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

House Passes Bill Giving Wyoming Parents More Power In Courts, Schools
The Wyoming House has passed a bill that would give parents more power over their children, and courts and schools less.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 24, 2024

Laramie Woman Accused Of Torching Her Own House While Entertaining Guests
A Laramie woman who had invited a mother and son to stay with her was reportedly acting “erratically” and saying she’d burn her trailer house shortly before it caught fire with her guests inside.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 23, 2024

Brief: Riverton Police Now Asking For Security Footage From Beating Death
A man found dead early Monday morning near a church in Riverton had “possible signs of trauma,” police say. Authorities are now requesting security footage from their homes or businesses.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 23, 2024

Suddenly Gone: UW, City And Childhood Coaches Mourn Swimmers After Fatal Crash
The childhood coaches of the three University of Wyoming swimmers who died Thursday in a one-vehicle crash told Cowboy State Daily about their lives and reflected on their deaths with shock, grief and tenderness. It's shared by the greater UW and Laramie community.
Clair McFarland & Greg JohnsonFebruary 23, 2024

University Of Wyoming Mourns Swimmers Killed In Crash: Charlie Clark, Carson Muir And Luke Slabber
University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel said the college is mourning three swimming and diving team members — identified as Charlie Clark, Carson Muir and Luke Slabber — who were killed Thursday in a one-vehicle rollover south of the Wyoming-Colorado border.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 23, 2024

Three University Of Wyoming Swimmers Dead In Single-Car Crash In Colorado
Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team died in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 287 in northern Colorado on Thursday afternoon. Two other members of the men's team were injured.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 23, 2024

Charges Refiled Against Wyoming Ranchers For Bleaching Penis Shapes Onto Cows
After a judge dismissed his earlier attempt at the case, a Crook County prosecutor is re-filing charges against two Wyoming ranchers accused of bleaching penis shapes onto their neighbor’s cows. This time there’s more evidence of lost value.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 22, 2024

Wyoming House Says UW Can Keep $100K Despite Teaching Transgender Treatments
The Wyoming House of Representatives changed course Wednesday and voted against using the budget to strip $100,000 from the University of Wyoming for teaching gender-transition treatments to medical students.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 22, 2024

Wyoming Senate Kills Bill To Make Adults Who Sext Kids Register As Sex Offenders
A proposed law that would have made people who send obscene material to minors register as sex offenders failed to pass the Wyoming Senate on Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 22, 2024

Thermopolis Releases Edited Body Cam Video Of Deadly Shootout With Officer
The town of Thermopolis on Wednesday released an edited and narrated video from the body cam of Sgt. Mike Mascorro, who illegally and without a warrant broke into a man’s home last April, sparking a shootout that left the man dead.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 21, 2024

Cat Still Missing From Sheridan Home Destroyed In Police Standoff
A week after Sheridan woman's home was destroyed in a 32-hour standoff with a man who reportedly shot and killed a Sheridan police officer, her cat is still missing.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 21, 2024

Wyoming Woman Accused Of Torturing Son Wants Out To Be With Her 5 Other Small Kids
A Wyoming woman who could face life in prison if convicted of torturing, starving and confining her 13-year-old son is pleading with the court for release to “re-unite” with her other five small children.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 21, 2024

Brief: Police Ask For Tips About Man Found Dead Outside Riverton Church
Riverton police are asking for tips about what led to a man being found dead near a local church Monday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2024

Cody Radio Mogul To Serve 15 Months In Prison For Evading $2.5M In Taxes
Susan Patrick, who has co-owned more than 20 Wyoming radio stations, was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for doctoring her personal and business books to evade paying $2.5 million in taxes.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2024

Riverton Man Convicted Of Breaking Into Home, Shooting Man In Back Of The Head
A Riverton man who broke into another man’s home and killed him by shooting him in the back of the head was convicted of first-degree murder, the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming announced Tuesday. He faces mandatory life in prison.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2024

'Suspicious' Driving Sparked Fatal Cheyenne Street Shootout
A deadly shootout last week in Cheyenne started because one of the shooters thought a man was driving through his neighborhood “suspiciously,” court documents say. The driver reportedly shot and killed the man's brother.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2024

After Committee Kills Bill, State Can Still Vax Kids Without Parent OK In Emergencies
A bill that would have removed the state’s authority to vaccinate Wyoming kids without parental consent in extreme circumstances was killed in committee Monday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2024

Head-On Near Laramie Kills Three, Including 5-Month-Old
A young Laramie, Wyoming, mother and father — along with their 5-month-old baby — were killed Saturday in a head-on collision. Three more people were injured and one horse also died.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 19, 2024

Senate Will Consider Bill Banning Some Sex Offenders From Working Around Teens
Wyoming Senator Affie Ellis is sponsoring a bill that would ban some sex offenders from working or volunteering at teen hangouts, such as fast-food restaurants and arcades.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 19, 2024

Runaway Wyoming Teens Found Safe In Northeastern Colorado
A pair of Lander, Wyoming, teens alleged to have fled the state with guns in a stolen 1969 Chevelle more than a week ago were found safe in Colorado on Friday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 16, 2024

Who Will Pay For Damages To Sheridan House Destroyed By Police Standoff?
The Sheridan woman whose home was destroyed during a 32-hour standoff between police and a suspected cop killer may have few legal options to recover her losses. Wyoming attorneys say her best bet could be a state court.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 16, 2024
