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
Freedom Caucus Firebrand Jeanette Ward Upset For House District 57
Julie Jarvis upset State House Rep. Jeanette Ward of Casper in Tuesday’s primary election. Ward was ousted after one term.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Joel Guggemos Beats Incumbent Ember Oakley For House District 55 Seat
Joel Guggemos won 55% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary race to potentially represent Riverton in the Wyoming House.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Lloyd Larsen Bailed Out By Absentee Votes In House District 54 Race
Republican Rep. Lloyd Larsen of Lander retained the Republican nomination for his legislative seat of nearly 12 years, despite losing by 85 votes before absentee ballots were counted.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Wyoming May Help Utah Sue For Control Of Its Federal Land
Gov. Mark Gordon said Wyoming is studying ways to support Utah in its quest to gain control of federal land in that state. Utah filed a U.S. Supreme Court case Tuesday aimed toward gaining control of 18 million acres of its federal lands.
Clair McFarlandAugust 20, 2024
Brief: Texas Man Pleads Not Guilty To Taking Photos Up Girl’s Shorts At Carnival
A Texas man caught allegedly taking photos up the shorts of a young girl at the Teton County Carnival has pleaded not guilty.
Clair McFarlandAugust 20, 2024
Turns Out The Cops Were Already Tracking Wyoming Man’s Alleged VW Meth Bug
State police were already tracking a purple Volkswagen Bug that prompted a traffic stop when it broke down in a cloud of diesel smoke in Chugwater, Wyoming, suspected of bringing meth from Colorado.
Clair McFarlandAugust 20, 2024
Man Suspected Of Sex Trafficking Teen Also Accused Of Sneaking Drugs Into Jail
A New Mexico man stopped in Wyoming is suspected of sex trafficking a teen girl. He’s also accused of sneaking fentanyl into the Uinta County Jail. His case rose to felony-level court Friday.
Clair McFarlandAugust 19, 2024
Montana Motorcyclist Missing For 5 Days Swerved To Miss A Deer
A Montana motorcyclist who was missing for five days and survived by drinking creek water is recovering in a Missoula hospital. Friends say he crashed into a tree when he swerved to miss a deer on the road.
Clair McFarlandAugust 19, 2024
Degenfelder Applauds Supreme Court Ruling Against Biden Trans Bathroom Rules
Wyoming’s top education official Megan Degenfelder on Saturday applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling which blocked the new Biden administration transgender bathroom rule in multiple states.
Clair McFarlandAugust 17, 2024
Missing Montana Motorcyclist Found Alive In Idaho Surviving On Creek Water
Zachary DeMoss of Montana vanished without a trace Sunday during a Western states motorcycle trip with his buddies. After an intense five-day search, he was found Friday surviving on creek water.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Man Arrested In Crash That “Catastrophically Dismembered” 2 On Motorcycle
A man has been arrested more than a year after the truck he was allegedly driving plowed into a motorcycle and “catastrophically dismembered” two people in 2023. He was returned to Wyoming on Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
6-Year-Old Alive Dangling From Seat Belt After Alcohol/Marijuana-Fueled Rollover Near Gillette
A 6-year-old boy was found alive and dangling from a seat belt after the car he was in rolled multiple times. A Gillette woman was charged Wednesday in the alcohol- and marijuana-fueled rollover in northeast Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Search Scaling Back For Montana Motorcyclist Who Vanished On Road Trip In Idaho
Five days after he vanished on an Idaho highway during a road trip with buddies, the search for a missing motorcyclist is being scaled back. Despite an intense search covering nearly 100 miles of highway and riverbank, there’s been no sign of him.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Sweetwater County Residents At War Over Dog Sitting At Table In Restaurant
People in southwest Wyoming are at war over a photo of a woman who put her dog on the seat of a booth at the table of a Rock Springs, Wyoming, restaurant. Some are appalled, calling the act “entitled,” while others say just leave them alone.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Feds May Deport Three Guatemalans Caught With 170 Pounds Of Pot In Wyoming
Three Guatemalans were reportedly caught hauling 170 pounds of marijuana through Wyoming and face felony charges. At the same time, federal authorities are considering deporting them.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
One Killed, Four Hurt When RV Rolls Off Teton Pass
Brake failure may have caused an RV rollover on Teton Pass on Wednesday that killed a Nevada woman and injured four. They were on their way to Jackson when the vehicle rolled and burst apart, making the RV look like it had exploded.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
Goshen County On Lookout For Man Accused Of Beating Woman’s Face With Gun
The Goshen County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man accused of brutally beating his girlfriend. He allegedly pistol-whipped her in the face to the point of possibly disfiguring her.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
Brief: No Arrests Made After Shooting On Wyoming Reservation
Someone was shot on Wyoming’s Wind River Indian Reservation on Wednesday afternoon. The FBI isn’t releasing much information on the shooting, but confirmed no one has been arrested.
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2024
Tourists Who Bear-Sprayed, Shot At Camp Intruder Claim Self-Defense
A couple from South Dakota charged with bear-spraying and shooting at a woman near their Wyoming campsite say they acted in self-defense. But prosecutors say the couple was looking for a fight with the woman, who was just looking for her hat.
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2024
Three Laramie Men Accused Of Duct-Taping Woman, Then Cutting And Beating Her
Three Laramie men are accused of duct-taping a woman’s mouth, hands and ankles, then cutting her with a knife, beating and threatening her. They allegedly did it because she was “disrespecting” them.
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2024
Montana Motorcyclist Vanishes On Road Trip With Buddies In Idaho
Idaho authorities are treating the disappearance of a motorcyclist from Montana as a missing persons case after he disappeared on Sunday. His friends did spot his bike but when they went back to that location after he didn't show up, it was gone.
Clair McFarlandAugust 13, 2024