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
Sheridan Man Agrees To 4-6 Years For Punching Hockey Coach To Death
A Sheridan man pleaded no-contest Wednesday to fatally punching a local hockey coach in the head after a dispute about a parking space last summer. He's agreed to a prison sentence of four to six years.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 21, 2025
UW Volleyball Players Want Judge Off Case For Making Them Call Trans Player ‘She’
Three University of Wyoming volleyball players are among those who sued over a transgender player being allowed on a rival team. They’re now asking a Colorado judge to recuse himself from their case for making them refer to the trans player as “she.”
Clair McFarlandFebruary 21, 2025
Wyoming Closer To Requiring ID To Verify Age To Access Porn Sites
The pornography industry did not show up to challenge a Wyoming bill that would require porn websites to verify ages with IDs before allowing access. After unanimously passing out of committee Thursday, the bill will be debated by the full Senate.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 21, 2025
Two Dead In Latest Green River Crash ID'd; Semi Truck Went Straight On Curve
A fatal crash outside Green River that killed two people Wednesday happened when a semitruck failed to navigate a curve and collided with a Honda Odyssey, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reports.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2025
Woman Calls Male Legislator 'Madame' During 'What Is A Woman Act' Debate
Debate grew tense Thursday when a woman insisted on calling a male legislator "Madame" at the beginning of her testimony against the "What is a Woman Act." The Wyoming Senate will debate the bill next.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2025
Wyoming Girl Who Fought Off Attacker Forgives Him As He Gets 36-40 Years
A man who attacked and tried to kidnap a Wyoming girl outside a Riverton movie theater was sentenced Thursday to 36-40 years in prison. His victim told Cowboy State Daily that as she fought him off, she was determined to not be another memorial on Facebook.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2025
Green River Tunnel Open To 2-Way Traffic Again After Devastating Crash
The Wyoming Department of Transportation has opened two-way traffic through the Green River Tunnel on Thursday for the first time since a devastating 26-vehicle crash last Friday. Traffic is moving through the eastbound lanes at reduced speeds.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2025
Two Dead In Crash Outside Of Green River; Not Part Of Tunnel Detour
Two people died and one person was injured in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday evening outside Green River, at a junction that isn’t part of a congested detour through the town, the Wyoming Highway Patrol says.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2025
Senate To Hear Bill Banning Sexually Explicit Shows From Getting Public Money
The Wyoming Senate got a bill Wednesday that would ban public money going to support sexually explicit events and entertainment. The bill would also keep government buildings from hosting those events in their spaces.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 20, 2025
Wyoming Anti-Squatter Bills Close To Becoming Law
A bill that would help law enforcement remove squatters passed the Wyoming House on Wednesday. If the Senate approves late changes to it, it will head to the governor's desk. Another bill targeting fake landlords is pending in the House.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 19, 2025
Wyoming Cops Release Dramatic Video Showing Shooting Of Man With Baseball Bat
A compilation of body, dash camera and home video released Tuesday shows what led two law enforcement officers to shoot and kill a Thermopolis man threatening them with a baseball bat. The man’s distraught father asks, “Why’d you have to shoot somebody?”
Clair McFarlandFebruary 19, 2025
Man Who Bleached Romantic Rival To Stay In Prison Under “Deadly Weapon” Law
Liquid bleach can be a deadly weapon, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision comes after a man who splashed bleach in his romantic rival’s face challenged his felony conviction.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 19, 2025
Two Rawlins Men, One From Canada ID'd As Green River Tunnel Crash Fatalities
Authorities Tuesday released the names of the three men who died Friday in a devastating Green River, Wyoming, tunnel collision. They are Christopher Johnson, 20 of Rawlins; Quentin Romero, 22 of Rawlins; and Harmanjeet Singh, 30 of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 19, 2025
Mother Of Alleged Sheridan Cop Killer Charged With Giving Guns To Felon
The 71-year-old mother of the man suspected of shooting and killing a Sheridan police sergeant last February has been federally charged with giving guns to a felon. The indictment doesn’t say whether that felon was her son.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 18, 2025
Byron Man Discusses Wife's Last Days Before Murder-Suicide
Twelve hours after his wife shot her four children and herself, Cliff Harshman sat in a hospital waiting room. “I sat and wept. And I cried to God: ‘Please forgive her. Help me forgive her,’” he told Cowboy State Daily. “I lost my best friend. My kids. Everything.”
Clair McFarlandFebruary 18, 2025
Single Mom Caught In Green River Tunnel Says Hero Led Survivors From Fiery Crash
A local single mom who was caught in an explosive 26-vehicle crash Friday in the Green River Tunnel says a hero named Ray led her and others out of the tunnel. She dragged her arm along the wall to escape in the thick, black smoke.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 17, 2025
Final Death Toll In Green River Tunnel Crash At 3, Cause Under Investigation
Investigators said Monday that the final death toll in the 26-vehicle collision inside the Green River Tunnel on Interstate 80 is three dead. The cause and circumstances remain under investigation.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 17, 2025
WYDOT Director Says Green River Tunnel Crash Started Outside Tunnel
The 26-vehicle fatal crash inside the Green River Tunnel on Interstate 80 started outside of the tunnel, WYDOT Director Darin Westby told Cowboy State Daily on Monday. Work crews continue to clear debris from the roadway.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 17, 2025
Olivia, 7-Year-Old Lone Survivor Of Byron Murder-Suicide, Dies In Utah Hospital
Olivia Blackmer, 7, was the lone survivor of a Feb. 10 murder-suicide in Byron, Wyoming, by which her three sisters and mother died last week. Olivia pulled through a brain surgery early last week, but ultimately died Saturday, her family has confirmed.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 16, 2025
Government Overreach, Sloppy Drafting Kill 2 Of 3 Wyoming Immigration Bills
The Wyoming Legislature killed two of three immigration-related bills after critics said they were poorly written. They also say the bills included overreach to constricted law enforcement agencies already cooperative with federal immigration officials.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 14, 2025
Fire, Weakened Structure Keeps Responders Out Of Tunnel For Hours; Motorists Run For Safety
Fire and rescue crews at an explosive tunnel collision outside Green River could not enter the tunnel for hours Friday after the initial crash. The fire inside was too intense, and the tunnel’s structure had been weakened. Motorists inside the tunnel had to run for safety.
Clair McFarland, Jimmy Orr & Andrew RossiFebruary 14, 2025