Wyoming
Cowboy State Daily Video News: Thursday, May 23, 2024
It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Thursday, May 23rd.
The out-of-state man who was mauled by a mother grizzly in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on Sunday apparently had a phenomenal stroke of luck when the apex predator essentially bear-sprayed itself.
Park service officials told outdoors reporter Mark Heinz that the 35-year-old Massachusetts man did everything right, including pulling out his readily-available can of bear spray when he rounded a corner and came face to face with a bear cub and its protective mama.
“So he did what you’re supposed to do. He got down flat on his belly, interlaced his fingers behind the back of his neck… The bear spray was apparently still hooked to one of his fingers, and the bear got to biting him and at some point she bit into that can of bear spray and the can burst in her face, and she and the cub took off… I did talk to a couple of pretty hardcore outdoor people who spend a lot of time in grizzly country. They said that’s a new one… We’ve never heard of an attack being stopped by a bear spraying itself.”
The man, who was not identified by the Park Service, was released from the hospital Monday and is expected to recover fully from his injuries.
The largest solar power project in Wyoming — a $1.2 billion, 1.2-million panel farm — was given the green light Tuesday to start building.
Cowboy State Daily’s Pat Maio reports that the 771-megawatt solar farm will be built by Canadian energy giant Enbridge, and will supply electricity to data centers which will be built in south Cheyenne.
“Enbridge has gotten the green light on construction. I mean, it still has these little minor ones that it has to deal with, like, the air permit, which is usually pretty easy for a solar farm, but the construction permit is huge. And it’s going to be a huge bill that they’re gonna have to pay to build this – but… they have big customers, Meta and Microsoft.”
The solar power facility will generate enough electricity to light up more than 771,000 homes, more than in all of Wyoming.
A Gillette atheist who lost a lawsuit over prayers before public meetings is now suing to put the atheist 21 Rules alongside a 10 Commandments monument in a local park. Bruce Williams and the Hypatian Society, which is a religious or charitable “church” he co-founded, are also demanding about $240 million in damages in a federal lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland.
“In his past state level lawsuit, Williams was complaining that he doesn’t get a proportionate number of invocations at public meetings in Gillette… But he added a new complaint saying, you guys have this Ten Commandments monument in city park, and it … infuriates that Williams doesn’t get to put up his 21 Rules associated with his atheist organization he co-founded that he calls a church.”
Willaims lost his prior state-level lawsuit and appeal against city officials — which presented other but similar complaints — because the city has sovereign immunity from being sued on his claims.
Sixteen members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus believe Wyoming has to make a swift, decisive response in fighting a new BLM rule issued last week that would end coal production in Wyoming’s energy-rich Powder River Basin by 2041.
The Freedom Caucus describes the new BLM rule as part “of the Biden administration’s anti-American, anti-energy ‘climate crisis’ agenda.” That’s according to politics reporter Leo Wolfson.
“They believe he waited too long with a prior coal dispute involving a port in Washington that Wyoming was going to try to use for its coal production. The State of Washington blocked this at the time and it resulted in an eventual lawsuit. But that lawsuit was eventually rejected in 2021 by the US Supreme Court, likely because it had been filed too late.”
Gordon, who did speak vehemently against the coal rule when it was announced last week, has already said he’s having Attorney General Bridget Hill pursue legal options to challenge it.
When the Hogs for Hope motorcycle rally rolls into Green River on Saturday in honor of a wolf that was tortured and killed in Daniel, it will be warmly welcomed at the local Harley-Davidson dealership, which is sponsoring an opening event that afternoon.
The rally and associated fundraiser is being organized by social media influencer and dog trainer Jonas Black, and Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that they are expecting quite a crowd.
“Nobody’s really sure how big the crowd’s going to be. It sounds as if, just judging by the social media chatter and how things seem to be going, it’s probably going to be quite a large crowd of bikers.… I also spoke with the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Highway Patrol. They’re not anticipating any trouble, this group has advertised itself as a peaceful gathering. Law enforcement says okay, well, we hope you stay peaceful- just in case there will be, there will be an added law enforcement presence…. because there’s a lot of emotions around this. So just in case.”
The GoFundMe campaign for the Hogs For Hope rally has already raised $100,000 for wildlife conservation.
And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on cowboystatedaily.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
Radio Stations
The following radio stations are airing Cowboy State Daily Radio on weekday mornings, afternoons and evenings. More radio stations will be added soon.
KYDT 103.1 FM – Sundance
KBFS 1450 AM — Sundance
KYCN 1340 AM / 92.7 FM — Wheatland
KZEW 101.7 FM — Wheatland
KANT 104.1 FM — Guernsey
KZQL 105.5 FM — Casper
KMXW 92.5 FM — Casper
KBDY 102.1 FM — Saratoga
KTGA 99.3 FM — Saratoga
KJAX 93.5 FM — Jackson
KZWY 106.3 FM — Sheridan
KROE 930 AM / 103.9 FM — Sheridan
KWYO 1410 AM / 106.9 FM — Sheridan
KYOY 92.3 FM Hillsdale-Cheyenne / 106.9 FM Cheyenne
KRAE 1480 AM — Cheyenne
KDLY 97.5 FM — Lander
KOVE 1330 AM — Lander
KZMQ 100.3/102.3 FM — Cody, Powell, Medicine Wheel, Greybull, Basin, Meeteetse
KKLX 96.1 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Ten Sleep, Greybull
KCGL 104.1 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin, Lovell, Clark, Red Lodge, MT
KTAG 97.9 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin
KCWB 92.1 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin
KVGL 105.7 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Basin, Ten Sleep
KODI 1400 AM / 96.7 FM — Cody, Powell, Lovell, Basin, Clark, Red Lodge
KWOR 1340 AM / 104.7 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Ten Sleep
KREO 93.5 FM — Sweetwater and Sublette Counties
KGOS 1490 AM — Goshen County
KERM 98.3 FM — Goshen County
Check with individual radio stations for airtime of the newscasts.
Since moving to Wyoming many years ago, and having lived in a few towns around the state, I find that some town and city rivalries must be addressed. Some are based on past conflicts that still cause pain to this day. Some are unexplained.
For example, to this day, all of Johnson County still does not trust Cheyenne after the Johnson County War of 1892. Cattlemen in Cheyenne sent a hit squad hired by the barons to invade Johnson County to eliminate alleged rustlers. A shootout that lasted several days ensued.
Other town rivalries include:
Green River vs. Rock Springs: The two towns are close together and share one of the most intense and oldest community, cultural, and athletic rivalries in the state.
Lander vs. Riverton: Located in Fremont County, this rivalry dates back to 1922 and divides the area over high school football bragging rights. They talk a lot of smack about each other.
Cheyenne vs Casper: The towns just HATE each other. I’ve lived in both, and I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with either town. But I’ve come across people in both towns who talk about their hatred of the other.
There is not a lot of love across Wyoming for Jackson, mostly because of the mega-rich liberals who live there. Many of those mega-rich liberals look down on the rest of Wyoming.
Folks talk smack about Laramie, but in a very different way than people talk smack about Gillette.
Having traveled around Wyoming, I can tell you that most of this hate is just nonsense and a waste of time. In the end, we are all Wyomingites. Just one big bickering family who still have each other’s backs when it comes down to it.
The Charmingly Odd Town Of La Grange Wyoming
It is well worth the long drive to see one of the most interesting and quirky little towns in Wyoming.
Stay for lunch. You won’t regret it.
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods
Jay Em, Wyoming, Frozen In Time
Jay Em, what an unusual name for a town.The few people who live there are proud of what their spot on earth once was, and they work to preserve it. They keep this little community frozen in time.
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods
Wyoming
Hoping to draw Colorado interest, construction begins at $80M betting facility in Laramie County
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Foundation work is beginning this week on Wyoming’s next horse betting and gaming house.
The $80 million Wyoming Downs facility in Laramie County, one of two the company is investing in over the next couple of years, is poised to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the state. The company is aiming for a spring 2027 opening.
The facility will host upwards of 600 historic horse racing machines, Wyoming’s largest TV wall, multiple dining options and more across 58,000 square feet. More land was bought for future hotel development. Commuters driving between Cheyenne and the Colorado border can see clearly from Interstate 25 the expansive development.
That placement along the travel corridor is purposeful, Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing President Kyle Ridgeway said.
“I think that the targeted consumer for this is from Colorado or from the Front Range,” Ridgeway said. “I anticipate we’re going to have plenty of people from Cheyenne come down here to play and enjoy the amenities, but when you look at 600,000 people within a 30-minute drive, that’s what justifies this investment and brings all that tax revenue in from another state, which is fantastic.
“We don’t get the opportunity to do that in Wyoming very often.”
There is still plenty to offer Cheyenne residents besides the facility’s amenities. Ridgeway said in a speech to attendees at the project’s groundbreaking Tuesday, June 2, that more than 150 permanent jobs will be supported by the facility on top of the dozens supported by the companies’ corporate offices and the 400-plus involved in the project’s construction.
Groathouse Construction, a Wyoming business, is the project’s general contractor. Wyoming Downs said it believes putting the project in local hands also helps keep the project uniquely Wyoming-focused.
Ridgeway added the facilities have already proven themselves to be effective tax revenue generators for the local governments. The Wyoming Gaming Commission’s 2025 report, released in late May, shows bettors wagered $2.49 billion on historic horse racing machines last year, a jump from the $2.11 billion wagered in 2024.
Wyoming Downs facilities generate roughly $25 million in taxes annually across the state, and Ridgeway estimated after the ceremony that the upcoming $80 million facility alone will generate an additional $3 million for Laramie County once the property has been in operation for a few years.
Horse betting sites have been increasingly popping up across Wyoming this decade. The Wyoming Downs location will be Cheyenne’s second large-scale horse betting facility since 2024, when the 30,000-square-foot Horse Palace at Swan Ranch opened. Ridgeway said Wyoming Downs is still offering something fresh for tourists and residents.
“This’ll have amenities that Swan Ranch doesn’t have, including the largest TV wall in Wyoming and a pretty super-cool sports viewing area with a restaurant and just a level of finish and class that I don’t think Wyoming has quite seen yet with these types of properties,” he said.
Ridgeway said he thinks resident fatigue with these facilities isn’t as strong as it appears, especially given the tourism benefits of off-track betting.
“Wyoming’s been built on mineral extraction and tourism, and what this is is a touristic facility. I’m not aware of any particular pushback about this specific facility outside of — you see random social media comments where people say, ‘Oh, another gambling facility.’ But where this is located, I think people in Cheyenne have generally been supportive of,” he said.
The Laramie County facility will be just one part of a larger project Wyoming Downs is working on over the next few years. Construction will begin in early 2027 on a similar facility in Evanston looking to draw in Utah and western Colorado crowds.
Some of the company’s current facilities, notably in Casper, Cheyenne and Rock Springs, will see millions poured into renovations as well. New smaller-scale parlors will also go up in Gillette and Green River this year, according to an information packet provided by the company.
More details will come as the construction process develops, Ridgeway said. Details about amenities, such as what the complex’s dining options will look like, remain undisclosed, though Ridgeway promised that options will be “excellent.”
“We haven’t made final selections on what the options are, but we have a number of different options on the table that we’re considering for what we want to offer for the customers,” Ridgeway said. “You have to have something that’s high quality for where this is located. If somebody’s going to drive 25 or 35, or even 45 minutes to come here, they got to be able to sit down and have a quality meal.”
For more information as it becomes available and to learn more about Wyoming Downs facilities and 307 Horse Racing‘s events and offerings, see the companies’ websites. Renderings for the upcoming Cheyenne facility commissioned by the company are available for viewing below.
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