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
Clair McFarland: "Please Discuss Your Son’s Behavior With Him"
Clair McFarland writes: "My Middleborn son is teaching me about the wonderful world of lunch detention."
Clair McFarlandMay 19, 2024
Inside Wyoming’s State Crime Lab, Which Was Just Named One Of Best In Country
One of the Wyoming State Crime Lab’s most notorious busts was a 14-year cold case. DNA technology linked a body found in the North Platte to inmate Dale Wayne Eaton. The victim’s car was then unearthed from his yard in Moneta, Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMay 18, 2024
Rocky Mountain Power Sues For Not Getting Full $140 Million Rate Hike
Rocky Mountain Power filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Wyoming Public Service Commission for not approving a massive 29.2% rate hike last year. The suit said the company lost millions because of the ruling.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Boyfriend Of Missing Cody Woman Remains A Suspect, Has New Gun Charge
The boyfriend of Katie Ferguson, who vanished while driving back to Wyoming with him from another state last fall, remains a suspect in her disappearance. And he now faces a new gun charge that could double his potential sentence to 30 years.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Neighbor Sends Hail Of Bullets Through Gillette Woman’s Home, But ‘I Survived’
The Gillette woman whose home was shot up with a hail of bullets said Friday that she has “to move forward” after the terrifying experience. “I’ve been to hell and back more times than anybody will ever know, and I survived,” she said.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Wyoming 5th Lowest In The Country For Flu Vax Rates
Wyoming has the fifth-lowest percentage of residents vaccinated for influenza at 43%. Idaho is the least-vaccinated state for influenza at 38.2% while Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the most vaccinated states in the country for the flu.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Riverton Police Department Denies Claims By Native Officer Of Racist Treatment
In a response filed last week to a lawsuit brought by its first enrolled Northern Arapaho officer, the Riverton Police Department denies his claims of hostile, racist treatment.
Clair McFarlandMay 16, 2024
Cheyenne Inmate Accused Of Stealing Cookies When Jailhouse Drug Deal Goes Bad
An inmate in the Laramie County jail faces felony-level charges for allegedly attacking an older inmate and stealing his cookies. The inmates had prior issues over coffee and refried beans. But things came to a head over the cookies.
Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2024
Denver Mayor Mad At Wyoming Sheriff For Billboard, Says Sign Is Inaccurate
Denver's mayor says Sheriff Brian Kozak's billboard in Denver is inaccurate. He says Denver hasn't defunded the police even though millions of dollars have been diverted. Kozak said more than 100 cops have reached out to him since the sign went up.
Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2024
Wrong-Way Driver To Plead Guilty To Causing Fiery Crash That Killed 5
A wrong-way driver accused of triggering a fiery chain-reaction crash on I-80 near Rawlins, which killed five students, in January 2023 has agreed to plead guilty to five counts of vehicular homicide. He could get 75-100 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2024
Wyoming Man Accused Of Bashing Neighbor In Face With Bat Has To Face Trial
A Wright, Wyoming, man accused of bashing his neighbor’s face with a baseball bat during a two-family brawl last Fourth of July can’t avoid trial on a self-defense argument, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Clair McFarlandMay 14, 2024
Wyoming Sorority Sisters Argue Against Trans Membership In Appeals Court
Six Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma members argued in a Denver appeals court Tuesday that their sorority acted in bad faith when inducting a transgender member into their chapter. Women's-rights activist Riley Gaines joined sorority members at the hearing.
Clair McFarlandMay 14, 2024
Female Juvenile Dead In Casper Shooting Incident
A juvenile female died in residential Casper, in what police are calling an isolated shooting incident that happened Tuesday morning. The Casper Police Department asks people to avoid the area of Whispering Springs Road and Gila Bend.
Clair McFarlandMay 14, 2024
Gillette 16-Year-Old Hits 142 MPH In Cadillac Trying To Outrun Cops
A former race car driver and the Campbell County undersheriff say a 16-year-old boy who led police on a high-speed chase hitting 142 mph is lucky. Any slight mishap at that speed is probably not survivable, they said.
Clair McFarland & Jimmy OrrMay 13, 2024
Wyoming Prisons Will Pay New Health Provider $46 Million Over 2 Years
The Wyoming Department of Corrections will pay Alabama-based health care provider Naphcare about $46.2 million over the next two years for medical care according to a contract released on Monday. That’s about 16% more than the cost of DOC’s longtime, now-former provider YesCare.
Clair McFarlandMay 13, 2024
Wyoming Sheriff Uses Billboard To Attract Denver Cops After City Defunded Police
Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak put up a billboard in Denver to attract cops who may be "frustrated" after that city defunded its police by $8.4 million. The billboard also emphasizes that breaking the law is still illegal in Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMay 13, 2024
Affidavit: Sheridan Assistant Principal Gave Teen Beer Before Alleged Sex Contact
Sheridan High School Assistant Principal Jacob Meyer, 33, remains in jail, accused of “sexual intrusion” on a girl about 15 years younger. He’s also accused of having indecent photos of her and giving her beer.
Greg Johnson & Clair McFarlandMay 11, 2024
Buffalo Cops Say They Busted Husband-Wife Morphine Dealing Team
Cops in Buffalo, Wyoming, say they busted an alleged husband-wife team dealing morphine, hydrocodone and Xanax. Their cases were elevated to felony-level court this week.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Kemmerer Babysitter Guilty Of Beating 5-Year-Old Girl To Death
A jury took about 4.5 hours Friday to find Kemmerer babysitter Cheri Marler guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal beating death of a 5-year-old girl in her charge.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Riverton Man Says Spilled Gas, Cigarette Caused Fire That Killed Girlfriend
A Riverton man charged Thursday with manslaughter after his girlfriend died in a “suspicious” fire told police that he spilled gasoline in several rooms of their house and it ignited when he lit a cigarette.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Kemmerer Babysitter Says She Confessed To Killing 5-Year-Old To End Police Interview
Cheri Marler, the 53-year-old Kemmerer babysitter on trial for first-degree murder in the brutal beating death of a 5-year-old girl, testified at her trial Thursday that she confessed when interviewed by police just to end the lengthy interview.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Trade Schools In Wyoming Don’t Have Pro-Palestine Protests
Officials at trade schools in Wyoming said the idea of their students tenting out and protesting for hours or days is not only unheard of, it’s a little bizarre. They said their students were too busy learning marketable skills.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Riverton Man Arrested In Connection With Woman Found Dead In ‘Suspicious’ Fire
A 55-year-old Riverton man was arrested Thursday in connection with a “suspicious” house fire in which a local woman died in late April.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Driver Barrels Into Riverton At 100 MPH, Crashes Into Cop Car
A Wyoming man faces felony eluding charges for allegedly barreling through the Wind River Indian Reservation and into Riverton, Wyoming, at 100 mph and crashing into a cop car.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Former Wyoming Police Officer Charged With Sexually Torturing Mistress
A former police officer in Riverton, Wyoming, has been arrested in Colorado on suspicion of sexually torturing the 19-year-old extramarital girlfriend he reportedly met at a high school homecoming dance while a school resource officer.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Wyoming Mixed On Boy Scouts Changing Name After 114 Years
After 114 years, the Boy Scouts of America will change the name of the organization early next year to Scouting America, a move that’s getting mixed reviews from people in Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2024
Sheridan High School Assistant Principal Arrested On Sex Assault Charge
Jacob Meyer, an assistant principal at Sheridan High School, was arrested Monday and remains in police custody on suspicion of sexual assault.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2024
Colorado Man Accused Of Stealing Diesel From Wyoming Truck Stop
A Colorado man faces felony charges on suspicion of trying to steal thousands of dollars worth of diesel fuel from a Douglas truck stop by pumping it through holes in a tarp into containers on his semitrailer.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2024
Wyoming Joins Lawsuit To Stop New Biden Administration Gun Sales Rule
Wyoming has joined 20 other states in suing over a new Biden administration rule to increase licensing and background checks for people who sell guns.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2024
Judy Shepard, Mother Of Matthew Shepard, Awarded Presidential Medal Of Freedom
Judy Shepard, mother of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard who was tortured and killed in 1998, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday for her LGBTQ advocacy.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2024
Judge Says It’s ‘Troubling’ State Can Ignore Teton County Regs To OK Glamping
A judge called it “troubling” Monday that the state of Wyoming can go around Teton County’s land use regulations to temporarily install a glamour camping complex on some of the most expensive land in the nation.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2024
Cheyenne Parents Want To Know Why Sexual Identity Survey Kept From Them
A sexual identity survey reportedly made available to Cheyenne high school students, but not made available to parents, prompted an animated turnout of parents, substitute teachers and others at a Laramie County School District 1 board meeting Monday night.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2024
BRIEF: Man Accused Of Threatening To Bomb Black Hills Energy Could Get Three Years
A frustrated Black Hills Energy customer in Cheyenne could get three years for telling the company over the phone that “I’m going to blow the building up.”
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2024
Gillette Man Faces Felony For Trying To Bust Open Bank ATM With Hammer, Prybar
A Gillette man has been elevated to felony-level court for allegedly trying to bust open an ATM at a Douglas bank with a hammer and prybar.
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2024
Top-10 Wanted Colorado Sex Offender Hid Out In Cheyenne For Four Years
A Colorado child molester who disappeared and rose to No. 8 on that state’s most wanted sex offenders hid out in Cheyenne for four years, and struck a plea agreement with authorities Friday.
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2024
Clair McFarland: Shinnying Through Ugliness With A Hacksaw
Clair McFarland writes: "One dead elm branch swoops out, down and back through the other live branches – like a high wave from the river Styx. It has to go, and I’ve got to chop it off."
Clair McFarlandMay 05, 2024
Reporter's Notebook: One Year After The Shootout In Thermopolis
In this installment of Reporter's Notebook, Clair McFarland discusses her visit back to the town of Thermopolis one year after a police sergeant illegally broke into a suspect’s home, got shot through the lung and fired back, killing the suspect.
Clair McFarlandMay 04, 2024
Chemical Hazard At Sundance Courthouse Is Third Wyoming Threat This Week
The FBI is investigating a chemical threat that happened at the Crook County Courthouse in Sundance Friday evening. The threat was the third of its kind this week in Wyoming. Courthouses in Gillette and Casper were evacuated earlier in the week.
Clair McFarlandMay 04, 2024
Porn Actress Who Put Out Hit On Wyoming Ex Tries To End His Parental Rights
A porn actress serving 10 years in prison for trying to hire a hitman to kill her ex-boyfriend wants to terminate the ex's parental rights over their daughter. The Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday denied her request.
Clair McFarlandMay 03, 2024
Wyoming Man Says He Tried To Gun Down Relatives Because He Was ‘Pretty Mad’
Melvin Bagley of Rawlins pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of attempted murder for gunning down his nephew and nephew’s wife last September near Bairoil because he was “pretty mad.”
Clair McFarlandMay 03, 2024
Fremont Library Board Says It Sorted Out Internet Filters, Book Challenges By Deadline
The Fremont County Library board on Wednesday said it’s addressed the age-appropriateness of its books and the county government's demand that it block porn from youth computers.
Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2024
No New Trial For Man Who Shattered Legs Of Two Wyoming Hunters With One Bullet
A man who unleashed a meth-fueled violent crime rampage on homeowners and hunters in Douglas — including shattering the legs of two men with a single bullet — was denied a new trial by the Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday.
Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2024
Wyoming Pawn Shops Bust Alleged $30,000 Illegal Gun Sale Scheme
Two Rock Springs pawn shops exposed a local man’s alleged scheme to circumvent gun registration law and fill $30,000 in gun orders made with fraudulent credit cards.
Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2024
Committee For Wyoming Tribes Says They Should Get Online Sales Tax
A tax committee serving both American Indian tribes in Wyoming asked state lawmakers on Wednesday to keep allowing online stores to tax natives, while sending those taxes to the tribal governments.
Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2024
Laramie Child Molester Who Disemboweled Himself Gets 6-8 Years In Prison
An 80-year-old Laramie man who partially disemboweled himself when police came to interview him about molesting an 8-year-old girl was sentenced Wednesday to between six and eight years in prison.
Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2024
Former AG Says County Can’t Replace Library Board Chief With A Commissioner
With a Wednesday deadline to align the Fremont County Library system with community standards or have the county commission replace the board char with a commissioner, a former Wyoming attorney general says that can’t happen.
Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2024
Wyoming May Join Landslide Of States Suing Biden’s New Gender Rules For Schools
Gov Gordon on Tuesday said he is ‘reviewing’ whether to join 15 other states in suing the Biden administration over changes to Title IX which would prevent schools from banning biological males from competing in women's sports, among other things.
Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2024
Jackson Man Who Beat Up Buddy Who Wouldn't Sleep With Him To Plead Guilty
A Jackson man accused of beating up a drinking buddy for shutting down his sexual advances has agreed to plead guilty to felony assault.
Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2024