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
Riverton Man Charged With Beating Friend To Death Pleads Not Guilty
Accused of beating his friend to death in March, a 30-year-old Riverton man pleaded not guilty Thursday to manslaughter. The parents of his alleged victim cried in court and clutched a framed photograph of their son during the hearing.
Clair McFarlandOctober 17, 2024
New Charge For Laramie Man Accused Of Duct-Taping And Torturing Woman
A Laramie man accused of duct-taping and torturing a woman is now charged with pressuring his victim into saying he didn't do it. His case rose to the Albany County District Court on Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandOctober 17, 2024
Grass Fire Threatens Wind River Homes, Planes Respond
Fremont County officials scrambled Wednesday afternoon when high winds whipped up a small grass fire on the north end of the Wind River Indian Reservation, which jumped the Wind River and headed toward dense brush and thicker residential areas of Riverton, and prompted the evacuation of at least one home.
Clair McFarlandOctober 17, 2024
Man Charged With Bludgeoning Mother To Death May Be Sane Now
Israel Melvin, 24, charged with murder after police found his mother bludgeoned to death in January, is sane enough for a competency hearing, his attorney and a judge indicated Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2024
Rock Springs Police Officers Literally Dodge Bullets Fired From House
Rock Springs police say a man shot at them from inside his home Monday, barely missing an officer who ducked. Police arrested Kevin William Lorentzen on suspicion of aggravated assault and reckless endangering.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2024
Wyoming Wants Supreme Court To Let States Decide Bans On Child Sex Changes
Wyoming joined 21 other states Tuesday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to leave decisions about regulating child sex changes to states. The federal government, on the other hand, says access to child sex changes is a constitutional right.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2024
Special Prosecutor To Review Thermopolis Officer-Involved Shooting
Fremont County Attorney Patrick LeBrun has been appointed as the special prosecutor investigating a Sept. 9 Thermopolis officer-involved shooting, LeBrun confirmed Tuesday. It's his fifth time reviewing an officer-involved shooting.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2024
Search For Missing Hiker Stopped After U.S. Forest Service Denies Helicopter Drop
U.S. Forest Service authorities declined to authorize a helicopter drop of searchers into a remote region to look for missing hiker Austin King, who vanished last month. Federal officials said the attempt was too risky.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2024
50 Investigators Search For More Body Parts In Field South Of Cheyenne
Construction workers found human remains on private land south of Cheyenne on Monday. About 50 investigators were on scene Tuesday, searching for the rest of the body.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2024
Construction Workers Find Human Remains South Of Cheyenne
A construction crew found human remains Monday on private land south of Cheyenne. Investigators say portions of the body were scattered due to weather or wild animals.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2024
Lander Man Accused Of Stalking And Beating Ex With Bat Caught After Four Years
A Lander, Wyoming, man accused of beating his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend with a baseball bat saw his case rise to the felony-level court Friday — four years after charges were first filed.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2024
Man Accused Of Gunning Down Disabled Landlord Drops Insanity Plea
A Fremont County man accused of gunning down and killing his former landlord, who was in a wheelchair, has dropped an insanity plea. Burdick Seminole allegedly told police he had enough of the other man “talking smack” about him.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2024
Wyoming Supreme Court Says State Has To Pay Some County Tax Bills
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled last week that the state has to pay a Uinta County $8,160 in property tax for leasing a truck stop on state land. The ruling is likely to raise lease rates on state lands.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2024
Clair McFarland: Firewood Warms You Til You're Sick To Your Stomach
Clair McFarland writes, "As we hauled logs I had to visualize my cozy fire to keep myself going. Don’t laugh: I’m a mother first, runner second. Lifter of anything heavier than a milk jug last."
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2024
Judge Wants Guatemalan Man Deported From Rock Springs After Fourth DUI
A Guatemalan man who smashed into a parked trailer in Rock Springs while drunk, leading to his fourth DUI arrest in the United States, was ordered to report for deportation this week.
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Sheridan Deputies Find Burglary Evidence All Over Suspects' Snapchat
Four young men face felony charges after at least one of them posted evidence to Snapchat of their alleged escapades robbing the Big Horn Y gas station in Sheridan, Wyoming. One suspect reportedly texted a Snapchat contact, “Yeah, We Robbed It.”
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Missing Yellowstone Hiker's Note A Clue For Volunteer Search Teams Now Mobilizing
The father of a 22-year-old hiker missing since Sept. 17 after summiting Yellowstone’s highest peak is coordinating private and volunteer search teams to help find his son. One of their clues is a note the hiker left at the mountain's summit.
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Cheyenne School Board Votes To Close 8 Schools, Parents Want A Re-Vote
The Laramie County School Board voted this week to close eight Cheyenne elementary schools, rescue one and build another. But some parents want a re-vote of what amounts to a “massive overhaul” of the school district.
Clair McFarlandOctober 11, 2024
Driver Accused Of 'Catastrophically Dismembering' Motorcyclists Pleads Not Guilty
A man accused of smashing into a trike motorcycle on a Wyoming highway so hard the two riders were “catastrophically dismembered” pleaded not guilty Thursday. An investigation shows he was allegedly high on meth and driving at least 86 mph.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024
Casper Officer Cleared To Return To Duty After Not Charged In Shooting
A Casper Police Department officer who won’t be charged for shooting and killing a domestic violence suspect has been cleared to return to duty, the CPD announced Thursday.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024
Judge Orders OK Of Controversial 195-Foot Cell Tower Just Outside Yellowstone
A federal judge has ordered the Park County Commission to approve a company's request to build a 195-foot cellphone tower in a scenic area just outside Yellowstone National Park — by Friday. The county is fighting the order in a higher court.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2024