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 Valentines Day, 2022.
Latest from Clair McFarland
Ousted Library Board Member Files Case Against Fremont County Commission
David Mossburg, ousted from the local library board last week by a surprise Fremont County Commission re-vote, petitioned a court Wednesday to reinstate him. A local newspaper has claimed the secret ballot vote that led to his appointment is illegal.
Clair McFarlandOctober 30, 2025
Jury Chooses Lighter Penalty For Nurse Who Let Dementia Patient Freeze
A jury found a former Gillette assisted living center nurse who lost track of a dementia patient, who then got outside and froze to death, guilty of misdemeanor negligent homicide. But the jury acquitted him of the manslaughter felony he originally faced.
Clair McFarlandOctober 29, 2025
Pine Bluffs Crop Duster's Shooting Death Ruled Self-Defense
An investigation into the June shooting death of a Pine Bluffs crop duster and former university-level rodeo athlete that left friends puzzled for months is now closed. The shooting was self-defense, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandOctober 29, 2025
3 Life Sentences For Gillette Teen Not ‘Cruel And Unusual,’ Supreme Court Says
A Gillette man who got three life terms at age 19 for his involvement in killing two people won’t get resentenced. The Wyoming Supreme Court wasn’t swayed by science Christopher Hicks claimed shows that sentence for someone so young is “cruel and unusual."
Clair McFarlandOctober 29, 2025
SNAP Fallout Has Wyoming Dem, Freedom Caucus Saying The Same Bible Verse
On the national scale, the federal government’s suspension of SNAP benefits has blue states suing the Trump administration. In Wyoming, the Freedom Caucus and a prominent Democrat have responded by quoting the same Bible verse.
Clair McFarlandOctober 28, 2025
Burglar Who Shot Riverton Shop Manager Gets 23-30 Years In Prison
The man who robbed a Riverton oil field shop and shot the manager when confronted got 23-30 years in prison Tuesday. “This is what’s wrong with our community,” said the manager’s wife, who was against a plea agreement dropping an attempted murder charge.
Clair McFarlandOctober 28, 2025
