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

Delinquent Tax Paperwork Preceded Implosion Of Wyoming History Groups
More details are emerging over the rift that has grown in a decades-long partnership between three of Wyoming’s most prominent history groups. Records show problems leading to their split began much earlier than February.
Renée JeanJune 05, 2025

Wyoming Loves Its History But Its History Groups No Longer Love Each Other
A slow-motion blow-up is happening between three long-time history organizations. The resulting implosion is threatening to split Wyoming’s historical community in two.
Renée JeanJune 04, 2025

Figuring Out Why So Many High-Growth Business Startups Fail In Wyoming
Wyoming has an enviable overall success rate of up to 77% for startup businesses that are still active after one year. But that stat hides a big problem — high-impact, growth-oriented companies have a success rate that’s much lower
Renée JeanJune 01, 2025

The Secret Underground World Of F.E. Warren Air Force Base Murals
F.E. Warren Air Force Base has a secret underground world full of airmen-created artwork that most people have never seen. Set to disappear after the Minuteman III missiles are replaced, former missileer Jim Warner is determined to save them.
Renée JeanJune 01, 2025

Carbon County's JO Ranch A Throwback To An Untamed Wyoming
Only the hardiest of souls ever lived at the now-abandoned JO Ranch in southern Carbon County. The ranch’s stone buildings, built in 1890, are as old as the state and still standing, a throwback to an untamed Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 31, 2025

Wyoming Couple Trade Home In Laramie For Four Years On Luxury Cruise Ship
A Laramie couple sold their home and bought a cabin on the luxury cruise ship Odyssey. Now they’re spending four years cruising around the world for the same cost as their lifestyle in Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 31, 2025

At $3,300 An Ounce, Prices Prime For Southeast Wyoming’s CK Gold Project
With gold prices trading high at $3,300 an ounce, timing may be prime for the CK Gold Project in Southeast Wyoming. It’s completed most of its state permitting, with a Laramie County hearing for local permits next month.
Renée JeanMay 28, 2025

Union Pacific’s Big Boy Has A Date With Newly Unveiled Lincoln Locomotive
The newly unveiled Abraham Lincoln commemorative locomotive No. 1616 and Cheyenne's Big Boy No. 4014 will meet up twice this summer in Greeley for a whistle stop. Four cab rides will also be auctioned for rides on Big Boy between Cheyenne and Denver.
Renée JeanMay 28, 2025

Hot Springs County Rallies To Boost Tourism During Prolonged Star Plunge Closure
Hot Springs County is rallying to save its tourism season despite what’s become a prolonged closure of the popular Star Plunge hot springs pools. To do that, it’s putting the spotlight on attractions outside the park — fishing, new trails and more events.
Renée JeanMay 27, 2025

Sheridan Mourns Kim Love, Broadcast Pioneer And Philanthropist
Sheridan broadcast pioneer and business owner Kim Love died Saturday. Friends and family recall him as outspoken, never afraid to say what was on his mind, and a stalwart economic and civic backer of Sheridan known as a “genius at” philanthropy.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Pine Bluffs Distilling Wins International Award With Wyoming-Grown Whiskey
Pine Bluffs Distilling’s straight rye whiskey won a prestigious double-gold medal at an American Distilling Institute international competition. It’s a big win for a small-town craft distillery that makes whiskey with Wyoming-grown ingredients.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Wyoming Ghost Town Site Gives Up Evidence Of People From 16,000 Years Ago
Artifacts that date back to 16,000 years ago have been recently found at the ghost town site of Sunrise, Wyoming — older than the site’s previous 14,000-year-old find. That’s the oldest evidence yet of people in the Western High Plains.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Wyoming Businessman Talks Artificial Intelligence Policy With Trump White House
Jackson businessman Kevin Deneen is cofounder of Moterra Campervans. He’s one of five small business owners from across America tapped to discuss artificial intelligence policy with Vice President JD Vance and the Trump White House.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

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

Famous Cheyenne Gunslingers To Be Homeless, Have To Move From Downtown Spot
The famous Cheyenne Gunslingers will have to find a new spot for its Wild West shootouts. The city has approved another historical attraction to take over their location and now the Gunslingers, who delight crowds every summer by shooting each other, have to find a new home.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Canadian Company Says There’s Still Plenty Of Gold Near Former Boom Town
"Thar's gold in them thar hills!" That's what a Canadian company is saying about the area near the old Carissa Mine near South Pass City. Thousands of miners went there in 1867 but never found the mother lode. This company says they have the technology to find it.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Wyoming Could Capture Bigger Piece Of US Nuclear Power Than Just Mining Uranium
A pair of the major U.S. players in nuclear power announce a partnership to develop the industry across America — and Wyoming could be ground zero. There's potential for the state do more than just mine uranium.
Renée JeanMay 07, 2025

Wyoming’s Booming $2.2 Billion Outdoor Rec Tourism Stressing Some Communities
Pinedale is poised to double in size by 2040, growth that Town Councilman Scott Kosiba believes is due in no small part to the strength of a rapidly growing outdoor recreation economy. Call it a new economic model for boom towns, one driven in part by wealthy remote workers who can locate where they like to play, instead of just where they work.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2025

Lummis Behind Bill To Force U.S. Mint To Stop Making Pennies
With a $36 trillion national debt, wasteful government spending has to stop, says U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis. She said that’s why she’s behind a bill to make the U.S. Mint stop making pennies, which cost more than 3 cents per penny to make.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2025