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
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
Wyoming GOP 'Probably' Broke Law With Unusual Arbitration, Judge Says
An Evanston-based judge on Monday declined to dismiss a legal challenge by Thermopolis Republicans accusing the Wyoming GOP of waging backroom power plays to cheat people of fair representation. The judge said the state party "probably" broke the law.
Clair McFarlandOctober 28, 2025
Federal Appeals Court Says Wyoming THC Ban Legal, Rules Against Sellers
A group of shops and people who sell marijuana-like substances that were legal in Wyoming until July 2024 failed to show that the state's new ban on those substances violates their rights, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.
Clair McFarlandOctober 27, 2025
Kathy Karpan, 'Tough As Nails' Former Wyoming Secretary of State, Dies At 83
Former Wyoming Secretary of State Kathy Karpan died Friday at the age of 83. Longtime friend Rodger McDaniel said Karpan was battling cancer and outlived her doctor's expectations "She was tough as nails," he said.
Clair McFarlandOctober 25, 2025
