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
Senator Misses Special Session & Part Of Budget Session For Greek Foreign Relations Work
A state senator who missed last falls special legislative session and two days of this years budget session was in Greece attending to his official duties as a U.S. representative in a Greek foreign relations group.
Clair McFarlandMarch 28, 2022
Plane-Wrecked Casper City Councilman Bruce Knell Discusses 3,700-Foot Fall From Sky
Casper City Councilman Bruce Knell told Cowboy State Daily on Saturday that he doesnt remember falling 3,700 feet in seven seconds, but he remembers hitting the ground.
Clair McFarlandMarch 26, 2022
Arapaho To Consider Alcohol Sales In Wind River Casino
The sale of alcohol is prohibited on the Wind River Indian Reservation, but the Northern Arapaho tribe is considering a bid to make an exception for drinking in the reservations largest casino. Â
Clair McFarlandMarch 25, 2022
Casper City Councilman Bruce Knell And Wife In Plane Accident In Utah
Casper City Councilman Bruce Knell confirmed to Cowboy State Daily shortly before going into surgery that he was in a plane crash. The local police chief said Knell may "have a broken back."
Clair McFarlandMarch 25, 2022
Clair McFarland: First Rule Of The Fight Club — Don’t Let Mom Know
Columnist Clair McFarland writes: "Naturally, I assumed the house was under attack and the boys were crying for me with their final breaths. I rushed down the hallway, through the dining room and into the family room, only to discover Mayhem."
Clair McFarlandMarch 24, 2022
Survey Shows Overwhelming Support For Oil, Gas Production In Wyoming, Even Democrats
Oil and natural gas production in Wyoming is supported by an overwhelming majority of state residents questioned in a statewide survey, including 68% of Democrats polled.
Clair McFarlandMarch 23, 2022
Lander City Council Asks Eastern Shoshones for New Names For Squaw Creek
As part of the Department of Interior's initiative to remove offensive names, Lander officials have asked Eastern Shoshone tribal members to come up with a new name for Squaw Creek in central Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMarch 23, 2022
Man Convicted Of Torturing, Killing 22-Month-Old Daughter Files Federal Appeal
Andrew Yellowbear, who was convicted of torturing and killing his 22-month-old daughter, is asking a federal court to reverse his conviction claiming that he was convicted in the wrong court and should be freed.
Clair McFarlandMarch 22, 2022
Judge Hired To Enforce Reservation COVID Rules Becomes Trial Court Judge
Kevin Ferris, who served as Wyoming's only judge specifically assigned to oversee violations of Covid orders and quarantine rules, has transitioned to being a trial court judge on the reservation.
Clair McFarlandMarch 21, 2022
Former Riverton Woman Who Gave Birth & Abandoned Baby On Sidewalk Faces Felony Charge
A former Riverton resident accused of giving birth to a baby boy on the sidewalk of Omaha, Nebraska, and leaving him there in below-freezing temperatures has been transferred to a higher court for felony-level prosecution. Â
Clair McFarlandMarch 21, 2022
That’s A Wrap: House Speaker Eric Barlow Says Goodbye After 10 Years in House
In a tearful goodbye to the Wyoming House, Barlow hugged his mom and said, "My mother was born in Southeast Asia, was a very well-educated attorney, law-professor type in Cambodia, who met a man from northeast Wyoming; and she came to northeast Wyoming and raised a family with three kids."
Clair McFarlandMarch 20, 2022
Global Mining Business Finds Significant Deposits Of Uranium In Wyoming’s Red Desert
A global mining business said it discovered a likely source of raw uranium, or yellowcake, through a first-time exploratory drill program called the Thor project in the Great Divide Basin.
Clair McFarlandMarch 17, 2022
Man Shot By Federal Agent On Reservation Recovering In Hospital
In an interview with Cowboy State Daily, the man said he and his girlfriends family had been drinking together since noon Monday, when her cousins showed up" and a knife fight ensued. Shortly after, an agent shot him, he said.
Clair McFarlandMarch 17, 2022
Dispute Over Cell Phone Leads To Sen. Tom James Getting Booted From GOP Meeting
A dispute over a cell phone in a private legislative meeting last week resulted in state Sen. Tom James being removed by members of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Clair McFarlandMarch 16, 2022
House Speaker Says He Asked Highway Patrol To Investigate Death Threat Against Lawmaker
House Speaker Eric Barlow asked the Wyoming Highway Patrol officers providing security at the state Capitol to investigate reports of a death threat made by one legislator against another.
Clair McFarlandMarch 16, 2022
FBI Releases Few Details About Reservation Shooting On Monday
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was releasing little information Tuesday about a Monday shooting on the Wind River Indian Reservation involving a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer. Â
Clair McFarlandMarch 15, 2022
Legislators Look For Ways To Exempt American Indians From Online Sales Tax
Sen. Affie Ellis said the bill would ensure that "if you're an Indian person and you're purchasing something online that would normally be subject to state sales tax, on the reservation, then you are exempt."
Clair McFarlandMarch 15, 2022
Ethete Legislator Claims Fellow Lawmaker Made Death Threat Against Her
Rep. Andi LeBeau, D-Ethete, said she was recovering from a death threat made by fellow legislator Rep. John Romero-Martinez, R-Cheyenne.
Clair McFarlandMarch 15, 2022
Legislators Concerned Police Put Themselves Above The Law; Prosecutors Disagree
While discussing a gun rights bill that he believed was weak, Rep. Bob Wharff said he knows of two instances where county prosecutors refused to charge police officers implicated in wrongdoing.
Clair McFarlandMarch 12, 2022
Clair McFarland: Driving Lessons With A 9-Year-Old
Clair McFarland writes: "Sometimes I let the kid drive. For a 9-year-old to be given a Honda Accord, the interior conditions must be perfect: brotherly harmony, mild heating, minimal flatulence."
Clair McFarlandMarch 10, 2022
Ban On Russian Oil Not Likely To Help Wyoming Industry Unless Biden Lifts Restrictions on Federal Lands
Unless President Biden lifts his restrictions on leasing and permitting of federal land for oil and gas development, Wyoming is unlikely to see an increase in production.
Clair McFarlandMarch 10, 2022