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

A Chinese bitcoin mining facility near F.E. Warren Air Force Base just west of Cheyenne was shut down by the Biden administration as a potential national security threat.

Bill Banning Foreign Adversaries Setting Up Shop Near Critical Areas Advances

The Senate Appropriations Committee gave a unanimous thumbs up Thursday to a bill that would ban foreign adversaries from setting up near critical infrastructure in Wyoming.

Renée JeanJanuary 17, 2025

Wyoming Stock Growers Assocition Executive Vice President Jim Magagna testifies against an eminent domain bill for the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. Inset, committee member Rep. John Eklund, R-Cheyenne.

Controversial Eminent Domain Bill Passes Over Protests From Ag, Energy Industries

Wyoming legislators passed a controversial eminent domain bill Thursday that would ban anyone except public utilities from using eminent domain to take land for electrical systems. Both the state’s ag and energy industries argued against it.

Renée JeanJanuary 16, 2025

The Granite Creek Ranch, which was listed for nearly $9 million in Jackson, Wyoming, has been bought by billionare Joe Ricketts.

Billionaire Joe Ricketts Plans Luxury Resort With Teton County Ranch He Bought

Billionaire Joe Ricketts has announced his plans for the Granite Ranch in Teton County, which he bought last fall. It will be a swanky luxury resort, echoing many of the same themes as his abandoned Homestead Resort project in Bondurant.

Renée JeanJanuary 15, 2025

Turbine blades and Eagle Butte mine via Alamy 1 15 25

Wyoming Doubles Down On Wind Blade Disposal In Coal Mines, Tabling Alternative

Wyoming legislators tabled a bill Wednesday that would have created landfill deposits at wind farm sites to dispose of their worn-out turbine blades. State agencies say coal mine disposal — just approved by federal government — is better.

Renée JeanJanuary 15, 2025

Star Plunge water park and hot springs in Thermopolis closed Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, a day earlier than expected as a dispute continues between the state and the facility's owners/operators. Here, Roland Luehne turns away Joy Erickson, son Dayton Yaple and Annette Withinton, Lander customers who misunderstood that the pool was closed.

Soakers Show Up To Find World Famous Star Plunge Closed Sooner Than Expected

The world famous Star Plunge pool and hot springs in Thermopolis, Wyoming, has been on a legal collision course with the state. It had been expected to close Wednesday, but soakers showed up Tuesday to find it suddenly closed earlier.

Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025

Gillette, Wyoming-based Cycline Drilling operates a rig in the Powder River Basin.

Wyoming's Powder River Basin Sitting On Untapped Oil And Gas Potential

The oil and gas industry has been talking up the potential of the Powder River Basin for 20 years. Even so, Wyoming’s busiest play still only has about 11 rigs running. It’s going to take more than an oil-friendly administration to increase production.

Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025

A field of discarded wind turbine blades.

Feds OK Wyoming Idea To Use Old Wind Turbines To Fill In Coal Mines

Wyoming’s innovative plan to allow coal mines to accept wind turbine blades as fill material has cleared the Biden administration, almost four years after the state approved it.

Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025

The 30th annual Pedigree Stage Stop sled dog race across Wyoming begins Feb. 1. The sixth stage is in Lander.

Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race Returns To Dubois After 20-Year Hiatus

Dubois will once again host a leg of the world-famous Pedigree Stage Stop Dog Race after a 20-year hiatus. The town is planning an over-the-top weekend as the final stage for the event’s 30th year.

Renée JeanJanuary 12, 2025

Java Moon owner Megan Cook makes a specialty coffee drink at her Sheridan cafe.

Inside Sheridan's Java Moon Coffee Shop Where Mooncakes Are King

Somewhere over the Java Moon in Sheridan is where you’ll find Megan Cook. The former financial accountant took a moonshot leap of faith from a comfortable job to owning her own business. It’s been a roller coaster, but she has no regrets.

Renée JeanJanuary 12, 2025

Blue Federal Credit Union location at East 7th Street and Warren Avenue in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

No, Jimmy Carter’s Funeral Didn’t Delay Workers From Getting Their Paychecks

Some Blue Federal Credit Union customers in Cheyenne woke up Friday to shock that their paychecks hadn’t been deposited. Although told it was because the Federal Reserve was closed for Jimmy Carter’s funeral, it was an electronic transfer glitch.

Renée JeanJanuary 12, 2025

Grain Weevil Robot Aims To Keep Farmers From Risking Their Lives In Grain Bins

A Nebraska company has developed a pioneering robot called a Grain Weevil that can do everything in a grain bin a human with a shovel might need to do. Wyoming farmers say it could be a revolutionary development for safety.

Renée JeanJanuary 11, 2025

Since September, thousands of rural ZIP codes have been paying a surcharge on packages that has been quietly put into U.S. Postal Service merchant agreements with companies like eBay.

Wyomingites Pay More For Rural Postal Service Deliveries Through Sneaky Surcharge

The U.S. Postal Service has quietly initiated a surcharge on package deliveries to rural areas, which includes much of Wyoming. The up-charges have been quietly slipped into Postal Service agreements with merchants like eBay.

Renée JeanJanuary 10, 2025

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A Laramie County property north of Cheyenne city limits with multiple cars. It could be one that is impacted by proposed zoning regulation changes.

Laramie County Residents Angry Over Proposed “Land Grab” Zoning Regs

Some Laramie County residents are angry over proposed zoning laws they call a local government “land grab.” Commissioners say tightening some rules is needed to help neighbors upset with businesses and other operations setting up in neighborhoods.

Renée JeanJanuary 09, 2025

A worker observes while a coworker finishes taking out the stump of a cottonwood tree at Holiday Park in Cheyenne that shows some signs of compromise. But residents are questioning the removal of some other trees, which they say were younger and healthier.

Cheyenne Cutting Down More Cottonwood Trees But Locals Say There's Nothing Wrong With Them

The City of Cheyenne is at it again -- cutting down more of its Cottonwood trees. The city says they’ve been identified as “a hazard to the public,” but locals say there was nothing wrong with them.

Renée JeanJanuary 08, 2025

South Dakota-based Aerostar is testing high-altitude balloons with NASA and the U.S. Forest Service for supporting wildland firefighting efforts by giving cellphone service and other observations and data.

Those Aren't Chinese Balloons Over Wyoming, They're Helping Firefighters And More

Some of the balloons people see floating over Wyoming aren’t Chinese spy efforts, they’re from South Dakota. One balloon was a floating cellphone tower for a demonstration project that could dramatically improve logistics for wildland firefighters.

Renée JeanJanuary 07, 2025

Along with a main house, there are a handful of other homes and residences on the Antlers Ranch.

Two Multimillion-Dollar Wyoming Properties Are In Top 5 Most-Viewed Luxury Listings

Two multimillion-dollar Wyoming properties have made Mansion Global’s annual list of top five viewed luxury listings for 2024. The $9 million Granite Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole is No. 1, while the $85 million Antlers Ranch near Meeteetse is No. 4.

Renée JeanJanuary 06, 2025

Craig Johnson loaded up and motorcycling through the Rock Springs and Red Desert areas of southwest Wyoming while researching his latest Walt Longmire novel, "Return to Sender."

Craig Johnson’s Next Novel Drops May 27, Was Inspired By Cowboy State Daily Story

Craig Johnson’s newest novel “Return to Sender” will drop May 27. The Ucross, Wyoming, writer said his latest mystery was inspired by a story he read in Cowboy State Daily about the mail carrier who has the most remote route in the United States.

Renée JeanJanuary 06, 2025

Even when it's 20 degrees and snowy outside, the business in Mort's Bagels in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming, is brisk on a Sunday morning, Jan. 5, 2025.

Bagels Are Temperamental, But That Hasn't Stopped Couple From Running Bagel Shop

Any cook who’s ever tried to make bagels can tell you just how temperamental they can be. A Cheyenne couple who purchased Mort's Bagels found that out the hard way. But they've learned that lesson and love running their own business.

Renée JeanJanuary 05, 2025

The Schell family of Wyoming poses in front of Concord Waterfall on the island of Granada. After that, they went to the Jouvay chocolate factory and then explored a forest reserve where wild Mona monkeys roam.

Wyoming Couple Sells Home To Sail Around The World Over Next 10 Years

Jim Bob and Marlie Schell have have traded their home in Hoback Junction for a sailboat. They're not only going to sail around the world over the next 10 years but they're homeschooling their son on the high seas.

Renée JeanJanuary 05, 2025

"Can I take your order?" Margaret Lovato asks with a smile at Diamond Horseshoe Cafe in Cheyenne, where she has worked for almost 50 years.

Margaret Lovato Has Been Serving Customers For 50 Years At Cheyenne's Diamond Horseshoe

Regulars at the Diamond Horseshoe Cafe describe it as Cheyenne’s Cheers, a place where everyone knows your name. At the center of that is Margaret Lovato, who’s been serving customers there for almost 50 years.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2025

City National Pawn's coin master Joe Bohlinger looks at the tail feathers of a 2000-P Sacagawea coin, to see if it is a "Cheerios" coin. It wasn't, but if it had been, it would have been worth around $6,600 if in mint condition.

Pocket Change Can Be Worth Big Money If You Know What to Look For

While many of the most valuable coins aren’t in circulation anymore, there are still millions of coins changing hands every day. A Wyoming coin dealer says there’s big money in pocket change if you know what to look for.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2025

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