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
Rock Springs Man Arrested After Holding Person Hostage, Locking Children In Car
A Rock Springs man was arrested late Monday after allegedly holding someone hostage in his home and locking three kids in a car. Police say Cody Birdwell eventually surrendered and remains in jail on multiple charges.
Clair McFarlandJuly 09, 2024
Couple Charged With Bear-Spraying Woman Who Drove Through Camp
Accused of blasting a woman who drove through their campsite with bear spray and firing a 9 mm pistol toward her car in the Bridger Teton National Forest, a South Dakota couple now faces up to 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandJuly 09, 2024
Former Top Park Service Officials Say Yellowstone Rangers Likely Saved Many Lives
Former top National Park Service officials told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that the response of Yellowstone Park rangers to a gunman threatening a mass shooting on July 4 likely saved many lives.
Clair McFarlandJuly 08, 2024
Yellowstone Shooter Took Woman Hostage, Held Her At Gunpoint: Scanner Recording
The Yellowstone contract worker who injured a park ranger and was killed in a shootout on July 4 held a female hostage at gunpoint prior to his death, according to a recording of a "be-on-the lookout" notice aired on the Park County dispatch system hours before.
Clair McFarlandJuly 08, 2024
Yellowstone Shooter Identified, Was 28-Year-Old Contract Worker From Florida
The man who died in a shootout with Yellowstone National Park rangers on the Fourth of July was 28-year-old Samson Fussner, the Park County Coroner told Cowboy State Daily on Saturday morning.
Clair McFarlandJuly 06, 2024
Wyoming Woman Raffling Off Son's Pigs After He Allegedly Stabbed HerÂ
A Campbell County woman whose teenage son allegedly stabbed her in the back while she slept is raffling off his pigs to pay down her medical costs. Winners will receive half a hog each; butchered, cut and wrapped.
Clair McFarlandJuly 04, 2024
One Person Dead After Fourth Of July Shootout In Yellowstone
One person was killed in a shootout with a Yellowstone National Park ranger Thursday morning, after an exchange of gunfire in the Canyon Village. The ranger was injured and is now receiving medical treatment.
Clair McFarlandJuly 04, 2024
Judge Rules Wyoming Doesn't Have To Follow Biden's Trans Bathroom Rules
A federal judge Tuesday said Wyoming doesn't have to follow a new federal rule allowing males identifying as females in school bathrooms. The judge ruled that Title IX doesn't trump free speech, privacy and safety rights of girls.
Clair McFarlandJuly 03, 2024
Hemp Businesses Sue Gordon, State Of Wyoming Over New Cannabis Law
Ten Wyoming hemp businesses and one individual hemp seller on Monday asked a federal judge to declare Wyoming’s new law against synthetic cannabis variants unlawful by Congress’ standards, and to block it going forward.
Clair McFarlandJuly 03, 2024
Wyoming’s First Black Female Prison Warden Loses Hostile Workplace Lawsuit
A federal jury ruled Tuesday that the Wyoming Department of Corrections did not create an unlawfully hostile work environment for the state’s first Black female prison warden, who claimed corruption within her ranks.
Clair McFarlandJuly 02, 2024
Gillette Foursome Accused Of Pistol-Whipping Men In Retaliation For Kidnapping
After a Gillette woman told her friends an ex-boyfriend had kidnapped her Saturday, they allegedly barged into a shop, held two men at gunpoint and pistol-whipped them.
Clair McFarlandJuly 02, 2024
Evanston Man Accused Of Rampage With Hatchet, Shovel And Machete
An Evanston man accused of terrorizing his estranged wife with a hatchet, shovel and machete will face felony charges, a judge decided Friday. He could get up to 41 years in prison if convicted.
Clair McFarlandJuly 02, 2024
Cody Police Bust Meth Lab When Woman Reports Boyfriend
Cody police say they busted a local meth lab after a woman reported her boyfriend for cooking the drug in their home. He’s in court Wednesday, and could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Clair McFarlandJuly 01, 2024
Wyoming Split On Landmark Ruling That Trump Can’t Be Prosecuted For Official Acts
Wyoming legal opinions are split on Monday’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for official acts in office.
Clair McFarlandJuly 01, 2024
Clair McFarland: Suddenly, Minivans Are Not Lame
Clair McFarland writes: "The Husband scrunched his nose when he saw it. He’s always avoided minivans. Right now we’ve got a GMC Yukon for trips with all six of us. A Yukon is more manly than a minivan, The Husband has explained, because it’s a truck with a few back seats."
Clair McFarlandJune 30, 2024
Cheyenne “Voodoo Man” Arrested, But Business Owners Worried He'll Be Out Soon
Cheyenne business owners were relieved to hear that a towering man who wields a staff and pronounces voodoo curses and death threats toward them was arrested Thursday, but they suspect he won’t be in jail long.
Clair McFarlandJune 29, 2024
Man Accused Of Hitting Brother In Head With Axe At Riverton City Park
A St. Stephens man has been charged with attacking his brother with an axe at Riverton City Park. He was allegedly caught on video swinging the axe at his brother and hitting him in the head. His preliminary hearing is Tuesday.
Clair McFarlandJune 28, 2024
Supreme Court Guts Fed Bureaucratic Rulemaking Power, Wyoming Leaders Rejoice
Wyoming conservatives praised a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Friday which is being called a “massive blow” to rulemaking power of federal agencies.
Clair McFarlandJune 28, 2024
Wyoming Ranchers Cheer Tractor Supply For Ditching 'Woke' Goals After Taking $2B Hit
Wyoming ranchers applauded Tractor Supply's decision to eliminate DEI roles, quit sponsoring LGBTQ pride festivals, and drop carbon goals after a conservative outcry this week. The company took a $2.4 billion hit to its market cap in just one week.
Clair McFarlandJune 28, 2024
Cheyenne Teachers Now Required To Notify Parents If Kids Change Their Names
Teachers in Cheyenne will now be required to notify parents when their kids want to go by other names or nicknames, including transgender names. The district took its policy a step further than state law.
Clair McFarlandJune 27, 2024
Hageman Blasts Supreme Court For Allowing Government To Censor Social Media
Harriet Hageman on Thursday blasted a Wednesday U.S. Supreme Court ruling that lifts a ban on government-induced censorship of social media. “The courts have failed to remedy this blatant censorship; the ultimate solution lies with Congress,” she said.
Clair McFarlandJune 27, 2024