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A cub of famous Wyoming grizzly No. 399 has been unseen since his mom's death but odds look good – East Idaho News

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A cub of famous Wyoming grizzly No. 399 has been unseen since his mom's death but odds look good – East Idaho News


CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The death of the world’s most famous grizzly bear on a highway in western Wyoming has made an orphan of its cub, but biologists say the youngster’s chances of surviving — even with a chilly mountain winter coming on — are good.

“High chances of survival going forward for the yearling, even being on his own,” said Grand Teton National Park bear biologist Justin Schwabedissen.

It should be reassurance to the many worrying.

After grizzly No. 399 died in a vehicle strike Tuesday south of Jackson Hole, her male cub’s fate has been a big topic of discussion on a popular Facebook page dedicated to following the bear and her previous cubs. Evidently unhurt by the crash, the cub hasn’t been seen since.

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Some online commenters say the cub — known informally as “Rowdy” or “Spirit” — should be found and rescued.

Others agree with the usual approach of wildlife managers: Don’t interfere with nature. So far, no cub search has been announced.
Had the cub been born last winter, survival would be much less likely.

But this youngster’s age of nearly two years, its healthy size and the season — almost time to den up, safe and snug for the winter — are factors working in his favor, according to Schwabedissen.

Perils for grizzlies in the region besides highways include getting shot when the smell of game carcasses draw them into unintentional confrontations with elk hunters. Others are killed when they acquire too much of a taste for apples, dog food, garbage and other human sources of food near homes and become a risk for people.

This 28-year-old momma bear was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Starting in 2004, she birthed 18 cubs in eight litters and had a penchant for hanging out with them near roads in Grand Teton.

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Such behavior made her a hit with tourists, sometimes drawing hundreds at a time and causing traffic jams. Dozens of wildlife photographers and scientists — she’s named for a numbered tag they put in her ear — watched her as well.

She’s not the only famous animal in the region. Last summer, a confirmed sighting of a rare white buffalo calf in Yellowstone stirred widespread excitement.

Just a handful of people saw the bison calf soon after it was born and there have been no sightings since. But according to Native American legend, the calf fulfills an old prophesy and foretells better times ahead.

In 2009, a 725-pound (330-kilogram) Yellowstone bull elk known by his ear tag number drew attention when he died at a ripe old age of at least 15. Famous for getting aggressive with other males — and cars — elk No. 6 suffocated after tripping on a fence and getting pinned between rocks on his back.

Other Yellowstone-area wildlife are known only in death, such as a wolf which a man ran down with a snowmobile and brought into a bar in western Wyoming before killing it last winter.

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Grizzly No. 399 and her cub leave a more uplifting legacy: helping people appreciate grizzlies as their numbers in the Yellowstone region continue to rebound from just over 100 in the 1970s to around 1,000 today.

Some of her offspring have had cubs that are now much older than her youngest who’s now out there alone, fending for himself.

“She truly was an icon and ambassador for not only for of her species but also the wildness of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins said.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

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Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026


The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.

WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026

Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.

Class 1A

Paul McNiven – Burlington

Bitner Philpott – Burlington

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Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)

Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville

Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie

Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)

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Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)

Corbin Matthews – Lusk

Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)

Jace Westring – Saratoga

Hazen Williams – Saratoga

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TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)

Nic Schiller – Upton

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026

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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026

1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 11 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026

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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-18-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26

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Class 2A

Caleb Adsit – Big Horn

Chase Garber – Big Horn

Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain

Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni

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Kade Mills – Sundance

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Zak Hastie – Thermopolis

Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Joseph Kimbrell – Wright

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Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)

Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian

Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)

Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian

The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.

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Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026

Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw





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New laws establish a statewide literacy program

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New laws establish a statewide literacy program


A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.

One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”

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The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”

The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.

It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.

The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.

Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”

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Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”

The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.

SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.

Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”

Both bills go into effect July 1.

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Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW

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Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW


Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule





Samuel “Tote” Harris. Photo from gowyo.com

LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.

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Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.

The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.

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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.

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The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.

Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.

With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.

Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.

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