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

Blockchain Companies Already Creating Test Wyoming Stable Tokens

A blockchain company recently told top Wyoming officials that it’s already tested a Wyoming digital stable token at least 150,000 times.

Renée JeanNovember 29, 2023

Members of the Wyoming Public Service Commission listen to testimony about the proposed Rocky Mountain Power 30% rate hike.

Get Ready To Pay More For Electricity; PSC Ends Deliberations On Tuesday

As the Public Service Commission ended deliberations on Tuesday, one thing is for certain: customers of Rocky Mountain Power are going to pay more for their electricity come Jan 1.

Renée JeanNovember 29, 2023

Ramaco's coal mine in northern Wyoming is revealing potential to be a huge rare earths deposit. The company has assets all over the country, like this mine in the Eastern U.S.

$37 Billion Rare Earths Bonanza May Only Be The Beginning For Wyoming Coal Mine

Ramaco Resources in northern Wyoming says it’s discovered the largest unconventional rare earths deposit in the United States, a $37 billion bonanza that can make the Cowboy State ground zero for domestic production of the stuff.

Renée JeanNovember 26, 2023

An experience at one of Jerry Zhang's restaurants, like the Ichiban in Riverton, is entertaining as well as delicious.

Meet The Hong Kong Chef Behind Rural Wyoming’s Fast-Growing Japanese Restaurants

Jerry Zhang, a Hong Kong native and trained chef who came to the U.S. legally, said he moved here to realize the American dream. He now owns five Ichiban and Sapporo restaurants in Gillette, Evanston, Rock Springs, Riverton, and Sheridan.

Renée JeanNovember 25, 2023

The space shuttle on a 747 at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas.

Wyoming People: Larry LaRose Never Went To Space, But He Flew The Space Shuttle

Larry LaRose never went into space, but his lucky number 13 draft position in the Vietnam War led to a career as a military flight engineer, including flying 747 jets to taxi space shuttles around the United States.

Renée JeanNovember 24, 2023

The vintage 1907-08 asbestos curtain was restored when Cheyenne's Capitol dome was restored by the same team. It cost $30,000 to restore. The scene is from Venice. The businesses around it were the sponsors of the time. Of them, only the Tivoli still survives.

Cheyenne’s Atlas Theatre Curtain A Throwback To A Fast-Disappearing History

One of the more interesting relics of a bygone era at the Atlas Theatre in Cheyenne is its old-fashioned ad-drop curtain which is still in use in the theater today. Of the 18 advertisements painted around the scene, only the Tivoli today survives. But the names of the other businesses alone are quite interesting.

Renée JeanNovember 23, 2023

Several processing facilities are working at one time to produce finished products, including baking soda, which will get shipped all over the country.

Going Underground In One Of Wyoming's Trona Mines

Wyoming has the world’s largest deposit of trona and supplies 90% of the nation’s soda ash. It's Wyoming’s top export and is shipped to markets around the globe. Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean toured the Genesis Alkali trona plant to explore the vast underground world.

Renée JeanNovember 23, 2023

Laramie County commissioners meet Tuesday to hear a pair of proposals for live horse racing, including one that was tabled that would have had live racing at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Big Push For Horse Racing In Cheyenne, Including Cheyenne Frontier Days

Horse racing advocates on Tuesday made a big push to bring the sport to Cheyenne. Laramie County Commissioners tabled a proposal for horse racing at Cheyenne Frontier Days, while a second proposal that would create the state’s first full-size track, if realized, was given the go-ahead.

Renée JeanNovember 22, 2023

Wyoming-Based Custodia Brings Secure Bitcoin Storage To Wyoming, Other States

Bitcoin will never die. That’s the bet Caitlin Long is making with her Wyoming-based digital asset bank, which has just announced that it can now safely store bitcoin assets.

Renée JeanNovember 21, 2023

Little America Wyoming presents a classic American facade that sets a tone for more than a hotel, it's a small city of its own, complete with a ZIP code.

Little America: The Middle-Of-Nowhere Hotel On I-80 That's Also Its Own Town

Little America, Wyoming, is truly in the middle of nowhere on I-80 in Sweetwater County. Started after its founder was stuck in a raging blizzard which reminded him of Antarctica, the hotel is also a town, with its own ZIP code, where workers live.

Renée JeanNovember 19, 2023

The ExxonMobil plant in La Barge, Wyoming, not only is a world leader in carbon capture, it also produces about 20% of the world's helium.

Wyoming Already Produces 20% Of The World’s Helium, And Likely Has A Lot More

There are three locations in the world where helium can be sourced. One is Qatar, another is in Texas and the third is right here in Wyoming. And a recent report says there's a lot more here in the Cowboy State.

Renée JeanNovember 19, 2023

Since she almost beat Food Network superstar Bobby Flay on his own competition show, Cheyenne chef Petrina Peart has become a regular on the network. For Thanksgiving, she shares some family tips and a scrumptious pie she discovered in Dubois, Wyoming.,

Wyoming Celebrity Chef Puts A Jamaican Twist On Her Classic Thanksgiving

Wyoming celebrity chef Petrina Peart talks turkey, including a family favorite Jamaican jerk seasoning for her Thanksgiving bird, as well as a sour cream and raisin pie she discovered in Dubois.

Renée JeanNovember 19, 2023

Other Authors

Wyoming Grocery Worker Lobbies FTC Chief To Deny Huge $29.5 Billion Merger

A Cheyenne grocery store worker lobbied FTC Chairwoman Lina Kahn during a recent hearing in Colorado to deny the huge proposed $29.5 billion merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons.

Renée JeanNovember 17, 2023

The Rare Element Resources demonstration processing plant will repurpose an existing industrial site near Upton, Wyoming.

Potential Game-Changing Wyoming Rare Earths Processing Plant Gets Federal OK

Rare Element Resources is preparing to build its potentially game-changing rare earths processing plant in Upton, Wyoming, which company officials tout as a pioneering method that’s better than anywhere else on the planet.

Renée JeanNovember 16, 2023

Jackson Real Estate Continues To Set Records, Median Home Price Now $5.2 Million

Although Jackson Hole real estate watchers are getting excited that the market in Teton County, the nation’s wealthiest, may be cooling, it's not happening. Single-family home prices have hit a new record -- now at $5.2 million.

Renée JeanNovember 15, 2023

The Wyoming Public Service Commission hears testimony from Brad Mullins, an expert for Wyoming Industrial Energy Consumers, about Rocky Mountain Power's proposed rate increases that come to nearly 30%.

7 Days, 400 Exhibits And 8,000 Comments: What Now For 30% RMP Rate Hike?

The Wyoming Public Service Commission is weeding through 400 exhibits, seven days of testimony and 8,000-some comments from an irate public on Rocky Mountain Power’s proposed 30% rate hike.

Renée JeanNovember 15, 2023

Soaring Coal Prices A Big Part Of Rocky Mountain Power’s 30% Rate Hike

Rocky Mountain Power officials say dramatic price swings for fuel have driven its request for 30% rate hike. That includes coal, which has traditionally been a bedrock for cheaper energy prices.

Renée JeanNovember 14, 2023

Companies Say RMP’s 30% Rate Increase Would Clobber Wyoming Oil And Gas

Several oil and gas companies say Rocky Mountain Power’s proposed 30% rate increase would clobber Wyoming’s oil and gas production, robbing the state and local communities of some serious tax revenues.

Renée JeanNovember 13, 2023

The motto at Steve Perkins' Conoco station in Rawlins is, just like this two-headed 1955 Cadillac, "always moving ahead." It takes two people to drive, one controlling each end.

On The Road With Renee: Rawlins Two-Headed Cadillac Turning Heads For 61 Years

A customized vintage Cadillac with two 1955 front ends has had people pulling into a Rawlins Conoco station doing double-takes for 61 years. The car requires two drivers to operate and is “always moving ahead.”

Renée JeanNovember 12, 2023

Scott "Smitty" Smith with his vintage 1948 single-engine Stinson 108.

Wyoming People: Less Is More For Smitty, One Of Jackson’s Underground Bush Pilots

Flying your own plane isn’t just for Fortune 500 CEOs. In fact, there’s an active community of Jackson underground pilots. They call themselves bush pilots and fly small aircraft that can cost as little as the average new car.

Renée JeanNovember 12, 2023

State Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, testifies to the Wyoming Public Service Commission about proposed rate increases of nearly 30% by Rocky Mountain Power.

Rocky Mountain Power Claims Astonishing 30% Rate Increase Not Due To Renewables

Rocky Mountain Power’s controversial request for a gigantic 30% rate hike isn’t driven by costs of renewables, company officials say. It’s mostly from peak demand for power. They also claim extreme weather events are to blame.

Renée JeanNovember 12, 2023