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RJ
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 driver for Righteous Roues Logistics with a fully loaded delivery van. The compnay mostly delivers in Montan but also covers some areas in Wyoming.

Amazon’s Rural Push Brings Fast Deliveries — And Jobs — To Remote Wyoming

Amazon is spending $4 billion this year to expand its reach with same-day and next-day deliveries to some of America’s most remote places, including in Wyoming. For rural residents and small businesses, the fast deliveries are game-changing.

Renée JeanApril 27, 2026

Rick French dressed for an opera-singing occasion in a velvet green jacket with a cream-colored shirt and crisply ironed black pants. Singing opera takes both skill and the right mindset.

Wyoming People: The 95-Year-Old Classically Trained Tenor Who Sings Opera In Cheyenne

Rick French, aka “Ricardo” when he’s singing opera, is a classically trained tenor who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Folks in Cheyenne know the now-95-year-old for singing opera for years at a local Italian restaurant. 

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

As Wyoming is riding an explosion of industries connected to data centers and artificial technology, nursing is a high-demand career that pays well. “AI will never replace us,” nurses say about their industry’s resistance to automation.

‘AI Will Never Replace Us’: Wyoming Nurse Rides Booming Career Wave

Wyoming nurse Ashley Myers escaped hardship into a high-paying nursing career. Her success story highlights rapid wage growth in the health care sector. "AI is a great tool, but it will never replace us. We have to have people to do this work," she says.

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

Central Wyoming Colleg culinary student Ryan Bradshaw sauces up a bison skewer with huckleberry sauce for an all-Indigenous lunch menu served during the 2026 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Conference.

Wyoming Culinary Students Learn How To Cook James Beard Winner's Indigenous Menu

Wyoming culinary students this week learned how to prepare a celebrity chef’s Indigenous menu — only ingredients native to North America. No wheat, no sugar, no beef, pork or chicken — ingredients European settlers brought that displaced indigenous foods.

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

Canadian designer Olivier Dupon has submitted a motorized, 3,920-piece Big Boy 4014 LEGO kit to the company’s Ideas page. If the kit gets 10,000 votes, it will be among designs advanced to LEGO’s review pool for potential production.

Fan Of Cheyenne-Based Big Boy 4014 Pushes To Make Famed Locomotive Into LEGO Set

A superfan of the Cheyenne-based locomotive Big Boy 4014 has submitted a motorized, 3,920-piece Big Boy 4014 LEGO kit to the company. If his idea gets 10,000 votes, it will be among designs advanced to LEGO’s review pool for potential production.

Renée JeanApril 25, 2026

Renovation of the Atlas Theatre has uncovered artifacts that hint at new ghost stories. Among the items are hand-sewn railroad overalls stuffed into a ceiling and an Italian stiletto knife.

Secrets In the Walls: Cheyenne's Atlas Theatre Renovation Uncovers New Mysteries

If a novelist was dreaming up cool props for a haunted theater, they couldn’t beat what a renovation crew found hiding in the ceilings and walls of Cheyenne’s Atlas Theatre. The discoveries add puzzling historical details about the theatre's early days.

Renée JeanApril 25, 2026

Cheyenne’s real estate market is heating up, with luxury home sales, industrial demand, and data center growth driving a surge that’s reshaping the city’s economy and housing landscape.

Cheyenne's Million Dollar Real Estate Market Growing As Data Centers Fuel Growth

Cheyenne’s real estate market is heating up, with homes between $800,000 to the low $1 millions becoming more commonplace. Real estate agents credit data centers, an "extremely business-friendly environment" and the intersection of I-80 & I-25 for the surge.

Renée JeanApril 25, 2026

Cody hippy cow 1 4 24 26

Food Freedom Fight: State Orders Cody Creamery To Stop Selling Raw Milk Lattes

The State Ag Dept. has ordered Cody's Hippy Cow Creamery to stop selling its popular raw milk lattes. Tyler Lindholm, the architect behind the Food Freedom Act, says the state is wrong and will push for a legislative fix. "That's just insane," he said.

Renée JeanApril 24, 2026

Mohan Dangi poses in front of Central Wyoming College's Sacagawea statue. He still remembers removing snow from the surrounding sidewalks on campus at 3 a.m. in the morning, when he was a CWC student.

From Nepal To Riverton, One Student’s 30-Year Journey Leads To Global Partnership

When a young student from a rural Nepali village with no running water finally found his way to America and Central Wyoming College in Riverton 30 years ago, it was a leap of faith. He was back Thursday to explore partnerships between Wyoming and Nepal.

Renée JeanApril 24, 2026

Andrew Stockett, lead engineer for TerraPower's Test and Fill facility, talks about how the facility will be used to test every component of TerraPower's new Natrium plant in Kemmerer to ensure everything works as it should.

TerraPower Starts Building Wyoming Nuclear Plant Despite 60 MPH Wind Gusts

TerraPower officially began building its first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant in Kemmerer on Wednesday, despite 60 mph winds that grounded cranes. “In not too long, we will be producing power right here on this site,” a TerraPower official said.

Renée JeanApril 23, 2026

From left, Gov. Mark Gordon, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Director Todd Parfitt. and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Director Andrea Kock pose for a photo after signing an agreement that allows Wyoming to regulate radioactive byproducts from mining rare earth minerals.

Wyoming Makes Deal With NRC To Regulate Uranium And Radioactive Rare Earths

Wyoming signed a deal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday that allows the state to regulate uranium and radioactive byproducts from mining rare earths. It gives the state another edge during a push for nuclear plants and domestic rare earths.

Renée JeanApril 22, 2026

Glen Romig poses with Wyoming's First Lady Jenny Gordon and New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box during the release for Romanowski Rye.

Joe Pickett Fans Converge On Pine Bluffs To Buy C.J. Box's New Romanowski Rye

Fans lined up in a crazy-long line Saturday to buy bottles of Nate Romanowski Rye signed by Joe Pickett author C.J. Box. This year’s rye continues a collaboration between Box and Pine Bluffs Distilling that started last year with Joe Pickett Bourbon.

Renée JeanApril 20, 2026

Other Authors

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Kemmerer Races To Build Homes As TerraPower Nuclear Plant On Fast Track

This spring kicks off a race to build housing before a TerraPower nuclear power plant construction boom to keep as many of its long-term workers in Kemmerer as possible. That’s key to capturing the growth potential for the small Wyoming town.

Renée JeanApril 19, 2026

Rawlins is trying to shake its reputation as a drive-thru town for travelers on Interstate 80, but not intending to stop except for gas and a bathroom break. A push is on to show those visitors that there's plenty to see if they’d stay overnight.

Rawlins Wants To Shake Reputation As Drive-Thru Town For I-80 Travelers

Rawlins is trying to shake its reputation as a drive-thru town for travelers on Interstate 80 who don't stop except for gas and a bathroom break. A push is on to show those visitors that there's plenty to see if they’d stay overnight.

Renée JeanApril 19, 2026

When he’s not climbing the country music charts, Wyoming’s Ned LeDoux paints wildlife skulls. Dan Patrick, host of “The Dan Patrick Show,” liked one LeDoux sent him so much he showed it off on national television.

TV Host Dan Patrick Shows Off Colorful Cow Skull Painted By Wyoming’s Ned LeDoux

When he’s not climbing the country music charts, Wyoming’s Ned LeDoux paints wildlife skulls. Dan Patrick, host of “The Dan Patrick Show,” liked one LeDoux sent him so much he showed it off on national television.

Renée JeanApril 18, 2026

A letter mailed to Lisa in Alabama was instead delivered to Roger in Torrington, Wyoming, in what Postal Service called a “rare” error. It was a head-scratcher for Roger who said the name and address on the envelope were both clear and legible.

Postal Ping Pong: Letter Addressed To Woman In Alabama Gets Sent To Man In Wyoming

A letter mailed to Lisa in Alabama was instead delivered to Roger in Torrington, Wyoming, in what Postal Service called a “rare” error. It was a head-scratcher for Roger who said the name and address on the envelope were both clear and legible. 

Renée JeanApril 18, 2026

John L. Blair of Shell, Wyoming, is a master saddlemaker who commands more than $45,000 for a saddle, $15,000 for a leather bowl or $8,500 for a custom purse. He works listening to Mozart, one virtuoso inspiring another to create stunning leather art.

Meet John L. Blair: Wyoming’s Mozart Of Saddlemaking And Virtuoso With Leather

John L. Blair of Shell, Wyoming, is a master saddlemaker who commands more than $45,000 for a saddle, $15,000 for a leather bowl or $8,500 for a custom purse. He works listening to Mozart, one virtuoso inspiring another to create stunning leather art.

Renée JeanApril 18, 2026

An MC-130J Commando II takes off of Highway 287 during Exercise Agile Chariot, April 30, 2023, honing capabilities linked to Agile Combat Employment. Instead of relying on large, fixed bases and infrastructure, ACE uses smaller, more dispersed locations and teams to rapidly move and support aircraft, pilots, and other personnel to wherever they are needed.

War Games On Wyoming Highway Helped Prepare For Daring Iran U.S. Pilot Rescue

A high-risk special forces rescue of a U.S. fighter pilot in Iran earlier this month echoed war games held in Wyoming in 2023, when the military turned a remote, windswept stretch of highway near Rawlins into a simulated rescue mission for a downed pilot.

Renée JeanApril 18, 2026

Two manums of Chateau Lafite 1870 hit the auction block at Sotheby's on Friday, April 17, 2026, sending a buzz round the wine world. Both could go for more than $50,000, says Sydney Werry, sommolier at the Brush Creek Ranch near Saratoga. They're part of a stash from Glamis Castle in Scottland considered the best in the world. Also in the auction is a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1865, far left, which isn't expected to fetch quite as much.

Brush Creek Ranch Sommelier: Ultra-Rare 1870 Wine Will Get More Than $50K At Auction

The sommelier at Wyoming’s 5-star Brush Creek Ranch says the Friday auction of two bottles of ultra-rare 1870 Chateau Lafite discovered in an ancient castle should get more than $50,000 each. “This wine is in the category of never-to-be-seen-again," she said.

Renée JeanApril 16, 2026

The first fully assembled Sentinel missile is show, along with one of the sites for the old Minuteman III missiles the Sentinel will replace.

$140.9 Billion Sentinel Missile Program Pushed To Make Up Time For Delays

The $140.9 billion Sentinel missile program is racing to catch up after cost overruns triggered a Congressional review and delays. Officials say the stakes are high for national defense, and Wyoming and F.E. Warren Air Force Base sit at the heart of the push.

Renée JeanApril 14, 2026

Microsoft announced Tuesday that it will buy 3,200 more acres in Cheyenne to build data centers, tripling its footprint in Wyoming's capital city while promising to limit impacts on power rates, water and housing. Above is Microsoft's data center in the Cheyenne Business Parkway business park in east Cheyenne.

Microsoft To Triple Its Cheyenne Data Center Footprint With 3,200-Acre Land Buy

Microsoft announced Tuesday that it will buy 3,200 more acres in Cheyenne to build data centers, tripling its footprint in Wyoming's capital city while promising to limit impacts on power rates, water and housing.

Renée JeanApril 14, 2026

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