Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, May 8th. I'm Mac Watson.

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The Wyoming Freedom Caucus is criticizing Sen. Tara Nethercott for calling for "lawfare" in a speech to attorneys. But Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Nethercott says she used the word not to disparage conservative policies, but "to defend the rule of law."

"Lawfare' is a charged word, and it conjures up working out some orchestrated litigation that's supposed to slow someone down or harm them. And so, she said that. She said, 'We need lawyers to do lawfare to protect the rule of law.' I'm paraphrasing, but when I listened to the full recording, they were talking about launching legal challenges. They weren't talking about shutting down conservative values. They were talking about what they considered to be unsavory campaigns and political tactics."

Lawfare is a colloquial word that neither Black's Law Dictionary nor Merriam-Webster define. The Cambridge Dictionary calls it "the use of legal action to cause problems for an opponent."

Read the full story HERE.

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The two brothers attacked by a grizzly in Yellowstone on Tuesday are recovering after multiple surgeries at a hospital in Idaho. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that a family member says they were both seriously injured, but "doing well and recovering from the horrific attack."

"The family isn't releasing much information because they want the victims to recover peacefully and without interruption. But from what we were told by one member of the family, they're doing well considering the extent of the injuries they sustained the older brother. The older brother got the worst of it. He sustained serious injuries to his right arm and face and other parts of his body, and he managed to call 911, when the grizzly was done with him and moved on to his younger brother. The younger brother had a serious injury to his left hand and some swelling on his face from undisclosed injuries, but as of Thursday, both of them were able to stand."

The aunt of the two brothers, ages 14 and 28, tells Cowboy State Daily that they've undergone multiple surgeries for extensive injuries inflicted by at least one grizzly on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful.

Read the full story HERE.

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Tourism spending overall is up in Thermopolis, but short-term rental owners say the Star Plunge closure has gutted their bookings for a second summer. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that a potential visitor says they know Starplunge is closed, so they're just not going to Thermop.

"If you look at Airbnb stats for Thermopolis, that slice is down considerably during the summer months. So in July, it was down 15%, bookings were down. And then in August, they were down 20%. I talked with one of the Airbnb owners. He said he has visited with some of his regulars who haven't been showing up the last two years, and they told him, 'Hey, you know, for us, the main attraction is the star plunge. If it's closed, we're not going to go.'"

Thermopolis Airbnb owner Dale Clark tells Cowboy State Daily that by May in years past, he would have had more than 1,300 views, but this year he's only had 230, and very few of which have converted into bookings.

Read the full story HERE.

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Reid Rasner is attacking U.S. House