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.
Latest from Renée Jean
Can’t Stop Sneezing? You’re Not Alone — Wyoming Among Worst Allergy States
Wyoming is not an easy state for allergy sufferers, and there’s a reason for that. Sagebrush is a huge contributor to the state’s overall pollen counts, which are the sixth highest in the nation.
Renée JeanAugust 05, 2025
$40 Million Will Buy A Unique Estate At Foot Of The Tetons You Couldn’t Build Today
Teton County caps habitable space on a given property at 8,000 square feet. But at $40 million, Riva Ridge Reserve far exceeds that. Grandfathered entitlements mean its 18,378 square feet of living space are something you couldn’t build today.
Renée JeanAugust 03, 2025
Growing Up Rodeo In Wyoming Means Riding In Miniature Roughstock Events
Generations of Wyoming kids have been raised by the Cowboy Code and a rodeo lifestyle. They’re also cutting their teeth competing in miniature roughstock rodeo — like the one this past week at the Weston County Fair in Newcastle.
Renée JeanAugust 03, 2025
Wyoming Cowboy Wanted To Buy A Saddle, And Became A World-Class Chocolatier
Tim Kellogg, aka the Meeteetse Chocolatier, got his start trying to earn money to buy a saddle. Now he’s a master at his craft, traveling the world to source unique, high-quality ingredients and techniques. His world-class chocolates sell out in minutes.
Renée JeanAugust 03, 2025
Newcastle Welcomes Bikers As Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Begins
Newcastle doesn’t go all out like some towns that are on the road to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. But it still gets plenty of motorcycle riders on their “hogs” exploring Wyoming’s Black Hills on their way to the rally.
Renée JeanAugust 02, 2025
Cheyenne Artist Uses 2 Booms, $400-A-Gallon Paint To Paint 80-Foot Water Tank Murals
Cheyenne artist Jordan Dean is painting giant 60-to-70-foot horses as the centerpiece of stunning murals on two water tank north of town. It takes two giant boom lifts, a projector and $400-a-gallon paint.
Renée JeanAugust 02, 2025
Cheyenne To Get Massive AI Data Center Powered By Gas And Carbon Capture
Cheyenne is about to get its largest artificial intelligence data center yet, at 1.8 gigawatts. Wyoming company Tallgrass and Texas-based Crusoe say the center will be powered by Wyoming natural gas, along with carbon capture technology.
Renée JeanJuly 29, 2025
Cheyenne Man Pulls 9 Gs With Thunderbirds, Then Takes A Nap
Cheyenne’s Bryan “Alf” Grzegorczyk had planned a celebratory drink following his once-in-a-lifetime Thunderbirds flight to salute everyone who nominated him for the honor. But after flying at 9 Gs, all Alf could manage was a celebratory nap.
Renée JeanJuly 28, 2025
80 Years After His Dad Fought On Iwo Jima, Dan Starks Makes Rare Visit To Island
National Museum of Military Vehicles owner Dan Starks took a rare trip to Iwo Jima earlier this year. He has new respect for the soldiers who fought there 80 years ago during World War II — including his own father.
Renée JeanJuly 27, 2025
Couple Steals Show With Surprise Proposal During Cheyenne Frontier Days Concert
Romance wasn’t in the air when Brandon Boyer and Shilee Calhoun met, but they fell in love anyway. That led to a surprise proposal that stole the spotlight for a moment during Ian Munsick’s Cheyenne Frontier Days concert.
Renée JeanJuly 27, 2025
‘Yellowstone’ Actor Mo Brings Plenty Advises On New Frontier Days Indian Village
“Yellowstone” television series actor Mo Brings Plenty is helping shape the new Morning Star Indian Village, a multimillion-dollar project at Cheyenne Frontier Days set for completion in 2026.
Renée JeanJuly 27, 2025
Cheyenne’s Rodeo Week Inspires Huge Shopping Sprees, Millions In Economic Impact
Rodeo season in Cheyenne brings a surge of shoppers and record-breaking sales. Local businesses are projected to reap millions in economic benefits during the city’s iconic Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Renée JeanJuly 25, 2025
Cheyenne Frontier Days Was First Civilian Show For Thunderbirds 72 Years Ago
The famous Air Force Thunderbirds have touched down in Cheyenne ahead of their Saturday Wings Over Wyoming show. The squad's first civilian air show was the 1953 Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the Thunderbirds have been back every year since but two.
Renée JeanJuly 25, 2025
Estate Of Legendary Wyoming Spaghetti Westerner Gap Pucci To Be Bought By Nuns
Gap Pucci befriended two nuns 25 years ago after they walked in sandals with no socks in knee-deep snow to see his crosses. Now the nuns say they will buy the legendary Wyoming spaghetti Westerner’s estate with a promise it won’t become a luxury mansion.
Renée JeanJuly 24, 2025
New Warner Bros. Streaming Service Fuels Hope For ‘Longmire’ Comeback
Warner Bros. Discovery is creating its own streaming service. That’s fueling hopes among die-hard fans that that the popular “Longmire” series, which Warner Bros. owns, could make a comeback.
Renée JeanJuly 23, 2025
“Yellowstone” Star Mo Brings Plenty Back In Wyoming As Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade Grand Marshal
“Yellowstone” star Mo Brings Plenty is back again for Cheyenne Frontier Days, this time as grand marshal of the parade. Growing up, the A-lister heard many stories about CFD, and says it’s the most prestigious rodeo in the world.
Renée JeanJuly 22, 2025
Longmire Star Robert Taylor Comes To Buffalo Every Year Because He Loves Wyoming
If Longmire Days had to pay Australian actor Robert Taylor to attend, it would be far out of reach. The actor doesn’t come for the money. He comes to Longmire Days in Buffalo every year for something else. He loves Wyoming.
Renée JeanJuly 21, 2025
Famous Sculptures Placed Around The World Come From Lander's Eagle Bronze
Outside the art world, few may recognize the name of Lander’s Eagle Bronze Foundry. But sculptures created there are prominent around the world, including 70 larger-than-life 6-foot-tall longhorn steers in Dallas, the longest continuous-themed bronze sculpture collection in the U.S.
Renée JeanJuly 20, 2025
Wyoming History: New Photos Of Legendary Mountain Man Jim Baker Discovered
In what Western historians call an “extremely exciting” discovery, a trunk containing new photographs of the famous mountain man Jim Baker has been found. It also holds letters written to a lawman by Wild Bunch informants.
Renée JeanJuly 20, 2025
There’s An Art To Panning For Gold That’s Part Patience, Part Recklessness
Six tiny flakes of gold in one pan of pay dirt are a nice haul. Panning for gold takes patience and a bit of reckless abandon — then rinse and repeat. Finding those flakes sparks an annual Wyoming gold rush to South Pass City.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2025
Ian Munsick Makes History As First Wyoming Native To Headline Cheyenne Frontier Days
Friday was an huge night for Sheridan's Ian Munsick, who fulfilled a dream by headlining Cheyenne Frontier Days. An emotional Munsick called being the first Wyoming native to headline CFD the biggest stage of his career so far.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2025