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
House District 33: Three Republicans Battle For Shot At Seat In Formerly Democratic District
House District 33 is Wyomings only American-Indian district. Â Up until recently, it was a Democratic district. Whoever wins the primary will take on incumbent Rep. Andi LeBeau.
Clair McFarlandJune 23, 2022
Superintendent Says Wyo Has Cash For Lunches, Can Ignore Fed Gender Mandate, Gov Urges Caution
While Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder says Wyoming has the money and doesn't need to comply with a federal mandate espousing gender ideology, Gov Mark Gordon is urging caution and said the issue should be studied.
Clair McFarlandJune 22, 2022
Bullet-Ridden Brothers In Riverton Still Not Identified; Police Chief Changes Mind On Facebook
Although the Riverton Police Department has not released the names of the two brothers shot in an alley Saturday morning, the chief of police said he changed his mind on posting crime information on the department's Facebook page.
Clair McFarlandJune 21, 2022
Riverton School Officials Defend Decision To Ban Cell Phones From School
Riverton Middle School counselors defended the school's decision to ban students from using mobile phones by saying the long-term effect of childhood smartphone dependence could worsen the very conditions that could lead to school shootings.
Clair McFarlandJune 21, 2022
Riverton Brothers Shot Multiple Times In Alley Friday Night; Life-Flighted To Casper
In an alley behind a Riverton gas station at about 3:30 a.m., one man was shot at least three to four times, while his brother was shot between two and three times, according to the police.
Clair McFarlandJune 18, 2022
Cheyenne Residents Worried After Fentanyl, Cocaine Bust In House Across From Elementary School
After a Cheyenne man was arrested for trafficking fentanyl across the street from a Cheyenne elementary school, a resident in the area told Cowboy State Daily the neighborhood was struggling and in steep decline.
Clair McFarlandJune 17, 2022
Rivertonites Spar Over Student Cell Phone Ban
A ban on cell phones in classrooms at a Riverton school is being met with strong objections in the face of a recent rash of school shootings nationwide. Â
Clair McFarlandJune 17, 2022
Clair McFarland: Love Between Lice
Clair McFarland writes: "This is a love story about two lice. I discovered them whirling heedless and infatuated in a courtship dance so idiotic it was almost beautiful."
Clair McFarlandJune 17, 2022
Wyoming Truckers Warn High Fuel Costs Raise Price Of Everything Else
High fuel prices are forcing an increase in the cost of all other goods in the West, which could lead to a decline in consumer demands for products, Wyoming truckers warned this week. Â
Clair McFarlandJune 16, 2022
More Than $21 Million In Wrongful Unemployment Benefits Paid To Wyoming Workers During COVID
According to an analysis by the Government Accountability Office, more than $21 million in wrongful unemployment benefits were distributed to Wyoming workers during the Covid pandemic.
Clair McFarlandJune 15, 2022
Wyoming Attorney General Demands USDA Back Down On Gender ID Mandate
Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill joined forces with 25 other states Tuesday, demanding President Joe Biden withdraw a federal policy linking school lunch funds to gender ideology provisions.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2022
Legislators Disagree On When State Can Say No To Feds On Gender ID Mandates With School Lunches
Rep. Chip Neiman said Wyo should take over school lunch funding now rather than bend to the federal government's "social engineering" where Rep. Landon Brown said the state needs to exercise caution due to budgetary concerns.
Clair McFarlandJune 14, 2022
Schroeder: Wyo To Comply With Fed Gender Mandate Until State Funds School Lunches
Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder said until the State of Wyoming pays for federal school lunches, the department has little choice but to comply with gender ideology mandates.
Clair McFarlandJune 08, 2022
Tribal Leader Endorses Cheney Over Fellow Tribal Member
Arapaho tribal official Lee Spoonhunter has endorsed Rep. Liz Cheney for Wyomings lone U.S. House Seat, passing over his fellow tribal member who is also vying for the position. Â
Clair McFarlandJune 06, 2022
Former Wind River Indian Reservation Police Officer Killed In Gunfight
A former Wind River Indian Reservation police officer was shot and killed in Arizona when a traffic stop became a gunfight. Officer Adrian Lopez served in Wyoming up until last year.
Clair McFarlandJune 06, 2022
Wyo Education Head “Astounded” At Mandate Linking School Lunch Dollars To Gender Identity Policies
Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder on Friday said it was "disheartening and astounding" to learn of new federal mandate linking school lunch dollars to gender identity policies.Â
Clair McFarlandJune 04, 2022
Four Candidates Vying To Win Wyoming’s Only American Indian Legislative District
For the first time in recent memory, Fremont County's House District 33 is registered to more Republicans than Democrats.
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2022
Wyo Education Officials Unsure About New Federal Gender-Identity & Sexual Orientation Mandates
Wyoming school authorities are consulting with legal counsel in order to determine the states response to new federal gender-identity-friendly policies. The requirements are linked to millions of dollars in school meal funding.
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2022
Clair McFarland: A Death-Defying Family ForageÂ
Clair McFarland writes: The death camas is the deadliest plant in the West. Poison symptoms include vomiting, excessive salivation, tremors, weakness, loss of muscle control, convulsions, coma, and death. Pretty flowers though.
Clair McFarlandJune 02, 2022
St. Stephen’s Principal, Administrator Not At Lewd Party & Should Not Have Been Canned, Individuals Say
In a federal report alleging sexual misconduct and other wrongful behavior, supporters of a principal and administrator say they were incorrectly implicated and wrongly punished.
Clair McFarlandJune 02, 2022
Wyo Could Lose Millions In Fed Education Money If It Doesn’t Comply With Gender Identity Policies
The federal government last month tied about $90 million per year in Wyoming education funding to gender identity-friendly policies in schools, which, according to a federal judge, would include non-binary bathroom use.
Clair McFarlandJune 01, 2022