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

Expresso Lube in Gillette, Wyoming, is much more than a place to get your oil changed. It's also a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch, and is a comfortable place to wait for your vehicle.

Get An Oil Change And Lunch At Gillette’s Expresso Lube, But Not A Beer

Expresso Lube in Gillette already has a unique business model operating an oil change shop on one side and a diner on the other. But you can’t get a beer there after its liquor license was denied this week.

Renée JeanDecember 07, 2024

Tiny bone needles, about 1-3 mm wide, have been found at the La Prele Mammoth site near Douglas, Wyoming.

Tiny Bone Needles From Wyoming’s La Prele Site A Prehistoric Breakthrough

Archaeologists say Wyoming’s La Prele Mammoth site near Douglas has given up another big prehistoric find. They say the discovery of early 13,000-year-old tiny bone needles could help rewrite the history of early man.

Renée JeanDecember 07, 2024

Nobody can drive around on Wyoming roads with their cars and trucks decked out in Christmas lights, the Wyoming Highway Patrol says — not even Santa.

Why It's Against The Law To Decorate Your Vehicle With Christmas Lights

Although you may be tempted to string thousands of Christmas lights on your car to show off your holiday glee, it's against the law. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says it would even ticket Santa.

Renée JeanDecember 07, 2024

This office building used by Registered Agents Inc. in Sheridan is the official address for about 120,000 LLCs registered in Wyoming, Fremont County Assessor Tara Berg estimates.

Wyoming Overtakes Delaware For Most Per Capita Incorporations In The Nation

Wyoming had 45,000 new business incorporations last year, a 45% jump that allowed it to overtake Delaware in the number of new registrations per capita. It continues a 10-year spike for the state as a popular place to register a business.

Renée JeanDecember 06, 2024

The Powell Farm Store is one of five Big Horn Co-op stores set to close at the end of the year.

Big Horn Co-op Is Closing Five Stores Across Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin

Big Horn Co-op has a 101-year history in Wyoming, starting in 1923. But changes to the retail landscape have finally caught up with the cooperative, which will close five of its farm stores in small towns across the Bighorn Basin.

Renée JeanDecember 06, 2024

The hit Western "Longmire," based on the novels of Wyoming author Craig Johnson, is coming to the end of a long run on Netflix this month.

"Longmire's" Long Run On Netflix To End, Craig Johnson Wants A Network Revival

Netflix will stop its long run of the hit Western "Longmire" at the end of the month. Although it's alread been picked up by Paramount+, Wyoming author Craig Johnson hopes for a network TV revival of the series.

Renée JeanDecember 04, 2024

Rare Element Resources has already started operations at its rare earths demonstration plant in Upton, Wyoming.

China’s Ban On Rare Earth Exports Good News For Huge Wyoming Projects

China issued a ban Tuesday on exporting to the U.S. critical rare earth minerals for semiconductors, infrared, fiber optics and military explosives. But representatives of Wyoming’s huge rare earths projects say the ban is good news for them.

Renée JeanDecember 04, 2024

Teton County, Wyoming, is again the nation's wealthiest, with a per capita income of more than $471,000 and median household income of $1.3 million.

Teton County Still Richest In The Nation; Wealth Hits New High

Teton County continues to be the nation’s wealthiest county with the mean household income at $1.13 miliion. The surge in wealth has contributed to a host of problems, including a lack of affordable housing.

Renée JeanDecember 03, 2024

The site about 20 miles southwest of Green River could produce 6 million tons of soda ash and sodium bicarbonate a year.

Turkish Company Offers $285 Million To Buy Interest In Huge Wyoming Trona Mine

Sisecam, a Turkish company, is offering $285 million to buy out a minority stake in one of Wyoming’s huge new trona mines.

Renée JeanDecember 02, 2024

Alea West tends bar at the Lamp Lounge in Cheyenne. She says that while she relies on tips, she thinks the "tipping culture" trend has gone too far.

Tipping In Wyoming: Even Some Bartenders Are Saying It's Out Of Control

According to one poll, 72% of U.S. adults feel that tipping is expected in a lot more places today than five years ago. And while most are fine with tipping in a sit-down restaurant or a bar, only a fraction believe tipping in a coffee shop or a fast food joint is OK.

Renée JeanNovember 30, 2024

Turkeys and livestock guard dogs follow Corinna around at Schadey's Acres as she prepares to lay down a line of grains for the birds to eat.

Life On The Farm: Raising Turkeys and Yaks In Albany County, Wyoming

When Michigan HOA rules wouldn't allow Corinna and Patrick Schade to grow at least some of their food, they moved to Wyoming. Now they've raised more than 350 heritage turkeys alongside a growing herd of yaks in Albany County.

Renée JeanNovember 30, 2024

Drinking Wyoming: Melvin Brewing, State’s Largest Brewery, Is About To Get Bigger

A merger between Melvin and Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson in 2022 has positioned Wyoming’s largest brewery to grow even more. The brewery is already beating national sales trends, and it’s looking to add more new products and keep growing.

Renée JeanNovember 29, 2024

Other Authors

Janelle Jones stands in front of the new HAWK crossing at McCormick Junior High in Cheyenne installed in memory of her son, Mak. Janelle and her charity forMak helped get the new crossing built where her son Makaili “Mak” Evans, was hit by a car and killed in 2021.

Cheyenne Mom Has Turned Tragedy Into A Crusade For Safer Streets

Janelle Jones lost her son Mak when a distracted driver hit him in a Cheyenne crosswalk. Janelle has since been on a crusade for safer streets and stricter penalties for distracted drivers.

Renée JeanNovember 28, 2024

Not long ago, Ayden Skillman of Greybull, Wyoming, was in the hospital recovering from a heart transplant. Now he's finally home.

Wyoming Boy Born Without Complete Heart Finally Home After Successful Transplant

Ayden Skillman of Greybull was born without a complete heart and has spent much of his young life in hospitals. Now the 18-year-old is back home after a successful heart transplant and doctors say he's doing extremely well.

Renée JeanNovember 28, 2024

Basketball coaches for Cheyenne’s East, South and Central schools had their players work together on a Thanksgiving food drive, bringing a dozen truckloads of food to ther Comea House and Resource Center.

Rival Cheyenne Basketball Teams Donate 12 Truckloads Of Food To Local Shelter

The basketball coaches and players for Cheyenne East, South and Central high schools are rivals on the court. Off it, they teamed up to collect enough Thanksgiving food for a local shelter to fill 12 trucks.

Renée JeanNovember 27, 2024

Coal trains leaving the Powder River Basin in northeast Wyoming full and returning empty.

BLM Outlaws Coal In Powder River Basin; Gordon Says Prepare For A Fight

The BLM has made it official Tuesday — it’s ending new coal leases in the Powder River Basin, with an eye to producing no more coal after 2041. Gov. Mark Gordon says those are fighting words.

Renée JeanNovember 27, 2024

Charles Hoskinson talks about Wyoming's process for bidding vendors for its new stable token.

Wyoming-Based Crypto Founder Slams State Over Stable Token Bid Process

Wyoming rancher Charles Hoskinson has one of the top 10 cryptocurrency platforms in the nation, but he’s not eligible to bid to be a vendor for Wyoming’s stable token. He’s blasting the state over its bidding process, calling it unfair.

Renée JeanNovember 26, 2024

Bill Gates-Backed TerraPower Strikes Deal To Get Laser-Enriched Uranium

Bill Gates-backed TerraPower and the nuclear plant it's building in southwest Wyoming have secured another potential source of uranium. It’s struck a deal to get laser-enriched uranium.

Renée JeanNovember 24, 2024

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F.E. Warren Air Force Base Exploring Geothermal Power To Boost Resiliency Against Catastrophe

Cheyenne’s F.E. Warren Air Force Base, which houses the nation’s nuclear missiles, is exploring geothermal energy to build up the military base’s resiliency. Geothermal power could ensure the base is functional, even if the overall power grid goes down.

Renée JeanNovember 23, 2024

Cheyenne resident Dr. Karen Meister-Emerich loves her new Cybertruck because it reminds her of a Delorean and it's packed with technology. The 75-year-old grandma breaks the mold of the typical Tesla owner.

Meet The Baby Boomer Wyoming Grandma Who Breaks The Mold Of A Cybertruck Owner

The typical Tesla owner is an upper-middle-class man in his 50s. 75-year-old Karen Meister-Emerich, a grandma from Cheyenne, doesn't fit that demographic but loves her Cybertruck, which she bought because she missed out on buying a DeLorean.

Renée JeanNovember 23, 2024

A crew works on the site of the CK Gold Project near Curt Gowdy State Park in southern Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Only Gold Mine Gets Green Light From State

Wyoming’s only gold mine near Curt Gowdy State Park has gotten a green light from state regulators. It’s a step closer to actually pulling gold out of the ground. US Gold believes the site could hold 1 million ounces of gold.

Renée JeanNovember 20, 2024

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