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
Three Schools In Pine Bluffs Locked Down After Man Assaults His Grandma, Fires Shotgun
The Pine Bluffs Police Department on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of assaulting his grandmother and firing a shotgun in her home near a school.
Clair McFarlandAugust 23, 2023
Crane Boom Falls, Crushes Rig Worker Near Douglas
OSHA says its investigation into a June accident where a rig company crane fell and crushed a Casper man working at a site near Douglas could take months.
Clair McFarlandAugust 22, 2023
Judge Says Lawmakers’ Religious Video Is Evidence In Case Against Abortion Bans
A Wyoming judge said a video of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus mentioning a need to pray and thanking the Lord for divine intervention is relevant to a lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion bans as religious edicts.
Clair McFarlandAugust 22, 2023
Laramie Man Who Disemboweled Himself Denies Molesting 8-Year-Old Girl
A Laramie, Wyoming man who partially disemboweled himself in an apparent suicide attempt to avoid child molestation charges pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Albany County District Court, where he appeared in a wheelchair with subdued speech and faulty hearing.
Clair McFarlandAugust 22, 2023
Gillette Man's Ex-Girlfriend Accused Of Robbing Him, Running Up Credit Cards
Five years after breaking up with boyfriend, a Gillette woman is accused of breaking into his home, stealing electronics and credit cards and piling up about $9,000 in fraudulent charges.
Clair McFarlandAugust 22, 2023
Man Accused Of Stabbing Casper Man In The Neck Was Fresh Out Of Prison
A 36-year-old Arapahoe, Wyoming, man had been out of prison about a week when he allegedly stabbed a Casper man in the neck and torso, killing him, police say.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2023
Cheyenne Teen Accused Of Killing Girl, 15, In Drive-By To Stay In Adult Court
Johnny Muñoz, 17, will continue to fight a first-degree murder charge as an adult for allegedly killing a 15-year-old Cheyenne girls in an April drive-by after a judge ruled against an effort for him to be moved to juvenile court.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2023
Judge Blocks UW Ban On Church Elder Who Called Out Transgender Student
A judge on Friday blocked a yearlong ban on a Laramie church elder who called out a transgender student in the University of Wyoming Student Union. The judge said UW “appears to be favoring one viewpoint over another.”
Clair McFarlandAugust 18, 2023
Pinedale Man Charged With Molesting Kindergartner & Sunday School Student For Years
An original case in 1998 was thrown out because the judge didn't think there was enough evidence. However, in a recorded interview in 2022, the suspect told one of his alleged victims that 'I'm just a sick man."
Clair McFarlandAugust 18, 2023
Rock Springs Teen Whose Transgender Identity Was Hidden From Parents No Longer In School District
Sweetwater County School District 1 announced Thursday in a federal court filing that a student whose transgender identity sparked a parental rights lawsuit is no longer enrolled in that district.
Clair McFarlandAugust 18, 2023
Fired Wyoming Library Director Tells CNN No 'Pornography' In Gillette Library
In an interview aired Thursday on CNN, ousted Campbell County Public Library Director Terri Lesley said despite concerns by many parents in Gillette, children could never access “pornography” at the library.
Clair McFarlandAugust 17, 2023
Homeless Jackson Man Offers To Impregnate Tourist, Then Bear-Sprays Her
A 37-year-old homeless Jackson man is accused of accosting tourists, including offering to impregnate a woman, then blasting her with bear spray.
Clair McFarlandAugust 17, 2023
Convicted Felon Passed Out In Pizza Hut Parking Lot Had 2 Loaded Pistols, Drugs
Accused of having two loaded pistols during a tense, drug-influenced encounter with Cheyenne police in a Pizza Hut parking lot, a Wyoming man now faces up to 35 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandAugust 17, 2023
Gillette UPS Worker Saves 78-Year-Old Woman From Falling For $5,000 Scam
A 78-year-old woman had been badgered by a con artist into trying to mail a box containing $5,000 in cash, but the scam was busted by an alert Gillette UPS Store worker.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2023
Wyoming Says 'Unsurpassed' School Funding Not A Fundamental Right
The Wyoming Education Association has sued the state claiming public schools are underfunded, and that paying for education is a fundamental right on par with free speech. The state says it’s not.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2023
Man Beat Up By Bouncer Can’t Sue CFD Because They’re Both From Colorado
A Colorado man has learned that he can’t federally sue the Cheyenne Frontier Days bouncer who allegedly beat him up because the bouncer is also from Colorado. But he can sue in a state court.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2023
Rock Springs Parents Bash Explicit School Book 'The Haters.' Here's What's In It
"The Haters," a novel in multiple Wyoming school libraries, has enraged Rock Springs parents due to its sexual content. Cowboy State Daily offers this comprehensive review.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2023
‘Hella Dumb’ Californians Caught After Robbing Casper Pharmacy Set For Trial
Three Californians accused of robbing a Wyoming Walgreens after watching how to do it on Instagram are set for trial. After they were caught one of them told the police, “I just feel hella dumb.”
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2023
Man Charged With Banging Girlfriend's Head On Bathroom Floor Gets Plea Deal
After accepting a plea deal, a Yellowstone concessionaire worker accused of repeatedly banging his girlfriend’s head on a bathroom floor now faces up to five years in prison rather than the 16-year sentence he originally faced.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2023
Laramie Man Partially Disembowels Himself To Escape Child Rape Charges
To escape looming charges of molesting a young girl, a 79-year-old Laramie man locked himself in a bathroom, used a knife to partially disembowel himself, then begged police to “let me die.”
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2023
Wyoming Felon And Hunter Biden May Have Second Chance As Gun Law Found Unconstitutional
A Wyoming felon is arguing that he should be released from prison because some federal courts have found the gun law he violated unconstitutionally vague. Hunter Biden is accused under the same law.
Clair McFarlandAugust 14, 2023