Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Wednesday, January 22nd. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by Visit Casper. Visit Casper invites you to come enjoy the Casper International Film Festival, January 31 through February 2. A broad range of films from local and international filmmakers will be shown. Learn more and get your tickets at visitcasper.com.

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At least two Wyoming residents are included under President Donald Trump's sweeping pardon of about 1,500 people charged and prosecuted for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

69-year-old Douglas Harrington of Bedford and 30-year-old Laramie resident August Garcia both benefited from Trump's pardon issued Monday, despite the differences in the severity of the charges against them.

While Garcia was charged with less violent conduct, Harrington was convicted of multiple offenses after breaking a police officer's wrist with a flagpole. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland spoke to that officer on Tuesday.

"He gave me just a detailed account of holding the line, holding up the baton to stop the flagpole, getting his wrist broken. He served for another six to eight hours on scene. I asked him, I said, Why didn't you, you know your wrist was broken, you felt the burning, you felt the tingling. Why didn't you bail? And he said… you don't sacrifice your fellow officers because of an arm."

Wyoming's senior U.S. Senator John Barrasso said he didn't agree with each of Trump's pardons, but he said that the vast majority of these cases are for simple trespass or picketing without a permit.

Read the full story HERE.

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Following Monday's subzero surge that saw temperatures plummet to minus 20-40 across much of Wyoming, the state was hit Tuesday by strong winds as the latest winter weather system makes its exit.

Winds gusting nearly 90 mph in some places have been blowing over semitrailers along Interstates 25 and 80, and Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that wind gusts in many areas topped 70 mph., with one gust south of Wheatland reported at 88 mph.

"This is an actual phenomenon called a Chinook wind. And what that means is, when the temperature rises suddenly, that creates the kind of weather conditions that generate really strong winds. So when you go from Sub Zero to not even zero, like freezing point, just a rapid rise in temperature, you get these strong winds. And Wyoming's already geographically built like a wind tunnel. So it's the perfect conditions for these perfect storms of really powerful wind gusts."

The Chinook winds dominating Tuesday should be gone by Thursday. However, Wyomingites shouldn't rest on their laurels at this time of year. By the weekend, temperatures will drop again as another weather system brings clouds, cold and higher chances of snow across Wyoming.

Read the full story HERE.

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A State Representative from Sheridan is proposing legislation that would finally clear up what she says is a confusing Wyoming law on filling political vacancies at all levels in the state.

Cowboy State Daily's Leo Wolfson reports that the ambiguity of the current law has led to frustration and multipl