Features Reporter

Andrew Rossi

Andrew Rossi is a features reporter for Cowboy State Daily based in northwest Wyoming. He covers everything from horrible weather and giant pumpkins to dinosaurs, astronomy, and the eccentricities of Yellowstone National Park.

Previously, Rossi was the News Director for Big Horn Basin Media in Cody. He earned several awards from the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters, including multiple awards for Best News Reporter and Best News Talk Show.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rossi previously worked at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis. He has collaborated with Disney/Pixar, the BBC, The Washington Post, the Wyoming Office of Tourism, and several other national and international media outlets. He is also a cofounder of The Cody Theatre Company in Cody.

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Latest from Andrew Rossi

Travelers can expect more of the same backups, closures and slow-downs along Interstate 80 over Thanksgiving week as has happened the past few weeks. This backup on eastbound I-80 near Sinclair was Nov. 13, 2024.

Thanksgiving Week Travelers Can Expect Snowy, Icy Highways Around Wyoming

Mother Nature won’t make the busiest travel week of the year any easier for people across Wyoming leading up to Thanksgiving. Don Day says to expect snowy, icy highways around Wyoming, especially Interstate 80.

Andrew RossiNovember 24, 2024

Earth Has A Second Moon For A Few More Days

A 36-foot-wide asteroid pulled into Earth’s orbit has become a second "mini-moon" for almost two months. But this multibillion-year-old chunk of space debris will soon be pulled out by the sun.

Andrew RossiNovember 22, 2024

Artist Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" — a banana duct-taped to a wall — sold for more than $6 million at a Sotheby's auction Wednesday. As part of the deal, the artist will eat the banana in front of the buyer.

Man Tapes Banana To Wall, Sells It For $6.2 Million; Wyoming Artists Baffled

A banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $6.2 million Wednesday, leaving some in Wyoming’s art community baffled and bewildered. Sculptor Chris Navarro called it “a head-scratcher” and said it looks like it took the artist “10 minutes” to create.

Andrew RossiNovember 21, 2024

MrBeast, the biggest YouTuber with more than 331 million subscribers, had help from Wyoming meteorologist Don Day to lift a T-Mobile store off the ground with helium balloons.

Wyoming Meteorologist Don Day Helps YouTube's Mr Beast Float A Store With Balloons

There is no one bigger on YouTube than Mr Beast who has more than 330 million subscribers. He recently used 550 balloons to lift a T-Mobile store off the ground. To do it, he teamed up with Wyoming meteorologist Don Day who is a world expert in balloon weather.

Andrew RossiNovember 19, 2024

Crews have been working 24/7 on a permanent fix for Teton Pass, which had a catastrophic failure this past summer.

WYDOT Working 24/7 To Rebuild Mountain Under Teton Pass

The new Teton Pass will look just like the old one before it collapsed this past summer. WYDOT is working 24/7 to rebuild the mountain underneath Highway 22, this time with steel reinforcements set in bedrock and several drain systems.

Andrew RossiNovember 18, 2024

Powell resident Dave Varkony got this photo of a “ridiculously cool” rope could hovering over Heart Mountain on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

“Ridiculously Cool” Rope Cloud Spotted Hovering Over Heart Mountain

When Powell resident Dave Varkony stepped outside at sunrise Sunday, he saw a "rope cloud" hovering over Heart Mountain. Meteorologist Don Day says these clouds are usually much wider and are a well-known source of turbulence.

Andrew RossiNovember 18, 2024

Jessica Lippincott grew up as an only child in Wyoming and didn't know she was "donor-conceived" until she did a DNA test in 2017. Now, she's one of 50 half-siblings who have embraced each other as an extended family.

Thermopolis Woman Grew Up As Only Child, Now She’s One Of 50 Siblings

Jessica Lippincott grew up as an only child in Wyoming and didn't know she was "donor-conceived" until she did a DNA test in 2017. Last week, she told an audience for the first time that she is one of 50 half-siblings who have embraced each other as an extended family.

Andrew RossiNovember 17, 2024

Wyoming Whiskey Celebrating Life Of Grizzly 399 With New Limited Edition Bourbon

To commemorate the life of Grizzly 399, Wyoming Whiskey is creating a new limited edition bourbon. They say the dominant flavor is white chocolate mocha, with notes of red fruit and rich brown sugar while the finish has lingering hints of candied ginger and soft vanilla. Less than 720 bottles will be made.

Andrew RossiNovember 17, 2024

The annual Stop Sign Snow Challenge is on again. Over the coming months, participants will watch as snow creeps up this stop sign on Togwotee Pass. Left, the sign as of Friday. Right, late in the season during a past contest.

When Will Remote Stop Sign On Togwotee Pass Get Buried By Snow?

Guessing if and when snow will bury a remote Wyoming stop sign on Togwotee Pass has become an annual winter spectator sport. The contest is on again, and people have until midnight Sunday to submit their guesses.

Andrew RossiNovember 16, 2024

Mark and Mary Nelson with their grandchildren and daughters, Maggie Haron and Sadie Howard. Hippie Cow Creamery has become a full-time family business selling raw, unpasteurized milk to families in Cody and northwest Wyoming.

Cody's Hippie Cow Creamery Started With 1 Cow And Off-The-Wall Attitude

Hippie Cow Creamery in Cody started with one Jersey cow and an off-the-wall attitude. Their raw, unpasteurized milk business is exploding, and the family is as quirky as ever -- singing to their cows, dancing with their cows, and making farm-inspired music videos.

Andrew RossiNovember 16, 2024

A woman in Salt Lake City climbed onto a high-voltage transformer, prompting power to be shut off to more than 800 homes.

Utah Woman Climbs On High-Voltage Substation, Causes Power Outage

800 homes in Salt Lake City lost power on Thursday when a woman bypassed security fencing and climbed onto the high-voltage bushings of a substation transformer. A similar incident happened in Cody, Wyoming, except it was caused by raccoons.

Andrew RossiNovember 15, 2024

The new Swinging Bridge over the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming, is open to traffic nine months early.

Jackson's New Swinging Bridge Open 9 Months Early, Still Doesn’t Really Swing

A new replacement of the historic Swinging Bridge crossing the Snake River south of Jackson, Wyoming, is finished nine months early. And like the original, the bridge doesn’t actually swing.

Andrew RossiNovember 13, 2024

Other Authors

A supermoon hovers low to the horizon with Devils Tower in the foreground in this file photo.

Last Of Rare 4 Straight Supermoons In 2024 To Hover Over Wyoming

Friday night's beaver moon will be the last of four consecutive supermoons to loom over Wyoming in 2024. There won't be another for nearly a year, so see it while it's still bigger and brighter.

Andrew RossiNovember 13, 2024

No More Funky, Worn-Out Mattresses Allowed In The Rock Springs Landfill

The trashman in Rock Springs, Wyoming, won’t pick up old, worn-out and funkified mattresses anymore, and the local landfill won’t take them. People now have to drop them off for recycling.

Andrew RossiNovember 13, 2024

By the time he died in 1917, Col. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody was actually a general.

By The Time He Died, Col. Buffalo Bill Cody Was Actually A General

Wyoming Gov. John Kendrick promoted Col. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody to the rank of general in 1915. One of the world’s most famous self-promoters, he never hyped up his promotion before he died in 1917.

Andrew RossiNovember 11, 2024

A model of a saber-toothed cat attacking a giant ground sloth the George C. Page Museum. Both of these Ice Age mammals lived in areas with leafy trees and bushes, which didn't grow in the arid climate that existed in northern Wyoming 30,000 years ago.

Ground Sloths And Saber-Toothed Cats Didn't Like Wyoming 30,000 Years Ago

Natural Trap Cave near Lovell is one of the best Ice Age fossil sites in the world, but its lack of saber-toothed cats and giant ground sloths tells paleontologists that those Californians never relocated to Wyoming.

Andrew RossiNovember 10, 2024

"The Green Machine" prototype Cody, Wyoming, native Thomas E. Osborne invented in 1964. It became known as the world's first personal computer and led to a line of breakthroughs in bringing computing power to the masses, getting smaller and more powerful with each generation of machines.

World's First "Personal Computer" Was Built By A Cody High School Grad

Hewlett-Packard's 9100A, the world's first personal computer, was based on a prototype built by Tom Osborne of Cody. Called “The Green Machine,” it became fully functional on Christmas Eve, 1964. His prototype revolutionized the industry.

Andrew RossiNovember 10, 2024

Even more than a decade after coming across a creepy abandoned complex in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming's Red Desert, Kenneth Driese says he's still creeped out by the almost horror movie-like vibes it exudes.

Creepy Abandoned Complex In Wyoming’s Red Desert Could Be Out Of A Horror Movie

Wyoming photographer Ken Driese has come across a lot of abandoned places in his treks across the Red Desert. But one place left him spooked. He stayed just long enough to get photos and then "got the hell out of there."

Andrew RossiNovember 09, 2024

About a month before it was close, Wyoming photographer Tim Doolan hiked to the deck of the Black Mountain Lookout, at 9,400 feet elevation one of the highest points in the Bighorn Range. He captured stunning drone video and photos of the panoramic view. The lookout itself, however, has been shuttered for decades, and now the deck also is closed for repairs.

Black Mountain Lookout: The Best View In The Bighorns Has Seen Better Days

The 84-year-old Black Mountain Fire Lookout sits at an elevation of 9,400 feet and offers a spectacular panoramic view of Wyoming’s northern Bighorns. Although it's been boarded up for decades, the Forest Service is hoping it can be fixed and opened to the public.

Andrew RossiNovember 09, 2024

The marquee on the historic Cody Theatre would fall off the face of the building if it weren't wired on. It needs some serious repair, but needed clearance from the city and state to do it.

Marquee On Historic 87-Year-Old Cody Theatre Is Slowly Falling Off

The historic 87-year-old Cody Theatre’s slumping marquee is slowly falling off and is being held in place with wires. To fix it permanently, the building’s owner needs permits from the city of Cody and state of Wyoming.

Andrew RossiNovember 06, 2024

House District 29: Incumbent Pendergraft Has Big Lead In Sheridan County

Republican Ken Pendergraft was on his way to winning another term representing House District 29 in Sheridan County late Tuesday. He had 72% of the vote with more than a third of the votes counted.

Andrew RossiNovember 06, 2024

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