Wyoming Life
News
Gillette Firefighter Who Died In 1989 When A Church Fell On Him Still Saving Lives
Alan Mickelson, a volunteer Gillette firefighter, died in 1989 when a church caved in on him while responding to a fire call. While his death still stings for those who knew him, Mickelson is still saving lives through his namesake training center.
Dale KillingbeckMay 10, 2025
Wyoming Rescue Ranch Cheers Shutdown Of Notorious Beagle Test Lab, New Law
Wyoming’s Kindness Ranch in Hartville is cheering this week's shutdown of a notorious beagle testing lab and proposed federal legislation that would retire clinical test animals instead of killing them. The events promise to make the ranch busier than ever.
Jen KocherMay 10, 2025
Kelly Walsh High Won’t Let Casper Girl Wear Native Regalia At Graduation
Kelly Walsh High School senior Zephira Arguello wants to honor her Native American culture by wearing traditional regalia at graduation. The school says “no.”
Dale KillingbeckMay 09, 2025
Wyoming Catholics Celebrate Election Of First American Pope
Catholics across Wyoming celebrated the appointment of the first American pope on Thursday. Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan, who was fishing the North Platte, told Cowboy State Daily he was "tickled to death" to hear the news.
Justin GeorgeMay 08, 2025
Rawlins Residents Fed Up With Gravedigging Ground Squirrels In City Cemetery
Ground squirrels are digging holes daily in the Rawlins Cemetery, including into graves, and local residents are fed up with them. The city is tripling the number of poison traps around the cemetery to try and cut out the critters.
Andrew RossiMay 08, 2025
Wyoming Can Expect Warm, Sunny Weather For Mother’s Day — For A Change
Winter in Wyoming often likes to hang around until after Mother’s Day, says meteorologist Don Day. But for a change, this weekend should be warm, sunny and summer-like with temperatures reaching the high 70s and into the 80s.
Andrew RossiMay 07, 2025
170 Pregnant Ewes Burn In Devastating Ranch Fire Near Wright
A large barn with 170 pregnant ewes inside burned early Monday morning on a ranch near Wright, Wyoming. The rancher said the barn was fine at 4:30 a.m., then by 5:15 was fully engulfed and too hot to approach.
Greg JohnsonMay 06, 2025
Spring Can Begin — Bob The Barrel Reaches The Shore Of Fremont Lake
After spending two months on the ice of Fremont Lake near Pinedale, Bob the Barrel finally reached the shore of Fremont Lake at 6:25 a.m. Sunday. Locals have been watching and waiting on the barrel to break through annually for 85 years.
Andrew RossiMay 06, 2025
Wyoming’s Home-Grown Live Horse Racing Sparks Resurgence Of Industry
Jack Greer grew up on the racetrack, and the Gillette resident is now part of a home-grown movement that’s sparking a resurgence of live horse racing in Wyoming. That’s partly because he and others in the Cowboy State are racing their own horses.
Jackie DorothyMay 05, 2025
For Wyoming Collectors, Vintage Glass Power Line Insulators Are Prized Finds
Those funky glass blobs that used to hang on and around power lines are highly prized by Wyoming collectors. These vintage glass insulators are prized finds for those with a passion for them.
Jackie DorothyMay 04, 2025
After Surviving A Brain Tumor, Casper Boy Can’t Wait To Get A Service Dog
After Mikey Jonnassen was diagnosed with a brain tumor, doctors told his mom that he would spend the rest of his life bedridden. But he wasn’t having any of that. Now he’s walking, talking and looking forward to a service dog.
Mark HeinzMay 04, 2025
Roast Or Let Roost? What Should Backyard Chicken Owners Do With Roosters?
Wyoming communities have long been debating whether to allow people in populated areas to keep backyard chickens. Those who have them inevitably face the great debate about what to do with roosters — roast or let roost?
Anna-Louise JacksonMay 04, 2025
Wyoming Allows, But Doesn’t Regulate, Self-Driving Cars — Yet
As more self-driving cars are on roads across the country, more states are regulating the use of them. Wyoming hasn’t regulated self-driving vehicles, but legislators say it’s only a matter of when that will happen, not if.
Leo WolfsonMay 04, 2025
Rock Springs Deputy Who Rescued 3-Year-Old 15 Years Ago To Give Him Diploma
David Lew will graduate this month from Rock Springs High School. But he wouldn’t if it hadn’t have been for a Sweetwater County Sheriff’s deputy who rescued him from Flaming Gorge Reservoir when he was 3. Now that deputy will give him his diploma.
Dale KillingbeckMay 04, 2025
Wyoming-Made Honor Bears Give Strength To Gold Star Families
A Wyoming woman’s mission to help gold star military and first-responder families does more than give them renewed strength. Her Bears of Honor program uses their uniforms to make Teddy bears that keeps their service and honor alive.
Zakary SonntagMay 04, 2025
How Do You Practice For Calving Season? With Life-Sized Rubber Cows
One of the most important times for ranchers in Wyoming and across the country is calving season. Every calf counts, so it’s vital as many survive as possible. To do that, some ranchers and kids practice with life-sized rubber cows and calves.
Andrew RossiMay 03, 2025
Video: Cheyenne’s Truck Stop Chapel -- A Place Where Truckers Find Peace
Nestled in the parking lot of a Cheyenne truck stop is a small chapel, a haven for truckers seeking church or a sympathetic ear. The couple who runs the chapel also supports drivers with advice they draw from more than two decades in the trucking industry.
Hannah Brock & Reilly StrandMay 03, 2025
Wyoming Airmen Make Extraordinary Cardiac Evacuation From Antarctica
Two members of the Wyoming Air National Guard played critical roles in successfully evacuating a patient in cardiac arrest from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. “This was more than a mission — it was a life saved against all odds,” Brig. Gen. Michelle Mulberry said.
Leo WolfsonMay 03, 2025
Wyoming Star Ian Munsick Declares He Has ‘The Greatest Hair In Country Music’
Wyoming native Ian Munsick has real cowboy roots and talent fueling his career as a rising star in Nashville. He also boasts having something else no other artist can claim — the “greatest hair in country music.”
David MadisonMay 02, 2025
Thunderbirds Continue 70-Plus-Year Run At Cheyenne Frontier Days On New Night
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds’ popular Cheyenne Frontier Days air show is moving to Saturday, July 26, so more people can see it. The aerial demonstration has been held at CFD every year but two since 1953.
Renée JeanApril 29, 2025
Broncos Star Linebacker Catches Hail Mary Invite By Gillette Special Olympians
A Hail Mary video invitation from Gillette Special Olympians caught the attention of Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton. He’s agreed to be the guest of honor for the three-day Wyoming Special Olympics State Summer Games there starting Thursday.
Amber SteinmetzApril 29, 2025
Thermopolis Teen Gets Into West Point Months After Dad Dies From Brain Tumor
Logan Dafoe’s dream of attending West Point came true this month. But it wasn’t complete, because the Thermopolis teen’s father, Bill, wasn’t there to see that dream come true. Bill died from a brain tumor months before his son’s acceptance came through.
Jackie DorothyApril 28, 2025
Giant Killer Whale Swallowing A Truck Unleashed On The Roads Around Missoula
A Missoula man has spent the last five years converting an Isuzu box truck into a giant killer whale. Now his creation, named “Killatrina,” has been unleashed on the roads around town.
Anna-Louise JacksonApril 27, 2025
Casper Model Airplane Pilots Love Flying Fast, From Fighter Jets To Pizza Boxes
For 55 years, the Casper Air Modelers Association has been flying remote-controlled replica aircraft — and they have a need for speed. They’ll fly anything from F-14 fighter jets to souped up pizza boxes.
Dale KillingbeckApril 27, 2025