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
Clair McFarland: Firewood Warms You Til You're Sick To Your Stomach
Clair McFarland writes, "As we hauled logs I had to visualize my cozy fire to keep myself going. Don’t laugh: I’m a mother first, runner second. Lifter of anything heavier than a milk jug last."
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2024
Judge Wants Guatemalan Man Deported From Rock Springs After Fourth DUI
A Guatemalan man who smashed into a parked trailer in Rock Springs while drunk, leading to his fourth DUI arrest in the United States, was ordered to report for deportation this week.
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Sheridan Deputies Find Burglary Evidence All Over Suspects' Snapchat
Four young men face felony charges after at least one of them posted evidence to Snapchat of their alleged escapades robbing the Big Horn Y gas station in Sheridan, Wyoming. One suspect reportedly texted a Snapchat contact, “Yeah, We Robbed It.”
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Missing Yellowstone Hiker's Note A Clue For Volunteer Search Teams Now Mobilizing
The father of a 22-year-old hiker missing since Sept. 17 after summiting Yellowstone’s highest peak is coordinating private and volunteer search teams to help find his son. One of their clues is a note the hiker left at the mountain's summit.
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Cheyenne School Board Votes To Close 8 Schools, Parents Want A Re-Vote
The Laramie County School Board voted this week to close eight Cheyenne elementary schools, rescue one and build another. But some parents want a re-vote of what amounts to a “massive overhaul” of the school district.
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Driver Accused Of 'Catastrophically Dismembering' Motorcyclists Pleads Not Guilty
A man accused of smashing into a trike motorcycle on a Wyoming highway so hard the two riders were “catastrophically dismembered” pleaded not guilty Thursday. An investigation shows he was allegedly high on meth and driving at least 86 mph.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024
Casper Officer Cleared To Return To Duty After Not Charged In Shooting
A Casper Police Department officer who won’t be charged for shooting and killing a domestic violence suspect has been cleared to return to duty, the CPD announced Thursday.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024
Judge Orders OK Of Controversial 195-Foot Cell Tower Just Outside Yellowstone
A federal judge has ordered the Park County Commission to approve a company's request to build a 195-foot cellphone tower in a scenic area just outside Yellowstone National Park — by Friday. The county is fighting the order in a higher court.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024
No Charges For Officer Who Shot, Killed Casper Man Who Talked About "Death By Cop"
Citing a shortage of evidence to support a criminal case, Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen decided this week not to charge a Casper Police Department officer who shot and killed Trae Spurlock, 26, in June.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024
Stabbed 8 Times, Gillette Woman Wracked With Nightmares
A Gillette woman whose husband is accused of stabbing her eight times Saturday says she now has nightmares that keep her awake. She also has some hard-won advice for other domestic violence victims: “definitely get out.”
Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2024
“I’ll Miss You Forever,” Posts Daughter Of Sundance Man Shot By Deputy
The Crook County coroner has identified the man killed in a deputy-involved shooting Saturday in Sundance, Wyoming, as 48-year-old Joseph Keith Neimeyer. “I’ll miss you forever,” his adult daughter posted to Facebook.
Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2024
Douglas Police Shoot Person While Responding To Domestic Disturbance
A Douglas police officer responding to a domestic disturbance shot a person after police say he or she displayed a handgun. The person was taken to a Converse County hospital, but whether the person survived or not hasn't been reported.
Clair McFarlandOctober 08, 2024
Former Casper Detectives To Get $200K For Claims Of Sexually Hostile Workplace
Two former female Casper police detectives will get $200,000 to settle claims of a sexually hostile workplace. Those include a male detective bragging to them about the size of his penis.
Clair McFarlandOctober 07, 2024
Gillette Man Accused Of Stabbing Woman Repeatedly Caught After Brief Manhunt
Accused of stabbing a woman repeatedly before sparking a one-day manhunt, a Gillette man was in court Monday. John Stetson Bosh had previously been convicted for strangulating a household member, according to a prosecutor.
Clair McFarlandOctober 07, 2024
Crook County Deputy Shoots And Kills Home Invasion Suspect
Crook County deputies shot and killed a home invasion suspect Saturday in Sundance, Wyoming. The suspect was found walking nearby and reportedly raised a gun toward one of the deputies.
Clair McFarlandOctober 07, 2024
San Jose State Volleyball Loses First Match Amid Trans Player Controversy
After four volleyball programs refused to play a San Jose State University squad with a transgender player, the SJSU women’s team lost its first match of the season, at CSU Thursday. That doesn’t change “the premise of the problem,” a Wyoming legislator says.
Clair McFarlandOctober 04, 2024
Gordon, Degenfelder Want Schools To Restrict Student Cellphone Use
Gov. Mark Gordon and state schools Superintendent Megan Degenfelder are urging schools to restrict cellphone use in class. One school that banned the devices this year is delighted with the change.
Clair McFarlandOctober 04, 2024
Zwonitzer Voted For Wyoming’s Child Sex-Change Ban, Now Arguing Against Tennessee’s
State Rep. Dan Zwonitzer voted for Wyoming’s ban on sex-change treatments for children, but is arguing in the Supreme Court against a similar ban in Tennessee. He says his Wyoming vote was a compromise, and he’s fighting for parental rights.
Clair McFarlandOctober 04, 2024
Fourth Team Joins UW Volleyball In Refusing To Play Squad With Trans Player
Utah State University is the latest Mountain West Conference volleyball program to refuse to play San Jose State University. Four teams have so far forfeited rather than playing SJSU, which has a transgender player in its starting lineup.
Clair McFarlandOctober 04, 2024
Northern Arapaho Tribe's Governors Won't Do What Its Lawmakers Say
The Northern Arapaho Tribe's executive branch has refused to pass changes passed by its legislative branch. Several tribal members are furious, and emphasize that the executive-branch governors are up for reelection soon.
Clair McFarlandOctober 03, 2024
Teen Charged In Cheyenne School Shooting Threat Had Paper Gun
An 18-year-old charged with making a shooting threat at Cheyenne East High School last week turned himself in to police Tuesday. He reportedly had a paper gun in the school.
Clair McFarlandOctober 03, 2024