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
Cody Police Say Man Wielded Knife Before Officer Shot Him
The man shot by a Cody Police Department officer Monday evening was wielding a large knife, the agency reported Wednesday. The 22-year-old Gillette man also was wanted on warrants for alleged domestic abuse, including assaulting a pregnant woman.
Clair McFarlandJuly 30, 2025
Cheyenne Fifth Grade Teacher Arrested, Accused Of Molesting Girls
An elementary school teacher in Cheyenne has been arrested on suspicion of touching multiple female students inappropriately during the past school year. Brian Wrhel, 55, remains in the Laramie County Detention Center.
Clair McFarlandJuly 30, 2025
Supreme Court Sides With Wyoming Public Defender Who Quit Over Contempt Order
A Gillette-based state judge didn’t take the proper steps when holding a tardy public defense attorney in contempt, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The lawyer quit after the judge punished him, worsening a critical shortage of public defenders.
Clair McFarlandJuly 29, 2025
One Dead In Officer-Involved Shooting East Of Cody
A man who led Cody police on a chase through the town Monday night was killed in an officer-involved shooting after he stopped. The incident began with police trying to pull the man over for not having a license plate, police say.
Clair McFarlandJuly 29, 2025
Hageman's Popularity Has Many Uncertain If They’ll Run For Governor
Harriet Hageman’s potential bid for Wyoming governor has put other candidates on hold. Only two have officially declared and others, including Secretary of State Chuck Gray, wait for her decision.
Clair McFarlandJuly 29, 2025
Former Lusk Domestic Violence Center Director Accused Of Stealing $65K From Group
The former director of a domestic violence center in Lusk is facing a felony theft charge on claims she stole more than $65,000 from the nonprofit group. An investigative report alleges Sabrina Kruse had a secret debit card linked to the center’s account.
Clair McFarlandJuly 28, 2025
Wyoming Highway Patrol Troopers To Take On ICE Functions
Wyoming Highway Patrol has joined a growing list of agencies that have agreed to do some ICE enforcement. Gov. Mark Gordon announced the agreement Monday for WHP troopers to “assist ICE with immigration enforcement while performing their regular duties.”
Clair McFarlandJuly 28, 2025
Clair McFarland: Sure, Let The 11-Year-Old Drive. It'll Be Fine
Clair McFarland writes: "The little, feisty twin gripped the wheel and stared down our neighborhood of empty dirt roads and winding canals. I threw a goodbye kiss to my home and thanked the Lord for the 35 good years he gave me on this earth."
Clair McFarlandJuly 27, 2025
ICE Grabs Illegal Immigrants In Western Wyoming As Agency Eyes Massive Expansion
ICE officers arrested multiple foreign nationals in a coordinated early-morning operation across Western Wyoming this week. They also discussed implanting teams and offices across Wyoming with a massive new funding increase.
Clair McFarlandJuly 26, 2025
Evanston’s Hillcrest Motel, A Sanctuary For Squatters, Catches Fire Again
One of the buildings of the defunct Hillcrest Motel in Evanston, Wyoming, was destroyed Saturday in an early-morning fire. There have been about eight fires in three years with a persistent squatter inhabitation at the motel complex.
Clair McFarlandJuly 26, 2025
'High-Country Harasser' Arrested on Continental Divide Trail In Carbon County
Nicholas “Cottonmouth” Sampson — aka the “High-Country Harasser” — was arrested in Carbon County on Thursday after allegedly threatening and attacking hikers along the Continental Divide Trail for years, authorities report.
Clair McFarlandJuly 26, 2025
Wyoming Freedom Caucus Opposes More Nuclear Waste Storage Sites
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus is pushing back against expanding nuclear waste storage in the state, opposing efforts supported by some Republicans, the state’s Libertarian Party and others. It also follows a Trump order to fast-track nuclear production.
Clair McFarlandJuly 26, 2025
Officer Who Set Off Fatal Shootout Gives Up Certification, Can’t Be A Wyoming Cop
The former Thermopolis police sergeant who triggered a fatal shootout when he unlawfully entered a suspect’s home surrendered his state policing certification Thursday. That means Mike Mascorro can’t be a cop in Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandJuly 25, 2025
Man Who Walked Into Sheriff's Office And Confessed To Molesting Child Makes Plea
A 73-year-old Green River man who walked into the local sheriff’s office last summer and announced he’d fondled a preteen girl decades earlier pleaded “no contest” on Thursday. Prosecutors agreed to cap their prison sentence request at five years.
Clair McFarlandJuly 25, 2025
Mom Of Missing Cody Woman Believed Murdered Asks For Help Looking For Evidence
Park County authorities and a grieving mother urge hikers to look out for a pink tote and a Dodge Durango seat. They are potential evidence in the 2023 disappearance and suspected murder of Cody woman Katie Ferguson.
Clair McFarlandJuly 24, 2025
Airman Who Died In Air Force Gunshot Incident Identified As Kentucky 21-Year-Old
The airman who died in an on-duty incident Sunday at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne has been identified as a 21-year-old from Kentucky. In a Thursday statement, the U.S. Air Force also confirms his death involved a gunshot and a Sig M18 pistol.
Clair McFarlandJuly 24, 2025
Wyoming Legislators Debate Whether To Let Nuclear Waste Sites Multiply
Wyoming lawmakers are wrestling with whether to green light potentially numerous nuclear waste sites throughout the state. Some say it’s good for the economy, while others say it’s not worth the risk.
Clair McFarlandJuly 24, 2025
Air Force Division Grounds M18 Handguns After Airman Dies On Wyoming Base
A day after the death of an F.E. Warren Air Force Base airman on Sunday, the Air Force suspended the use of the M18 modular handgun. A Wyoming gunsmith said M18 has a history of reported unintentional firings.
Clair McFarlandJuly 23, 2025
5-Year-Old Shot In Belly By 9-Year-Old Brother At Cody Gas Station Recovering
The child shot Tuesday outside a Cody gas station was 5, and the shooter was his 9-year-old brother, police announced Wednesday morning. The family also reports “a positive prognosis for the injured juvenile.”
Clair McFarlandJuly 23, 2025
Removal Of Arrested Mayor From Jail Roster Was Error, Sheriff's Office Says
A Park County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy removed the Cody town mayor from a list of jail inmates, shielding her arrest from the public, for reasons unknown last weekend. That was a mistake and has been addressed, the sheriff’s office says.
Clair McFarlandJuly 22, 2025
Child Shot Tuesday In Cody After “Negligent Discharge,” Cody Police Say
Cody police said a child is being treated at Cody Regional Health after being shot at a gas station early Tuesday afternoon. Authorities are calling it a “negligent discharge" of the gun.
Clair McFarlandJuly 22, 2025
Judge Throws Out Challenge To New Wyoming Voter Registration Law, Gray Cheers
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a voting-advocacy group’s lawsuit challenging Wyoming’s new law that requires proof of citizenship and Wyoming residency before someone can register to vote. Secretary of State Chuck Gray celebrated the ruling.
Clair McFarlandJuly 22, 2025
Gillette Woman Now Charged With Homicide After Boyfriend Dies In Car Strike
Criminal charges against a Gillette woman were upgraded to vehicular homicide after her boyfriend died last week from injuries he suffered when run over by an SUV on July 5. Dana Johnson could now face up to 32 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandJuly 22, 2025
Colorado ICE Facility Sends Dozens Of Detainees To Wyoming Jails
Out-of-state immigration detainees are entering Wyoming in high volumes, including a batch of 44 transported Friday to Casper. That’s to alleviate the over-capacity ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado, the agency said Monday.
Clair McFarlandJuly 22, 2025
University Of Wyoming President Ed Seidel Says He’ll Step Down
University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel has announced that he will step down when his contract expires on June 30 next year. The decision follows a controversy involving the distribution of money and demotion of a professor, who is now suing UW.
Clair McFarlandJuly 21, 2025
Cody Woman Accused In Murder-For-Hire Claims Entrapment By Undercover Agent
A Cody woman accused of soliciting a man she thought was a hitman to kill her daughter’s boyfriend in late 2023 says in a Thursday court filing she plans to tell a jury that the “hitman” — an undercover law enforcement agent — entrapped her.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025
Guilty: Jury Says Douglas Smith Gunned Down 2 Men In Cheyenne Coin Shop In 2015
A 69-year-old California man is guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for killing two men in a Cheyenne coin shop 10 years ago, a jury decided Friday afternoon. Douglas Smith now faces two mandatory life sentences.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025
Sued By Ousted Library Director, Campbell County Says She's No LGBTQ Hero
In a scathing court filing Wednesday, Campbell County denies wrongdoing in the 2023 firing of the local library director, who is suing. The county says her claims are full of bogus “self-praise” and that she's no LGBTQ hero.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025
Massive Recovery Mission Planned For Yellowstone Hiker Who Vanished 10 Months Ago
A team of private-sector outdoorsmen and another of Yellowstone National Park personnel and volunteers are preparing missions next month to recover Austin King. He’s the 22-year-old hiker who vanished after summiting Eagle Peak last September.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025
Accused Serial Killer Suspected Of Murdering 2 Women In Wyoming Dies In Tennessee
Clark Perry Baldwin, a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer linked to the deaths of two women in Wyoming, died Friday in Tennessee. His death leaves a Wyoming prosecutor frustrated he won’t stand trial here for the decades-old murders.
Clair McFarlandJuly 18, 2025