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
Rock Springs Teacher’s Crazy Costumes Make A Serious Point — Laughter Is Learning
Not all learning comes from a textbook — some of it comes from laughter. That’s inspired Rock Springs teacher Weston Lamb-Costantino to wear a lot of silly costumes to school, which his students love.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025
Huge Wyoming-Grown Greenhouse Embraces Grateful Dead Connection
The Grateful Dead and fresh produce might not sound like they go together, but they do at Silver Stream Farm northwest of Pinedale. The huge 25,000-square-foot greenhouse takes its name from a Grateful Dead song reportedly written in Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Buys Tulips By The Thousands, And They Last For Years
Holland may be famous for its tulips, but they’re all over Cheyenne as well each summer. The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens buys them by the thousands, and they thrive in southeast Wyoming, some lasting for a decade.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025
Wyoming’s Popular Crazy Woman Canyon Unexpectedly Closed For The Summer
Crazy Woman Canyon is a draw for Wyomingites and visitors to Johnson County, but it’s been unexpectedly closed for the summer. It’s a blow for tourism and locals who count the canyon as a favorite outdoors getaway.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025
1.2-GW Wyoming Data Center To Help Pioneer New Battery Less Likely To Catch Fire
A new battery system could solve the runaway thermal problem that makes lithium batteries burst into flames. A 1.2-gigawatt data center near Evanston, Wyoming, is going to help a startup prove its new battery system.
Renée JeanMay 23, 2025
Longtime Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober To Retire After 22 Years
Longtime Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober announced she’s retiring at the end of 2025. Author CJ Box says she’s the best in the business and former Gov. Dave Freudenthal says she was perfect for the job — an “unbearably happy human being.”
Renée JeanMay 22, 2025
Wyoming Service Workers Optimistic Over Senate Passage Of No Tax On Tips Bill
In a surprise move, the U.S. Senate passed the No Tax on Tips bill unanimously. The reaction from Wyoming service employees ranged from cautious optimism to elation. “The blue-collar worker, what’s left of us, needs their tips to help ends meet,” one barber said.
Renée JeanMay 22, 2025
Short-Staffed Cheyenne National Weather Service Office Ends 24/7 Monitoring
The National Weather Service forecast office in Cheyenne is short staffed and has killed its overnight shift, ending the office's 24/7 monitoring. Meteorologist Don Day says that could mean less accurate forecasts and less timely warnings for southeast Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 19, 2025
Little Snake River Students Get Hands-On In New $1.7M Livestock Center
A new $1.7 million livestock center has opened a hands-on classroom for students interested in ag education at Little Snake River School in Baggs. It’s the realization of a dream by their teacher.
Renée JeanMay 19, 2025
Pioneer Town At Little Snake River Museum In Savery Takes Students Back To Days Of Old
Snow still tops Baker Mountain looking down on Little Snake River Museum in this hamlet near the Wyoming - Colorado border east of Baggs, Wyoming. More than 100 children gathered at the museum to celebrate the annual Pioneer Day.
Renée JeanMay 18, 2025
Beartooth Basin Will Open For Summer Skiing For First Time In Three Years
Beartooth Basin near Cody is America’s only ski resort that operates exclusively in the summer. Unlike other ski resorts where summer skiing could happen, Beartooth Basin, which will open for the first time in three years, doesn’t open for the winter at all.
Renée JeanMay 18, 2025
Why Alpacas Are So Popular In The Rocky Mountains
Alpacas are becoming more popular as a cash crop in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region. At the Great Western Alpaca Show in Cheyenne, producers said they prized for their soft, luxurious wool — and are great with kids.
Renée JeanMay 18, 2025
Record Prices Have Triggered A New Kind Of Gold Rush — Jewelry Sales
Record gold prices have people around Wyoming cleaning out their jewelry drawers and hitting up gold buyers for cash in a new kind of gold rush. One gold buyer in Cheyenne estimates his traffic is up 50%.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2025
Local Food Trend A Growing $24 Million Economic Force In Wyoming
The Lucky Buffalo Farm Stand near Burns is part of a growing local food trend in Wyoming. Already injecting $24 million a year into the state’s economy, local food venues have been a rising trend since Wyoming adopted the Food Freedom Act in 2015.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2025
Two Pizzas Bought With Bitcoin In 2010 Would Be Worth $815 Million Today
In 2010, a Florida man bought two pizzas worth about $41 with 10,000 bitcoins. Today, those bitcoins would be worth $815 million. Wyoming crypto leaders say that demonstrates how far digital currency has come and, like it or not, is the future.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2025
Stanley Hotel Sold In $400 Million Deal That Will See Huge Film Center Built
The historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, has sold in a $400 million deal that will build on its cult horror fame as the setting for “The Shining.” The deal includes building a huge film center.
Renée JeanMay 16, 2025
Sheriff Longmire Actor Turns Down Paying Gigs To Be At Longmire Days
Fans of the hit television show “Longmire” will soon flood Buffalo for two days in author Craig Johnson’s fictional Absaroka County. Sheriff Longmire actor Robert Taylor loves the franchise so much he turns down paying gigs to be at Longmire Days.
Renée JeanMay 14, 2025
Second Major Helium Plant Planned For Southwest Wyoming
Wyoming already produces 20% of the world’s Grade A helium supply from one plant east of Kemmerer. Now it’s about to get another major helium plant in southwest Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 12, 2025
More Tourists Discovering Small, Rural Wyoming Counties
Wyoming has long had a goal of encouraging tourism in other parts of the state other Teton County. In 2024, more tourists discovered small, rural Wyoming areas, with Crook and Sublette counties showing the biggest boost.
Renée JeanMay 11, 2025
Federal Cuts Have Wyoming Museums Scrambling At Start Of Busy Summer Season
Several Wyoming museums say they were caught by surprise when federal grants were cut. That’s left some on the hook for thousands of dollars as they scramble at the start of the busy summer season.
Renée JeanMay 11, 2025
Can You Catch ‘Food Poisoning?’ It’s Not Common, But, Yes, And Here’s How
Food-borne illnesses are among the most common in America, sickening more than 48 million each year. But can it be passed on to others? The answer is yes -- as a Cheyenne couple recently found out.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025