Crime and Courts Reporter

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.

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Latest from Clair McFarland

State Rep. Dan Laursen proposed cutting funding for the Wyoming Business Council.

Legislators Vote To Defund And Dismantle Wyoming Business Council

Nine of Wyoming’s top legislators advanced a bid Tuesday to defund and dismantle the Wyoming Business Council. Opponents call the move short-sighted while supporters say it stops government from unfairly competing with private businesses.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 14, 2026

State Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower (left), and Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan (right)

Wyoming Lawmakers Propose Cutting Governor's Budget To UW By $61 Million

The Joint Appropriations Committee on Tuesday voted to reduce the governor’s recommended state budget for the University of Wyoming by nearly $61 million. State Sen. Ogden Driskill opposed the action calling them "spiteful and vindictive."

Clair McFarlandJanuary 13, 2026

Jillian Balow, Former Wyoming Schools Chief, Announces Run For House

Republican Jillian Balow, former Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, is running for the state's lone U.S. House Seat. This pits her against Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Casper businessman Reid Rasner, both MAGA-style candidates.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 13, 2026

Lander Police Chief Says There Are Multiple Suspects In Fatal Bar Fight

The Lander Police Department has multiple suspects in a Friday-night bar fight that turned fatal. The police chief expects arrests in “the next couple days,” he told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2026

Gov. Mark Gordon wants nearly $112 million for state employee raises. The Joint Appropriations Committee on Monday denied that request on a motion by Republican Rep. Scott Smith, inset left. Democratic Rep. Trey Sherwood, right, argued not compensating workers is shortsighted.

Wyoming Lawmakers Resist Gordon’s Push For $111.8 Million For State Worker Raises

The Wyoming legislative committee crafting a preliminary state budget voted Monday to deny the governor’s $111.8 million recommendation to give state employees raises. The debate is not over — the whole Legislature gets the budget next month.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2026

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder was "strongly considering" a run for governor, but committed to the move Monday morning - three days after the president endorsed her.

Degenfelder Officially Running For Governor After Trump Endorsement

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder on Monday announced she is running for governor. Degenfelder had been "strongly considering" the move and had received an endorsement from President Trump urging her to run last week.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2026

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, both R-Wyoming.

Barrasso Endorses Hageman's Candidacy For U.S. Senate

Wyoming’s senior U.S. Senator announced Monday morning that he’s endorsing U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman to serve alongside him in the upper chamber. He said Hageman “is going to be terrific in the U.S. Senate.”

Clair McFarlandJanuary 12, 2026

‘RUN MEGAN, RUN!’ Trump Promises Endorsement If Degenfelder Runs For Governor

If she decides to run for governor of Wyoming, Megan Degenfelder has President Donald Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement,” the president wrote Friday in a post to Truth Social. Degenfelder has said she’s “strongly considering” a run for governor.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2026

A pygmy goat named Porsche Lane can return to Powell after her owner settled a lawsuit with the city Thursday. The city had denied her owner a permit, which the city called a plain reading of its rules and the goat's owner called an arbitrary use of power.

Woman Can Bring Pygmy Goat Back To Powell After Settling Lawsuit With City

A pygmy goat named Porsche Lane can return to Powell after her owner, Venus Bontadelli, settled a lawsuit with the city Thursday. The city had denied her owner a permit, which the city called a plain reading of its rules and the goat's owner called an arbitrary use of power.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2026

Prosecutor Says Legislators Didn't Break Law With Weston County Clerk Subpoena

The prosecutor pursing charges against Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock on Thursday disputed her claim that Wyoming legislators broke the law and violated her rights. He says she’s the one who broke the law by not complying with a legislative subpoena.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2026

Lawmaker Unveils Bill To Prevent DUI Charges For Drunk Horseback Riding

A state representative from Casper wants to keep people from being charged with drunk driving if they're drunk while riding a horse, mule or donkey. The bill made one defense attorney laugh and left prosecutors wondering if a specific case inspired it.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 09, 2026

Orion Schlesinger, 18, has pleaded guilty a plea deal in the arrow killing case of a 23-year-old man.

Big Piney Teen Gets 54 Years To Life For Bow And Arrow Killing Of Autistic Friend

The teen who did not pull the trigger of the compound bow that killed his autistic friend last February, but who conspired to that end and watched the killing, was sentenced Thursday to between 54 years and life in prison.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 08, 2026

Other Authors

Green River Woman Accused Of Murder Has Suspected ‘Intentional’ Fall In Jail

A Green River woman accused of killing her husband with a bottle of Baileys took what officials say appears to be an “intentional fall” last week from a second-level mezzanine in the jail. Linda Malone remains in a Salt Lake City hospital.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 07, 2026

Gov. Mark Gordon announced his recommendation Wednesday that Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock be removed from office. This follows a second round of citizen complaints against her.

Governor Recommends Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock Be Removed From Office

Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday recommended Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock be removed from office. The announcement follows two different batches of complaints accusing Hadlock of misconduct after inaccuracies surfaced in two races in Weston County.

Clair McFarlandJanuary 07, 2026

Casper Businessman Reid Rasner Announces Run For U.S. House

A second Republican candidate touting MAGA principles has declared his run for Wyoming’s congressional's seat. Reid Rasner on Wednesday says he’s running for Congress “to help President Trump Make America Great Again.”

Clair McFarlandJanuary 07, 2026

Clair McFarland and Middleborn McFarland

Clair McFarland: Trying To Raise A Kid Who Can Make His Own Cannons

Clair McFarland writes, "Middleborn grinned. The secret, he explained, is jamming a too-big spud into the cannon’s mouth with a broom handle so the combustion chamber doesn’t leak gas."

Clair McFarlandJanuary 07, 2026

The court-appointed conservator of a Riverton boy sued the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over a youth group boat-tubing incident in which the boy lost his foot. The church denies wrongdoing.

LDS Church Denies Wrongdoing Over Wyoming Boy Who Lost Foot On Lake Trip

The LDS Church denied negligence in a lawsuit over a 2022 tubing accident at Boysen Reservoir that cost a Riverton boy his foot during a youth outing. It cited defenses like Wyoming’s Recreation Act and comparative fault.