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

Nebraska ranchers built a producer-owned beef plant that’s reviving North Platte’s shrinking economy. Wyoming ranchers like the idea but say it’s challenging to copy in the Cowboy State.

Cattle Ranchers Revive Nebraska Town With Bold Producer-Owned Beef Plant

Nebraska’s new producer-owned packing plant opened in May and is among the first to be built in America in a generation. It’s also an experiment that’s already rewriting the future for a small western town that was once the fastest shrinking community in Nebraska.

Renée JeanDecember 13, 2025

Longmire Author Craig Johnson Embarks On Annual Christmas Story Tour

A real-life skunk encounter inspired Wyoming author Craig Johnson’s annual ‘Longmire’ Christmas story this year. Johnson will read the story at libraries across Wyoming and Montana, a tradition more than 20 years old.

Renée JeanDecember 12, 2025

Juvenile female caught in November and tagged in study of wind farm-related eagle deaths.

Conservation Group Sues, Claims Feds Hiding Wyoming Wind Turbine Eagle Deaths

The Albany County Conservancy is accusing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of concealing eagle deaths in Carbon County. A biologist on the ground says golden eagle deaths are soaring due to wind farms.

Renée JeanDecember 11, 2025

Hoskinson Takes Issue With Governor’s Comments On Gillette Construction Layoffs

Cryptocurrency billionaire Charles Hoskinson says the construction company formed to build a 75,000-sq.-ft. health clinic in Gillette did not lay off all of its employees, nor should the timing of the 136-person layoff have been a big surprise to anyone.

Renée JeanDecember 10, 2025

Cheyenne Foundation Purchases Outlaw Saloon, Will Turn It Into Rec Center

The future of Cheyenne’s Outlaw Saloon, Wyoming’s largest bar, is settled. The Maury and Bonnie Brown Foundation purchased the building and will turn it into a rec center. Peaches Tyrrell, who's overseeing the project, says it will be a "YMCA on steroids."

Renée JeanDecember 10, 2025

Riverfront Jackson Hole Lodge Lists For $39.5M With Grand Teton Views

A 21-acre Jackson estate in a coveted neighborhood has just hit the market for $39.5 million. It offers private Snake River frontage, as well as winding creeks full of trout, cinematic views and serene wilderness. Plus, it's just 5 minutes from downtown.

Renée JeanDecember 08, 2025

Statue honoring the nation’s first female justice of the peace, Wyoming’s Esther Hobart Morris, in state capitol on Dec 8, 2025

It's Over: Wyoming History Groups Finalize Split, Chart New Independent Paths

Two of Wyoming’s most influential historical organizations say they have finalized their split with the Wyoming Historical Society. The Wyoming Historical Foundation and WyoHistory.org say they will move forward together without the society.

Renée JeanDecember 08, 2025

Frontier Brewing Company and Taproom’s closure in Casper comes amid a national downturn in alcohol consumption, with Gen Z getting “sober curious.” The health movement could be a challenge for Wyoming breweries.

Frontier Brewing Co. In Casper Closes, Could Be A Sign Of Gen Z Just Not Drinking

Saturday was the last day of operation for Frontier Brewing Company and Taproom in downtown Casper, one of the city’s first craft breweries. Co-owner Shawn Houck says national trends like people drinking less alcohol is a significant factor in the closure.

Renée JeanDecember 07, 2025

Wyoming’s Housing Market Is Starting To Look A Lot Like California’s

The similarity between California and Wyoming’s housing market was glaringly apparent on a map created by Harvard economist Eric Protzer. He shared the map with Albany County leaders who are grappling with unaffordable housing in the Laramie region.

Renée JeanDecember 07, 2025

Ned LeDoux Crosses Over From Country Music Stage To Western Movie Stardom

Wyoming singer-songwriter Ned LeDoux is appearing in two films by Wyoming filmmaker Raen LeVell. The first, “Outriding the Devil,” premiers Tuesday at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Chancey Williams is in the cast as is former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead.

Renée JeanDecember 07, 2025

Chef Nicholas Pissare brought two Michelin Keys to a resort in Colorado, that state’s only such facility. If he can do the same at Brush Creek Ranch, that would expand Wyoming’s Michelin footprint somewhere else besides Jackson Hole.

Wyoming's Brush Creek Ranch Aims For Michelin Acclaim With New Chef

Brush Creek Ranch's new Chef Nicholas Pissare brought two Michelin Keys to a resort in Colorado, that state’s only such property. If he can do the same here, that would expand Wyoming’s Michelin footprint somewhere else besides Jackson Hole.

Renée JeanDecember 06, 2025

Move over Jackson — two national lists are claiming a place called Sleepy Hollow in Albany County near Laramie is Wyoming’s richest small town. But it doesn’t exist, sparking debate over whether faulty artificial intelligence is behind the ranking.

Sleepy Hollow Near Laramie Named Wyoming’s Wealthiest Town — But It Doesn’t Exist

Move over Jackson — two national business publications are claiming a place called Sleepy Hollow (allegedly near Laramie) is Wyoming’s richest small town. But the town doesn’t exist, sparking debate over whether faulty artificial intelligence is behind the ranking.

Renée JeanDecember 06, 2025

Other Authors

Cheyenne Frontier Days Lineup: Blake Shelton To Headline His Sixth CFD In 2026

Country music star Blake Shelton will headline his sixth Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2026. Shelton highlights the Frontier Nights concert lineup announced Tuesday evening, which includes Trace Adkins and up-and-coming Texas bar band Treaty Oak Revival.

Renée JeanDecember 03, 2025

Josh Allen waves to fans at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.

The Josh Allen Effect: MVP QB Keeps University Of Wyoming In National Spotlight

While Josh Allen sets NFL records as one of the best football players on the planet, his underdog story and MVP performance on the field are keeping the University of Wyoming in the national spotlight. UW officials are thrilled with the publicity.

Renée JeanDecember 02, 2025

TerraPower’s Kemmerer Nuclear Plant Clears Key Regulatory Hurdle A Month Early

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday gave a favorable safety evaluation for TerraPower’s Natrium nuclear power plant in Kemmerer a month ahead of schedule. TerraPower calls the finding a “momentous occasion."

Renée JeanDecember 02, 2025

What It’s Like To Stay At The Ultra-Luxury Brush Creek Ranch In Southern Wyoming

Southern Wyoming's Brush Creek Ranch is a 5-star experience that has repeatedly beaten the luxurious Amangani resort in Jackson for Condé Nast's nod as the No. 1 stay in America. The rooms range from $900 per night to $150,000 for a 4-night ski trip.

Renée JeanNovember 30, 2025

Wyoming’s shortage of nursers could get worse now that the federal government has taken nurses off of its list of “professional” degrees. That would slash federal student loan assistance and has the University of Wyoming exploring financial workarounds. Above, nursing students work on a patient simulator.

Shortage Of Nurses Could Get Worse If Feds Take Them Off ‘Professionals’ List

Wyoming’s shortage of nurses could get worse if the federal government takes nurses off of its list of “professional” degrees. That would slash federal student loan assistance and could put the nurse practitioner program out of reach for students.

Renée JeanNovember 29, 2025

One Way Trump's 50-Year Mortgage Could Work: Multi-Generation Loans

An Army veteran and Montana cowboy got an inside look at how 50-year mortgages worked when he was in Germany after World War II. Multiple generations would sign the loan to pool resources and avoid estate taxes.

Renée JeanNovember 28, 2025

Ann Hauge, third-generation owner of the Snake River Ranch in Wyoming, far right, was instrumental in building the first new port in Haiti’s southern peninsula in 50 years. She says that, like Wyoming, Haiti feeds her pioneer spirit.

How A Wyoming Ranch Owner Helped Build Southern Haiti's First Port In 50 Years

Ann Hauge, third-generation owner of the Snake River Ranch in Wyoming, was instrumental in building the first new port in Haiti’s southern peninsula in 50 years. She says that, like Wyoming, Haiti feeds her pioneer spirit.

Renée JeanNovember 28, 2025

Northwest Wyoming ski resorts have had to postpone their scheduled openings because of a lack of snow. Above is a Wednesday webcam view from Jackson Hole Restaurant and Bar showing theres barely any snow on the slopes.

No Snow: Jackson Hole Delays Ski Season As Holidays Kick Off

Hopeful Thanksgiving skiers in Jackson Hole are in a holding pattern with warm, dry weather delaying opening day for all three of its major resorts. Forecasters say a much colder pattern is on its way to help rescue the season soon.

Renée JeanNovember 27, 2025

Wyoming chefs, like Cheyenne celebrity chef Petrina Peart, say they don't trust artificial intelligence to tell them how to cook Thanksgiving dinner. They say AI turkey recipes miss key steps like brining and resting, so they still trust human expertise for a juicy, tasty bird.

Chefs Don't Trust Artificial Intelligence To Tell Them How To Cook Thanksgiving Dinner

Wyoming chefs say they don't trust artificial intelligence to tell them how to cook Thanksgiving dinner. They say AI turkey recipes miss key steps like brining and resting, so they still trust human expertise for a juicy, tasty bird.

Renée JeanNovember 26, 2025