🚧 Business & Tourism | Cowboy State Daily

Rocky Mountain Power says wildfires are a driving force behind its most recent request for a double-digit rate increase. The Elk Fire was one of the worst from last season, buring nearly 100,000 acres across the eastern face of the Bighorn Mountains, threatening the small town of Dayton.

Wildfires Big Driver Behind Rocky Mountain Power’s Double-Digit Rate Hike

Wyoming’s wildfires have spurred higher insurance costs so much, Rocky Mountain Power says it's proposing another double-digit rate increase. It’s also considering self-insurance.

Renée JeanMarch 12, 2025

The Wyoming Public Service Commission meets in Cheyenne on March 11, 2025, to hear testimony about a proposed electricity rate hike from Rocky Mountain Power.

Rocky Mountain Power Makes Case For Rate Hike, Says Large Users Will Pay More

At a Tuesday public hearing for Rocky Mountain Power’s latest double-digit rate increase request, the company said residential customers won’t pay as much. Large power users like data centers would pay more.

Renée JeanMarch 12, 2025

Laramie County residents Sandra Merrill and Alex Kelly are both restricting their egg purchases to once a month. Merrill said she sometimes skips breakfast altogether these days, in part due to the high cost of everything and in part because she's never been big on breakfast anyway.

Wyoming Egg-Eaters Say Investigation Into High Prices Can’t Come Soon Enough

Wyoming senior citizens say they’re giving up on eggs for breakfast, or in some cases skipping breakfast altogether. They say an investigation into what’s happening with egg prices can’t come soon enough.

Renée JeanMarch 11, 2025

Rocky Mountain Power Wants Another Double-Digit Rate Increase

The Wyoming Public Service Commission has a hearing Tuesday for another double-digit rate increase request for Rocky Mountain Power. If approved, RMP rates will have increased more than 30% since 2024.

Renée JeanMarch 11, 2025

David Knudson converted his garage to accommodate equipment like a reverse osmosis machine for his business, Montana MapleWorks.

Montana’s ‘Maple Man’ Taps 300-Plus Trees To Make Maple Syrup In His Driveway

Known as “Maple Man,” a Missoula, Montana, resident taps 300-plus trees around town to grow his urban syrup business. He’s the state’s only commercially licensed maple syrup maker, and does it all in his driveway.

Anna-Louise JacksonMarch 09, 2025

Chad Madsen rides a horse named Doc as he sorts animals from his 2,500-head herd in Afton, Wyoming.

Chad Madsen Of Afton Owns Wyoming's Largest Horse Herd — And Knows Them All By Name

Chad Madsen runs a herd of 2,500 horses, the largest in Wyoming, on ranches in Pavilion and Afton. The horses end up at outfitters and dude ranches across the state as rentals for tourists and hunters. And Madsen says he knows them all by name.

Renée JeanMarch 08, 2025

Glen Chavez (right), Marcus Gallizzi (center), Rich Trujillo (left)

Cheyenne Barber Predicts Weeks Of Misery Because Of Daylight Saving Time

Longtime Cheyenne barber Glen Chavez was upset on Friday that the semi-annual time change was happening again on Sunday morning. Chavez says that 99.9% of the customers at Trujillo's Barbershop want the tradition ended and the "clocks locked."

Jimmy OrrMarch 08, 2025

Farmers and ranchers in eastern Laramie County are worried about whether huge data centers springing up in Cheyenne will leave them with enough water for their cattle and crops.

Cheyenne Farmers Worry Huge Data Center Will Suck Up Their Irrigation Water

Farmers and ranchers in eastern Laramie County are worried that a massive Facebook (Meta) data center, along with similar future projects, will suck up the water they need. Cheyenne's mayor reassures them it won't.

Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2025

The Frontier Bar, Montana’s unofficial hub of cold beer diplomacy.

Along Montana-Canada Border, Tariffs Could Spike Prices For Beer, Fishing Lures

A lot of commerce flows across the 545 miles of border between Montana and Canada. With promised 25% tariffs going into effect Tuesday, locals expect prices for all kinds of things to spike, including beer and fishing lures.

David MadisonMarch 04, 2025

President Donald Trump said Monday, March 3, 2025, there’s no more delaying 25% tariffs that will go into effect on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday. That’s expected to impact Wyoming, which does more business with Canada than any other foreign country.

Wyoming Businesses Wait To See Impact Of Tariffs, Going Into Effect Tuesday

President Trump on Monday said there’s no more delaying 25% tariffs that will go into effect on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday. That’s expected to impact Wyoming, which does more business with Canada than any other foreign country.

Renée JeanMarch 04, 2025

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, left, and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis.

Lummis, Hageman Hail Trump’s Halt To ‘Burdensome’ Disclosures On Small Businesses

Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman are cheering a Sunday decision by President Trump’s Treasury secretary to halt “burdensome” disclosure rules for small businesses. They call the move a “major win” for small businesses across Wyoming.

Sean BarryMarch 04, 2025

Two Wyoming Trona Mines Bought For $1.4B To Create World’s Largest Producer

London-based WE Soda has bought Genesis Alkali’s two trona mines in southwest Wyoming for $1.4 billion. It makes WE Soda the No. 1 producer of natural trona in the world.

Renée JeanMarch 03, 2025

The Hotel LaBonte continues to be a destination for travelers, tourists seeking out historic hotels, and Converse County oilfield and construction workers temporarily in the region.

After 110 Years, Hotel LaBonte In Douglas Keeps The Old West Alive

Fifth-generation Converse County rancher Keith Moore and his wife Macey bought the Hotel LaBonte in Douglas 10 years ago because of their affinity for old buildings and downtown revitalization. Its past includes a historic old west shootout and plenty of ghostly happenings.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 02, 2025

An illustration showing what the front of the Field and Stream Lodge could look like.

New Field & Stream Branded Hotel To Launch In Montana

A new Field & Stream-themed lodge is being launched in the middle of hotel boom in Bozeman, Montana. It promises guests a throwback summer camp experience filled with the magazine’s outdoors nostalgia.

David MadisonMarch 02, 2025

A home for sale in Cheyenne in this file photo.

Montana, Wyoming Top List Of Fastest-Selling Real Estate Markets

A new real estate report shows Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska are the fastest-selling real estate markets in the nation. Inventory in Wyoming is very low -- ranging from 1.79% in Natrona County to 2.05% in Sweetwater County to 5.63% in Park County.

David MadisonMarch 02, 2025

At 84 inches by 84 inches, the Wyoming king bed is more than the size of two queen-sized mattresses combined. Few people have heard of the Wyoming king, but that's changing.

So What Exactly Is A Wyoming King Bed And How Big Is It?

Everyone knows about California King beds, but there’s a relatively new item in oversized mattresses. The Wyoming King is in the middle of the oversized mattress variants. It's bigger than a Texas King but smaller than an Alaskan or Alberta King.

Andrew RossiMarch 01, 2025

At 72, Gary Dickinson continues to pursue a passion for classic cars. His “The Junkyard” in Glenrock specializes in “classic” cars and car parts.

Glenrock Man Has 5 Acres Of Rusted-Out Vintage Cars That Have Potential To Be Jewels

Gary Dickinson has 5 acres of rusted-out vintage cars that some might call a graveyard of junk. The Glenrock man says they’re half right — his old cars are junk, but they have the potential to become jewels.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 01, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: Frosty’s, A True Casper Dive Bar Proudly Serving Horrible Liquor

Frosty’s in Casper, is a typical dive bar in many ways — and proud to serve one of the most terrible tasting liquors. It’s one of the few places outside Chicago with Jeppson’s Malort, a rite-of-passage drink people say tastes like old socks.

Renée JeanMarch 01, 2025

A Montana state agency is moving ahead with restoring passenger service to southern Montana, and rail advocates in Laramie sees promise in a new report from the Federal Rail Administration. This Union Pacific train hauls people from Denver to Cheyenne Frontier Days in this file photo.

New Study Adds Momentum To Return Of Passenger Rail To Wyoming, Montana

A January report from the Federal Railroad Administration recommends restoring Amtrak routes across the West, including through Cheyenne. It specifically recommended passenger train travel across southern Wyoming and a north-south route to Billings.

David MadisonMarch 01, 2025

A Cyclone Drilling crew working Rig 38 hit 6,000 feet in 24 hours, a new record at the time in July 2017.

Why Wyoming’s Oil And Gas Industry Isn’t Yet “Drill Baby Drilling”

Optimism is high in Wyoming’s oil and gas sector with President Donald Trump's promise to "drill, baby, drill." But there’s also uncertainty about how more drilling will impact prices.

Renée JeanMarch 01, 2025

Interstate 80 is one of the busiest — and most dangerous — east-west routes across Wyoming and the nation.

Trucking Fatalities Have Increased Since Feds Stopped Suspending Truckers Who Can’t Read English

Fatalities involving large commercial trucks have been on the rise since 2016. That was the year the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a memorandum telling safety inspectors not to suspend commercial drivers for failing to communicate well in English.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 28, 2025

Wyoming’s lumber industry isn’t huge, but is heartened to hear Trump say America doesn’t need lumber from Canada. But the industry needs more than tariffs to save it — like changes to forest management. Here, logging trucks collect usable timber harvested while fighting the Elk Fire in the Bighorn National Forest in fall 2024.

Trump Says US Doesn’t Need Canada’s Timber, And Wyoming’s Lumber Industry Agrees

Wyoming’s lumber industry isn’t huge, but was heartened to hear President Trump say America doesn’t need timber from Canada. The industry says it needs more than tariffs to save it — like changes to forest management.

Renée JeanFebruary 28, 2025

Wyoming Grows Lead In Race For Rare Earths Thanks To Bigger Haul From Huge Deposit

Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. is reporting even better returns at its Halleck Creek rare earth mining site. That helps grow Wyoming’s lead in the race for domestic production — and processing — of critical rare earth minerals.

Renée JeanFebruary 26, 2025

Dr. McGinley and Lochie Hughes at an elite racer training facility, Pit Fit, in Indianapolis, IN. Dr. McGinley was there educating racers and their teams about common orthopedic injuries and the latest treatments.

Wyoming’s McGinley Clinic Gains National Spotlight with Indy NXT Sponsorship

A Wyoming-based medical clinic is making waves on the national and international stage, drawing top-tier professional athletes to Casper and Gillette for world-class orthopedic treatment.

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