Writer

Dale Killingbeck

Killingbeck is glad to be back in journalism after working for 18 years in corporate communications with a health system in northern Michigan. He spent the previous 16 years working for newspapers in western Michigan in various roles.

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Latest from Dale Killingbeck

Steven Marler, left, and attorneys John Hummel and Devon Petersen leave the Natrona County District Court.

Jury Shown Home Videos Of Award-Winning Foster Dad On Trial For Sex Abuse

A naked boy with marks on his leg and his adopted father holding a belt were among the videos shown to jurors Thursday in the trial of an award-winning Casper foster dad facing 26 charges, including sexual abuse of children in his care.

Dale KillingbeckApril 10, 2025

Trial Starts For Former Casper Foster Dad Facing 26 Child Sex Charges

A trial began Wednesday for a former Casper foster dad facing 26 child sex charges, accused of abusing four girls in his care. The district attorney says Steven Marler at one point told a victim that, “I know I shouldn’t love you like this, but I do.”

Dale KillingbeckApril 09, 2025

David Henrikson and Toni Brown say they daily continue to grapple with the loss of their daughter, Lene’a Brown, who was gunned down in a Casper Park on May 14, 2024.

Casper Teen Who Shot Ex-Girlfriend At Point-Blank Range Gets 42-75 Years In Prison

A 16-year-old Casper boy who said “I just want to kill someone” before shooting his ex-girlfriend at point-blank range got 42-75 years in prison Tuesday. For the girl’s family, the pain is still raw. “I scream on the inside all day long,” her father said.

Dale KillingbeckApril 08, 2025

Casper Teen Tells Police Stabbing Another Teen 5 Times Was ‘Self-Defense Yo’

The Casper Police Department announced Monday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a Casper teen accused of stabbing another teen five times. He told police the victim tried to beat him up, so the stabbing is “self-defense yo.”

Dale KillingbeckApril 07, 2025

Promotional photo of Laurie Anders in her movie, “The Marshal’s Daughter” are on display at the Fort Caspar Museum.

Meet LoRayne Day, The Casper Beauty Who Became A Hollywood Star

Before she gained fame in the 1950s as a Hollywood and Western star, LoRayne Day was a student at Natrona Count High School in Casper. A beauty, she got the lead in a Western, had a hit record and even had a doll made of her.

Dale KillingbeckApril 06, 2025

Amanda Wilson loves her job cleaning and caring for the WYDOT rest area at Independence Rock.

She’s Why Drivers Love Stopping At The Independence Rock Rest Area

Amanda Wilson goes way above and beyond her contract to keep the bathrooms clean and trash emptied at the Independence Rock Rest Area. Her homey touches are why drivers love stopping there.

Dale KillingbeckApril 06, 2025

A photo of John Hardy in his police vehicle at the Gillette Police Department.

Wyoming History: The 1983 Rampage That Killed A Gillette Cop And Family Of 4

On a cold December day in 1983, a Wyoming power plant worker’s jealous anger boiled over into a violent and deadly rampage. He used automatic weapons and pipe bombs, killing a family of four, then a Gillette cop in an ambush before killing himself.

Dale KillingbeckApril 05, 2025

Former Bar Nunn Fire Chief Denies Stealing From Fill The Boot Fundraiser

A former Bar Nunn fire chief pleaded not guilty Thursday to allegations he stole more than $2,600 from the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Fill the Boot fundraiser. He’s also accused of more than $20,000 worth of misuse of a department credit card.

Dale KillingbeckApril 03, 2025

Casper 18-Year-Old Pleads Not Guilty In Shooting Death Of 16-Year-Old Friend

A Casper 18-year-old pleaded not guilty Tuesday to shooting and killing his 16-year-old friend while hanging out and playing video games. Police say he also has a history of showing off guns and pointing them at people.

Dale KillingbeckApril 01, 2025

Hat Six Ranch is one of several ranches along Hat Six Road southeast of Casper.

More Than A Century Of Ranching Along Hat Six Road Near Casper

Casper’s ranching history goes back more than a century, and a lot of that has happened along Hat Six Road. For generations, these legacy ranches have built Natrona County’s future while preserving its past.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 30, 2025

Wild Bunch member Tom O’Day’s pistol is on display at the Fort Caspar Museum as part of an exhibit on weapons. The pistol is said to have part given to his attorney for payment following a 1904 series of trials.

Wyoming History: Wild Bunch Outlaw Tom O’Day Traded His Colt To Pay A Debt

The Fort Caspar Museum has a Colt single-action Army pistol said to have belonged to Wild Bunch outlaw Tom O’Day. He gave it to his attorney as payment for defending him in a 1904 trial.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 29, 2025

The Casper Rail Trail currently has 6 miles of pathway in place and two additional miles of construction are planned this year out to Edness K. Wilkins State Park.

Wyoming Remains Huge Gap In 3,700-Mile Cross-Country Trail System

An ambitious effort to build more than 3,700 miles of trails across 12 states and Washington, D.C., moves ahead. But Wyoming remains a huge gap in connecting the West and East coasts.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 29, 2025

Other Authors

Rajion Vu, 26, of Evansville was sentenced to 12-18 years in prison Tuesday for the Feb. 1, 2024, killing of a 30-year-old Casper man in a drug deal gone bad. The victim’s brother testified he was “not an angel,” but “didn’t deserve to die.”

Evansville Man Gets Up To 18 Years For Killing Man In Drug Deal Gone Bad

A 26-year-old Evansville man was sentenced to 12-18 years in prison Tuesday for the Feb. 1, 2024, killing of a 30-year-old Casper man in a drug deal gone bad. The victim’s brother testified he was “not an angel,” but “didn’t deserve to die.”

Dale KillingbeckMarch 26, 2025

Casper Man Empties Handgun As His Truck Is Stolen, Then Catches Up To It

A 41-year-old Casper man is expected in court Tuesday, accused of stealing a truck. The owner of the truck emptied a handgun at it as it was driven away, then caught up to it in another car and held the alleged thief at gunpoint until police got there.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 25, 2025

Meaghan Peterson grew up on a ranch in Montana and said after college and before her equine bodywork business she worked at ranches across the West.

It's A Real Job: Horse Bodywork Therapist

Meaghan Peterson knows all about the 700 muscles that control a horse’s movement. The Thermopolis resident is a certified equine sports bodywork therapist. Her clientele is mostly between Cody and Casper although she does travel to other states too.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 23, 2025

Plenty of Ford F-150s, and other pickup models, are front and center at Cheyenne's Ford dealership, which makes sense because the F-150 is Wyoming's most popular vehicle.

Wyoming’s Top Ride? No Surprise, It’s The Ford F-150, Followed By Pickups And More Pickups

Whether the driver wears a cowboy hat or not, the seasons, roads and terrain of Wyoming mean pickups are the choice for drivers in the state. And the Ford F-150 is number one.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2025

When Wyoming’s uranium miners were dying of cancer, nobody seemed to care, even when at least one got so radioactive grass wouldn’t grow on his grave. Then Sen. Al Simpson and a news publisher pushed to get compensation for them and their families.

Wyoming History: Uranium Miner Was So Radioactive Grass Wouldn’t Grow On His Grave

Judd McDonald participated in an out-of-control nuclear bomb explosion to being an underground miner at a Nevada test site to blasting uranium out of a mine in Jeffrey City, Wyoming. He says he's the only one still alive who can tell the story of many who died way too young.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2025

Carter Lein, 11, was cut twice by a hockey skate in the neck during a game. It took eight stitches to close, but could have been tragic if he hadn't been wearing a neck guard.

‘Every Hockey Parent’s Worst Nightmare’: Casper Youth Player Takes Skate To Neck

The mom and dad of an 11-year-old Casper youth player said what happened Sunday was “every hockey parent’s worst nightmare” — their son took a skate to the neck. A new rule mandating players wear neck guards likely saved his life.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2025

Fort Washakie Man Who Killed Wife In Front Of Their Young Daughter Gets 30 Years

A Fort Washakie man was given 30 years in prison Friday for shooting and killing his wife in front of their 11-year-old daughter in April 2024. The judge escalated his sentence because the girl “had to witness the death of her mother with her own eyes.”

Dale KillingbeckMarch 21, 2025

The $52 million WYO Sports Ranch opened in January and has already hosted more than 10,000 visitors and sports participants.

Huge 150,000-Square-Foot Sports Facility Brings $1M To Casper In First Weeks

In its first weeks of operation in Casper, the huge 150,000-square-foot WYO Sports Ranch has made a $1 million economic impact on the community. It’s already drawing attention to host state and national tournaments.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 21, 2025

The Seven Wonders of Casper are, clockwise from top left: Spiral staircase to nowhere, Gravity Hill, the Egg Beater Tower, Natrona County Library echo chamber, murals around town, Lookout Point and the clock that doesn't tell time.

Casper’s ‘Seven Wonders’ Are Odd, Unusual And Gravity-Defying

While the Seven Wonders of Casper may not be as famous as other landmarks in Wyoming like Old Faithful, Devils Tower or Independence Rock, they are unusual, interesting and worth seeing in a couple of hours, scavenger hunt style.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 16, 2025

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