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
Casper Lawmaker Proposes Bill To Give Parents More Access To Their Kids' Health Records
Hospitals and doctors are required by federal law to keep some treatments for kids as young as 12 confidential even from their parents, which prompted state Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, to propose a state bill chipping away at that requirement.
Clair McFarlandJune 23, 2023
Wyoming Judge Blocks State Abortion Pill Ban
Indicating that she will declare abortion as a health care right under the Wyoming Constitution, Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens on Thursday temporarily blocked the state's ban on chemical abortion pills.
Clair McFarlandJune 23, 2023
Riverton Shooter Pleads Guilty To Pair Of First-Degree Murder Charges In 2019 Robbery
Brandon Donald Monroe, now 21, said he killed Rudy Perez and Jocelyn Watt, both 30, four years ago in Riverton while on a mission to steal marijuana and money from Watt’s home.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2023
Cheyenne Man Accused Of Stabbing Deputy Goes From Hospital To Jail
Stephen Ashley, 46, was “involved” in multiple 911 hang-up calls Sunday that ultimately led to him allegedly stabbing a sheriff’s deputy then passing out.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2023
Casper Hospital Says Locking Parents Out Of Children’s Medical Records Nothing New
The federal regulation by which Casper's Banner Health has been denying parents access to their older children's online health records has been around for more than 20 years.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2023
Pregnant Wyoming Woman Remembers She Has Video Of Boyfriend Attacking Her
A 25-year-old pregnant woman remembered during her second police interview that she had home cameras recording while her boyfriend, Keller Wendley Duran Jr., allegedly strangled and beat her.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2023
Black, Gay Doctor Sues Wyoming Hospital, Claims Nurses Discriminated Against Him
A Black, gay doctor is has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, Wyoming, for allegedly firing him without cause after nurses were hostile toward him.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2023
42-Year-Old Cold Case Solved, Remains Of Wyoming's 'Pipeline Pete' ID'd As Missing Missouri Man
DNA has linked the formerly unidentified remains of a man known only by the nickname "Pipeline Pete" to Jack Clawson, 24, of Missouri, who was discovered in 1982 by pipeline surveyors in the desert near Granger, Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2023
Lander School Board Adopts Tougher Policy On Sexually Graphic Books
A controversy over “Let’s Talk About It,” a book in the Lander Valley High School library, prompted the local school board Tuesday to approve a tougher policy for weeding out inappropriate books.
Clair McFarlandJune 21, 2023
Transgender University Of Wyoming Sorority Member Asks To Be Let Out Of Lawsuit
Artemis Langford, a transgender member of the University of Wyoming chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, asked Tuesday to be let out of the lawsuit filed by six women against the sorority, which challenges the court to define the word "woman."
Clair McFarlandJune 21, 2023
Sorority Calls Wyoming Lawsuit Over Transgender Member ‘Frivolous,’ Says Women Can Leave
In an emotionally-charged response to a lawsuit brought by six University of Wyoming members filed Tuesday, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority lawyers say the lawsuit is “frivolous,” and if accepting a transgender member is offensive to them, they can quit the organization.
Clair McFarlandJune 20, 2023
Murder Charge For Cheyenne Man Accused Of Strangling Woman Because She Bit His Finger
After his girlfriend died over the weekend, Laramie County DA on Tuesday charged Charles Rees Karn of Cheyenne with first-degree murder for allegedly strangling her because she bit his finger.
Clair McFarlandJune 20, 2023
Laramie County Deputy Stabbed, Suspect In Hospital With Charges Pending, Police Say
Cheyenne police aren’t identifying a suspect who allegedly stabbed a Laramie County Sheriff's Deputy in the shoulder early Sunday morning, but confirmed the suspect is hospitalized and could soon be charged with a crime.
Clair McFarlandJune 20, 2023
Wyoming Sheep Shearer Who Killed Boyfriend Texted ‘I’m About To Stab’ Him Hours Before She Did
A sheep shearer from New Zealand has claimed self-defense for stabbing her boyfriend to death, but prosecutors say new evidence shows she texted a coworker “I’m going to stab” him 18 hours before she did.
Clair McFarlandJune 20, 2023
Elderly Riverton Man Beaten, His Car Was Stolen And Burned
Two men reportedly beat an elderly Riverton man overnight Saturday, stealing his car and cellphone. The car was later found fully engulfed in flames.
Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2023
Judge Dismisses Inmate's $2 Million Sexual Harassment Claims Against Platte County Jail Deputy
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by convicted stalker Johnny Emmanuel Otero, who claimed a Platte County jail deputy touched his chest in a sexual manner and drew on his neck with a pen.
Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2023
Police Say Cheyenne Man Strangled Girlfriend To Death Because She Bit His Finger
About two days after Cheyenne police arrested Charles Rees Karn, 19, for allegedly strangling his girlfriend for biting his finger, the woman died.
Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2023
Wyoming Tribes Rejoice Over Indian Child Custody Ruling, But Justice Thomas Invites Challenges
While both of Wyoming's Indian tribes are rejoicing over the Indian Child Welfare Act surviving its U.S. Supreme Court Challenge, a dissenting justice practically invites future challenges to the act.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Parent Locked Out Of 12-Year-Old’s Health Records By Casper’s Banner Health
A parent shared a screenshot this week of a Banner Health note that said access to her 12-year-old's account has been revoked because the child is now between the ages of 12 and 17.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Man Sues Over University Of Wyoming Censorship Of Sign Naming Transgender Sorority Member
Todd Schmidt, a Christian church elder from Laramie, is suing the University of Wyoming for making him cover a sign calling out a transgender sorority member and for banning him from evangelizing on the campus.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Wyoming National Guard Sergeant Faces Child Porn Charges
The Wyoming National Guard is aware that one of its members is facing federal charges on suspicion of distributing child pornography, but the Guard has chosen not to act until the case is adjudicated.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023