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.

Find Renée Jean

Latest from Renée Jean

Craig Linden, owner of 307 Meats in Mills, Wyoming, stands in front of hanging meat curing at his facility.

Wyoming Meat Processors Say Erratic State Inspections Crippling Them

Todd Koehler used to own a custom meat shop in Gillette. He told Cowboy State Daily the state’s inspection process was so inconsistent he finally gave up on it. Other meat processors agree, saying the problem is crippling their industry.

Renée JeanMay 05, 2024

Frackelton's in downtown Sheridan had been a favorite go-to spot for locals for a decade before it closed in October 2023. Now its original owner is bringing it back.

Eating Wyoming: Former Frackelton’s Owner Is Resurrecting Popular Sheridan Spot

Kim Love first opened Frackelton’s — one of Sheridan's favorite spots — about 10 years ago, but sold it about six years later. When it suddenly closed six months ago, he decided to resurrect the fine-dining restaurant.

Renée JeanMay 04, 2024

Howie Samelson, owner of Discover Thermopolis, talks about the more than 2,000 hot sauces his store carries. The hot sauces were his idea for creating a destination store in Thermopolis, which helps keep his print shop, office and party supply store open.

Did You Know? Thermopolis Gift Shop Has Largest Selection Of Hot Sauces In U.S.

The Discover Thermopolis store in Thermopolis, Wyoming, is a print shop, souvenir and gift outlet and has more than 2,000 hot sauces -- the largest selection in the United States.

Renée JeanMay 04, 2024

Edzan Fluckiger likes to write the names of his customers on their to-go lunch orders.

Torrington’s Bread Doctor Has Delivered Hundreds Of Babies — And Baked Goods

Dr. Edzan Fluckiger — Torrington, Wyoming’s Bread Doctor — has delivered at least 800 babies. And for the last 11 years has delivered thousands of baked goods -- at a very popular bakery he started for his special needs daughter.

Renée JeanMay 04, 2024

UplinkRobotics is the result of four University of Wyoming students who leveraged imagination and technology to create a company that's revolutionizing the inspection industry with some pretty cool robots.

Wyoming-Based Company Makes High-Tech Robots To Go Where Humans Don’t Want To

Laramie-based UplinkRobotics started as an engineer making an inspection drone for his dad, and now it’s a groundbreaking international company 3D printing high-tech robots to inspect under houses and other places humans don’t want to go.

Renée JeanMay 04, 2024

Most discussion about the plans for Hot Springs State Park have turned around what's happening to the Star Plunge, but the plan's scope is much larger than any one amenity.

50-Year Owner Of Wyoming’s Famous Star Plunge Is Out, Huge Upgrades Planned

Thermopolis locals are mixed about turning over operations of Wyoming’s famous Star Plunge -- after nearly 50 years of ownership by the same family -- while huge upgrades are planned.

Renée JeanMay 04, 2024

This 4,995-square-foot home in Jackson is listing for $9,995,000 at Realtor.com and features four bedrooms and 4.5 baths on a 1.12-acre lot.

Kaboom! Average Jackson Home Price Hits New Record At $7 Million

The outdoor recreation boom continues to influence the Jackson and Teton County housing market with the average single-family home price hitting an astonishing $7.02 million.

Renée JeanApril 29, 2024

Kayla Clark carefully places a sheet of porous handmade paper on top of the laser-cut stencil she's inked.

Wyoming Woman Preserves Art Of Printing With 125-Year-Old, 250-Pound Press

Kayla Clark teaches graphic design at University of Wyoming, but her true passion is in the centuries-old art of printing, which she preserves and teaches with Poco, her 125-year-old, 250-pound “portable” press.

Renée JeanApril 28, 2024

Barbara Schaffner talks about the details in one of the five historical paintings she painted for interpretive signs at the Lingle turnout.

Historical Artist Recreates Images Of Wild West Wyoming In Exact Detail

A historical artist has recreated images of some of the most important Wild West events in eastern Wyoming history. Goshen County has so much history because it is located at a popular spot along the Oregon Trail.

Renée JeanApril 28, 2024

This photo shared on Facebook by Cheyenne resident Monica Taylor Lee shows a Wyoming license plate from Laramie County on the outside wall of a seasonal restaurant in the Swiss Alps.

Bucking Horse Makes Wyoming License Plates More Collectible Than Others

International tourists love Wyoming license plates -- like the Laramie County plate spotted outside a mountainside restaurant in the Swiss Alps. Collectors say the bucking horse makes the Wyoming plate, in particular, more popular than most.

Renée JeanApril 28, 2024

Jessica Walker, left, and Michael Thompson, right, helped finish the cocktail their coworker Melissa Anderson started right before she died. The Sweet Melissa, foreground, is a chokecherry brandy with cream, 7-Up, and amaretto served on the rocks with a Bordeaux cherry as garnish.

Drinking Wyoming: Sweet Melissa, The Secret Cocktail At Miners and Stockmen’s

Wyoming’s famous Miners and Stockmen’s Steakhouse -- the oldest bar in Wyoming -- always gets rave reviews for its high-end steaks. Now it’s got the Sweet Melissa, a cocktail on its secret menu that’s named after their beloved late colleague.

Renée JeanApril 27, 2024

The exterior of the famous Bedford Castle in Wyoming is every bit a fairy tale, including appropriate architecture around the 40-acre grounds.

100-Foot-Tall, 40-Room Castle For Sale In Bedford, Wyoming, For $14 Million

Many children grow up dreaming of one day living in a castle, but Deon Heiner of Bedford, Wyoming, actually did it. The 40 room, 100-foot-tall Heiner Castle -- which took 8 years to build -- is listed for $14 million.

Renée JeanApril 27, 2024

Other Authors

The new look On the Hook Fish and Chips truck.

Wyoming-Based On The Hook Fish And Chips Empire To Expand, Sell Franchises

Wyoming-based On the Hook Fish and Chips has food trucks in 17 states, and now for the first time will expand beyond by franchising its proven concept.

Renée JeanApril 25, 2024

Homeowner insurance in Wyoming has skyrocketed over the past year, doubling and even tripling in some places, like this Cheyenne neighborhood, while others have had their insurance canceled outright.

Insurance Rates Skyrocket For Wyoming Homeowners, Some Get Dropped Completely

Wyoming homeowners are reporting skyrocketing insurance premiums that have doubled or tripled in the last year. Other homeowners are getting dropped by companies altogether.

Renée JeanApril 23, 2024

Christian Josso, right, from Italy talks to Amber and Chad Pollock about starting his whiskey tour at Backwards Distilling in Casper.

International Markets Worth Big Money For Wyoming Tourism

Italy's Christian Josso has been working to set up whiskey tours for all the “pure whiskey lovers” of Europe. Josso thought these tours should start in Kentucky or Tennessee, states with long histories in whiskey. But now he's thinking of starting in Wyoming.

Renée JeanApril 22, 2024

Many areas of the Red Desert in southwest Wyoming make up an outdoor recreation playground.

Bringing In Billions, Outdoor Recreation Now A Wyoming Revenue Juggernaut

With stunning vistas and outdoor recreation opportunities within driving distance of every community in Wyoming, the Cowboy State is the fourth-fastest growing outdoor economy in the nation, with over $2 billion generated in 2023.

Renée JeanApril 21, 2024

Chugwater, Wyoming, Could Get Smaller With Landowners Trying To De-Annex Themselves

The tiny town of Chugwater might soon get a lot smaller with three landowners filing a petition to de-annex from the city and take 172 acres with them. They say they don't use any city services, so they want out.

Renée JeanApril 21, 2024

The historic Stringer Hotel has been added to over the decades and now takes up an entire block. The original building is at the right and is a restoration work in progress, while retail and cafe space is open in the other parts of the complex.

New Life For 110-Year-Old Stringer Hotel, Dubois’ Oldest - And Tallest - Building

When Jason Kintzler learned someone was going to buy the 110-year-old Stringer Hotel in Dubois and tear it down, he bought the building himself to save it. Now it's one of Dubois’ oldest and tallest, and has a new lease on life.

Renée JeanApril 21, 2024

Eating Wyoming: Although A "Blip On The Map," There's Great Food In Hawk Springs

Hawk Springs may just be a blip on the map in eastern Wyoming with a population of 45 but The Emporium is a top-notch steakhouse with prime rib, steaks, burgers and more, as well as Papa’s special buttermilk pie.

Renée JeanApril 21, 2024

Wyoming Office Of Tourism Stops Wildlife Ads In Wake Of Wolf Abuse Scandal

Wyoming’s wildlife is a big tourism draw, but the state Office of Tourism has paused all of its wildlife tourism advertising in the wake of the wolf torture case that has sparked worldwide outrage.

Renée JeanApril 19, 2024

Customers line up in the U.S. Post Office on Converse Avenue in Cheyenne.

Bill Would Block Postal Service Plan to Downsize Wyoming Mail Centers

Wyoming’s congressional delegaton has united around a bipartisan bill that would block the U.S. Postal Service’s plans to eliminate major mail centers in Wyoming and other states.

Renée JeanApril 18, 2024

Page 38