Clair McFarland
Clair McFarland is a general assignment reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Riverton, Wyoming. She specializes in crime and court reporting and social issues coverage. Clair also writes a twice-monthly column on motherhood and country living.
Previously, Clair wrote for The Ranger, the Lander Journal and the Wind River News. She is an award-winning journalist, columnist and poet, who joined Cowboy State Daily on Valentine's Day, 2022.
Latest from Clair McFarland
Legislators Propose Tax Hikes On Sports, Horse Racing And Machine Betting
A Wyoming legislative committee proposed three tax hikes this week on multiple gaming industries. It also plans to insert a money-monitoring system into gaming machines across Wyoming bars, casino-style halls and truck stops.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2025
Demoted Dean Who Fought With UW President Sues To Get Job Back
A University of Wyoming dean who fought with the UW president and was demoted after refusing to move state money earmarked for engineering education filed a lawsuit Thursday to get his position reinstated. He claims the demotion was illegal retaliation.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
High Court Hands LDS Church Win On Controversial 101-Foot Cody Temple
The Wyoming Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling Friday, denying a Cody group the chance to challenge the approval of a Latter-day Saints temple. The decision ends two years of controversy over the 101-foot-tall temple in a residential neighborhood.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
'Wyoming Is Not Los Angeles:' Gordon Doesn’t Expect Need For Guard At Protests
With anti-Trump protests planned for at least 13 Wyoming towns Saturday, Democrats are calling on Gov. Mark Gordon to reject Trump if he tries to deploy the Wyoming National Guard. Gordon says he doesn’t expect that because “Wyoming is not Los Angeles.”
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
Sublette County Gives Hospital Pledged $2.7 Million Grant, Settles Feud
Sublette County on Wednesday gave the Sublette County Hospital District the final $2.7 million it had pledged to help build new medical facilities. In turn, the hospital district is transferring nearly 2 acres to the county.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
Prosecutor Adds 78 New Felony Sex Charges On Former Wheatland Band Teacher
A former Wheatland band teacher accused of committing sex acts on a girl younger than 16 now faces another 78 felony charges on claims of near-daily sex acts with a different, 17-year-old student. Between the cases, he could get more than 1,500 years.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2025
Dubois Ranch Denies Wrongdoing After Woman's Foot Crushed By Bear-Sprayed Horse
A Dubois guest ranch in a Tuesday filing denies wrongdoing in a lawsuit of an Irish woman who accuses its lead wrangler of wrongfully bear spraying her horse during a ride, causing her foot to be crushed.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2025
Teton County Prosecutor Drops Voyeurism Charge From Carnival Incident
A Teton County prosecutor dropped a charge against a Texas man who was accused of trying to photograph a young girl’s private area during the carnival in Jackson last year. It’s not clear why the charge was dismissed.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2025
Trailer Where Big Piney Man Killed In Bow-And-Arrow Ambush Catches Fire
The trailer in which a 23-year-old Big Piney man was shot and killed in a bow-and-arrow ambush in February caught fire Tuesday afternoon, authorities say. The fire doesn’t appear suspicious, and an investigation continues.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2025
As New Homeschool Laws Take Effect, Some Schools Push To Limit Sports, Activities
Some Wyoming public school districts are moving toward restricting access for homeschool families to pre-high school sports and activities. That comes just as two new laws empowering the homeschool movement in Wyoming are taking effect.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2025
'I'm The Terrible One': Moorcroft Man Accused Of Touching Girls During Church
A Moorcroft man faces up to 81 years in prison for the alleged sexual touching of multiple girls during church services more than a decade ago. The suspect confessed to a counselor and told an investigator that, "I'm the terrible one," court records say.
Clair McFarlandJune 10, 2025
Laramie County Deputies Can Investigate ICE Cases Under Federal Agreement
The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office has empowered three jail deputies to conduct immigration investigations in coordination with federal authorities. It's the latest development in a larger trend of Wyoming sheriffs forging agreements with ICE.
Clair McFarlandJune 10, 2025
Three Women Left In Lawsuit Against Sorority Over UW Transgender Member
Three women renewed their lawsuit against a sorority Monday over a transgender member allowed in its Wyoming chapter. Seven women sued in 2023, one dropped out, and now three remain after an appeals court kicked it back to the lower court.
Clair McFarlandJune 09, 2025
Hageman Backs Bill To Change June From ‘Pride Month’ To ‘Family Month’
Wyoming U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman is among the sponsors of a Republican-backed bill that would change June from “Pride Month” to “Family Month.” “It is time we go back to celebrating and supporting the traditional American family,” she said.
Jackson Walker for Cowboy State Daily & Clair McFarlandJune 09, 2025
Wife Of Suspected Fort Bridger Killer Not Guilty Of Helping Him Cover It Up
The wife of a man charged with killing another man in Fort Bridger last year said she was “scared” when she threw out the gun involved in the shooting. She talked to Cowboy State Daily on Monday, days after a jury found her not guilty of trying to help him cover it up.
Clair McFarlandJune 09, 2025
At Least 15 Union Pacific Railcars Off The Tracks At Walcott Junction
At least 15 Union Pacific railcars derailed Monday near Walcott Junction in central Carbon County, Wyoming, prompting responses from law enforcement, the railroad and the local power cooperative.
Clair McFarlandJune 09, 2025
Wyoming Legislators Warn One Big Beautiful Bill Could Let AI Run Wild
Wyoming legislators are concerned that the Trump-sponsored One Big Beautiful Bill could let artificial intelligence run wild and impede states’ abilities to govern against AI-related threats on their own.
Clair McFarlandJune 06, 2025
Proposal To Scrub Property Taxes From Constitution Went Too Far, Lawmakers Say
A proposal to remove the Constitution’s structure for property taxes advanced Tuesday in a state legislative committee. Looking back two days later, the committee's chairmen say eliminating all property tax clauses would be a step too far, and they plan to narrow that draft.
Clair McFarlandJune 05, 2025
Judge Dismisses Suit Of Wheatland Man Who Suffered Brain Damage In Jail
A federal judge dismissed the case of a Wheatland man who sued Platte County Sheriff’s Deputies for sending him to jail rather than the hospital despite his 0.357% blood-alcohol content. The man suffered a seizure and subsequent brain damage, court documents say.
Clair McFarlandJune 05, 2025
Sublette County Holds Back $2.7M For New Hospital In Feud With Hospital District
Sublette County and the local hospital district are feuding over the county holding back $2.7 million for a new hospital and long-term care facility. The county says the block is temporary, but the hospital district worries the delay will be costly.
Clair McFarlandJune 05, 2025
Rock Springs Couple Accused Of Having Orgies With Teen To Plead No Contest
A Rock Springs man is facing life while his girlfriend could spend 35 years in prison after both agreed to plead no contest to charges that they had orgies and committed other sexual abuse with a teenager for more than a year.
Clair McFarlandJune 04, 2025