It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, April 27th. I'm Mac Watson.

–

The Republican Party decided Saturday that political candidates will need to "strongly" support at least 80% of the Wyoming GOP platform if they want to run as a Republican. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the party also declared its independence and will sue the state.

"There's ongoing litigation where the Wyoming Republican Party leadership doesn't like that the state restricts it. It restricts who can choose delegates. It restricts whether they can financially back one Republican over another in the primary election. And so they've just for years there's been this tension, and now they've found what they call this series of persuasive cases where they say, 'Yeah, we as a private group have associational rights, and we're going to sort of indicate those. On the other hand, while this issue actually is ongoing in a state case right now and then the party is going to file a federal case soon, they say. They also have privileges under state law."

Another theme of Saturday's final day was calling for unifying Wyoming Republicans during a time of overall political division and discord.

Read the full story HERE.

––

Nearly 50 years after a Wyoming man died in Vietnam, his family discovered reel-to-reel recordings he sent home. Cowboy State Daily's Zak Sonntag reports that Capt. William Graves' daughter says she has a new perspective of her dad she could never have appreciated as a child.

"What makes it so interesting is that at the time, they're just recording it, almost like a conversation. So it's very candid, it's very intimate, it's very personal, and it gets put into a manila envelope, into a storage unit. And it is really powerful to consider what this felt like for them, and how much it has changed the way they think about their father and their upbringing and his role in their lives. After not hearing his voice for 47 years and being reminded, hey, this was somebody who cared a lot about us."

Rhonda Jo McLean was 5 years old the last time she saw her father in 1967. She remembers watching out the window of the family station wagon as an airplane carried him to a faraway place called Vietnam. Her father died three months later while flying a reconnaissance mission for the U.S. Army.

Read the full story HERE.

–

Cheyenne's real estate market is heating up, with homes between $800,000 to the low $1 millions becoming more commonplace. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that real estate agents are crediting data centers for the surge.

"I don't think this is something where Cheyenne is becoming Jackson Hole. But you know, data centers are bringing a lot of workers here who are going to be making higher than average salaries. Some of them are going to want better accommodations. One thing about that is, as people move up and take better housing, they leave behind more affordable, attainable housing that they're no longer in. And so it can still help ease the market somewhat."

Realtor Mariah Jeffery with Coldwell Banker tells Cowboy State Daily that she's seeing a huge demand for industrial spaces, not just single-family houses.

Read the full story HERE.

–

The latest Laramie County Truck Around and Find Out crackdown caught 46 illegal commercial drivers. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that brings the total number to 118 since November.

"They're targeting overall truck safety, and they'll also stop cars. If they're driving unsafely around trucks, they'll stop trucks. It became so popular and kind of went national, they got national headlines for doing this.

Their latest one, they got 46 illegal truckers that they turned over to ice."

The crackdown in Laramie County includes an illegal driver who was still behind the wheel despite having his license revoked 13 times.

Read the full story HERE.

–

I'll be back with more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily news continues now…

–

Hull's Half Acre or, "Boathenge," gained notoriety when a row of half-buried boats appeared in the middle of nowhere outside Frannie, Wyoming, in 2020. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that Riley Cooke, AKA Greg Wyoming, who put them there has a message for those who don't like it.

"What Cook says to his detractors, is that if you don't like his art, go to hell. He was very blunt about that assessment, but he feels that he's speaking from his heart. He's doing what he wants with a parcel of land he owns outside of Franny, and he believes that his pieces shouldn't be taken just in the context of driving on the highway and looking out your window and taking them as they are. They need to be experienced with the words He's put there so people can understand what's informing his vision."

Cooke tells Cowboy State Daily his half-buried boats have been a 20-year dream in the making.

Read the full story HERE.

–

A side gig for a pair of South Dakota men has exploded into a booming business selling 60 tons of elk, deer and moose antlers a year. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that some prized specimens can sell for thousands of dollars each.

"Derek started selling and buying antlers on Craigslist, and was getting into it, and then put up a request for moose antlers. He had a bunch that he wanted to sell. And Tony, who lives farther west in Aocoma, South Dakota, said, 'Yeah, I want them.' And turns out he's got this barn or warehouse full of antlers. These guys work in partnership. Tony has an impressive collection of moose antlers that he's collected over the years. And he makes Christmas trees out of these moose antlers. He makes sizes small and large. The small sizes go for $5,000 the large ones can go for as high as $15,000."

Tony Nogy tells Cowboy State Daily that he has always had a fascination with antlers and has been shed hunting — collecting antlers that wildlife drops naturally — for 25 years.

Read the full story HERE.

–

As more firearms companies set up shop in Second Amendment-friendly states, Wyoming faces challenges, such as limited housing, in competing with states like Utah. Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz reports that restrictive gun laws in other states are a major reason firearms companies relocate.

"The competition can be pretty stiff. I talked to one guy at Weatherby. Now, Weatherby is a premier sporting arms company. They relocated from California to Wyoming, back, I think, in 2018- 2019 and he said, 'Yeah, the Second Amendment stuff had a lot to do with it.' Another big one was Wyoming's tax structure is very business friendly here."

State Rep. Art Washut tells Cowboy State Daily that Wyoming's community colleges can help fill the workforce gaps, with programs like machining, that provide students with the skills that gun companies are seeking.

Read the full story HERE.

–

Casper housekeeper Monica Howse is getting a wave of laughs — and sympathy — after she mistakenly walked into the wrong home and started cleaning it. Cowboy State Daily's Kolby Fedore reports that Howse apologized on the Casper Facebook group to the person who owned the home, typing in all caps: "I AM SO SORRY!"

"Howse says the homeowners actually contacted her later and said that they saw her cleaning the house on their cameras, but they were trying to talk to her through Alexa, they were unable to get a hold of her until later, when she made a post on Facebook. They weren't angry, if anything, they were grateful for the free cleaning and thankful that she was an honest person."

The social media post quickly turned into a mix of humor and empathy. Many people joked that they wished someone would accidentally clean their homes, while others praised her for owning the mistake publicly.

Read the full story HERE.

–

And that's today's news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our