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.

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – A group of residents are coming together to help a Wyoming High School student who was sexually assaulted in 2023.

According to our partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer, the teen was receiving in-school counseling services through Best Point Education & Behavioral Health, a third-party service contracted with the school.

The Enquirer reported that the student’s family was notified that services would be ending due to an unpaid $500 bill.

Joe Brinkman and about a dozen other residents are involved in the Community Organization to Protect Wyoming Schools. On Sunday, the group was alerted about what the family was facing.

“We saw this as an opportunity where we could help reach out to the community and gather support,” Brinkman said.

A spokesperson for the district told the Enquirer it does cover counseling services provided by school counselors but it does not fund additional third-party counseling services.

“I don’t know why they have to cover any of this out of pocket. They shouldn’t have to,” Brinkman said. “The immediate need is to help the family continue the counseling services. That’s critical.”

On Monday, Brinkman and his group created a GoFundMe to help cover the teen’s current– and future– counseling expenses.

“Within eight hours, we reached our goal of $1,000,” he says.

Brinkman says he has been in contact with the victim’s mom. He says the donations that continue to pour in are going directly to the family.

“She was just very grateful. I am now speechless that we’ve been able to help this much,” Brinkman said.

Fighting back tears, Brinkman, who has two children attending Wyoming Local School District, and no personal relationship with the victim or his family, shared what he wants them to know.

“We care about them and they’re not alone. And that school should be a safe place for all kids,” he says.

FOX19 contacted the Wyoming Local School District and the third-party counseling service. We are waiting for their responses.

2 of 3 teens charged in connection with Wyoming HS sexual assault take plea deals

One teen has already been sentenced to probation. The second teen will be sentenced in less than two weeks, and the third teen going to trial will be back in court on June 3.

FOX19 will be at these hearings and will bring you the latest on these cases as we learn more.

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Copyright 2024 WXIX. All rights reserved.

The all-conference honors for the 2024 Wyoming High School softball season are here. The head coaches voted on first-team and second-team awards for players in each division, East and West. No special awards were announced with the release. Below is the list of players recognized for this year.

WYOMING HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS IN 2024

Players are listed first by the school’s name and then alphabetically by their last name.

WEST CONFERENCE:

FIRST TEAM:

Katie Brasher – Cody

Riley Simone – Cody

Ellie Ungrund – Cody

Violet Wollschlager – Cody

Kodi Allred – Green River

Terryn Avery – Green River

Chacee Shiner – Green River

Aspen Chambers – Kelly Walsh

Tavia Osso – Kelly Walsh

Ryleigh Sisco – Kelly Walsh

Jaden Hartman – Natrona County

Kyra Randolph – Natrona County

Lexie Ransom – Natrona County

Tarin Anderson – Rock Springs

Ruby Florencio – Rock Springs

Payten Soltis – Rock Springs

Rilynn Wester – Rock Springs

Samantha Pierce – Worland

SECOND TEAM:

Emma Lindahl – Cody

Montana Massey – Cody

Amelia Reinker – Cody

Gina Barajas – Green River

Izzy Kelley – Green River

Haidyn Terry – Green River

Ashlynn Attaway – Kelly Walsh

Kayla Claire – Kelly Walsh

Emma Jones – Kelly Walsh

Elsie Sale – Natrona County

Qunicy Sale – Natrona County

Max Sweeny – Rock Springs

Kyndall Turnwall – Rock Springs

Riley Moreno – Worland

EAST CONFERENCE:

FIRST TEAM:

Avery Gray – Campbell County

Bayley Gray – Campbell County

Lanae Kimbley – Campbell County

Katie Hinz – Cheyenne Central

Izzy Kelly – Cheyenne Central

Izzy Thomas – Cheyenne Central

Aleah Brooks – Cheyenne East

McKenzie Millar – Cheyenne East

Gracie Oswald – Cheyenne East

Rylee Stephenson – Cheyenne East

Alyssa Albaugh – Cheyenne South

Marisol Gomez – Laramie

Paige Kuhn – Laramie

Emilee Sirdoreus – Laramie

Natalie Clonch – Thunder Basin

Allie Rodgers – Thunder Basin

Macie Selfors – Thunder Basin

Marissa West – Thunder Basin

Rylee Coates – Wheatland

Mackenzie Lockman – Wheatland

Camryn Mickelsen – Wheatland

SECOND TEAM:

Lexi Alexander – Campbell County

Addie Rambo – Campbell County

Patience Smith – Campbell County

Maya Driver – Cheyenne Central

Bailey Martinez – Cheyenne Central

Cam Moyte – Cheyenne Central

Lilly Vallejo – Cheyenne East

Charleigh Mellish – Cheyenne South

Madalyn Doser – Laramie

Haley Loya – Laramie

Carson Milam – Laramie

Addie Rouse – Thunder Basin

Paige Shaffer – Thunder Basin

Danica Shawver – Thunder Basin