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
Campbell County Teen Who Stabbed Mom, Prompting Pig Raffle, Pleads Guilty
A Campbell County man faces 20 years to life in prison after he pleaded guilty last week to stabbing his mother in the back while she slept. To cover the cost of the $67,000 air ambulance ride, the family raffled off the man's pigs.
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2025
Torrington Man Who Brutally Beat Ex As She Held Toddler Gets 20-25 Years
A Torrington man was sentenced to 20-25 years for the beating of his ex-girlfriend last year. She was holding the couple’s toddler when she was attacked. Also part of Andrew Atkinson's sentence was a strangulation charge pertaining to a different woman.
Clair McFarlandJune 02, 2025
Department Of Education Investigates UW For Trans Sorority Induction
The U.S. Department of Education on Monday announced it’s investigating the University of Wyoming because it “allowed a man to join a campus sorority." But UW was not the entity that inducted a transgender member into the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
Clair McFarlandJune 02, 2025
Wyoming Dems Say Nothing Is Wrong With Platform But Will Target Rural Areas
Despite having just eight seats in the 93-member legislature and being on the heels of a rough national election, Wyoming Democrats overwhelmingly told Cowboy State Daily they aren't changing their platform. Their strategy, rather, is to volunteer in rural areas.
Clair McFarlandJune 02, 2025
Wyoming Democrats Elect New State Party Chairman To Replace Barbuto
Wyoming Democrats on Sunday elected Lucas Fralik of Laramie as its new state party chairman. Fralik characterized the party as tolerant toward immigration, diverse library content, same-sex marriage, and the working man.
Clair McFarlandJune 01, 2025
Insurance Company Says Natives Lured Out Of Wyoming With False Promises
Insurance companies believe Native Americans struggling with addiction are being lured from Wyoming to illegitimate treatment centers in California and other states in an insurance-billing scam. The facilities are often “rundown apartment complexes with no appropriate treatment."
Clair McFarlandMay 31, 2025
Body Cam Video Shows Casper Woman Pointing Gun At Cops Before She Was Killed
A Casper woman opened her door with a gun in hand and raised it at police officers before she was shot and killed, according to Casper Police Department body cam video released Friday. “Where the **** are my children!” she screamed as she raised the gun.
Clair McFarlandMay 30, 2025
Judge Dismisses Man's Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against Cheyenne PD
A judge last week dismissed a lawsuit of an African American man who claims racial discrimination and physical aggression during a traffic stop by Cheyenne Police Department officers. He said they accused him of driving drunk when he'd had "not a drop."
Clair McFarlandMay 30, 2025
Husband Charged Six Months After Wife Found Dead In Their Star Valley Home
A Lincoln County man was arrested Tuesday after a six-month investigation into his wife's death. He's accused of attacking her during a drunken argument. The woman had secluded herself in her room after texting a friend that her husband had beaten her.
Clair McFarlandMay 30, 2025
Riverton Man Gets 6-12 Years For Drunken Fight That Killed Cousin
A Fremont County man was sentenced Thursday to between six and 12 years in prison for drunkenly beating his cousin to death last March. “I was robbed,” wailed the mother of the victim during the court proceeding.
Clair McFarlandMay 29, 2025
English-Speaking Trucker Enforcement Intensifies As Hageman Brings Bill
The push for tougher enforcement of English-language requirements for commercial truck drivers intensified Thursday when Harriet Hageman introduced a bill to make it a federal law. Wyoming trucking companies largely support the requirements.
Clair McFarlandMay 29, 2025
Cody Mom Accused Of Seeking Hit Man To Murder Daughter’s Boyfriend Deemed Sane
A murder trial is set for August for a Cody woman accused of trying to have her daughter’s boyfriend killed. A judge ruled that Wendy Coe, whose last trial derailed when she asked for a mental health evaluation, is mentally fit to stand trial.
Clair McFarlandMay 29, 2025
Out Of One Lawsuit, Into Another, As State GOP Argues For Private Group’s Right
Just as Wyoming Republican Party leaders dropped the party's lawsuit against the Laramie County Clerk, they launched a counter-argument in another case, where the party is being sued on claims it cheated its own election processes.
Clair McFarlandMay 29, 2025
Former Laramie High Schooler’s Lawsuit Over Masking Tossed For Second Time
A federal judge Wednesday dismissed the lawsuit of a former Laramie High School student who sued her local school district on claims that a 2021 mask mandate was unconstitutional. She was handcuffed and arrested on campus for refusing to comply with it.
Clair McFarlandMay 29, 2025
Responders ‘Valiantly’ Tried To Save Man Who Died In Teton County Cabin Fire
The lone occupant of a cabin in Teton County was found dead early Wednesday morning after the cabin caught fire, authorities say. A sheriff’s deputy tried to rescue 28-year-old Rollie Wells Knori, but the fire and smoke wouldn’t let the deputy inside.
Clair McFarlandMay 28, 2025
Prosecutor: More Charges Coming For Former Wheatland Teacher Accused In Sex Case
A former Wheatland teacher accused of sex crimes against a girl under 16 is expected to be charged in another criminal case involving a second alleged victim, a prosecutor said Wednesday. A judge also chose to keep Evan Whitt Bradley's bond at $500,000.
Clair McFarlandMay 28, 2025
Judge Blocks Trump's 'Egregious' Order Against Wyoming Tribe's Lawyers
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s order that sought to punish a law firm that represents the Northern Arapaho Tribe. The firm worked with someone who investigated Trump and supports causes he deems un-American.
Clair McFarlandMay 28, 2025
Gillette Man Guilty Of Exposing Genitalia To Kindergartener In Store Bathroom
A Gillette man could face up to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of exposing his genitalia to a 5-year-old boy in a Walmart bathroom. The jury convicted him last week after a three-day trial.
Clair McFarlandMay 27, 2025
No New Trial For Wyoming Trooper Who Raped Girlfriend
A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper serving 10-15 years in prison for raping his then-girlfriend in 2021 won’t get a new trial, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled Friday. Among other claims, he challenged testimony about his “unconventional sexual fetishes.”
Clair McFarlandMay 27, 2025
Gordon Goes On Offensive To Counter Chuck Gray’s 'Social Media Lies'
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon launched an aggressive counterattack Friday in an ongoing feud with Secretary of State Chuck Gray. He said he feels compelled to counter Gray’s “social media lies.”
Clair McFarlandMay 24, 2025
Twice-Deported Man Accused Of Running 18,000 Rounds Of Ammo Still At Large
Federal authorities said Thursday they’re still seeking a twice-deported Mexican national accused of hauling 18,000 rounds of ammunition through Wyoming. He was released on bond in March, then didn’t show for his April 25 court hearing.
Clair McFarlandMay 24, 2025