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
Green River Leaders 'Ecstatic’ Tunnel Set To Reopen After Deadly 26-Vehicle Crash
Green River leaders are “ecstatic” that the westbound interstate tunnel tattered by a deadly 26-vehicle pileup in February is scheduled to reopen to traffic by late November. Three people died in the fiery Feb. 14 crash that prompted a $16 million rebuild.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2025
One Of Two Big Piney Men In Bow And Arrow Ambush Death Pleads Guilty
Orion Schlesinger pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to ambush and kill his video gaming friend Dakota Farley the night of Feb. 1-2 in Big Piney. Rowan Littauer, who's accused of firing the fatal shot with a bow, is still on track for trial.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2025
Uinta County Man Accused Of Using AI To Put Girl In Child Porn
A Uinta County man accused of using AI to transform a teen’s photo into child pornography faces four felony charges. The case has reignited some Wyoming lawmakers’ push to curb "deepfake" deceptions and bolster AI-related law.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2025
Lummis Introduces Bill To End Diesel 'Delete' Rules, Free Imprisoned Mechanics
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill Tuesday to end emissions requirements and prosecution of diesel “delete” mechanics. An attorney defending a Wyoming mechanic said the idea supports rural America, but the bill's a "long shot" as written.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2025
Wyoming Panel Advances Grooming Bill With Tougher Penalties Than Statutory Rape
Wyoming's Joint Judiciary Committee on Monday advanced a bill seeking to criminalize "grooming," or pushing children toward sexual acts. As drafted, it would penalize grooming offenses with harsher penalties than statutory rape itself.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2025
Alleged Cheyenne Animal Hoarder Was Investigated For Cruelty Before
The man accused of hoarding more than 100 animals in Cheyenne was investigated — but not convicted — for similar allegations dating back to 2022. Shelter staffers are still scrambling to feed, clean and care for the massive influx of rescued pets.
Jackson Walker & Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2025
Sister Of Sheridan Cop-Shooter Drops Lawsuit, Says It Was About Answers, Not Money
The sister of a man who was killed after fatally shooting a Sheridan police officer last year has dropped her lawsuit against law enforcement. She said the lawsuit was never about money, but getting answers about her brother’s death.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2025
Committee Adopts Bill Greenlighting Lawsuits Over 'Sexually Explicit' Library Books
The Wyoming Judiciary Committee on Monday adopted a bill letting residents of a given county or school district sue libraries or schools over sexually-explicit materials in children's sections of libraries.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2025
Crook County Man Randomly Shot In The Neck While Working Cattle
A Crook County man was shot in the neck last week while out working cattle on a ranch near Sundance. Authorities have no idea where the bullet came from. He was hospitalized for a full week in South Dakota.
Clair McFarlandOctober 13, 2025
Self-Proclaimed Cartel Member Gets Life In Kidnapping, Torture Of Lander Woman
Self-proclaimed drug cartel member Adolfo Vargas Lepe filed an appeal this week after receiving a life sentence for kidnapping a Lander woman. He reportedly tortured her with power tools, shot her in both legs and trapped her in a dog kennel.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2025
Teen Charged After 100 MPH Elk Crash Kills Friend Near Saratoga
The case of an 18-year-old Casper woman accused of hitting two bull elk while driving 100 mph on the highway, killing her friend, rose to the felony-level court this week. She faces up to 20.5 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2025
One Big Piney Teen In Bow And Arrow Killing Gets Plea Deal
One of the Big Piney teens accused in a February conspiracy to kill his 23-year-old friend with a bow and arrow has agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence recommendation of between 54 years and life in prison.
Clair McFarlandOctober 09, 2025
Wyoming Supreme Court Keeps School Choice Program Blocked
The Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the state’s bid to revive a new school-choice scholarship program that a lower court blocked temporarily in July. But the appeal continues, along with the debate over whether the program is constitutional.
Clair McFarlandOctober 09, 2025
F.E. Warren Airman Found Dead Wednesday In Latest Death Linked To Base
An active-duty airman at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne was found dead Wednesday morning. Authorities aren’t saying if a gun was involved. Local airmen have been involved in at least four prior incidents involving gunshots this year.
Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2025
Campbell County to Pay $700K to Ousted Library Director in Settlement
Campbell County will pay former library director Terri Lesley $700,000 to settle her lawsuit alleging officials targeted her over LGBTQ-friendly books and events. Lesley will drop all claims, though the county denies wrongdoing.
Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2025
Curt Meier Erupts At Chuck Gray, Says He Keeps Derailing Meetings
When Secretary of State Chuck Gray criticized Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday in the State Building Commission, Treasurer Curt Meier said he'd had enough. 'This forum is about doing business of this committee, not a stage for the secretary,' Meier said.
Steve Bohnel & Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2025
Police Say Shooting Involving FE Warren Air Force Airman Was Murder - Suicide
Fort Collins police say a Sept. 30 shooting that killed two — one tied to F.E. Warren Air Force Base — was a murder-suicide fueled by domestic violence.
Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2025
Rock Springs Man Pleads No Contest To Gouging Caretaker's Eye With Pliers
Robert Downum, 58, admitted no contest on Tuesday to aggravated assault after reports that he gouged out his elderly landlord's eye with pliers. Prosecutors are seeking 6-8 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandOctober 07, 2025
Family Of Man Who Killed Sheridan Cop Sues Law Enforcement
The family of the man who shot a Sheridan Police Department sergeant last year is suing law enforcement, saying that police should not have destroyed a home and fatally shot the man after the incident.
Clair McFarlandOctober 07, 2025
Someone Set State Law Book On Fire, Threw It From A Cadillac At Carbon County Courthouse
Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken on Monday shared a video of someone throwing burning pages of Wyoming's statutes from a moving car's window at the courthouse. Investigators say they have a "pretty good idea" who did it, and that the person borrowed his or her mom's car.
Clair McFarlandOctober 06, 2025
Clair McFarland: I’m Not Weird, You’re Weird
Clair McFarland writes: “What I didn’t expect was for the readers’ reaction to be ‘You run in sandals?!’ But let’s ditch the brainwashery that no one can run a mile without a hunk of China-manufactured plastic strapped to their lowest extremities.”
Clair McFarlandOctober 06, 2025