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

Race On To Save Mountain Man Jim Baker’s Rotting 152-Year-Old Wyoming Cabin

Mountain man Jim Baker’s 152-year-old cabin in Savery, Wyoming, is rotting and giving in to the ravages of time. But a cavalry of sorts is on the way, as a national preservation group races to save the historic cabin of the West’s last true mountain man.

Renée JeanMarch 30, 2025

Cheyenne resident Hannah Snitko and her fiance both took DNA tests with 23andMe.

Wyomingites Who Gave DNA To 23andMe Left In Limbo With Company’s Bankruptcy

Wyoming 23andMe users are scrambling to delete their DNA data in the wake of the company announcing bankruptcy. Others say they hope a future buyer will use their genetic information to help develop medical cures.

Renée JeanMarch 30, 2025

Why People Drive Hours For Chugwater Soda Fountain’s Upscale Supper

Chugwater Soda Fountain is already famous for being Wyoming’s oldest operating soda fountain. Now it’s becoming known for its upscale Supper at the Fountain — and people drive hours for a spot at a table.

Renée JeanMarch 29, 2025

A Colorado-owned fireworks business at the border south of Cheyenne has again been denied a permit because county commissioners say it’s “obnoxious.” The manager says he’s “never going to stop” fighting.

‘Obnoxious’ Cheyenne Fireworks Warehouse Again Denied Permit

A fireworks business at the Wyoming-Colorado border south of Cheyenne has again been denied a permit because county commissioners say it’s “obnoxious.” The manager says he’s “never going to stop” fighting.

Renée JeanMarch 27, 2025

Wyoming-based Custodia Bank, working with a Texas bank, has successfully sent U.S. dollars from an account into the digital realm and back again. The transaction is the first of its kind, says Caitlin Long, Custodia CEO.

Wyoming-Based Custodia Bank Is First To Send, Receive Digital U.S. Dollars

Wyoming-based Custodia Bank, working with a Texas bank, has successfully sent tokenized digital U.S. dollars from an account into the digital realm and back again. The transaction is the first of its kind.

Renée JeanMarch 26, 2025

A long line of people waits for service at the Cheyenne U.S. Post Office annex.

Starting April 1, Wyoming Post Offices May Lose Afternoon Mail Pickup

It's still not clear if afternoon pickup for Wyoming wyoming mail will be impacted under the Delivering for America plan, which starts April 1. It could mean Wyoming post offices will lose it.

Renée JeanMarch 25, 2025

Wyoming’s wild mustangs and many military veterans have something in common — they suffer from PTSD. A couple near Lusk is putting them together to help ease each others’ pain in a program called Operation Remount. Some of them form very strong bonds, like veteran Jerry and his mustang Chisum.

Wyoming's Wild Horses And Military Veterans Ease Each Others’ PTSD

Wyoming’s wild mustangs and many military veterans have something in common — they can suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A couple near Lusk is putting them together to help ease each others’ pain in a program called Operation Remount.

Renée JeanMarch 23, 2025

This Aladdin Readi-Cut kit mail-order house was bought in 1919 and built on a lot in Wheatland, Wyoming. It's still there more than 100 years later.

Mail-Order Homes Used To Be All The Rage, Like This One From 1919 In Wheatland

Mail-order homes, also called kit houses, were all the rage in the early 1900s as people moved West. In Wyoming, Aladdin kit homes were more popular than Sears & Roebuck homes like this one in Wheatland, built in 1919.

Renée JeanMarch 22, 2025

Left, Chris LeDoux performs in Nashville in 1993. Right, his son Ned LeDoux points to heaven while performing on stage at the 2021 Watershed music fesival in Washington state.

Chris LeDoux Days Is Ending: After 15 Years Festival Will Hold Finale In June 2025

Chris LeDoux Days in Kaycee, Wyoming, is ending, and going out with a bang this year for its 15th and final run. Entertainer Kip Attaway and country band Sawyer Brown will play for final June festival.

Renée JeanMarch 16, 2025

CleanSpark is standing up a new Bitcoin mining facility on Venture Drive in Cheyenne. The site is in addition to the one the company is building at a site near F.E. Warren Air Force Base that was previously owned by a Chinese company.

Rural Cheyenne Residents Have A Noisy New Neighbor — A Bitcoin Miner

A noisy new bitcoin mining operation is disturbing its rural Cheyenne area neighbors who moved outside the city for peace and quiet. The company says it’s working on mitigating the issue.

Renée JeanMarch 16, 2025

Consumer Advocates Warn More Rate Increases Ahead For Rocky Mountain Power Customers

Both of Wyoming’s consumer advocate groups foresee more rate increases ahead for Rocky Mountain Power customers. If commissioners approve the latest rate increase, the overall rate increase in the past two years totals 30.4%.

Renée JeanMarch 13, 2025

Rocky Mountain Power says wildfires are a driving force behind its most recent request for a double-digit rate increase. The Elk Fire was one of the worst from last season, buring nearly 100,000 acres across the eastern face of the Bighorn Mountains, threatening the small town of Dayton.

Wildfires Big Driver Behind Rocky Mountain Power’s Double-Digit Rate Hike

Wyoming’s wildfires have spurred higher insurance costs so much, Rocky Mountain Power says it's proposing another double-digit rate increase. It’s also considering self-insurance.

Renée JeanMarch 12, 2025

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The Wyoming Public Service Commission meets in Cheyenne on March 11, 2025, to hear testimony about a proposed electricity rate hike from Rocky Mountain Power.

Rocky Mountain Power Makes Case For Rate Hike, Says Large Users Will Pay More

At a Tuesday public hearing for Rocky Mountain Power’s latest double-digit rate increase request, the company said residential customers won’t pay as much. Large power users like data centers would pay more.

Renée JeanMarch 12, 2025

Laramie County residents Sandra Merrill and Alex Kelly are both restricting their egg purchases to once a month. Merrill said she sometimes skips breakfast altogether these days, in part due to the high cost of everything and in part because she's never been big on breakfast anyway.

Wyoming Egg-Eaters Say Investigation Into High Prices Can’t Come Soon Enough

Wyoming senior citizens say they’re giving up on eggs for breakfast, or in some cases skipping breakfast altogether. They say an investigation into what’s happening with egg prices can’t come soon enough.

Renée JeanMarch 11, 2025

Rocky Mountain Power Wants Another Double-Digit Rate Increase

The Wyoming Public Service Commission has a hearing Tuesday for another double-digit rate increase request for Rocky Mountain Power. If approved, RMP rates will have increased more than 30% since 2024.

Renée JeanMarch 11, 2025

Delegation Questions USPS Plan, With Wyoming Mail Handled In 4 Other States

Wyoming’s congressional delegation questions a USPS plan that would have Wyoming mail handled in four other states. The outgoing postmaster general appears set to roll it out despite advisories it will hurt rural areas, they say.

Renée JeanMarch 10, 2025

Sometimes the hands start flying during sparring matches at Historical European Martial Arts classes in Cheyenne.

Cheyenne Medieval Weapons Club Trains With Swords

Members of a Cheyenne medieval weapons club aren’t just hobbyists, they seriously train with period-appropriate swords. “It’s about more than just sword fighting and being a nerd,” claims one member.

Renée JeanMarch 09, 2025

On "Utensil Tuesdays," author Craig Johnson shares photos of obscure utensil's from his mother-in-law's collection, asking what the heck they are. Most of the time, his Facebook followers come through.

Another Craig Johnson Mystery — What The Heck Are These Obscure Utensils?

Wyoming New York Times best-selling author Craig Johnson has another mystery — what the heck are these obscure and weird-looking utensils in his mother-in-law’s collection? He shares one a week on Facebook and asks followers to ID them.

Renée JeanMarch 09, 2025

Wyoming’s most remote spaces have become sites of illegal dumping, everything from jet fuel to appliances, cars and boats. It’s costing taxpayers thousands of dollars to clean up.

Illegal Dumps Cropping Up All Over In Some Of Wyoming’s Most Remote Places

Four drums of jet fuel found tucked away inside a crack in a rock face near Jeffrey City will cost taxpayers more than $35,000 to clean up. It's not an isolated case. Discarded cars, boats, appliances, and other junk are getting littered in remote places across the state.

Renée JeanMarch 09, 2025

Chad Madsen rides a horse named Doc as he sorts animals from his 2,500-head herd in Afton, Wyoming.

Chad Madsen Of Afton Owns Wyoming's Largest Horse Herd — And Knows Them All By Name

Chad Madsen runs a herd of 2,500 horses, the largest in Wyoming, on ranches in Pavilion and Afton. The horses end up at outfitters and dude ranches across the state as rentals for tourists and hunters. And Madsen says he knows them all by name.

Renée JeanMarch 08, 2025

The handicap-accessible walkway beckons visitors to come in out of winter and explore Wyoming's only year-round tropical paradise.

No Exaggeration: Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Is Tropical Oasis In Middle Of Winter

Although it sounds like hyperbole, the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens really is a tropical oasis. There are lychee trees and mango, pineapple and banana, papaya, sugar cane, coffee, and cacao trees. They come from all over the world.

Renée JeanMarch 08, 2025

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