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
With Homeless Shelter At Capacity, Cheyenne Church Opened Doors During Severe Cold Snap
When temperatures plunged well below zero last weekend and the COMEA Shelter was overflowing, a Cheyenne church opened its doors to more than 30 homeless people, some of them with ashen frostbite already bubbling on their hands.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 17, 2024
Cell Tower Data Leads To Arrest Of Couple In Killing Of Cheyenne Transient
Cell tower data led to the arrest of a Cheyenne couple in the killing of a transient last fall. The man said he only “roughed him up,” but the ER doctor said it was “one of the worst brain bleeds” he’d ever seen.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 17, 2024
Supreme Court Won't Say If Trans Kids Can Use Whatever Bathroom They Want
With the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday not to hear a case on whether transgender students have a right to use whatever bathroom they want, Wyoming legislation like the What Is A Woman Act, or a local school-board policy, could tip the Cowboy State into the mix.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 16, 2024
Murdered Sheridan Woman Was Found Under Gasoline-Soaked Blankets
The Sheridan woman discovered dead in her home Jan. 7 was found under a pile of gasoline-soaked blankets, according to court documents. Her 22-year-old son argued with her loudly the day before and has been charged with second-degree murder.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 16, 2024
Worker Too Late To Sue Over Attempted Mental Hold, Wyoming Hospital Says
A former employee of Weston County Health Services missed her window to sue the organization for allegedly trying to have her involuntarily committed because she was too late giving notice of her lawsuit.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 16, 2024
Wyoming Temps Are Cold Enough To Freeze Bulls' Balls Off, Rancher Warns
A Sheridan rancher warned that temperatures in Wyoming are so cold that ranchers should lay out straw for their bulls to lie on so the bulls don't freeze their testicles and lose their stud potential.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 15, 2024
Actor Pierce Brosnan Pleads Not Guilty To Illegal Hiking On Yellowstone Thermal
Pierce Brosnan, the film actor famous for playing James Bond, has pleaded not guilty to illegal hiking in Yellowstone. Many tourists have died by falling in to the boiling thermals when they have gone off-trail.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 15, 2024
Supreme Court Could Force Jackson To Rethink $31,000 In Gov't Fees For Home Building
Someone who wants to build a 4,000-square-foot home in Jackson has to pay local government $31,000 for the privilege. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case that could make it easier to sue the town over those fees.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 13, 2024
Clair McFarland: These Extra Books Are In Case Of Invasion
Clair McFarland writes: "Every town should have a used bookstore, even if it’s just a few shelves in an old chicken coop with an honor-pay tin can wedged between the wind-eaten volumes."
Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2024
Bairoil Shooter With Dementia To Face Trial, Can't 'Play The Crazy Card'
A Wyoming woman mending from two bullet wounds said she's glad the accused shooter, her husband's uncle, can't “play the crazy card,” after a judge ruled Wednesday the uncle is mentally competent to face trail.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2024
Teacher, Parents Give Conflicting Accounts On Sex Pictures In Wright Art Class
The tiny town of Wright, Wyoming, exploded in controversy this week over a dispute about whether a fourth-grade art teacher enabled students to view images of male-on-male sex acts.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2024
Riverton Youth Leader Charged With Molesting Girl, Says He ‘Gave In To Temptation’
A church youth leader from Riverton has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a girl younger than 12 in Florida. He allegedly told police there that he’s addicted to pornography and “gave in to temptation.”
Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2024
Sheridan Murder Victim Was Suspected Killer's Mom, Coroner Confirms
The Sheridan County coroner on Thursday said the 22-year-old suspected of killing 64-year-old Leonila Melvin is the victim’s son who was already in jail on drug charges when his mother’s body was discovered.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 11, 2024
Laramie High Suspends Sports On UW Campus After Teen Attacked
University of Wyoming police are investigating a report of a man dressed in black attacking a teenage girl Tuesday evening on the college’s campus. The girl, a Laramie High School athlete, wasn’t harmed, but the school has suspended practices at UW.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 11, 2024
Gillette Realtor Accused Of Stealing Identities Of Other Realtors
Accused of forging the signatures of other agents to get higher commissions on foreclosed houses, a Gillette real estate agent faces six felony charges, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 10, 2024
Sheridan Police Arrested Suspected Killer For Drugs Hours Before Finding Body
Sheridan police arrested Israel Melvin, 22, Sunday morning after reportedly finding him delusional in a restaurant bathroom full of marijuana smoke. Hours later, they found the body of a woman they believe he killed.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 10, 2024
Park County Attorney Won’t Prosecute Alleged Sex Abuse Of Kindergartner
The Park County attorney on Tuesday said he won’t prosecute the alleged sex abuse of a kindergartner, saying there are too many inconsistencies in the evidence and claims made by the girl that she was sexually abused by older students in a school bathroom.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 10, 2024
Cody Woman Accused Of Hiring Hitman To Kill Daughter's Boyfriend Pleads Not Guilty
A Cody woman accused of seeking out a hitman to kill her daughter's "controlling" boyfriend pleaded not guilty on Monday. The charge carries a penalty of life in prison with or without parole, and up to $10,000 in fines.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2024
Gillette Family Asks Court To Dismiss Librarian's Defamation Suit Over Sex Books
Saying their complaints against former Campbell County Library Director Terri Lesley were protected speech, three members of the Bennett family of Gillette are asking a federal court to dismiss Lesley's defamation lawsuit against them.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2024
Riverton City Worker Says He Found Woman Frozen To Dumpster
A Riverton City worker posted a series of videos over the weekend saying he found a woman frozen to the bottom of a dumpster in City Park. The woman went missing, and her father found her and is getting her treatment.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2024
Sheridan Woman, 64, Found Dead In Home Had Blunt-Force Trauma
Investigators converged on a Sheridan home Sunday after a 64-year-old woman died of an apparent homicide and blunt-force trauma. Police say there’s a suspect, who is "not at large," and not yet charged.
Clair McFarlandJanuary 08, 2024