Headlines

Explore a chronological display of Cowboy State Daily’s articles.

Letter To The Editor: Deep Opposition To Proposed Public Land Sales

Dear editor: In reality, this is nothing more than a thinly veiled wealth transfer. The wealthiest Americans and large corporate interests stand to benefit by buying up these lands at bargain prices

June 19, 2025

Wyoming School Boards Association executive director Brian Farmer fields numerous questions about school insurance during a Wednesday meeting of the select committee on school finance recalibration in Casper.

Wyoming Schools Say Banning Gun-Free Zones Is Hiking Insurance Rates

Multiple Wyoming school districts say the repeal of Wyoming’s gun-free zones has prompted hikes in their liability insurance costs. The situation sparked debate between supporters and detractors of the new law at a legislative committee this week.

Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2025

Wyoming's Latest Sunset Of The Year Is Friday — It Just Gets Darker From There

When the sun sets Friday, Wyomingites will have enjoyed more than 15 hours of daylight on what's called the longest day of the year. It just gets darker from there until the shortest day on Dec. 21.

Andrew RossiJune 19, 2025

Adobe town, south of Rock Springs along rough gravel and dirt roads, is one of Wyoming’s most isolated locations.

More Changes For Rock Springs BLM Plan; Locals Say ‘We’ve Studied That Thing To Death’

In what’s become a familiar pattern, the Bureau of Land Management’s controversial Rock Springs management plan is up for another round of reviews. Wyoming legislators and officials say “we’ve studied that thing to death.”

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2025

Brief: Two Gillette Motorcyclists Killed In Head-On Near Wright

Two Gillette men died Wednesday when a work truck collided head-on with both their motorcycles on the highway between Wright and Newcastle. Fatigue for the truck driver is being investigated as the cause of the crash.

Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2025

Wide receiver Scotty McKnight of the Colorado Buffaloes makes a reception for a first down before being forced out of bounds by Shamiel Gary of the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field on Sept. 19, 2009, in Boulder, Colorado. CU was wearing an alternative uniform in the game.

CU Home Football Opener Against Wyoming Is Fastest Sell-Out In Recent Memory

Wyoming Cowboy fans pondering making the drive to Boulder for the Sept. 20 Colorado Buffaloes home opener against UW may be out of luck. The game has already sold out — faster than any previous CU home game in recent history.

Justin GeorgeJune 19, 2025

Cheyenne Man Accused Of Threatening To Play ‘Russian Roulette’ With Women

A 38-year-old Cheyenne man is accused of pulling out a pistol Tuesday, showing it to two women and telling them he was going to play “Russian roulette.” He now faces a felony charge of aggravated assault.

Dale KillingbeckJune 19, 2025

Wyoming's Wild Weather: Snow And Pushing 100 Degrees This Weekend

Wyoming’s weather will be wild this weekend with near-record highs, including pushing 100 in some areas, then snow and freezing temperatures. Whether it’s brutal heat or summer snow, “everyone’s going to be mad at me,” says meteorologist Don Day.

Andrew RossiJune 19, 2025

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder testifies for the Senate Education Committee during thed Wyoming Legislature's 2025 session in this file photo.

Degenfelder Plans $6.4 Million School Choice Payout, But Judge Could Stop It

As a lawsuit against the program escalates, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder is still planning at this point to pay out $6.44 million for school choice July 1. A judge could decide next week to halt the payments.

Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2025

State Sen. Mike Gierau during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

Guest Column: The Real Waste, Fraud And Abuse In Wyoming Is Coming From The Freedom Caucus

State Sen. Mike Gierau writes, "Whether undercutting industry, decrying the process producing good policy, or trying to preempt local government, the Freedom Caucus wastes your time and your dollars."

Guest ColumnJune 19, 2025

A power substation in Cheyenne. Black Hills Energy is building new substations and doing powerline construction near Cheyenne as parts of its larger Ready Wyoming project, on track for completion by the end of 2025, according to the utility.

Black Hills Energy Spending $540M To Connect North-South Wyoming Power Grids

A pair of large-scale Black Hills Energy projects will connect northern and southern Wyoming power grids while adding more natural gas generation. Together, they represent a $540 million outlay.

David MadisonJune 19, 2025

Guest Column: Our Public Lands Are Not for Sale

Rep. Mike Schmid writes, "As a member of the Wyoming Legislature, I have deep concerns about the proposal buried in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that would allow the federal government to sell off large swaths of our public lands — under the guise of solving housing shortages."

Guest ColumnJune 19, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, June 19, 2025

Jake in the 307. Weekday mornings 6-10 a.m.

Jake NicholsJune 19, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, June 19, 2025

Thursday's headlines include: * Public Land Sale Outrage * Harriet: Land Sale Map Wrong * Carbon Capture Project Not Dead

Wendy CorrJune 19, 2025

Nathan Pfaff, 19, is accused of shooting 18-year-old Ryan Snow in the head with a .45-caliber handgun. He's being held on $250,000 bond.

Cheyenne Murder A Web Of Conflicting Statements And Admitted Lies

Investigators are trying to piece together how an 18-year-old was murdered just after midnight Friday at a Cheyenne mobile home park. The suspect and witnesses have given a convoluted web of conflicting statements and admitted lies.

Greg JohnsonJune 19, 2025

The Bureau of Land Management has tapped Wyoming land expert Brenda Younkin for a role as senior advisor while the Trump administration considers selling federal lands.

Wyoming Land Expert Tapped For BLM As Trump Considers Selling Federal Land

A Wyoming land expert with deep ranching roots has been tapped for a senior position with the Bureau of Land Management. Her appointment comes at a time when the potential sale of public lands in Wyoming has become a lightning rod across the state.

Renée JeanJune 19, 2025

A Greybull man, Anthony Michael Fuentes, who was the first person in Wyoming to be convicted of manslaughter for selling fentanyl-laced drugs, won’t get a new trial. A judge Wednesday rejected his motion that challenged his plea deal, which got him 15-20 years in prison.

Judge Won’t Overturn Wyoming’s First Fentanyl Manslaughter Conviction

A Greybull man who was the first person in Wyoming to be convicted of manslaughter for selling fentanyl-laced drugs won’t get a new trial. A judge Wednesday rejected a motion that challenged his plea deal, which got him 15-20 years in prison.

Jen KocherJune 19, 2025

Tom Lubnau: Sale Of Our Public Lands Brings More Questions Than Answers

Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "My understanding of the public land sale proposals is they are so vague, with so many unanswered questions, that at this point, I can’t get behind risking Wyoming’s way of life to pay the bills for the United States."

Tom LubnauJune 19, 2025

Hunters are up in arms over potential federal public land sales included in a U.S. Senate budget bill. Two prominent outdoorsmen, one from Wyoming and another from Montana, blasted the measure.

Selling Federal Public Land Draws Massive Backlash From Western Hunters

Hunters are up in arms over potential federal public land sales included in a U.S. Senate budget bill. Prominent groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming's Muley Fanatic Foundation, and The Boone And Crockett Club all blasted the proposal.

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2025

The Integrated Test Center at Dry Fork Station power plant north of Gillette provides flue gas for research and development of carbon capture and utilization technologies.

Despite Federal Cuts, Company Says Gillette Carbon Capture Project Not Dead

The Department of Energy scrapping a nearly $50 million grant supporting large-scale carbon capture technology in Gillette is a blow, but won’t kill the project, the company says. Work will continue with a push for private investment.

David MadisonJune 19, 2025

Montana is exempt from federal land sales outlined in the budget bill, aka the One Big Beautiful Bill. In Wyoming, millions of acres could potentially be on the list to hit the market.

By The Way, Montana Is Exempt From Public Land Sales In Budget Bill

While many in Wyoming and other western states are worried about potential public land sales, our neighbors to the north aren't sharing those concerns. Montana's congressional delegation was able to exempt the state from any potential public land sell-offs.

David MadisonJune 18, 2025

Protestor in Los Angeles on June 11, 2025

Parade To Protests: Wyo Delegation Says One Side Is Patriotic, Other Side Is Destructive

From riots in Los Angeles to a military parade in D.C., the past week in America has shown the country’s growing divide. Wyoming's congressional delegation says one side is patriotic while the other side is for chaos and destruction.

Jackson Walker for Cowboy State DailyJune 18, 2025

Hageman Says Vast Swaths Of Wyoming Public Lands Won’t Be Sold

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman says a Wilderness Society map that shows nearly 15 million acres of public land could be sold if the Senate budget bill passes is wrong. The group stands by its report, which it says is based on what the language of the bill says.

Mark HeinzJune 18, 2025

Thunder Plains just south of Cheyenne had planned to open Wyoming’s first privately-owned horse racing track in the fall. A backlog in getting electricity to the site, and a soggy spring, have delayed that opening timeline.

Wyoming’s First Private 1-Mile Horse Racing Track Faces Delays

Thunder Plains just east of Cheyenne had planned to open Wyoming’s first privately-owned horse racing track in the fall. A backlog in getting electricity to the site, and a soggy spring, have delayed that opening timeline.

Renée JeanJune 18, 2025

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