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

115 Sheep Reported Stolen From Northeast Wyoming Ranches
A pair of ranchers in the Wright, Wyoming, area reported 115 sheep have been stolen from them recently. Another rancher reported 70 yearling ewes stolen from the same region last summer.
Clair McFarlandApril 10, 2024

Intimidation Case Dropped Against Evanston Man Who Displayed Yard Signs
A Uinta County judge Monday dismissed the felony case against an Evanston man who was accused of using yard signs on his own property to intimidate his neighbor. Had he been convicted, he faced up to 10 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandApril 09, 2024

Cheyenne Police Release Video Of Officers Subduing Suspect With Baton
The Cheyenne Police Department released video Monday of officers repeatedly striking a man with a baton who had given a false ID and tried to tase an officer with his own taser. State Sen. Anthony Bouchard condemned the tactics as excessive.
Clair McFarlandApril 09, 2024

Judge Sends Evanston Couple To Felony Court For Death Of Baby Found In Filth
An Evanston couple were bound over to felony-level court Monday in the death of their 9-month-old girl, who died after living in putrid filth the judge called “the worst of the worst.”
Clair McFarlandApril 08, 2024

Shoshoni Woman Turns Herself In For Shooting Boyfriend
A Shoshoni woman accused of emptying the magazine of a handgun in the direction of her boyfriend and his Harley Davidson motorcycle, hitting the man in the foot, reportedly turned herself in Thursday and could face decades in prison.Â
Clair McFarlandApril 08, 2024

Clair McFarland: My Life In One Country Song
Clair McFarland writes, "I always, always circle back to country music. Not the crappy, fake-accent, get-up-on-my-tailgate-in-them-Daisy-Dukes pop that some of y’all call country music. No: Real country music teems with corny puns, but it’s anguished, joyful, intense and sincere."
Clair McFarlandApril 05, 2024

Wyoming Welfare Fraudsters Outed By Facebook Posts
An Encampment woman has been found guilty of scamming welfare agencies out of thousands of dollars by running a scheme in which she pretended to live apart from her husband and on virtually no income. She and her husband were outed due to their Facebook posts.
Clair McFarlandApril 05, 2024

Casper Police Officer Who Shot Suspected Cop-Killer Back At Work
The Casper police officer who shot and killed a man suspected of gunning down Sheridan Police Sgt. Nevada Krinkee following a prolonged standoff in February is back at work in a modified capacity, after weeks of administrative leave.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024

Motorcyclist Dies After Gillette Arrest, Coroner Says No Signs Of Violence
A motorcyclist arrested by Gillette police Wednesday on suspicion of drug possession fell ill and was taken from jail to a local hospital, where he died. The coroner says there’s no signs of violence and an autopsy will be done.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024

Fremont County Threatens Takeover Of Library Board Amid Sex Books Controversy
The Fremont County Commission is threatening to take over the local library board by May 1 if the board doesn't update its policies on sexually graphic literature in the teens’ section of the library.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024

Cheyenne Police Release Body Cam Video Of Deadly Hostage Shootout
A 16-minute compilation of body cam video released Thursday shows the tense moments that led to Cheyenne Police Department officers shooting and killing a man who fired a gun at them and was holding his wife hostage in a home.
Clair McFarlandApril 04, 2024

BRIEF: Coroner Confirms Wyoming Woman Stabbed To Death On Reservation
A 37-year-old Ethete, Wyoming, woman was stabbed to death on the Wind River Indian Reservation on Feb. 25, the coroner confirmed Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandApril 03, 2024

Outgoing Senator Puzzled Why House Speaker Killed Prostitution Bill
Outgoing State Sen. Affie Ellis on Wednesday said she remains baffled why House Speaker Albert Sommers killed a prostitution bill that passed overwhelmingly in the senate. Sommers said it was a matter of prioritization.
Clair McFarlandApril 03, 2024

Human Skull Found In Wyoming’s Vast Red Desert Was A Man Age 25-35, Coroner Says
A bleached-out human skull found in Wyoming’s vast Red Desert in November belonged to a man ages 25-35, the Sweetwater County coroner confirmed Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandApril 03, 2024

BRIEF: Uinta County Man Charged With Lying To Get $14,000 In Medicaid Payments
Accused of lying so he could get more than $14,000 in Medicaid welfare benefits, a Mountain View, Wyoming, man now faces two felony charges and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandApril 02, 2024

Man Accused Of Torturing Lander Woman Protests Search Of His Drug Storage Shed
A man with reported Mexican cartel ties accused of torturing a Lander woman in his home says the federal government violated his Fourth Amendment rights by searching his storage shed and backpack to find a stash of meth and cocaine. However, investigators did wait 38 days to get a warrant.
Clair McFarlandApril 02, 2024

Missing Gillette Woman Died Of Hypothermia, Coroner Says
Campbell County Coroner reported Tuesday that a Gillette woman found dead last week after a five-day search died of hypothermia and shows “no evidence of injury or foul play.”
Clair McFarlandApril 02, 2024

Wyoming Claims Schools Try To Force Social Programs In Funding Lawsuit
A judge heard arguments Monday in an ongoing lawsuit where school districts and the Wyoming Education Association are suing for more money. But the state argues they’re just trying to force funding of social programs.
Clair McFarlandApril 01, 2024

Mental Test Ordered For Gillette Teen Charged With Trying To Seduce 11-Year-Old
A Gillette judge has ordered an 18-year-old to get a mental health test after the teen said he wasn’t mentally well enough to be found guilty of trying to seduce an 11-year-old boy and compelling a sex act from a dog.Â
Clair McFarlandApril 01, 2024

Cheyenne Man Shot Multiple Times, Killed In Weekend Domestic Fight
A Cheyenne man was shot multiple times and died at the scene late Saturday in an alleged domestic argument at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of Oxford Drive.
Clair McFarlandApril 01, 2024

Man Accused Of Trying To Molest 7-Year Old Pleads Guilty To Child Porn
A 37-year-old Cheyenne man accused of trying to arrange to have sexual contact with a 7-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to possessing child porn. He allegedly told federal agents he had done so with an underage child before.
Clair McFarlandApril 01, 2024
