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
Wyoming Tribes Rejoice Over Indian Child Custody Ruling, But Justice Thomas Invites Challenges
While both of Wyoming's Indian tribes are rejoicing over the Indian Child Welfare Act surviving its U.S. Supreme Court Challenge, a dissenting justice practically invites future challenges to the act.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Parent Locked Out Of 12-Year-Old’s Health Records By Casper’s Banner Health
A parent shared a screenshot this week of a Banner Health note that said access to her 12-year-old's account has been revoked because the child is now between the ages of 12 and 17.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Man Sues Over University Of Wyoming Censorship Of Sign Naming Transgender Sorority Member
Todd Schmidt, a Christian church elder from Laramie, is suing the University of Wyoming for making him cover a sign calling out a transgender sorority member and for banning him from evangelizing on the campus.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Wyoming National Guard Sergeant Faces Child Porn Charges
The Wyoming National Guard is aware that one of its members is facing federal charges on suspicion of distributing child pornography, but the Guard has chosen not to act until the case is adjudicated.
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2023
Wyoming Indian Custody Task Force Chairs To Continue Work Despite High Court Ruling
State Sens. Cale Case and and Affie Ellis disagree on whether a Wyoming task force built to preserve the federal Indian Child Welfare Act on a state level has any purpose now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the federal law.
Clair McFarlandJune 15, 2023
Montana Man Accused Of Torturing Lander Woman For Six Hellish Weeks
Adolfo Vargas Lepe faces a possible life sentence if convicted on federal allegations that he kidnapped a Lander woman from her mother's home, took her to Montana and tortured her with power tools, cords, guns and his own hands for about six weeks.
Clair McFarlandJune 15, 2023
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Congress’ Authority To Keep Indian Children Out Of Non-Native Homes
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act on Thursday, a 45-year-old federal law designed to keep American Indian families together by keeping Indian foster and adoptive children out of non-native homes.
Clair McFarlandJune 15, 2023
Clair McFarland: When You Realize You Failed To Hillbilly Your Sons
Clair McFarland writes: “I’m the hillbilly caricature whose lithe pale sons hope someday to place in a crisp nursing home with a Roomba and a Mozart album — for her own good, or something.”
Clair McFarlandJune 15, 2023
Riverton Teen Dies When Stolen Car Tumbles Down Hill
A 17-year-old Riverton girl died and several other people were injured when a stolen BMW sedan veered off the road and tumbled down a hill on the west side of Riverton early Wednesday morning, police say.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2023
Casper Abortion Clinic Says Pro-Lifers Kidnapped Patient
Casper police were unable to corroborate an abortion clinic’s assertion Tuesday that pro-lifers unlawfully confined the clinic’s patient while she tried to get to her abortion appointment.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2023
Court Rules Man Charged With Murder, Necrophilia Can Get Mental Health Test
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that a Cody Circuit Court Judge was right to pause the prosecution of a Cheyenne man accused of murdering then raping his dead girlfriend so he can be given a mental health exam to determine if he is competent to face prosecution.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2023
Boulder Man Who Died In 10-Foot-Deep Trench Was Trying To Install Drain
Sublette County Sheriff K.C. Lehr said Gale Roberts, 63, of Boulder who asphyxiated in a 10-foot-deep trench cave-in on his own property.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2023
Lusk Man Accused Of Stealing Truck, Dragging Driver 30 Feet Clinging To Door Handle On I-25
Simon Kingma of Lusk faces a felony theft charge for allegedly stealing a Dodge truck and dragging its driver 30 feet by the door handle Monday along I-25 near Cheyenne.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2023
Grandma Says Man Tried Luring Preschooler With $40 At Gillette Walmart
A man about 60 years old gave a 4-year-old boy $40 and asked the boy to go with him at the Gillette Walmart on Friday, the boy's grandmother told police.
Clair McFarlandJune 13, 2023
Boulder, Wyoming, Resident Dies In Trench Collapse
The Sublette County Coroner confirmed to Cowboy State Daily on Monday that a Boulder, Wyoming, resident died Friday of asphyxiation in a trench collapse in the area.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2023
Trial On Whether Abortion Is A Wyoming Right Set For Next Spring
Abortion could remain legal in Wyoming for another 10 months at least, as a state district court has scheduled a trial on the matter for next April.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2023
Sheep Shearer Says Fatal Stabbing Was Self-Defense, Asks Court To Drop Murder Charge
A New Zealand sheep shearer says stabbing her fiancé who had a “powder keg” temper was self-defense, after a pattern of abuse that included isolating, abusing and choking her.
Clair McFarlandJune 12, 2023
Wyoming People: State Rep. Ken Chestek Has Run More Than 90 Marathons — In All 50 States
Wyoming State Rep. Ken Chestek of Laramie has run more than 90 marathons, including at least one in each of the 50 U.S. states. And at almost 70 years old, he sees no reason to stop now.
Clair McFarlandJune 11, 2023
K-9s Can Legally Sniff Outside Vehicles For Drugs, Wyoming Supreme Court Rules
The Wyoming Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that police drug-detection dogs don’t need probable cause to sniff search the outsides of vehicles.
Clair McFarlandJune 08, 2023
Jackson Ski Resort, Rental Company Say 'Catastrophic' Crash Was Skier's Fault, Not Theirs
A Jackson, Wyoming, ski resort and a rental company, along with a ski equipment manufacturer, all say it's not their fault a ski binding burst and caused a Texas woman to crash down the mountain and suffer serious injuries.
Clair McFarlandJune 08, 2023
Man Accused Of Threatening To Kill Gillette Mechanics Found Sane Enough For Trial
A Gillette man who is accused of threatening to kill a mechanic at a Ford dealership in Gillette because his car wasn't ready, has been found sane enough to participate in a trial.
Clair McFarlandJune 07, 2023