Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Friday, June 20th. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by the Wyoming Community Foundation, who asks you to give back to the place you call home. "5 to thrive" is YOUR opportunity to leave a legacy for generations to come. Support the community nonprofits you care about with a gift through the Wyoming Community Foundation. Visit wycf.org to learn more.

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Star Valley Search and Rescue recovered the body of an Idaho woman who died after falling 100 feet into the Snake River near Alpine after "a tragic accident" Wednesday afternoon.

89-year-old Joyce Balls of Rigby, Idaho, was with her sister and niece at a picnic area overlooking the Big Kahuna rapid along U.S. Highway 26 when the accident happened. That's according to Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi.

"Joyce Falls was 89 years old, and she lived in Rigby, Idaho, and she was just picnicking with her family that afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, at the big kahuna overlook, and something happened where she just lost her footing and fell into the canyon below. Now what's interesting is that the US Forest Service has an AED along that section of the river to help people if they get heart attacks from falling in. But unfortunately, that wouldn't have done Joyce any good, because we confirmed with the one of the deputy coroners at the Lincoln County Coroner's Office that she died of injuries sustained in the fall."

This is the second time Afton SAR has recovered a body in the last two weeks. On June 12, the body of 93-year-old Ned Eddins was recovered from the water in Swift Creek Canyon after he went missing while riding his e-bike June 10.

Read the full story HERE.

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In what's become a familiar pattern, the Bureau of Land Management's controversial Rock Springs Resource Management Plan is — again — not quite finished.

Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that the RMP is up for another round of comment, review and possible revision, this time centering on minerals development in the roughly 3.6 million acres of land that the BLM manages through its Rock Springs office.

"For over two years now, we've been following this. It was supposedly settled at the end of 2024 when they released their final decision. But then there was a change in the presidential administration. The new Secretary of Interior called for a revision of the plan, and so now it's been opened back up again for more review, including public comment… The good news is that they seem to be really having it narrowed down, and they're just putting the last little details in place to where they're hoping that by next spring, spring of 2026, they'll finally have this thing put to bed in a way that satisfies, gets everybody's needs met, and we hope we can quit squabbling over this thing."

The Rock Springs RMP includes numerous areas of special designation, including five special recreation management areas, a historic trail corridor and 13 wilderness study areas.

Read the full story HERE.

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Multiple Wyoming school districts say the repeal of Wyoming's gun-free zones has prompted hikes in their liability insurance costs.

To detractors of House Bill 172, which is the 2025 bill criminalizing people who try to block lawful concealed-weapons carriers from public areas, the insurance hikes are a testament to the risks associated with the new law. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports th