Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Friday, March 7th. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by the Cowboy State Daily Morning Show With Jake! From 6 to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday, host Jake Nichols brings you news, weather, sports AND in-depth interviews with news-makers from across Wyoming - presented with Jake's unique humor and lively commentary. Just click on the Cowboy State Daily homepage and join the live broadcast!

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Wyoming is on course to become the first state to build a new coal-fired power plant since 2013.

Representative Scott Heiner of Green River told Cowboy State Daily's David Madison on Thursday that new legislation and a $10 million matching grant is paving the way for the construction of a game-changing coal-fired plant somewhere in Wyoming's coal country.

"You know, when coal fired power plants come up with news, it's usually about them being decommissioned or wound down. You know, transition away from coal. We've had years of news stories about that. What happened this week was remarkable, because… plans are in the works for an unnamed Wyoming company to begin the design and engineering phase of a new coal fired plant. It will be the first one built in the United States in the last dozen years… this plant will will produce as much electricity as some of the existing plants, but it will also produce CO two, which he aspires for this this technology to turn CO two into a commodity that can be used in a pressurized form to inject into old oil wells that will essentially push out the old oil, the oil you missed the first time around."

The last coal-fired power plant to come online in the U.S. was the Sandy Creek Energy Station in Texas in 2013. The last coal-fired plant to come online in Wyoming was Dry Fork Station in 2011 about 10 miles north of Gillette. That plant also is next to a Powder River Basin coal mine, the Dry Fork mine.

Read the full story HERE.

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A Wyoming sheriff who refused to hold onto inmates for federal immigration authorities without a criminal warrant changed course Wednesday, and now will honor civil detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr will now hold suspected illegal immigrants for up to 48 hours after their scheduled jail release date, at ICE's request and without a judge-signed warrant. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that there were several points made by the Sheriff regarding his change in stance on this issue.

"It has three main points. We're going to start doing these civil detainers that other Wyoming sheriffs are doing… This is contrasted to prior concerns about constitutional issues. And then the second point is, we've had productive talks with ice about their protocols. And then the third point is, we do want to keep law enforcement officers safe."

Carr's pivot was announced on the same day a U.S. House of Representatives committee grilled four mayors of major American cities about their supposed sanctuary-city policies.

Also on Wednesday, a Wyoming bill to ban sanctuary city policies in the state cleared both legislative chambers, and now sits on Gov. Mark Gordon's desk for passage or veto.

Read the full story HERE.

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That's all folks, the 2025 Wyoming legislative session is complete.

In 37 days, the Legislature passed 165 bills, overrode five of Gov. Mark Gordon's seven vetoes and on t