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A week ago, the outlook was bleak that a lonely stop sign on Togwotee Pass in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming would be buried in snow. But by Wednesday morning, the snow had moved 3 feet up the sign, upping the odds it gets buried by April 1.

The town of Sheridan is expected to briefly shutdown Friday as 1,000 law enforcement officers from across the United States are expected to pay their respects to fallen police Sgt. Nevada Krinkee who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sheridan Police Sgt. Nevada Krinkee, his wife Karla and their daughter. (Courtesy Kane Funeral Home; Cowboy State Daily Illustration) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sheridan, a tightknit northern Wyoming community nestled in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, is about to experience a traffic congestion of epic proportions over the next few days. As many as 1,000 law enforcement officers...

Somewhere in a dystopian future, the last few human scientists find themselves in a desperate rush to grow food to survive. In their research they discover a censored report that says the reason crops have failed world wide is because of a lack of carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere. Researching historical databases they find that governments of the past harvested CO2 from the atmosphere and stored it in locations underground in the northeast and the south. The scientists are forced to make a decision in a panic. Do they go north or south to dig up the carbon and...

Carbon sequestration has become Republicans’ most popular answer to climate change, with GOP governors across western states pumping massive stores of concentrated CO2 into underground chambers. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, who chairs the Western Governors Association, currently leads the charge to his state’s detriment as a carbon-powerhouse and leading coal producer. Last week, lawmakers in Wyoming heard from members of the CO2 Coalition who challenged Governor Gordon’s pledge to decarbonize the energy-intensive state with carbon capture programs. Dr. William Happer, the founder of the CO2 Coalition, compared such efforts to a “religion” before the Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands...

There is excellent news for the American industry, economy, and international trade sectors. The discovery of colossal rare earth deposits in Wyoming could essentially restructure the global supply chain of these crucial elements in the near future. A discovery of 2.34 billion metric tons of rare earth elements (REEs) in a mine outside of Sheridan, Wyoming, has generated great excitement across industries stateside. For one, the reserves are estimated to be bigger than China’s current reserves, implying that this single find could end America’s reliance on Chinese exports if exploited judiciously.

A deadly brain-eating amoeba has been confirmed in Grand Teton National Park hot springs for the first time. The lead author of the scientific paper that was published last month, said he still soaks in hot springs but uses nose plugs when he can. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Polecat Hot Springs in Grand Teton National Park is one of several in Wyoming that's tested positive for a deadly brain-eating amoeba. (Murphy Travels via YouTube) There was a time prior to 1960 when almost nothing was known about a bug called Naegleria fowleri. The microscopic single-cell organism is one of about two dozen species...

Guest columnist Perry Pendley writes, "Denver will spend $180 million, 10% of its annual budget, giving illegal immigrants housing, food, and other services. As they push its illegal immigrant problem off on other jurisdictions, Wyoming should expect illegal aliens heading north to Cheyenne and Laramie." Like most Americans, Wyomingites are horrified by the nation’s illegal immigration crisis; it is their number one issue says a new public opinion poll. Once a concern of Texans and south westerners, it is now a national problem; after all, the sight at the border of hordes of single, military-aged men from scores of countries...

A rare artifact has been discovered by archaeologists at an ancient mammoth kill site near Douglas, Wyoming, which they say is the oldest of its kind ever found in the Americas. The discovery, a tube-shaped piece of bone, is likely to have been a bead dating to around 12,940 years old, potentially making it the oldest known instance of American perforated jewelry. The discovery was made by University of Wyoming archaeology Professor Todd Surovell and his team at the La Prele Mammoth site, a location first revealed to archaeologists in 1986 when mammoth remains were found eroding out of a...

There’s a modern-day gold rush happening in the attempt to dig green-energy rare earth minerals out of the ground. Some believe Wyoming could be America’s answer to China’s lock on the market. And one of a handful of Wyoming companies in the rush may have hit the mother lode. American Rare Earths Inc. has its sights on thousands of acres of land near Wheatland, Wyoming. The company disclosed in a technical report on Wednesday that it found 64% more rare earth minerals than it had originally envisioned in a March 2023 assessment of the land. The newly disclosed figure of...

Starting this month, 145,000 Wyoming ratepayers will make a down payment on what's projected to add up to billions of dollars in additional costs. Regulators recently approved Black Hills Energy's new $1.1 million surcharge on utility bills to research the viability of adding controversial carbon capture technologies to coal-fired power plants. Rob Joyce, acting director of the Wyoming Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the rate increases are due to the state's mandate for utilities to continue burning coal. "The people who benefit from these kinds of policies are the legislators who are connected to legacy fossil fuel companies, utilities...

How many Republicans does it take to figure out someone’s God-given biological sex? Evidently, in Wyoming, 31-2 and 57-5 GOP majorities in the legislature are not enough. Recent allegations by the Kolstad family that Montana Child and Family Services took their daughter to Wyoming to obtain “gender transition” therapy exposes a terrible truth about what should be the most conservative state in America. While Montana passed Senate Bill 99 last session to prohibit chemical castration of minors, Wyoming failed to pass what’s become known as Chloe’s Law thanks to opposition from Governor Mark Gordon and House Speaker Albert Sommers. Lukewarm...

Geophysicist Mike Poland joins Cowboy State Daily's Wendy Corr on "The Roundup" about the super-volcano in Yellowstone, the thousands of earthquakes that hit Yellowstone every year, and why Yellowstone is not likely to blow up anytime soon.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Conversation With Geophysicist Mike Poland Wendy Corr Well, hey there, folks, and welcome to The Roundup. We are a Cowboy State Daily podcast featuring voices, opinions and perspectives from interesting people in the Cowboy State. I'm your host, Wendy Corr. And we've got a fascinating subject today that we're going to talk about with Mike Poland, who is a geophysicist with...

The CK Gold Project is on a fast track to complete state permitting and start mining land near Curt Gowdy State Park for what it believes is 1 million ounces of Wyoming gold. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Technicians with Buckley Powder Co., a Cheyenne-based explosives service company that blasts rock in quarries, helped perform seismic tests on land near Curt Gowdy State Park that U.S. Gold Corp. wants to mine for gold and copper. The technicians just loaded a 50-foot hole with explosives and are preparing for a test they performed in 2022. (Courtesy U.S. Gold Corp.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mining expert George Bee was...

Sen. John Barrasso’s (R-WY) wife has passed away following a two-year battle with brain cancer. Barrasso, who is the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, announced Thursday that his wife, Bobbi, died after fighting glioblastoma, a type of cancer that causes brain tumors. “After a courageous battle with cancer, Bobbi is now at peace and at home with the Lord,” the senator said in a statement obtained by Fox News: In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, Bobbi was a leader, fierce advocate for Wyoming, and friend to everyone she met. We miss her dearly. On behalf of...

Rep. Chip Neiman has drafted legislation that would make it illegal to intimidate others with their genitals. The bill is in response to a nudist who, when asked to put on clothes at a public mailbox center, responded by bending over and spreading his buttocks. Sometimes, it’s not obvious a law is needed until a situation presents itself outlining a glaring hole. That’s exactly what’s happened in rural Crook County, where a nudist refuses to wear clothing in public when picking up his mail at a rural mailbox center. On one occasion, when asked to put on clothes, the man...

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) endorsed Donald Trump for president moments after the New Hampshire primary was called within minutes of polls closing. “I have seen enough,” Cornyn said on X. “To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice.” A majority of Senate Republicans have now endorsed Trump, but Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) had been the only senior member of Senate GOP leadership to endorse the former president’s reelection bid before Tuesday night.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to roll out a free way to file federal taxes, much to the chagrin of tax preparation firm TurboTax. The IRS is launching a pilot plan, known as Direct File, that will offer a free way to submit taxes for U.S. workers. In December, the agency published its plans for an in-house filing system that taxpayers can use to submit their federal tax returns at no cost. Residents of 12 states that meet certain income criteria will be able to try the new service. To qualify, filers need to opt for the standard deduction...

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) endorsed Donald Trump for president Tuesday, becoming the highest ranking member of Senate Republican leadership to endorse Trump in his quest to retake the White House. The third highest-ranking Senate Republican, Conference Chair Barrasso is the highest-ranking Senate Republican to back Trump. He joins Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), who as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee leads the candidate recruitment and campaign arm, as the only members of elected Senate leadership to endorse Trump.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) got the better of CBS moderator Margaret Brennan — and perhaps CBS editorial “standards” — in an interview that aired Sunday. “Back in 2021, you were the lawmaker who circulated the legal brief known as the Texas amicus brief, challenging the 2020 election outcome in a number of states, which by CBS editorial standards makes you an election denier,” Brennan said to Johnson on Face the Nation. “That’s nonsense,” Johnson calmly replied. Brennan persisted, “Can I get you on the record on that?”

Last week, the Supreme Court rejected Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request that the high court fast-track an appeal by former President Donald Trump claiming immunity from the charges related to the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. While the immunity questions will likely return to the Supreme Court after the D.C. Circuit weighs in on the issues, before then the justices will consider the validity of two of the four charges levied against the former president — and it is likely a majority of the Supreme Court will rule that the “crimes” the special counsel charged are not...