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
Town of Hudson, Wyoming, Considers Lifting Ban On Pit Bulls, Rottweilers
Pit Bulls and Rottweilers are illegal in Hudson, Wyoming, but the town is considering lifting the ban. Nationwide, pit bulls are responsible for 67% of dog-bite fatalities, yet a local vet said they can have successful family lives if well socialized.
Clair McFarlandApril 11, 2024
Wyoming Department Of Health Gives $3,000 For Annual Drag Show; Freedom Caucus Livid
The Wyoming Department of Health has pledged $3,000 to help throw a drag queen bingo event in Laramie later this month. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus said taxpayers should not be funding a "perverted and scandalous event."
Clair McFarlandApril 11, 2024
Public Officials, Law Agencies Flooded With Threats Over Reports Of Wolf Torture
The outrage over reports of a Wyoming man allegedly capturing, tormenting then killing a wolf has boiled over with people from all over the world threatening local, state and law enforcement officials, including death threats.
Clair McFarlandApril 10, 2024
Charges ‘Unlikely’ For Neighbor Who Shot Man In Cheyenne Domestic Fight
Laramie County’s top prosecutor told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that it’s “unlikely” charges will be filed against a resident who shot and killed a man while intervening in a loud domestic fight in his Cheyenne apartment complex.
Clair McFarlandApril 10, 2024
Cheyenne Bank Stops Woman From Cashing Forged $1 Million Check
A Cheyenne bank helped stopped a Wisconsin woman on Monday from cashing someone else’s check from the federal government for nearly $1 million, by allegedly forging the check-owner’s name on it.
Clair McFarlandApril 10, 2024
Wyoming Supreme Court Won’t Answer Abortion Questions Early
The Wyoming Supreme Court declined late Tuesday to decide whether abortion is unconstitutional in the state, saying a lower-level district court should grapple with those questions first.
Clair McFarlandApril 10, 2024
115 Sheep Reported Stolen From Northeast Wyoming Ranches
A pair of ranchers in the Wright, Wyoming, area reported 115 sheep have been stolen from them recently. Another rancher reported 70 yearling ewes stolen from the same region last summer.
Clair McFarlandApril 10, 2024
Intimidation Case Dropped Against Evanston Man Who Displayed Yard Signs
A Uinta County judge Monday dismissed the felony case against an Evanston man who was accused of using yard signs on his own property to intimidate his neighbor. Had he been convicted, he faced up to 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandApril 09, 2024
Cheyenne Police Release Video Of Officers Subduing Suspect With Baton
The Cheyenne Police Department released video Monday of officers repeatedly striking a man with a baton who had given a false ID and tried to tase an officer with his own taser. State Sen. Anthony Bouchard condemned the tactics as excessive.
Clair McFarlandApril 09, 2024
Judge Sends Evanston Couple To Felony Court For Death Of Baby Found In Filth
An Evanston couple were bound over to felony-level court Monday in the death of their 9-month-old girl, who died after living in putrid filth the judge called “the worst of the worst.”
Clair McFarlandApril 08, 2024
Shoshoni Woman Turns Herself In For Shooting Boyfriend
A Shoshoni woman accused of emptying the magazine of a handgun in the direction of her boyfriend and his Harley Davidson motorcycle, hitting the man in the foot, reportedly turned herself in Thursday and could face decades in prison.
Clair McFarlandApril 08, 2024
Clair McFarland: My Life In One Country Song
Clair McFarland writes, "I always, always circle back to country music. Not the crappy, fake-accent, get-up-on-my-tailgate-in-them-Daisy-Dukes pop that some of y’all call country music. No: Real country music teems with corny puns, but it’s anguished, joyful, intense and sincere."
Clair McFarlandApril 05, 2024
Wyoming Welfare Fraudsters Outed By Facebook Posts
An Encampment woman has been found guilty of scamming welfare agencies out of thousands of dollars by running a scheme in which she pretended to live apart from her husband and on virtually no income. She and her husband were outed due to their Facebook posts.
Clair McFarlandApril 05, 2024
Casper Police Officer Who Shot Suspected Cop-Killer Back At Work
The Casper police officer who shot and killed a man suspected of gunning down Sheridan Police Sgt. Nevada Krinkee following a prolonged standoff in February is back at work in a modified capacity, after weeks of administrative leave.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024
Motorcyclist Dies After Gillette Arrest, Coroner Says No Signs Of Violence
A motorcyclist arrested by Gillette police Wednesday on suspicion of drug possession fell ill and was taken from jail to a local hospital, where he died. The coroner says there’s no signs of violence and an autopsy will be done.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024
Fremont County Threatens Takeover Of Library Board Amid Sex Books Controversy
The Fremont County Commission is threatening to take over the local library board by May 1 if the board doesn't update its policies on sexually graphic literature in the teens’ section of the library.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024
Cheyenne Police Release Body Cam Video Of Deadly Hostage Shootout
A 16-minute compilation of body cam video released Thursday shows the tense moments that led to Cheyenne Police Department officers shooting and killing a man who fired a gun at them and was holding his wife hostage in a home.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024
BRIEF: Coroner Confirms Wyoming Woman Stabbed To Death On Reservation
A 37-year-old Ethete, Wyoming, woman was stabbed to death on the Wind River Indian Reservation on Feb. 25, the coroner confirmed Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandApril 03, 2024
Outgoing Senator Puzzled Why House Speaker Killed Prostitution Bill
Outgoing State Sen. Affie Ellis on Wednesday said she remains baffled why House Speaker Albert Sommers killed a prostitution bill that passed overwhelmingly in the senate. Sommers said it was a matter of prioritization.
Clair McFarlandApril 03, 2024
Human Skull Found In Wyoming’s Vast Red Desert Was A Man Age 25-35, Coroner Says
A bleached-out human skull found in Wyoming’s vast Red Desert in November belonged to a man ages 25-35, the Sweetwater County coroner confirmed Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandApril 03, 2024
BRIEF: Uinta County Man Charged With Lying To Get $14,000 In Medicaid Payments
Accused of lying so he could get more than $14,000 in Medicaid welfare benefits, a Mountain View, Wyoming, man now faces two felony charges and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandApril 02, 2024