Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, March 18th. I'm Mac Watson.

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A flood of political endorsements for some Wyoming statewide candidates is surging after the end of the state's lawmaking session this month. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Megan Degenfelder and Chuck Gray appear to be the most active in pursuing endorsements.

"I asked a couple of long-time Wyoming politicos like, "How much does this matter?' And they've both cast it as a second-tier strategy. Tim Stubson said that it's name recognition, it's campaign spending that does the job. And Rob Wallace said it's the caliber of the candidate and the campaign and

the messaging."

U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Harriet Hageman landed endorsements earlier this year by both sitting U.S. Sen. John Barrasso and outgoing Sen. Cynthia Lummis for her bid to win the seat Lummis is leaving.

Read the full story HERE.

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Three men accused of roping, riding, and spurring a cow moose on an Evanston-area ranch in 2021 pleaded not guilty Tuesday to various cruelty charges. Cowboy State Daily's Dale Killingbeck reports that the men allegedly took video of themselves treating the moose "as if it's a horse being broken to ride."

"They told the judge that they understood the charges against them, and those charges include felony charges related to two of them for felony animal abuse, the other one for accessory to that abuse. They're facing the potential of two years in prison on the felony charges. So it's, it's a serious thing, and the judge scheduled a trial date for August 11th. And the attorneys that represent each of them, it sounded like they're not going to be cutting any deals. It sounds like this is going to go to a jury trial."

Charges stem from a Wyoming Game and Fish Department investigation that began with the seizure of Justin Martin's phone on a separate issue and finding video and screenshots of the alleged abuse .

Read the full story HERE.

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With out-of-control wildfires across his state, Nebraska's governor has declared a state of emergency. Cowboy State Daily's David Madison reports that Wyoming agencies are sending help, even as conditions at home are just as dry and windy.

"The size and scope and damage is unprecedented in some areas and conditions that led to those fires exist in Wyoming, that was the message we got from the state forestry office. Spoke to the fire manager there. He said, 'Yeah, it's looking pretty similar, but we have rushed to the aid of our neighbors.' We've sent gear and engines and people to more than one state. Conditions have been extremely dry, and then when you get 50 mile an hour winds on top of that, it really just sets you up for what happened. And some of the aerial photos at night were just apocalyptic."

Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said the fires ravaging Nebraska were born from the same conditions that have gripped Wyoming all winter — but with one critical difference. Wyoming has gotten some moisture in recent weeks, while the fire zone in Nebraska has been almost completely shut out.

Read the full story HERE.

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Speaking of the Nebraska wildfires, Wyoming fire engines, firefighters, and communications personnel have rallied to help battle record-breaking wildfires that have cons