracket. And that is and that is David Williams, who was 33 when he went missing from the crest injunction area. Exactly 43 years to the day before the skull was found.” The skull bore no obvious signs of trauma, had no remaining human tissue and was sun-bleached but was above-ground. The lower jaw was detached but nearby. A Quebec-based company is scheduled to complete a $534 million wind farm project in Albany County before the end of the year. Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.’s 100-turbine Boswell Springs project spans 21,500 acres of private land, and Cowboy State Daily’s Pat Maio says it is well underway. “they're pretty far along on it, they've already done the foundations for the wind turbines and poured concrete and started doing some of the transmission line tie ins to the project, which will generate about 330 megawatts of power. It's their second largest wind farm out of 87 renewable energy facilities that they have underway.” The project will connect with the Berkshire Hathaway-backed PacifiCorp electrical grid at the Freezeout substation in Carbon County. I’ll be back with more news, right after this. Outgoing State Sen. Affie Ellis on Wednesday said she remains baffled why House Speaker Albert Sommers killed a prostitution bill that passed overwhelmingly in the senate. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland spoke to Sommers about the bill, and he told her it was a matter of prioritization. “it would have criminalized the purchase or sale of hand sex acts well currently Wyoming's prostitution laws only ban this the marketing of intrusion… House Speaker Albert Summers said, you know, I didn't keep this bill in my drawer because of any policy concerns about it. It was just, it's been a busy session. That bill has not been sketched as a priority by Wyoming rights and lawmakers compared to others.” This year’s Legislative session was just three weeks long and centered around the Legislature’s obligation to pass the state’s biennial budget. One of Wyoming’s most expensive properties is off the market. The storied Gros Ventre Ranch, which has been rebranded the Grand View River Ranch, has sold to an undisclosed buyer. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the property, which was listed for $58 million, is one of those very rare inholdings that’s surrounded by Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger Teton National Forest. “Back in the 30s, Rockefeller tried to buy up all of that land for the Grand Teton National Monument, but there are a few holdouts and the Grand View River Ranch was one of those. It's changed hands numerous times through the years… it's a ranch with a lot of history.” It’s not known if the new owners plan to continue operating Grand View River Ranch as a guest ranch. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily dot com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

A man was reportedly cited in Sublette County for capturing a wolf, allegedly tormenting, then killing it; the Gillette woman who was the subject of a five-day search died of hypothermia, according to the coroner’s report; and families of Wyoming cold-case victims have new hope. We’ll take a look at these stories and more today from Wyoming’s largest news organization. I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily. The case of a man allegedly capturing a wolf and tormenting it before finally killing it could spark enough outrage to shake Wyoming’s wolf management policy. “a person I talked to who wishes to remain anonymous is all for hunting, all for wolf control. We said that's just, this isn't the way we do things. If you're gonna kill an animal, you give it a well placed shot, and you kill it, you don't keep something alive and mess with it like that.” Cowboy State Daily verified the reports of both sources, which also align with a report of an incident the same day from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. A Gillette woman who went missing last month died accidentally of hypothermia. 55-year-old Tami Sturgeon disappeared while shed hunting with her husband John on March 23 in the rugged country about 6 miles southeast of Gillette. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Sturgeon was wearing a thin down coat and a cotton sweatshirt which was soaked with rain, according to the Campbell County Sheriff. “she was actually found in the mouth of a ravine, she had crossed a well traveled road, and had headed toward the ravine. And she was she was found in a dense sagebrush area.” The county coroner estimates that Sturgeon died the first night she was missing. Wyoming’s coal-rich Powder River Basin has seen a steady decline in production of thermal coal over the last dozen or so years. But PacifiCorp, the parent company of Wyoming’s Rocky Mountain Power electric utility, submitted a refreshed roadmap that may offer a dose of cautious optimism, according to energy reporter Pat Maio. “even though the EPA wants to, you know, impose more clean air restrictions on coal …Pacific Corp was able to successfully argue that doing such would actually kind of hurt the reliability of the grid, because … as population grows, and more people are using electricity, you need that power. So what they're doing is … they're gonna keep some of their coal fired plants on a little bit longer, which is good news for Wyoming's coal industry.” Pacificorp will still be investing in new solar and wind energy projects, but not as aggressively as in previous years. I’ll be back with more news, right after this. The principal of a Laramie County elementary school where a boy died by suicide last year has denied any wrongdoing in the fifth grader’s death. Tyler Muniz, principal of Carpenter Elementary School, denied any wrongdoing or knowledge about incidents that led to the death of 11-year-old Paul Kenneth Pine, who hanged himself in a school bathroom. Cowboy State Daily’s Ellen Fike reports that Pine’s parents have filed five separate civil claims against Muniz - four of which were dismissed in February. “The only complaint left against him is that he violated this boy's 14th Amendment rights. So he asked the judge to dismiss it, dismiss this complaint and also he wanted to be awarded attorneys fees and costs and expenses.” Muniz did admit knowledge of the student’s desire to die by suicide, and that the boy had numerous mental health struggles. And a pair of new laws is giving Wyoming families of cold-case victims guarded hope that more money, and more public scrutiny, can break cases. Cowboy State Daily’s Jen Kocher says as a result of these new laws, roughly 150 unsolved cold cases throughout the state will be added to a new statewide cold-case database, giving the families of these victims some hope. “they're so lost, and they want answers. And so … any kind of new development is exciting for them. Because, think of not having any answers for 25 years, for example. So there's a desperation. And they're hopeful that any kind of development that will help the state police and law enforcement solve these cases is welcome.” The new laws provide the Division of Criminal Investigation $300,000 to create and maintain a statewide cold-case database, and launch a forensic genetic genealogy pilot program. And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on CowboyStateDaily dot com I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.

This is Cowboy State Daily Radio News for Tuesday, April 2, 2024

This is Cowboy State Daily Radio News for Monday, April 1, 2024