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. 

Bomber Discovered In New Guinea Jungle

By David Madison, 09/27/25

Before Wyoming World War II hero Sgt. Thomas L. Cotner left to serve in the Pacific, his mother hosted a dinner party at Club La Vida in Evansville, a restaurant and night club known for its roulette wheel. 

The event was noteworthy enough to earn coverage in the local newspaper, which reported the dinner was to honor Tom, who had just finished training at an air base in Illinois. 

Tom’s brother and fraternal twin, Ted Cotner, was also in the Army Air Corps and would be stationed at Hickam Field in Hawaii, where on Dec. 7, 1941, he saw his first action.

Ted Cotner’s commander praised the young airman for his heroic response to the Pearl Harbor attack.