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

Armed, Barricaded Suspect Closed Highway To Casper Saturday
An "armed, barricaded suspect" prompted a law-enforcement response on Highway 20-26 between Moneta and Casper on Saturday morning. The suspect was in custody by midday and the road was reopened.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 03, 2024

Rock Springs Police Find Two Dead After Assault Call
Police responded to an assault call in a Rock Springs home Friday morning, and arrived to find two adults dead in the home.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 03, 2024

Great News: Wyoming Ranks 48th In Nation For Syphilis, 47th For Gonorrhea
In the world of STDs, Wyoming is scoring well -- coming in 48th for syphilis, 47th for gonorrhea, and 45th in chlamydia. Wyomingites may not want to travel to South Dakota any time soon as it's ranked number one in the nation for syphilis.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2024

Former Kappa Sorority Members Sue After Trans Member Fast-Tracked To Leadership
A Wyoming woman and five more from other states are suing the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority for allegedly fast-tracking a transgender alumnus into leadership positions, including national president. The complaint reads “Most members remain unaware that the candidate is a man.”
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2024

Wyoming Supreme Court Says Pro-Lifers Can't Intervene In Abortion Lawsuit
Upholding the earlier ruling of a Teton County District Court judge, the Wyoming Supreme Court on Friday denied a pro-life group and two pro-life lawmakers' requests to help defend the state's abortion bans in a lawsuit against them.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2024

We Don't Care About Punxsutawney Phil, Wyoming Relies On Lander Lil
Lander Lil, Wyoming’s most famous prairie dog and the only rodent we don't shoot at, did not see her shadow at sunrise on Groundhog Day, which means that in some hallucination of a legend, winter is over.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2024

Riverton Man Faces Up To 10 Years In Prison For Shoplifting Tide Pods
A Riverton man accused of stealing a $13 pack of Tide Pods from the local Walmart on Wednesday could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted of a felony as a repeat offender.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 02, 2024

Prison For Wyoming Man Who Beat Kids, Tried To Push Pregnant Wife From Van
A Sundance, Wyoming man convicted of beating his children and trying to push his pregnant wife out of a moving van has been sentenced to between eight and 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 01, 2024

UW May Be In Laramie, But Doesn’t Have To Follow City Water Rules, High Court Says
The city of Laramie has lost its battle to keep the University of Wyoming from using its own water well because the state Constitution says UW is special, the state Supreme Court said Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 01, 2024

Sheriff, Police Investigate 'Active Assailant' Report At High School In Rawlins
Law enforcement isn’t releasing much information about an “active assailant” threat reported at Victory High School in Rawlins, Wyoming, on Tuesday, saying an investigation is ongoing and there is now no threat.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 01, 2024

Mother Of Laramie Man Killed By Deputy Wants More Evidence To Go Public
The mother of a Laramie man shot and killed by an Albany County deputy in 2018 says that although county paid $1.2 million to settle her lawsuit, there’s even more important evidence about her son’s death the public needs to know.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 01, 2024

Colorado Man Calls Wyoming Cops On Himself, Helps Them Find His Cocaine
Believing a friend had “bugged” his phone, wallet and eyeglasses, a Colorado man called Laramie County Sheriff’s office deputies on himself outside of Cheyenne, then helped them find his cocaine and marijuana.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 31, 2024

How Does The University Of Wyoming Rank Worse Than Harvard On Free Speech?
In a major free-speech advocacy group’s report on how well universities safeguarded students’ speech rights in 2023, the University of Wyoming ranked worse than Harvard, which has an "abysmal" record on free speech.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 31, 2024

Montana Couple Fears State Took Daughter To Wyoming For Gender Transition
A Montana couple is claiming their state’s child protection agency seized their daughter, who was suicidal and wanting to live as a boy, and placed her in a Wyoming facility, where there are no laws banning gender treatments for kids.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 30, 2024

Former Pinedale Teacher In Child-Predator Sting Video Never Charged With Crime
A teacher fired from a Pinedale school two years ago after he was the subject of a child-predator sting video in California was not charged with a crime, but is no longer licensed to teach in Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 30, 2024

Man Accused Of Riverton Library Beating Says He Was Avenging Rape
A pair of Riverton brothers accused of brutally beating a man with a board outside the local library pleaded not guilty in the attack, which one brother reportedly told police was retaliation for an alleged rape of a family member.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 30, 2024

Man Dead After Early Morning Hit-And-Run On Reservation
The FBI is asking the public for information about an early morning hit-and-run that killed someone Monday on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 29, 2024

Barrasso, Lummis Argue Bump Stocks Don’t Make Guns Automatic; ATF Should Stay Out Of It
Wyoming's two senators argued Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court that the ATF should not outlaw bump stocks, and said the ATF has no authority to craft criminal laws in the first place.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 29, 2024

Clair McFarland: Wyoming Should Move New Year's Day To February
Clair McFarland writes: "If the sage grouse sees his shadow, we’ll stop all development to save his species. If he doesn’t see his shadow, we’ll hunt him and eat him. It’s a complete toss-up."
Clair McFarlandJanuary 27, 2024

Jury Doesn't Need Proof That Wyoming Voyeur 'Looked At' Bathroom Videos
In a Wednesday ruling, the Wyoming Supreme Court didn’t buy the argument that a Sheridan man who had a hidden video camera in his bathroom shouldn’t have been convicted of voyeurism because it wasn’t proven he actually “looked” at the video.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 27, 2024

Wyoming Supreme Court Won't Make District Build School In Remote Albany County
The Wyoming Supreme Court sided with a lower court Friday in denying a rural family’s request for a new schoolhouse to be built near a remote family ranch near Garrett, Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 26, 2024
