Greg Johnson
Greg Johnson is managing editor for Cowboy State Daily at the headquarters in Cheyenne.
A veteran journalist of more than 31 years covering Western issues and politics, Greg spent stints in Wyoming as managing editor for the Gillette News Record and Laramie Boomerang. Greg's produced award-winning journalism, and has built a national reputation for his extensive coverage of Wyoming energy -- especially coal.
He previously spent seven years editing and reporting in Alaska, and was managing editor for Sarah Palin's hometown paper when she was tapped as John McCain's running mate in 2008. Greg studied music and English at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Outside the office, Greg likes photography, reading and all things sports.
Latest from Greg Johnson
Record-Setting Death Valley Heat Wave On The Way To Wyoming
A heat wave that saw Death Valley hit a record high of 128 degrees Sunday is coming to Wyoming. While the heat won’t be that extreme here, some spots in eastern Wyoming could have a record-setting string of highs in triple digits.
Greg JohnsonJuly 08, 2024
World-Famous Budweiser Clydesdales Wow Rock Springs Fourth Of July Paradegoers
Hundreds of people waited for hours Thursday to watch the word-famous Budweiser Clydesdales lead off the Rock Springs Liberty Parade. And the gentle giants didn’t disappoint.
Greg JohnsonJuly 04, 2024
Big Boy 4014 Gets Big Welcome At First Whistlestop In Laramie
In the world of steam engines, Big Boy 4014 is a rock star, and it got a rock star welcome on Sunday. Hundreds of people lined up in downtown Laramie for the first whistlestop on its 2024 summer tour.
Greg JohnsonJune 30, 2024
Rozet Man Accused Of Stealing 168 UPS Packages Says He Did It For ‘The Rush’
A man who worked as an overnight cleaner at a Gillette UPS facility allegedly told investigators he stole at least 168 packages for “the rush” he gets by taking things. He waived a Monday hearing and elevated to felony-level court.
Greg JohnsonJune 24, 2024
Casper Man Shot While Allegedly Trying To Get Officer’s Gun Identified
The Natrona County Coroner’s Office has identified the man shot and killed by police Thursday while allegedly trying to get an officer’s gun as Trae Spurlock, 26. But the office denies releasing other details of the shooting.
Greg Johnson & Dale KillingbeckJune 11, 2024
Yellowstone Bison Was ‘Defending Its Space’ When It Gored Elderly Woman
An 83-year-old South Carolina woman visiting Yellowstone National Park was gored by a bison Saturday that was “defending its space,” the National Park Service reported Monday. She was airlifted to a hospital in Idaho.
Greg JohnsonJune 04, 2024
Casper Man Accused Of Sex With Infant, Possessing Child Porn
A 25-year-old Casper man accused of having sex with an infant and asking other adults to participate was in court Wednesday to face 10 felony charges of child sexual abuse and child pornography.
Dale Killingbeck & Greg JohnsonMay 17, 2024
Wyoming Kappa Sisters Defiant And Determined To Keep Sororities For Women
Riley Gaines was among a defiant and determined group that rallied for Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma members Tuesday, saying the sorority let down its UW chapter by giving the sisters “the brother they never wanted.”
Greg JohnsonMay 14, 2024
Affidavit: Sheridan Assistant Principal Gave Teen Beer Before Alleged Sex Contact
Sheridan High School Assistant Principal Jacob Meyer, 33, remains in jail, accused of “sexual intrusion” on a girl about 15 years younger. He’s also accused of having indecent photos of her and giving her beer.
Greg Johnson & Clair McFarlandMay 11, 2024
Shocking Video Shows Cody Roberts Kissing Weak, Injured Wolf In Wyoming Bar
A shocking video clip provided to Cowboy State Daily on Friday evening shows Daniel, Wyoming, resident Cody Roberts in a local bar kneeling over and lifting the head of an obviously weak and injured wolf to kiss it.
Jimmy Orr & Greg JohnsonApril 13, 2024
Juvenile Dead After Stabbing At Casper Mall
Casper police are interviewing potential suspects and witnesses to a melee of area juveniles at the Eastridge Mall on Sunday that left a youth dead with injuries “consistent with a stabbing.”
Greg JohnsonApril 08, 2024
Photo Shows Wyoming Man With Tormented Wolf Before It Was Killed
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 rural Daniel, Wyoming, before it was killed.
Greg Johnson & Mark HeinzApril 06, 2024
Search Intensifies, But Still No Sign Of Missing Gillette Woman
After a second full day of searching, including with a helicopter, drones and dogs Monday, 55-year-old Tami Sturgeon of Gillette remains missing. She disappeared Saturday evening after a day of shed hunting.
Greg Johnson & Andrew RossiMarch 26, 2024
City Attorney For Rock Springs Captures Video Of "UFO" Near Green River
The Rock Springs city attorney and part-time UFO investigator captured 40 minutes of video early Sunday morning of an unidentified flying object near Green River. He's reaching out to local airports now and radar stations to see what they picked up.
Greg Johnson & Andrew RossiMarch 11, 2024
Suddenly Gone: UW, City And Childhood Coaches Mourn Swimmers After Fatal Crash
The childhood coaches of the three University of Wyoming swimmers who died Thursday in a one-vehicle crash told Cowboy State Daily about their lives and reflected on their deaths with shock, grief and tenderness. It's shared by the greater UW and Laramie community.
Clair McFarland & Greg JohnsonFebruary 23, 2024
Saratoga Town Councilman, Father Of 3 Killed In Wyoming Backcountry Avalanche
Saratoga Town Councilman Jacob Fluty, 34, died Friday when he was caught in an avalanche while snowmobiling in an area of the Medicine Bow National Forest known as “Avalanche Alley.”
Andrew Rossi & Greg JohnsonFebruary 11, 2024
Wyoming’s Chicken Wing King Tailgates As A Made Man With Bills Mafia
Trent Weitzel of Laramie is the two-time defending Buffalo Wing Festival champion and official chicken wing for Buffalo Bills tailgate parties, making him a made man with the Bills Mafia. This week he's been with hundreds of Bills fans shoveling out the stadium.
Greg JohnsonJanuary 21, 2024
Wyoming’s Chicken Wing King Drives 22 Hours In Snowstorm To Tailgate For Buffalo Bills
Laramie native Trent Weitzel, owner of the Double Dubs buffalo wings food truck empire, drove 22 hours in non-stop snowstorms to make this weekend’s Buffalo Bills playoff game. Weitzel has been part of the Buffalo Bills’ official tailgate party all season.
Greg JohnsonJanuary 14, 2024
Early Morning Evanston Fire Kills Siblings, Ages 6 and 3, And Family Member
A fire that burned through an Evanston mobile home early Saturday morning killed two young siblings ages 6 and 3, along with an adult family member with them in the house.
Greg JohnsonJanuary 01, 2024
Rawlins 10-Year-Old Got His Christmas Wish — He Didn’t Die
Rawlins 10-year-old Talyn Reimer’s Christmas wish list was simple — he wanted to not die before the end of the year. He got his wish, and the large tumor in his head has all but disappeared.
Greg JohnsonDecember 26, 2023
What The Heck … Is Up With That Gillette House You Can Practically See From Space?
Ed Lambert of Gillette doesn’t mind being compared to “Christmas Vacation’s” Clark Griswold. That’s what he’s going for with his small house that’s covered with so many lights it can practically be seen from space.
Greg JohnsonDecember 24, 2023
Bomb Threats To Cheyenne Airport And Frontier Mall Turn Out To Be Bogus
A pair of email bomb threats to Cheyenne Regional Airport and Frontier Mall on Tuesday morning prompted the evacuation of the mall and police sweeps of the facilities. Both threats were found to be bogus.
Greg JohnsonDecember 19, 2023
What The Heck Is … Ayres Natural Bridge, A Rare Wonder Everyone Drives By On I-25?
Just minutes off of I-25 near Douglas is Ayres Natural Bridge — a natural limestone and sandstone bridge that formed naturally over La Prele Creek over millions of years. While there are many spectacular natural arches in the American West, Ayers is one of only three natural bridges in the United States with water under it.
Greg JohnsonDecember 17, 2023
Wyoming Woman Rescues Abandoned Older Dog After It Was Dumped On Highway
Becca Grace was driving from Sheridan to Story about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday when she saw a little dog running after the truck which apparently abandoned her on the side of the road.
Greg JohnsonDecember 14, 2023
Who The Heck … Decorates That Tree In The Middle Of Nowhere North Of Sheridan?
For more than a dozen years, German Segura, a long-haul trucker from Texas, has been decorating a lonely little pine tree in the middle of nowhere between Sheridan and Billings on I-90.
Greg JohnsonDecember 10, 2023
Men Ditch 800 Fentanyl Pills While Running From WHP At ‘Well Over 100 MPH’
Three men led Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers on a long-distance high-speed chase at “well over 100 mph” Friday, while also ditching 800 fentanyl pills and meth out of the speeding vehicle.
Greg JohnsonDecember 09, 2023
Hit-And-Run Driver Kills Miniature Horse Near Gillette
The owner of a miniature horse in Campbell County made a sad discovery Saturday when he came upon the animal dead on the side of a road, killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Greg JohnsonNovember 13, 2023
Why The Heck … Does Green River, Wyoming, Have An Intergalactic Spaceport?
The Greater Green River Intergalactic Spaceport began nearly 30 years ago as a joke. But the FAA actually approved the name change to the city's backup airstrip, and the town became home to the nation’s only official intergalactic spaceport.
Greg JohnsonNovember 13, 2023
‘Fire Of Significant Size’ Closes Rawlins City Landfill
What city officials report is a “fire of significant size” in the construction and demolition section of the Rawlins Landfill closed the facility hours early Saturday afternoon.
Greg JohnsonNovember 12, 2023
‘UW’ Painted On Pair Of Bronze Rams On CSU Campus Ahead Of Border War Game
A prankster used paint to brand a life-sized bronze sculpture of a pair of rams on the Colorado State University campus with “UW” ahead of Friday’s Border War rivalry football game between CSU and UW.
Greg JohnsonNovember 03, 2023