Business and Tourism Reporter

Renée Jean

Renée Jean is the business and tourism reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Cheyenne. Previously, Renée spent seven years covering energy and agriculture in North Dakota and Montana. She has won many writing awards over a 30-year career, and has written magazine articles for Guideposts.

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Latest from Renée Jean

Jackson Hole has never lacked for luxury, but Wyoming's newest $400 million private enclave takes stealth wealth to a whole new level at Teton Village, where memberships — on top of buying one of the 25 private club condos — start at $150,000 a year.

Inside The Exclusive $400 Million Hoback Club’s Ultra-Luxe Teton Village Homes

Jackson Hole has never lacked for luxury, but its newest $400 million private enclave takes stealth wealth to a whole new level at Teton Village. Cowboy State Daily scored a rare tour inside the Hoback Club’s 25 newly opened private club condos.

Renée JeanSeptember 19, 2026

Frontieras and Western Fuels are exploring a coal-to-products facility near Gillette that could employ 200 and be part of a $10 billion network.

Gillette Part Of $10B Plan To Make Products From Coal Instead Of Burning It

Gillette is part of a $10 billion plan to build a network of coal-to-products plants that a pair of companies say will do a lot more things with coal than just burning it. Wyoming is “a natural place to prove coal can be commercialized,” they say.

Renée JeanSeptember 18, 2026

Former Wagon Box restaurant celebrity chef Vincent Fiore, left, chats with owner Paul McNiel in a file photo.

Wagon Box Celebrity Chef Quits, Owner Says ‘Haters And Losers’ Pushed Him Out

The restaurant at the Wagon Box in Story, Wyoming, is closed after its celebrity chef abruptly quit amid an ongoing rift between ownership and some local residents. The owner says a contingent of “haters and losers” pushed the chef out.

Renée JeanSeptember 18, 2026

National High School Finals Rodeo Is Returning To Gillette Cam-Plex A Year Early

The National High School Finals Rodeo will be returning to Gillette in 2027, giving it three consecutive years before the event moves to Oklahoma in 2030. The NHSFR has a $25 million economic impact on Gillette, which has hosted it more than any city.

Renée JeanSeptember 15, 2026

The State of Wyoming paid $1.8 million for Star Plunge in Hot Springs State Park. Now it might need to spend $1 million to demolish it.

Wyoming Paid $1.8 Million For Star Plunge — And Might Spend $1 Million To Demolish

Wyoming spent two years and $1.8 million in public money to buy the historic Star Plunge water park in Hot Springs State Park. Now severe electrical problems and gas leaks mean it might have to spend another $1 million just to tear down the property.

Renée JeanSeptember 15, 2026

Camporee, Giant Youth Camping Event That Brought 60,000 To Gillette, Won't Return

International Pathfinder Camporee, a youth camping event that brought more than 60,000 people to Gillette in 2024, is headed back to its longtime home in Wisconsin, leaving a $1.6 million amphitheater and a $125,000 deposit behind.

Renée JeanSeptember 14, 2026

Modern X-ray technology has proven that a pair of rare Lewis and Clark peace medals in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s collection for decades are the real deal. One is one of only three of its size given out during the explorers’ 1804 expedition.

Buffalo Bill Center Confirms It Has Rare 1804 Lewis & Clark Expedition Peace Medals

Modern technology has confirmed that two rare Jefferson peace medals in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West collection are authentic artifacts from the 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition. "It’s a profoundly significant find," museum curators said.

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2026

Calves are rounded up for branding just below the Wyoming border on the Ladder Ranch’s cattle operation. The ranch also runs extensive sheep grazing on generational land that straddles the Wyoming-Colorado border just down the road from Savery.

How Savery’s 145-Year-Old Ladder Ranch Is Beating The 'Third-Generation Curse’

Legacy ranches across Wyoming are folding, and many of those remaining struggle to survive the "third-generation curse." Then there's the historic 145-year-old Ladder Ranch in the Little Snake River Valley with its fifth and sixth generations lined up.

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2026

The Durham ranch in northeast Wyoming is the state's largest bison ranch with about 3,000 head. The ranch's bison meat and other products are sold across the country.

Bison Have Rebounded From Brink Of Extinction To Become Big Business In Wyoming

American bison have rebounded from the brink of extinction to become one of the West’s great conservation stories. It happened in part because Wyoming ranchers, showmen, and entrepreneurs figured out how to make bison big business.

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2026

What It’s Like Inside The Fragile Maze Of Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming’s Alien Canyon

A tour inside Hell’s Half Acre reveals an otherwordly labyrinth of stone, an alien landscape shaped by millions of years of wind and water. It's a rare perspective of the sharp canyons because the public generally isn't allowed on the valley floor.

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2026

Diablo, a goat that lives on the grounds of the Wyodak Power Plant near Gillette, has become a local celebrity. People stop on the road to give him scratches and snacks — although that's discouraged as the unofficial mascot people call "Goatalope" grows older and fatter.

People Won’t Stop Feeding Diablo As Gillette’s Famous Roadside Goat Gets Fatter

Diablo, a goat that lives by the Wyodak Power Plant near Gillette, has become a victim of its own celebrity. People stop to give him scratches and snacks — which is causing the aging mascot people call "Goatalope" to get really fat and unhealthy.

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2026

Stone Drug, Jackson’s go-to pharmacy for 50 years, survives with a wildly diverse front-end to fight sky-high housing local housing costs and razor-thin medication margins. It also has a loyal following of its store dogs, Zuri and Lucy.

Stone Drug’s Secret Prescription After 50 Years In Jackson Are Two Lovable Dogs

Jackson Hole's longtime independent pharmacy Stone Drug is celebrating 50 years in business. Its strategy blends dog-powered customer service with a wildly diverse front-end to outlast sky-high housing and razor thin medication margins.

Renée JeanSeptember 12, 2026

Other Authors

West End Apartments is the first new apartment complex completed in Cheyenne's downtown in a long while. It has 101 luxury apartments, and is already 60% pre-leased.

Cheyenne Is Reshaping Housing Market With New Upscale Apartment Complex On West Side

The West End Apartments, with its 101 units, is the first major apartment complex completed in Cheyenne's downtown in many years. Another 97-unit building will open soon on Cheyenne's east edge. It's estimated Cheyenne will need up to 7,000 homes by 2030.

Renée JeanSeptember 12, 2026

Alyssa Lenell-White is creating unique custom-made cowboy boots that start at $3,500 and can take months to finish. There was a time when the Cheyenne woman swore up and down she would never make a cowboy boot, now that’s all she does.

Cheyenne Woman Once Swore Off Cowboy Boots, Now Her Custom-Made Boots Start At $3,500

A Cheyenne woman is creating unique, custom-made cowboy boots that start at $3,500 and can take months to finish. There was a time when Alyssa Lenell-White swore up and down she would never make a cowboy boot, now that’s all she does.

Renée JeanSeptember 12, 2026

Steve Ingber, — aka the MileHighCook — is bringing white-glove fine-dining to Wyoming’s poshest and wildest places as Jackson Hole has discovered the young chef as his fastest-growing market. His high-end mobile chef business is part of a growing industry trend.

Jackson Is A Booming Market For MileHighCook And His High-End Mobile Kitchen

The MileHighCook is bringing white-glove fine-dining to the outdoors with his high-end mobile kitchen — like the ranch wedding for 124 people in a remote area with no electricity. Jackson is his fastest growing market with people who own second homes.

Renée JeanSeptember 12, 2026

Battle Lake is a natural 22-acre alpine body of water formed by a moraine dam in Carbon County.

Saving Battle Lake: How A Small Carbon County District Outbid Luxury Developers

When the Little Snake River Conservation District in Carbon County saw luxury real estate developers circling scenic Battle Lake to subdivide, a coalition worked to outbid them. "We were able to pull it together and make it happen,” said one resident.

Renée JeanSeptember 11, 2026

Ian Munsick performs for a jam-packed crowd at the Cowboy Saloon & Dance Hall in Laramie to promote his most recent album, The Mountain Goat. It's his fourth studio album, but the first under his independent label, West to the Rest Records, in partnership with Triple Tigers Records.

Wyoming’s Ian Munsick Releases 4th Album — And First Under His Own Record Label

Wyoming country music star Ian Munsick has released his fourth studio album — and the first under his own label, West to the Rest Records. He took over a sold-out Cowboy Saloon in Laramie to introduce his new album, "The Mountain Goat."

Renée JeanSeptember 07, 2026

The historic Snake River Lodge in Teton Village has reopened as Faraway Jackson Hole.

Jackson Hole's Snake River Lodge Gets A New Name And Ultra-Luxury Makeover

A northwest Wyoming destination for 26 years, Snake River Lodge has a new name — Faraway Jackson Hole — and has been given an ultra-luxury makeover. The parent company's renovation somewhat echoes how Faraway Martha’s Vineyard was developed.

Renée JeanSeptember 06, 2026

Engines are being assembled at this station, and will be moved into place as the engine further down the line is moved onto the assembly line.

New $70 Million Evansville Plant Making Generators To Meet Surging Need For Power

A new $70 million, 220,000-square-foot facility has opened in Evansville, Wyoming, making generators as America’s need for more power is surging. Mesa Power Solutions plans to build up to 6,000 generators a year.

Renée JeanSeptember 06, 2026

Wyoming Couple Fell In Love At Laramie’s Cowboy Saloon — Then Bought The Place

Trevor and Trinity Thatcher had their first date at Laramie’s iconic Cowboy Saloon and Dance Hall. Now the Wyoming couple has bought the country honkey-tonk where they fell in love. “We still get goosebumps every time walking in the door," Trinity said.

Renée JeanSeptember 06, 2026

Bryce Robinett works on preparing a pizza order while a customer looks on at L'Osteria Mondello in Cheyenne. Robinett is part of a small army of teenagers working at the pizzeria, which has a waiting list of 17 youths who want to work there.

While Other Businesses Can't Find Employees, Cheyenne Pizzaria Has A Waiting List

Cheyenne's L'Osteria Mondello pizzeria has 17 teens on a hiring waiting list at a time when businesses across Wyoming struggle to find help. The difference, the owner said, is that it's a family business in more than name only.

Renée JeanSeptember 06, 2026