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
Evacuations, Road Closures As Wildfires Blow Up Across Northern Wyoming
Hot, windy and dry conditions have conspired to blow up new and existing wildfires across northern and central Wyoming. The fires have also prompted evacuations and closures of parts of Interstates 90 and 25.
Clair McFarlandAugust 22, 2024
Northern Wyoming Wildfire Spreads To 5,000-Plus Acres, Forces Evacuations
A wildfire spread to more than 5,000 acres Wednesday, forcing about 10 Johnson County families to evacuate. It’s also shut down I-90 between Buffalo and Gillette.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
“We Don’t Get It”: Someone Keeps Arranging Dead Animals At Cheyenne Intersection
Six times in the past four months, someone has arranged dead animals at Cheyenne intersection. The carcasses are all intact and seem to be purposely left. “It’s certainly bizarre,” an Animal Control officer says. “We don’t get it either.”
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Star Plunge Operator Claims Wyoming Agency Cheated It Out Of Lease Deal Â
The Thermopolis company that’s operated the Star Plunge hot springs for nearly 50 years is suing over losing its contract. It claims Wyoming State Parks cheated it in favor of a new concessionaire.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Tanker Truck Rolls, Spills 1,500 Gallons Of Jet Fuel On Interstate 80
A tanker truck crashed into an occupied and parked car on I-80 overnight Tuesday, rolled and spilled about 1,500 gallons of jet fuel. Wamsutter fire plugged the leaks to prevent the rest of the tanker's 10,000 gallons from gushing out.Â
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Freedom Caucus Firebrand Jeanette Ward Upset For House District 57
Julie Jarvis upset State House Rep. Jeanette Ward of Casper in Tuesday’s primary election. Ward was ousted after one term.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Joel Guggemos Beats Incumbent Ember Oakley For House District 55 Seat
Joel Guggemos won 55% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary race to potentially represent Riverton in the Wyoming House.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Lloyd Larsen Bailed Out By Absentee Votes In House District 54 Race
Republican Rep. Lloyd Larsen of Lander retained the Republican nomination for his legislative seat of nearly 12 years, despite losing by 85 votes before absentee ballots were counted.
Clair McFarlandAugust 21, 2024
Wyoming May Help Utah Sue For Control Of Its Federal Land
Gov. Mark Gordon said Wyoming is studying ways to support Utah in its quest to gain control of federal land in that state. Utah filed a U.S. Supreme Court case Tuesday aimed toward gaining control of 18 million acres of its federal lands.
Clair McFarlandAugust 20, 2024
Brief: Texas Man Pleads Not Guilty To Taking Photos Up Girl’s Shorts At Carnival
A Texas man caught allegedly taking photos up the shorts of a young girl at the Teton County Carnival has pleaded not guilty.
Clair McFarlandAugust 20, 2024
Turns Out The Cops Were Already Tracking Wyoming Man’s Alleged VW Meth Bug Â
State police were already tracking a purple Volkswagen Bug that prompted a traffic stop when it broke down in a cloud of diesel smoke in Chugwater, Wyoming, suspected of bringing meth from Colorado.
Clair McFarlandAugust 20, 2024
Man Suspected Of Sex Trafficking Teen Also Accused Of Sneaking Drugs Into Jail
A New Mexico man stopped in Wyoming is suspected of sex trafficking a teen girl. He’s also accused of sneaking fentanyl into the Uinta County Jail. His case rose to felony-level court Friday.
Clair McFarlandAugust 19, 2024
Montana Motorcyclist Missing For 5 Days Swerved To Miss A Deer
A Montana motorcyclist who was missing for five days and survived by drinking creek water is recovering in a Missoula hospital. Friends say he crashed into a tree when he swerved to miss a deer on the road.
Clair McFarlandAugust 19, 2024
Degenfelder Applauds Supreme Court Ruling Against Biden Trans Bathroom Rules
Wyoming’s top education official Megan Degenfelder on Saturday applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling which blocked the new Biden administration transgender bathroom rule in multiple states.
Clair McFarlandAugust 17, 2024
Missing Montana Motorcyclist Found Alive In Idaho Surviving On Creek Water
Zachary DeMoss of Montana vanished without a trace Sunday during a Western states motorcycle trip with his buddies. After an intense five-day search, he was found Friday surviving on creek water.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Man Arrested In Crash That “Catastrophically Dismembered” 2 On Motorcycle
A man has been arrested more than a year after the truck he was allegedly driving plowed into a motorcycle and “catastrophically dismembered” two people in 2023. He was returned to Wyoming on Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
6-Year-Old Alive Dangling From Seat Belt After Alcohol/Marijuana-Fueled Rollover Near Gillette
A 6-year-old boy was found alive and dangling from a seat belt after the car he was in rolled multiple times. A Gillette woman was charged Wednesday in the alcohol- and marijuana-fueled rollover in northeast Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Search Scaling Back For Montana Motorcyclist Who Vanished On Road Trip In Idaho
Five days after he vanished on an Idaho highway during a road trip with buddies, the search for a missing motorcyclist is being scaled back. Despite an intense search covering nearly 100 miles of highway and riverbank, there’s been no sign of him.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Sweetwater County Residents At War Over Dog Sitting At Table In Restaurant
People in southwest Wyoming are at war over a photo of a woman who put her dog on the seat of a booth at the table of a Rock Springs, Wyoming, restaurant. Some are appalled, calling the act “entitled,” while others say just leave them alone.
Clair McFarlandAugust 16, 2024
Feds May Deport Three Guatemalans Caught With 170 Pounds Of Pot In Wyoming
Three Guatemalans were reportedly caught hauling 170 pounds of marijuana through Wyoming and face felony charges. At the same time, federal authorities are considering deporting them.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024
One Killed, Four Hurt When RV Rolls Off Teton Pass
Brake failure may have caused an RV rollover on Teton Pass on Wednesday that killed a Nevada woman and injured four. They were on their way to Jackson when the vehicle rolled and burst apart, making the RV look like it had exploded.
Clair McFarlandAugust 15, 2024