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
Wyoming National Guard Has 800 Employees Working For Free In Shutdown
The Wyoming National Guard has around 800 full-time employees working for free during the federal government shutdown, with "no end in sight." They're guaranteed back pay when the government restarts.
Clair McFarlandOctober 21, 2025
Gordon Investigates New Complaints Against Weston County Clerk
Gov. Mark Gordon on Monday announced that he’s received at least four more complaints about the Weston County clerk’s handling of the 2024 general election. He said he’s investigating the new claims — and a call to remove the clerk from her elected office.
Clair McFarlandOctober 20, 2025
Bill Would Allow Wyoming Police To Ticket Non-English-Speaking Truckers
A Wyoming legislative committee meeting in Cheyenne on Monday adopted a draft bill to let all state law enforcement officers ticket commercial truckers caught driving without being proficient in the English language.
Clair McFarlandOctober 20, 2025
Corner-Crossing War Is Over: Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Landowner's Appeal
Being able to corner-cross private property to access landlocked public lands is now the rule across much of the American West, after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Wyoming landowner’s challenge of the practice.
Clair McFarlandOctober 20, 2025
Wyoming Bill Would Shield Pregnancy Centers From Overreach By Cities, Counties
A Wyoming legislative committee on Thursday advanced a bill that, if it becomes law, would safeguard pregnancy centers from being forced to offer abortions or otherwise abridge their mission by state or local governments.
Clair McFarlandOctober 18, 2025
Wyoming Secretary Of State Flags 3 Possible Noncitizen Voters in State Rolls
Secretary of State Chuck Gray flagged three possible noncitizen voters in Teton, Lincoln and Carbon counties. Clerks will now verify citizenship. “Only U.S. citizens and only Wyoming residents should be voting in Wyoming elections — period,” Gray said
Clair McFarlandOctober 17, 2025
Moorcroft Man’s Child Sex Trial Delayed Because Of New Sex Crime Charge In Nebraska
A Moorcroft man’s child sex abuse trial was delayed after he was charged in Nebraska with another child sex crime. Charles Dean Massie is accused of sexually abusing girls at his church in Wyoming, and of molesting a teen in Nebraska.
Clair McFarlandOctober 17, 2025
Hageman Urges Feds To Pull Trans Treatments From Affordable Care Act Coverage
Wyoming's U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman on Wednesday announced she's urging the federal government to delist transgender treatments from Affordable Care Act coverage. A Wyoming LGBTQ advocacy group says Hageman made divisive political attacks while doing so.
Clair McFarlandOctober 17, 2025
Green River Leaders 'Ecstatic’ Tunnel Set To Reopen After Deadly 26-Vehicle Crash
Green River leaders are “ecstatic” that the westbound interstate tunnel tattered by a deadly 26-vehicle pileup in February is scheduled to reopen to traffic by late November. Three people died in the fiery Feb. 14 crash that prompted a $16 million rebuild.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2025
One Of Two Big Piney Men In Bow And Arrow Ambush Death Pleads Guilty
Orion Schlesinger pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to ambush and kill his video gaming friend Dakota Farley the night of Feb. 1-2 in Big Piney. Rowan Littauer, who's accused of firing the fatal shot with a bow, is still on track for trial.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2025
Uinta County Man Accused Of Using AI To Put Girl In Child Porn
A Uinta County man accused of using AI to transform a teen’s photo into child pornography faces four felony charges. The case has reignited some Wyoming lawmakers’ push to curb "deepfake" deceptions and bolster AI-related law.
Clair McFarlandOctober 16, 2025
Lummis Introduces Bill To End Diesel 'Delete' Rules, Free Imprisoned Mechanics
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill Tuesday to end emissions requirements and prosecution of diesel “delete” mechanics. An attorney defending a Wyoming mechanic said the idea supports rural America, but the bill's a "long shot" as written.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2025
Wyoming Panel Advances Grooming Bill With Tougher Penalties Than Statutory Rape
Wyoming's Joint Judiciary Committee on Monday advanced a bill seeking to criminalize "grooming," or pushing children toward sexual acts. As drafted, it would penalize grooming offenses with harsher penalties than statutory rape itself.
Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2025
Alleged Cheyenne Animal Hoarder Was Investigated For Cruelty Before
The man accused of hoarding more than 100 animals in Cheyenne was investigated — but not convicted — for similar allegations dating back to 2022. Shelter staffers are still scrambling to feed, clean and care for the massive influx of rescued pets.
Jackson Walker & Clair McFarlandOctober 15, 2025
Sister Of Sheridan Cop-Shooter Drops Lawsuit, Says It Was About Answers, Not Money
The sister of a man who was killed after fatally shooting a Sheridan police officer last year has dropped her lawsuit against law enforcement. She said the lawsuit was never about money, but getting answers about her brother’s death.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2025
Committee Adopts Bill Greenlighting Lawsuits Over 'Sexually Explicit' Library Books
The Wyoming Judiciary Committee on Monday adopted a bill letting residents of a given county or school district sue libraries or schools over sexually-explicit materials in children's sections of libraries.
Clair McFarlandOctober 14, 2025
Crook County Man Randomly Shot In The Neck While Working Cattle
A Crook County man was shot in the neck last week while out working cattle on a ranch near Sundance. Authorities have no idea where the bullet came from. He was hospitalized for a full week in South Dakota.
Clair McFarlandOctober 13, 2025
Self-Proclaimed Cartel Member Gets Life In Kidnapping, Torture Of Lander Woman
Self-proclaimed drug cartel member Adolfo Vargas Lepe filed an appeal this week after receiving a life sentence for kidnapping a Lander woman. He reportedly tortured her with power tools, shot her in both legs and trapped her in a dog kennel.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2025
Teen Charged After 100 MPH Elk Crash Kills Friend Near Saratoga
The case of an 18-year-old Casper woman accused of hitting two bull elk while driving 100 mph on the highway, killing her friend, rose to the felony-level court this week. She faces up to 20.5 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandOctober 10, 2025
One Big Piney Teen In Bow And Arrow Killing Gets Plea Deal
One of the Big Piney teens accused in a February conspiracy to kill his 23-year-old friend with a bow and arrow has agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence recommendation of between 54 years and life in prison.
Clair McFarlandOctober 09, 2025
Wyoming Supreme Court Keeps School Choice Program Blocked
The Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the state’s bid to revive a new school-choice scholarship program that a lower court blocked temporarily in July. But the appeal continues, along with the debate over whether the program is constitutional.
Clair McFarlandOctober 09, 2025