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
State OKs $5 Million for Housing Projects, Gray Tries To Ban Resident Aliens
In a recurring spat on the difference between resident aliens and illegal immigrants, the Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board voted Thursday to allocate $5 million for infrastructure and housing projects — mostly for small towns.
Clair McFarlandApril 25, 2026
Casper Judge Blocks Wyoming’s 'Heartbeat' Abortion Ban
A Casper-based judge on Friday blocked Wyoming’s newest abortion ban, the fourth near-total abortion ban Wyoming judges have blocked in four years. The judge said the pro-choice advocates could have faced "irreparable harm" from the ban.
Clair McFarlandApril 25, 2026
‘God Never Forced Anyone’: Wyoming GOP Rejects Declaring Wyoming A Christian State
A committee of the Wyoming GOP on Friday rejected a proclamation to declare the U.S. a Christian nation and Wyoming a Christian state. “God never forced anyone like this,” said Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, while others said the GOP platform already honors God.
Clair McFarlandApril 24, 2026
Wyoming Republican Party Vows To Sue, Won’t Comply With State Laws
The Wyoming Republican Party said Thursday it won’t comply with state laws governing political parties and will sue to overturn them. “The state has no right to meddle in the internal affairs of the party,” said GOP Chair Bryan Miller.
Clair McFarlandApril 24, 2026
ICE Deports Jackson Man Who Cut His Own Throat At Albertsons
A man who cut his own throat at the Albertsons grocery store in Jackson Hole last month, causing police to evacuate the store, has been deported, ICE told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday. He had been deported at least two times before, the agency says.
Clair McFarlandApril 23, 2026
Wyoming GOP Considering Loyalty Tests For Candidates, Voiding State Laws
Some county Republican parties are asking the Wyoming Republican Party to consider loyalty tests for candidates and declare some state laws void. The state GOP meets Thursday, where it will review more than 100 proposed bylaw changes.
Clair McFarlandApril 23, 2026
Judge Doesn’t Rule On Effort To Halt Wyoming’s New Heartbeat Abortion Ban
A Natrona County judge Wednesday didn’t rule on an effort to halt Wyoming’s Heartbeat Abortion Ban. An opposition lawyer called it "unconstitutionally vague,” while Attorney General Keith Kautz argued a heartbeat lets us "know there is a life to protect."
Clair McFarland & Dale KillingbeckApril 22, 2026
Anonymous Site WyoRINO Ranks How Republican Lawmakers Are — Based On 10 Votes
WyoRINO, an anonymous site created “to expose liberal Wyoming Republicans who violate our Wyoming Republican values,” ranked how well Republican lawmakers voted in line with the GOP platform this year — based on a tiny sliver of their votes this session.
Clair McFarlandApril 22, 2026
ACLU Sues Feds For Collecting Voters' Information From Wyoming, Other States
The ACLU on Tuesday sued President Trump’s Department of Justice, saying the agency broke the law by stockpiling voter information from Wyoming and at least 11 other states. Chuck Gray says the ACLU is advancing “false claims” made by “left-wing” interests.
Clair McFarlandApril 21, 2026
Wyoming Business Council Giving $50,000 So Tribe Can Study Data Centers
Weeks after lawmakers tried to kill the agency, the Wyoming Business Council awarded a $50,000 grant for the Northern Arapaho Tribe to study the prospect of a "large" data center on the reservation. "Hell no," said one tribal leader.
Clair McFarlandApril 21, 2026
Armed Suspect At Rock Springs Apartment Complex Shot By Deputy
A Sweetwater County deputy shot an armed suspect during an incident at a Rock Springs apartment building early Monday morning. The armed person had already sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound before officers arrived, the sheriff’s office reports.
Clair McFarlandApril 20, 2026
Attorney Says Chuck Gray Lost Privacy On Voter Info By Texting News Outlet
The Cheyenne attorney asking authorities to prosecute Chuck Gray for handing over voter information to the feds now says Gray lost attorney-client privacy by texting a news outlet. Gray calls the new allegation “more lunacy ... from a radical leftwing attorney."
Clair McFarlandApril 18, 2026
Iowa Man Sued By Reid Rasner Admits Calling Him Names, Says It’s Protected Speech
An Iowa man being sued for defamation by Reid Rasner admits calling him names on social media, but says it’s protected free speech. Rasner’s lawsuit claims he called him a “pedo creep,” while Cooley says Rasner’s “a cookie-cutter Trump cutout.”
Clair McFarlandApril 17, 2026
Former House Speaker Albert Sommers Wants His Seat In The Legislature Back
Former House Speaker Albert Sommers is running to win back his Sublette County House District 20 seat. The Legislature needs “less political theater and theatrics,” he said about what he’s observed in Cheyenne the last two years.
Clair McFarlandApril 17, 2026
Gordon Orders Agency To Start Food Welfare Program, Lawmaker Says 'Stay In Your Lane'
Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday ordered a state agency to start a new summertime food welfare program for students after lawmakers repeatedly rejected the $3 million endeavor. “Stay in your lane, governor,” Rep. Ken Pendergraft warned.
Clair McFarlandApril 16, 2026
Steve Harshman, Longest Serving House Member, Runs For Wyoming Schools Chief
Casper state Rep. Steve Harshman, the longest-serving Wyoming House member, is running for state superintendent of public instruction. "Bottom line, I love Wyoming schools and spent all my life in Wyoming schools," the longtime teacher and coach said.
Clair McFarlandApril 16, 2026
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon Will Not Seek Third Term
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Thursday announced he will not seek a third term in office. Wyoming law limits the governor to two terms, but Wyoming Supreme Court precedent suggests that law could be overturned easily. “We have just come off a solid legislative win," Gordon said.
Clair McFarlandApril 16, 2026
Lummis Says Congress Should Set Major Climate Change Rules, Not EPA
Wyoming's Sen. Cynthia Lummis has teamed up with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz to defend the EPA's about-face on Obama-era climate change regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Let Congress make those decisions, they argue.
Clair McFarlandApril 16, 2026
Oregon Man Challenges Yellowstone's Rules As Unconstitutional Overreach
An Oregon man accused of violating Yellowstone National Park’s fishing restrictions and a road closure is challenging the park’s rules as unconstitutional overreach. If he wins, it could upend the park’s ability to enforce many of its rules.
Clair McFarlandApril 15, 2026
Five Wyoming U.S. House Candidates Condemn Trump’s Jesus-Like Image
Five Wyoming U.S. House candidates, including three Republicans, condemn President Trump's posting of a Jesus-like image of himself. One called the image “blatantly blasphemous,” while another said it wasn’t as bad as "so many worse things he’s done."
Clair McFarlandApril 15, 2026
Three Rematches Set, So Far, In Wyoming's House Races
At least three rematches in the Wyoming House of Representatives have surfaced so far this campaign season, and one more looks likely. They all feature Republicans facing other Republicans and challengers aren't particularly complimentary of their foes.
Clair McFarlandApril 14, 2026