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
Degenfelder Plans $6.4 Million School Choice Payout, But Judge Could Stop It
As a lawsuit against the program escalates, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder is still planning at this point to pay out $6.44 million for school choice July 1. A judge could decide next week to halt the payments.
Clair McFarlandJune 19, 2025
Gillette Nursing Home Ignored Signs Of Fatal Overdose, Family Claims In Lawsuit
A Tramadol overdose in November killed Rhonda Parker, 66, who was living at a Gillette assisted living center. Her family sued the care facility Wednesday, claiming caretakers ignored severe signs of her overdose for hours before she died.
Clair McFarlandJune 18, 2025
US Supreme Court Upholds Child Sex-Change Ban That’s Similar To Wyoming’s
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s ban on medical treatments related to gender changes for kids. That smooths the way for Wyoming's similar ban to survive in federal court, though it's still unclear how it would fare in state court.
Clair McFarlandJune 18, 2025
Blue-Collar Sector To Wyoming Schools: Give Us More Welders
With voids of unfilled technical education jobs in Wyoming — like welders, plumbers and construction workers — the state needs to adjust its education system to those fields. That was the message from the state’s blue-collar sector to legislators Tuesday.
Clair McFarlandJune 18, 2025
Bloody, Beaten Man Found In Wheatland Liquor Store Is Alive, Family Says
A man found bloody and beaten in a shuttered Wheatland liquor store Saturday night is alive, his family says. Meanwhile, a 39-year-old local man was charged Monday with aggravated burglary on the theory he broke into the store to attack the other man.
Clair McFarlandJune 17, 2025
Parents Suing State Claim Voucher Program Could Alienate Gay, Trans Students
The same judge who ruled against the state of Wyoming on funding public education has been assigned to a lawsuit challenging school vouchers. Some parents in the lawsuit claim vouchers can alienate “queer,” transgender and nonbinary students.
Clair McFarlandJune 17, 2025
Photographer Wanted To Shoot Lightning; He Found Rarely Seen Lightning Bugs
A photographer out to get shots of lightning Saturday found a field full of rarely seen lightning bugs near Clearmont, Wyoming. It was a rare sighting because the bugs typically come out in humid weather, something in short supply here.
Clair McFarlandJune 17, 2025
Drunk Intruder Shot By 85-Year-Old Riverton Man Could Get Probation
A Riverton man who was shot by a homeowner after police said he broke into a home drunk pleaded no contest to unlawful entry last week in Fremont County District Court. He could get probation.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2025
Brother Of Moorcroft Man Accused Of Touching Girls In Church Did The Same
The brother of a man accused of sexually touching girls in a Moorcroft church was convicted of doing the same in a church in Minnesota. He pleaded guilty to molesting young girls of about the same age in a church of the same denomination.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2025
Police Tight-Lipped About Burglary At Wheatland Liquor That ‘Went South’
Wheatland police are tight-lipped about what happened inside a vacant liquor store there overnight Saturday. One person was taken to the hospital, and another was hospitalized briefly then charged with burglary and taken to jail.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2025
Legislators Propose Tax Hikes On Sports, Horse Racing And Machine Betting
A Wyoming legislative committee proposed three tax hikes this week on multiple gaming industries. It also plans to insert a money-monitoring system into gaming machines across Wyoming bars, casino-style halls and truck stops.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2025
Demoted Dean Who Fought With UW President Sues To Get Job Back
A University of Wyoming dean who fought with the UW president and was demoted after refusing to move state money earmarked for engineering education filed a lawsuit Thursday to get his position reinstated. He claims the demotion was illegal retaliation.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
High Court Hands LDS Church Win On Controversial 101-Foot Cody Temple
The Wyoming Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling Friday, denying a Cody group the chance to challenge the approval of a Latter-day Saints temple. The decision ends two years of controversy over the 101-foot-tall temple in a residential neighborhood.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
'Wyoming Is Not Los Angeles:' Gordon Doesn’t Expect Need For Guard At Protests
With anti-Trump protests planned for at least 13 Wyoming towns Saturday, Democrats are calling on Gov. Mark Gordon to reject Trump if he tries to deploy the Wyoming National Guard. Gordon says he doesn’t expect that because “Wyoming is not Los Angeles.”
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
Sublette County Gives Hospital Pledged $2.7 Million Grant, Settles Feud
Sublette County on Wednesday gave the Sublette County Hospital District the final $2.7 million it had pledged to help build new medical facilities. In turn, the hospital district is transferring nearly 2 acres to the county.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2025
Prosecutor Adds 78 New Felony Sex Charges On Former Wheatland Band Teacher
A former Wheatland band teacher accused of committing sex acts on a girl younger than 16 now faces another 78 felony charges on claims of near-daily sex acts with a different, 17-year-old student. Between the cases, he could get more than 1,500 years.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2025
Dubois Ranch Denies Wrongdoing After Woman's Foot Crushed By Bear-Sprayed Horse
A Dubois guest ranch in a Tuesday filing denies wrongdoing in a lawsuit of an Irish woman who accuses its lead wrangler of wrongfully bear spraying her horse during a ride, causing her foot to be crushed.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2025
Teton County Prosecutor Drops Voyeurism Charge From Carnival Incident
A Teton County prosecutor dropped a charge against a Texas man who was accused of trying to photograph a young girl’s private area during the carnival in Jackson last year. It’s not clear why the charge was dismissed.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2025
Trailer Where Big Piney Man Killed In Bow-And-Arrow Ambush Catches Fire
The trailer in which a 23-year-old Big Piney man was shot and killed in a bow-and-arrow ambush in February caught fire Tuesday afternoon, authorities say. The fire doesn’t appear suspicious, and an investigation continues.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2025
As New Homeschool Laws Take Effect, Some Schools Push To Limit Sports, Activities
Some Wyoming public school districts are moving toward restricting access for homeschool families to pre-high school sports and activities. That comes just as two new laws empowering the homeschool movement in Wyoming are taking effect.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2025
'I'm The Terrible One': Moorcroft Man Accused Of Touching Girls During Church
A Moorcroft man faces up to 81 years in prison for the alleged sexual touching of multiple girls during church services more than a decade ago. The suspect confessed to a counselor and told an investigator that, "I'm the terrible one," court records say.
Clair McFarlandJune 10, 2025