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
Gordon: It's Refreshing To See So Many Bills Die Because It's A Budget Session, After All
At a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Mark Gordon said it was refreshing to see so many bills die. He said he sees that as a sign that lawmakers are respecting their higher priority of passing a two-year state budget - and doing so within about 20 days.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2026
Bill Letting All Wyoming Law Officers Cite Non-English-Speaking Truckers Advances
A bill giving all Wyoming law enforcement officers the authority to cite non-English-proficient commercial truck drivers advanced Tuesday by a unanimous vote. Violators would be banned from driving until they could demonstrate English language proficiency.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2026
Undocumented Immigrant Trucker Claims Unlawful Detention After Arrest In Green River
An undocumented trucker arrested in Green River says he’s being held illegally after reporting a broken mirror. His lawyers argue a new DHS policy is illegally keeping him in ICE custody. The sheriff's office says he didn’t provide necessary documentation.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2026
Wyoming Senate Saves Business Council From Dismantling By 2-1 Vote
The Wyoming Business Council on Monday survived being dismantled, as the state Senate voted down a bill that would have purged it from state law, 21-10. But the agency is still facing a viable budget amendment that would defund it.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2026
Wyoming House Kills Bill To Change How Schools Get Money, Senate Could Save It
A narrow one-third minority of Wyoming state House representatives voted Monday to block the state’s new proposed method of funding public K-12 schools. But the state Senate has its own version, which could still rescue the proposal.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 09, 2026
Gordon Clashes With Freedom Caucus As Wyoming Budget Fight Intensifies
Gov. Mark Gordon urged Wyoming lawmakers to restore his budget priorities, protect state workers’ raises and keep investing in education and development. He also pushed for an abortion-limiting constitutional amendment and took a veiled shot at the Freedom Caucus.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 09, 2026
Wyoming Chief Justice Urges Legislature Not To Revamp Courts Over Abortion Ruling
The chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court urged the Legislature Monday not to revamp the state’s courts based on the high court’s opinion declaring abortion a fundamental health care right. Early in her speech, the Freedom Caucus chair walked out.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 09, 2026
'No-Nuclear’ State Rep. Bill Allemand Has Challenger For House Seat
One of Wyoming state Rep. Bill Allemand’s biggest critics, Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer, is running for Allemand's seat in the Legislature. Allemand has made headlines as an opponent of nuclear storage facilities, including one near Casper.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2026
Wyoming Business Council Launches 'Myth-Busting' Campaign In Effort To Save Itself
Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that it's launched a myth-busting campaign to save the agency from potential destruction. "I was hoping to give a little bit of a reality check," he said.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2026
Supreme Court Rejects Sheridan Man's Self-Defense Claim In Hockey Coach's Death
A Sheridan man who fatally punched a local hockey coach during a 2024 fight will not have his four-to-six-year prison sentence overturned, since the Wyoming Supreme Court concluded Thursday that he failed to show he acted with self-defense.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2026
State Sen. Retracts Statement Accusing Freedom Caucus Of Rewarding Votes
State Sen. Ed Cooper is retracting a statement he made last week, accusing the national Freedom Caucus network of hinging campaign donations to its local members on their voting records. "I spoke incorrectly on that because I can’t substantiate it," he said.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2026
Joint Approps Committee Votes To Protect Two More Institutions From UW Budget Cuts
The Joint Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted to shield two more institutions from its proposed $40 million budget cut to the University of Wyoming. One of those institutions shares a financial backer with the campaign arm of the Freedom Caucus.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2026
By 3-2 Margin, Wyoming Top Officials Vote For Process To Halt Wind Leases
The State Land Board on Thursday voted 3-2 to begin a legal process that could cancel two controversial state wind leases in Converse and Niobrara counties. Secretary Chuck Gray, Superintendent Megan Degenfelder, and Auditor Kristi Racines all voted in favor while Gov. Gordon and Treasurer Meier voted against.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 05, 2026
$25M Lawsuit Against Jackson Newspaper Settled: "Should Have Never Been Published"
An Arizona man settled what was originally a $25M defamation suit vs. the Jackson Hole News & Guide over the paper claiming he'd abused his son. The paper wrote, "We acknowledge, plainly and without qualification, that this article should never have been published."
Clair McFarlandFebruary 04, 2026
Wyoming Senate President Bo Biteman 'Looking Seriously' At U.S. House Run
Wyoming Senate President Bo Biteman told Cowboy State Daily he is considering a run for Wyoming's U.S. House and has formed an exploratory committee to look into a campaign. "I will have a decision after session – one way or another," he said.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 04, 2026
Tom Kelly Announces Run For Superintendent Of Public Instruction
Tom Kelly, a freshman lawmaker from Sheridan who is also a college professor, said Wednesday he is running for Superintendent of Public Instruction. He arrived in Wyoming in 2019 leaving Illinois for Colorado, until Colorado became "just Illinois with mountains."
Clair McFarlandFebruary 04, 2026
Gordon Says Facing $40M Cut, UW Should ‘Listen To The People Of Wyoming'
Gov. Gordon said that as the University of Wyoming faces a proposed $40 million cut, it should “listen to the people of Wyoming.” He also fielded questions about K-12 funding and dismantling the Wyoming Business Council during a Tuesday forum in Lander.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 04, 2026
No Dismissal For Cody Roberts In Wolf Torture Case, Trial Could Start Next Month
A request to dismiss an animal cruelty charge against accused wolf torturer Cody Roberts was denied Tuesday. The Sweetwater County judge in the case confirmed he won’t dismiss the case early and that Roberts’ case can go to trial, set to begin March 9.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 03, 2026
BLM Officer, Family Members Plead Not Guilty In Fatal Lander Bar Fight
A BLM law enforcement officer and two members of his family pleaded “not guilty” to murder and manslaughter charges Tuesday in a shared arraignment hearing in Fremont County District Court. They’re accused of killing a man in a Lander bar brawl last month.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 03, 2026
State Supreme Court Revives Gunmaker's $14M Lawsuit Over Business Council Project
The Wyoming Supreme Court on Monday revived Cody-based Gunwerks’ $14 million lawsuit accusing a local group and two businesses of spending $6 million from the Wyoming Business Council — to build a faulty facility.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2026
Riverton Man Accused Of Shooting And Killing Man In Moving Car
Jose Benito Ocon, 34, faces federal first-degree murder charges for shooting a man in the head in a moving car on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation after asking if his girlfriend loved him. Witnesses said he also threatened two women with the gun.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2026