'Exploding Tree' Warning From Subzero Cold Snap Reaches Into Wyoming

A subzero snap of winter temperatures is expected to hammer the Midwest and reach into northeast Wyoming starting Friday. That’s led to a surge of warnings for people to watch out for “exploding trees.”

That’s not something someone just made up, even if it’s a bit of an exaggeration. Extreme cold can cause trees to explode, and it’s likely to take many people by surprise when it happens.

“It can make you jump if you’re not expecting it,” said Shane Smith, former director of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. “It's pretty rare, but it does happen and could happen across a lot of the country as this Arctic front moves in.”

‘Exploding' Trees

The concept of an exploding tree conjures images of a tall tree spontaneously bursting with a massive cloud of wood chips and debris.  The real phenomenon, called “frost cracking,” isn’t that dramatic, but has impressive results.

Wyoming Lawmaker Unveils Bill To Make Ivermectin Over-The-Counter

A Wyoming House Representative from Cheyenne wants to make it legal in the state to sell the controversial drug ivermectin over-the-counter.

Rep. Gary Brown, R-Cheyenne, this month unveiled House Bill 13, which would allow people in Wyoming to buy ivermectin without a prescription.

Used in some cases as a horse dewormer, ivermectin garnered controversy during the COVID-19 pandemic when President Joe Biden’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discouraged its use with slogans like, “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Serious y’all. Stop it.”

A group of doctors sued federal agencies in 2022, saying they waged a pressure campaign against them to block them from prescribing the drug.

The FDA settled that lawsuit in 2024.  

If it becomes law, Brown’s bill would also specify that the state doesn’t classify the drug as a dangerous substance.

Brown told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that after watching other states pass this change in recent years, “I became really interested in it.”

Senator From Wyoming Not Seeking Reelection

Jacob Burg, 12/22/25

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) announced on Dec. 19 that she will not seek reelection next year after serving in the Senate for a single term, citing exhaustion from long weeks working on Capitol Hill.

“It’s an incredible honor to represent Wyoming in the U.S. Senate, and throughout my time here, Wyoming has been my one-and-only priority,” she wrote in a statement posted to social media.

Lummis said it was a blessing to work with Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and then-Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), while she was still in the House, and with Barrasso and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) while junior senator of Wyoming since 2021.

Tattoo Regret: Wyoming Residents Pay Big Money For Tattoo Removal

Think before you ink.  

That’s the advice of cosmetic laser technicians across Wyoming who erase bad memories of customers who impulsively got tattoos and later regretted them.

“A lot of people will come in and say they are embarrassed by their tattoo,” said Rachel Watson, a technician at Sterling Skin Care Casper. “I tell them don’t be embarrassed, because they were young and dumb, but now have grown up and are trying to get a job and can’t have tattoos.”

Watson treats as many as 25 clients a week. Some of them have been unlucky in love and want tattoos bearing the name of a former spouse or partner eliminated. Others are just dissatisfied with how the tattoo looks.

In the case of face and neck tattoos, some say those hold them back from getting jobs or socializing. Many are also impulsive.

Sheridan Man Builds Premium Fly-Fishing Rods — And Teaches Others To Make Them

Jackie Dorothy, 12/06/25

Joey Puettman of Sheridan turned his passion for fly-fishing into a career building premium fly fishing rods. Over the past 20 years, Puettman has also taught more than 3,000 people how to fly fish and build their own rods.

It all began when Joey Puettman was 9 years old and broke his dad’s fly-fishing rod.

Desperate, Puettman tried to fix it and, when that failed, he blamed his little brother.

Puettman would eventually confess, and his parents responded by buying him a Cabela’s fly rod building kit.

It was a simple kit and Puettman had to use a heavy dictionary as a tensioner for his thread as he wrapped that first rod on his mom's kitchen table. 

Wyoming Shoshone Dancers Showcase Culture In Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Six-year-old Shoshone tribal member Ethanial Austin Brown  of the Wind River Indian Reservation performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year as a fancy feather dancer with his grandfather George Abeyta.  [both pictured here]

His performance made the highlight reel for the parade, and his grandfather could not be more proud of “Baby E,” as Brown is known as on the powwow circuit.

He danced hard on the on the asphalt for 2-and-a-half miles,” Abeyta said. “He just stopped and danced his little heart out up to 30 times along the route.” 

The pair had been invited this year by Native Pride Productions to perform in New York City over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Record Setting Runner Pardoned

President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned a record-setting mountain runner prosecuted by the National Park Service and convicted by a federal judge for trespassing on a trail that was “closed for regrowth” last September in Grand Teton National Park.

The pardon of Michelino Sunseri comes after Wyoming Republican U.S. House Rep. Harriet Hageman said she was investigating the case as a possible instance of overzealous prosecution.

"We are thrilled that Michelino's nightmare is over, but we're not done fighting against unconstitutional regulations that give low-level park officials the power to criminalize harmless conduct," said Michael Poon, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, which defended Sunseri. "We are ready to help other Americans who face criminal prosecution for breaking park rules that were illegally created."

It's The Rut And Wyoming Pronghorn Bucks Are Battling To Build Their Harems

This story has been updated as of Oct. 1, 2025, at 2 p.m. to reflect what we know at that point:

As the country edged closer Tuesday to a federal government shutdown, Walt Schweitzer worried about the two-party checks issued to young grain farmers, which can’t be cashed without the signature of the U.S. Farm Service Agency.

Farmers who use crop proceeds to collateralize FSA direct operating loans must split those checks for grain sold to the local elevator. Those checks will go uncashed as long as FSA signatories are furloughed, said Schweitzer, president of Montana Farmers Union. There were 1,142 Montana farmers with FSA direct operating loans last year. The money they’ve borrowed to pay for seed, fertilizer and other farm basics totaled $118.6 million. 

“It’s frozen funds,” Schweitzer said. “These are people that are living on a shoestring, the young farmers.”

Wednesday marks the beginning of a new federal fiscal year, but without a federal budget passed by Congress and no agreement on a short-term funding bill, it appeared agencies would begin the new budget year without money to function. 

Ballerina Needed Nerves Of Steel To Attend Boot Camp And Pursue Dreams

jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.

To excel as a ballerina, Skylar Lippincott, 17, of Thermopolis, Wyoming said you must learn to ignore the pain and push yourself beyond your limits. 

“It's a big misconception that ballet is easy,” Lippincott said. “It looks easy but it's so complex because you have to be paying attention to what your body is doing and counting your music at the same time.”

In the Cowboy State when most female athletes are in rodeo or pursuing volleyball and track, Lippincott said that being a ballerina requires nerves of steel and should not be discounted since it is a tough sport. 

“A lot of people don't know how difficult it is on your body,” Lippincott said. “It's definitely a full-time commitment that you have to dedicate your entire life to.” 

The Fountain Hotel

The Fountain Hotel, a luxury playground for the rich visiting the Yellowstone National Park, was built in 1891 as the largest hotel in the park. It was also believed to be haunted by guests that never left.  

According to Annie Carlson a research coordinator at Yellowstone, the hotel was a ‘cut above the rest.’ which was located just north of Fountain Paint Pot in the Lower Geyser Basin. The three-story structure cost $100,000 to build and could accommodate 350 guests. It boasted 143 rooms, steam heat and baths that used the hot springs water. 

“The hotel was fancy given its rustic surroundings, and guests would wear their finest clothes to regular evening balls,” Carlson said.