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

Uinta County Commissioner Mark Anderson was among those with lots of questions about the data center Prometheus Hyperscale has proposed on his family's ranch land in Uinta County during a May 2026 town hall meeting.

Uinta County OKs Huge Data Center, Some Fear They'll Get Left 'Holding The Bag'

Residents are split over the proposed massive Prometheus Hyperscale data center, which Uinta County commissioners gave a green light Tuesday. “My concern is, Prometheus promises all of these things ... and we end up holding the bag," said a critic.

Renée JeanJune 17, 2026

Drilling hands prepare to tighten 10-inch metal pipe casing that will be connected and fitted into a drilled well in Wyoming's northeastern Powder River Basin south of Gillette in this file photo.

Montana Judge Tosses 1.5M Acres Of Wyoming Oil And Gas Leases, Costs State $50M

A federal judge in Montana has thrown out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases sold under the Trump administration, forcing the state to return $50 million in payments. “The environmental group found a sympathetic venue in Montana,” said a Wyoming landman.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2026

A full house turned out to hear debate about a 3,500-acre annexation for future Microsoft data center expansions. Cheyenne’s Public Services Committee narrowly recommended approval, while Councilman Larry Wolfe urged postponement, to give the city time to negotiate a $50M community benefits agreement.

Cheyenne Committee Backs Microsoft Annexation While Councilman Pushes $50M Deal

Despite calls to delay or deny a 3,500-acre annexation for Microsoft data centers, Cheyenne’s Public Services Committee narrowly recommended approval Monday. A councilman urged them to postpone to give the city time to negotiate a $50 million agreement.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2026

Gov. Mark Gordon, center, listens as a Related Digital employee talks about the closed-loop system used to cool Related's data center east of Cheyenne.

Inside The $1.2 Billion Data Center Campus Being Built In Cheyenne

Work is nearing completion on the first 184,000-square-foot phase of the Related Digital data center campus in Cheyenne, which is expected to be finished in late 2026. The company says because of its closed-loop system, there’s no ongoing water required.

Renée JeanJune 14, 2026

At the R&B Cafe in Cheyenne, weekends are packed with hungry breakfast crowds in a file photo.

From Cafés To Clinics, Wyoming’s Labor Crunch Is Holding The Economy Back

Wyoming business owners say they are leaving a lot of money on the table because they can’t fill open jobs, forcing them to turn away customers and reduce hours. “I keep banging my head against the wall,” said one owner.

Renée JeanJune 13, 2026

Up To 2,600 Pounds Each, Powder River Percherons Are Huge At Wyoming Parades

Anyone who’s been to a parade in Wyoming in the past 25 years knows the Powder River Percherons, teams of dapple-gray draft horses that tower over crowds. Also called the "war horse of France," they're 2,600 pounds each and 6 feet tall at the withers.

Renée JeanJune 13, 2026

Developer Puts Massive 5,600-Worker Cheyenne Man Camp On Hold, Looks For New Site

A proposed 5,600-worker man camp south of Cheyenne that would have been larger than 84 Wyoming cities and towns has been put on hold after weeks of community backlash. The developer says it's still “desperately needed” and is looking for a new site.

Renée JeanJune 12, 2026

The first job for Union Pacific’s new Trump-themed locomotive No. 4547 was carrying parts of the Artemis III rocket. It rolled through Wyoming without much notice last week.

New Trump Locomotive No. 4547 Rolls Through Wyoming Carrying Artemis III Rocket

The first job for Union Pacific’s new Trump-themed locomotive No. 4547 took it through Wyoming carrying the Artemis III rocket. Nobody except railroad watchers noticed. “They were just these weird-looking, covered capsule-looking things,” one said.

Renée JeanJune 11, 2026

Partner Pulling Out Doesn’t Slow Huge 2.7GW Cheyenne Project Jade Data Center

Crusoe, a founding partner in the huge 2.7-gigawatt Project Jade data center near Cheyenne, quietly pulled out months ago. That hasn’t slowed the project, which is going “full steam ahead,” remaining partner Tallgrass Energy told Cowboy State Daily.

Renée JeanJune 11, 2026

Not In Our Backyard: Rural Cheyenne Residents Don’t Want Black Hills Gas Plant

A rural neighborhood north of Cheyenne told Black Hills Energy it doesn't want a planned natural gas power plant during "a very contentious” local-only meeting this week. “The only reason you’d do that is to put a data center there,” said one resident.

Renée JeanJune 10, 2026

Councilman Larry Wolfe questions annexing a 3,500-acre parcel into Cheyenne before completing an update to its planning documents.

In Emotional City Council Meeting, Cheyenne Weighs Record Microsoft Annexation

It was yet another data-center dominated night for the Cheyenne City Council on Monday, with intense, sometimes emotional public testimony on what would be the largest annexation in Cheyenne history. The annexation will support expansion of data centers.

Renée JeanJune 09, 2026

Mayor Patrick Collins talks about why Board of Public Utilities actually needs to sell more water.

Cheyenne Leaders, Industry Officials: Data Centers Could Lower Electricity Costs

At a panel discussion on Saturday, Cheyenne leaders and industry officials said data centers are already helping stabilize electric rates and are opening new land for housing. But skeptics still aren’t buying it.

Renée JeanJune 08, 2026

Other Authors

A “ridiculous" project digging through rabbit poop led Jack States — aka Lander's Mushroom Man — to discover a famous mold and 12 new species of truffles. His research has changed how scientists view wildlife diseases and has reshaped forest management.

How Lander's 'Mushroom Man’ Turned Rabbit Poop Project Into Big Science

A project digging through rabbit poop led mycologist Jack States — aka Lander's Mushroom Man — to discover a famous mold and 12 new species of truffles. His research has changed how scientists view wildlife diseases and has reshaped forest management.

Renée JeanJune 07, 2026

An East Coast auction house recently advertised a glass plate negative of Butch Cassidy’s Wyoming Territorial Prison mugshot as a one-of-a-kind “original." But a Wyoming state archivist says the original is safe in Wyoming — and she double-checked.

Wyoming Archives Has Butch Cassidy Negative, Despite ‘Original’ Offered At Auction

Despite an East Coast auction house advertising a glass plate negative of Butch Cassidy’s mugshot as a one-of-a-kind, the original is housed in the Wyoming State Archives. “I was certain we had it in our collection,” archivist Suzy Taylor said.

Renée JeanJune 07, 2026

Barrel racing legend Angela Ganter and her battle from near death to elite competition is highlighted in "Outriding the Devil." Here, she competes at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2024.

Wyoming-Made Rodeo Documentary ‘Outriding The Devil’ Is A National Hit

“Outriding the Devil," the Wyoming-made film that shows the brutal side of "real" rodeo, has enjoyed a multi-week run as the No. 1-ranked Western documentary on IMDb and has earned major praise from national outlets like Sports Illustrated.

Renée JeanJune 07, 2026

Patricia Miller, with her husband Tim, unpacked new merchandise at the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Store at the Frontier Mall. Patricia recently had a customer try to pass of a counterfeit $100 bill.

Fake $100 Bills Making The Rounds In Wyoming, Counterfeit Pens Don't Detect Them

Counterfeit $100 bills are getting passed throughout Wyoming and store clerks say iodine counterfeit detector pens won't detect the fake bills. “The counterfeit pens are garbage,” said one store manager

Renée JeanJune 06, 2026

An oilman who operates in Wyoming says one BLM signature has stalled two of his Powder River Basin wells, costing him $2 million a day. Across the state, the signature has stalled more than 1,300 federal leases covering 1.2 million acres.

Oilman Says BLM Delay Stalls His Powder River Basin Oil Wells — And 1,323 Statewide

Oilman Howard Cooper says an unsigned BLM analysis is holding up his Powder River Basin oil wells. It's also stalled more than 1,300 other leases, says the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. "It’s always next week, and next week never comes,” Cooper said.

Renée JeanJune 06, 2026

Kids who attend the one-room Slack school near Parkman, Wyoming, still ride horses to their schoolhouse on the first and last days of class.

Kids Still Ride Horses To This One-Room Wyoming Schoolhouse

Kids who attend the one-room school near Parkman, Wyoming, still ride horses to their schoolhouse on the first and last days of class. “If you let one horse start trotting, then you’re going to have a horse race on your hands,” one ranch mom said.

Renée JeanJune 06, 2026

Kelsey Stephens was among ranching family members speaking out against a "wind wall" in southeastern Wyoming that stretches from Casper to Cheyenne and beyond.

Wyoming Ranchers Rally Against 'Wind Wall' Of Turbines Across The State

Wyoming ranchers rallied at the state Capitol on Thursday demanding action against what they call a “wind wall” of turbines across the state. “We’ve got surrounded by wind farms,” said one rancher about wind power and its impact on Wyoming’s rural future.

Renée JeanJune 04, 2026

A line formed of residents speaking against Microsoft's plans for expansion on the south side of Cheyenne.

Cheyenne Planners Recommend Denial For Most Of Microsoft’s Data Center Expansion

Cheyenne planners are recommending denial of most of the provisions in a huge 3,200-acre Microsoft data center expansion. “This is about 18% of the city’s current size. It overtakes the city,” said one resident during a marathon five-hour hearing Monday.

Renée JeanJune 02, 2026

A Cheyenne City Council committee on Monday advanced a measure that could put two multimillion-dollar Derby Club gaming establishments out of compliance with city rules. It would prohibit gaming centers from being within 500 feet of day care centers and schools.

Proposed Rules Could Block Two Cheyenne Gaming Locations From Renewing Permits

A Cheyenne City Council committee on Monday advanced a measure that could put two multimillion-dollar gaming establishments out of compliance with city rules. It would prohibit gaming centers from being within 500 feet of day care centers and schools.

Renée JeanJune 02, 2026

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