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: Kids Are Cooler When No One’s Watching
Clair McFarland writes: “Firstborn cleared a bulkhead in one leap, side-jumped off a wall and somersaulted down the runway. ‘What the crap,’ I said. ‘Those are OUR kids. And they’re - COOL?’”
Clair McFarlandDecember 31, 2024
Fremont County Man Accused Of Raping Woman So She'd Be His Kid "Donor"
A 23-year-old Fremont County man is accused of raping his girlfriend’s friend so she would be the “donor” of a child he can’t have, federal court documents say. He was charged Monday with felonies that could land him prison for life.
Clair McFarlandDecember 31, 2024
Rock Springs First Grader Saves Diabetic Grandma He Thought Had “Died”
A Rock Springs, Wyoming, first grader saved his grandmother’s life this month by getting himself to school and reporting that his grandmother had “died.” Fortunately, she wasn’t dead and had just become unconscious from low blood sugar.
Clair McFarlandDecember 31, 2024
Rock Springs Couple Facing Centuries In Prison On Child Group Sex Claims
A Rock Springs couple are facing charges that add up to centuries in prison after Rock Springs police say they sexually abused and involved a teenage girl in sex acts with themselves and others for more than a year.
Clair McFarlandDecember 30, 2024
Suspected Cheyenne Shooter Tries To Get Away Until Wheel Falls Off SUV
A Cheyenne man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at someone in a Friday night drive-by. Police say he tried to get away, until a wheel fell off the SUV he was driving.
Clair McFarlandDecember 30, 2024
Gordon Investigating Weston County Clerk Over Election Misconduct Claims
Gov. Mark Gordon says he’s investigating allegations of election misconduct against the Weston County clerk. The complaint stems from the general election in which the clerk mistakenly mixed ballots with errors in with correct ballots.
Clair McFarlandDecember 28, 2024
Opponents Want To Stop $500M Wyoming Wind Farm, Say It Will Kill Eagles And Bats
A group of opponents of the long-embattled Rail Tie wind project in southern Wyoming is asking a judge to halt a crucial step in the $500 million development. They say the huge 675-foot turbines will slaughter eagles and bats.
Clair McFarlandDecember 28, 2024
Wyoming Man Faces Felonies After Tricking Prosecutors Into Charging Wrong Guy
An Arapaho, Wyoming, man accused of trying to cash a fraudulent $33,000 check now faces more felony charges, on claims he tricked prosecutors into charging someone else in his place.
Clair McFarlandDecember 27, 2024
Wyoming Freedom Caucus Unveils 'War On Woke' Plan For Legislative Session
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus has declared a “war on woke” for the upcoming legislative session, which begins next month. It features five proposed bills aimed at election integrity, ESG policies and reducing property taxes.
Clair McFarlandDecember 27, 2024
Clair McFarland: I Guess Honda Accords Aren't Cool Enough For Middle Schoolers
Clair McFarland writes: "This time, I dig way deep. 'Did you know, the Honda Accord is consistently within the top-10 stolen cars every year?' Middleborn raises one soft eyebrow, or at least I think he does, in the black shade of his hat brim."
Clair McFarlandDecember 25, 2024
Not Taking Dying Toddler To The ER Is Child Abuse, High Court Rules
A Cody, Wyoming, woman who got life in prison for not taking a dying toddler to the hospital lost her appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court on Friday. The court ruled that failing to get medical attention for the girl as she died is child abuse.
Clair McFarlandDecember 23, 2024
Campbell County K-9 Bites Car Chase Suspect Who Said Feds Controlled His Mind
Benjamin Ray Larson led Campbell County Sheriff’s officers on a chase this month and didn’t surrender until officers deployed a K-9 to force him to comply with orders, state troopers report. The K-9 bit Larson, who also claimed the feds had taken over his mind.
Clair McFarlandDecember 23, 2024
Accused Of Stealing Steak And Hot Dogs, Wyoming Woman Could Get 20 Years
Kimberly Duran, 32, of Ethete, Wyoming, faces up to 20 years in prison on claims she stole steak, hot dogs, house slippers and other things from the Riverton Walmart. She's been convicted of theft 21 times prior and is scheduled for court Friday.
Clair McFarlandDecember 23, 2024
They're Not Playing Games, These Wyoming Cops Use Virtual Reality To Train
Virtual reality is good for more than playing the latest video games. Wyoming law enforcement agencies are using the technology to run cutting-edge training programs.
Clair McFarlandDecember 21, 2024
Settlement Allows Calif. Company To Build 175-Foot Cell Tower Outside Yellowstone
Officials in Park County, Wyoming, on Wednesday stopped fighting a California cellphone company that sued to build a nearly 200-foot-tall tower outside Yellowstone National Park. A settlement allows a 175-foot tower to be built next year.
Clair McFarlandDecember 21, 2024
Off-Duty Gillette Cop Spots Stolen Gun While Scrolling Online
An off-duty Gillette police officer scrolling gun sales online spotted a pistol reported stolen six weeks earlier. That led a 19-year-old Wyoming man who had that gun and other stolen weapons. He was charged Thursday with multiple felonies.
Clair McFarlandDecember 20, 2024
Feds Grab Suspected Venezuelan Gang Member From Cheyenne Jail
Federal immigration authorities took custody Friday of an illegal immigrant the local sheriff suspects of being in a Venezuelan gang. The man had just been released from a five-month jail sentence in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandDecember 20, 2024
Brief: No Arrests — And No Hunt For Suspects — After Deadly Riverton Stabbing
Investigators looking into a fatal stabbing Sunday night in Riverton said they have identified and interviewed people involved but have not made an arrest. They're still investigating, the local undersheriff says.
Clair McFarlandDecember 19, 2024
Man Who Racked Up 7-Foot-Long List Of Citations During Chase Gets Six Months
A Saratoga, Wyoming, man who racked up a 7-foot-long list of citations during a wild chase with a Carbon County Sheriff's Office sergeant got six months in jail last week. That included being ticketed for littering when his tailgate whipped off.
Clair McFarlandDecember 19, 2024
Casper Man Who Killed Accused Child Molester Won’t Sue Over Amputated Toe
A Casper, Wyoming, man who killed his granddaughter’s alleged molester four years ago has withdrawn a lawsuit over his toe being amputated in prison. He claimed prison doctors mistreating a wound resulted in losing a toe.
Clair McFarlandDecember 19, 2024
Minnesota Hunter Who Mistook Moose For Elk In Bighorns Apologizes
A Minnesota hunter who shot a moose with no antlers thinking it was a cow elk wrote a heartfelt apology to the Sheridan Circuit Court last week. He was fined $1,000 and sentenced to one year of probation.
Clair McFarlandDecember 19, 2024