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

Mike Pannell, president of High Plains Railroad Preservation Association, stands beside the caboose his nonprofit restored for Cheyenne's 15th Street Railcar experience.

Inside Cheyenne’s $5 Million Railcar Experience Taking Shape For 15th Street

Installation began Saturday on Cheyenne’s new 15th Street Railcar Experience, a $5 million downtown project aimed at celebrating the city’s railroad roots. A Union Pacific caboose and two Pullman cars have been restored for the destination.

Renée JeanJune 27, 2026

Cody’s Paul Andrew Hutton has landed one of Western literature’s top honors, the coveted Owen Wister Award. That elevates the New York Times bestselling author of “The Undiscovered Country” into the top ranks of Western writers.

Cody Author Paul Hutton Wins Lifetime Achievement Honor For Western Literature

Cody’s Paul Andrew Hutton has landed one of Western literature’s top honors, the coveted Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement. That elevates the New York Times bestselling author of “The Undiscovered Country” into the ranks of top Western writers.

Renée JeanJune 25, 2026

Microsoft’s land-development manager Rachel Irwing said Microsoft is willing to work with the city in whatever way is beneficial for both the city and the company's project.

Cheyenne OK’s Huge Microsoft Annexation, Rejects $50M Community Benefits Deal

Cheyenne’s City Council moved a massive 3,500-acre data center annexation closer to approval Monday night, rejecting an effort to secure a $50 million community benefits agreement that Mayor Patrick Collins recently described as "extortion."

Renée JeanJune 23, 2026

Power transmission lines and a Black Hills Energy substation south of Cheyenne along U.S. Highway 85 near the Project Jade AI data center development.

How Black Hills Energy Is Preparing For Surge Of Power-Hungry Wyoming Data Centers

Black Hills Energy says it’s ready for a surge of power-hungry Wyoming data centers that can each use as much electricity as a small state. The bottom line is making those projects pay their own way, said a company official.

Renée JeanJune 23, 2026

Jerry Arnold has been cooking chili since 1999. It's become a tradition that the family gathers around, like some families do Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Why World Chili Champions Come To Tiny Chugwater For Its Annual Chili Fest

Terlingua, Texas, crowns the world’s chili champions, but many say their favorite contest is in Chugwater, Wyoming. For 40 years, the Chugwater Chili Cook-off has been a Father's Day bucket-list contest for the best chili cooks on the planet.

Renée JeanJune 22, 2026

$Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn’t work. Middle-class wages aren’t high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise.$

Why A Shortfall Of More Than 20,000 Homes Isn’t Enough To Get Wyoming Building

Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn’t work. Middle-class wages aren’t high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise.

Renée JeanJune 21, 2026

The Yellowstone You’ll Never See: Filmmaker Spends 50 Years Capturing Its Secrets

Most tourists see just 5% of Yellowstone from roads and boardwalks. Bozeman filmmaker Stephen Quayle has spent 50 years filming the places most never reach. “It’s like a whole different world,” he said. “You literally wouldn’t know you’re on planet Earth.”

Renée JeanJune 21, 2026

The National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois has something new — a reproduction of the Vietnam War gun truck nicknamed “Uncle Meat.” The name is from a 1969 rock album a lieutenant would "listen to while he was stoned,” said museum owner Dan Starks.

Legend Of Vietnam War Gun Truck ‘Uncle Meat’ Lives On At Wyoming Museum

The "Uncle Meat" gun truck is the latest important artifact at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois. “I know a lot of these truck drivers and a bunch of them ended up dying of Agent Orange and nobody knows their story,” the museum's owner said.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

The American Dream Drive-In in Powell is the last true drive-in still operating in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Last Drive-In Theater, Powell’s American Dream, Open For 78th Season

The American Dream in Powell, Wyoming’s last operating drive-in theater, has survived since 1949 as a retro experience for movie-goers. The current owner bought it in 2004 just to save it. “I didn't want it to get knocked down," Kathleen Heny said.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

Helicopters, artificial intelligence, and geology are giving a modern mining company a second shot at finding gold in Wyoming fields that fizzled out more than a century ago. "We’re really targeting larger-scale gold,” said a company official. Above, the Carissa Mine and Mill in South Pass City.

How Modern Technology Is Reshaping The Search For Gold In Historic Wyoming Mines

Helicopters, artificial intelligence, and geology are giving a modern mining company a second shot at finding gold in historic Wyoming mines. The company believes there's a hidden gold belt and technology allows them to see 400 meters below the surface.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

The Naughton power substation in Kemmerer delivers electricity to Rocky Mountain Power customers in Wyoming.

Wyoming Wrestles With Unprecedented Power Demand From Massive Data Centers

Data centers with huge power needs are lining up to plug into Wyoming’s power grid. Regulators, utilities and lawmakers are wrestling with how to serve “Jupiter-size” electric loads without spiking rates for regular consumers.

Renée JeanJune 19, 2026

Gillette's Hoskinson Clinic, Set To Close Next Month, Says It May Have Buyer

Hoskinson Health & Wellness in Gillette, which envisioned itself as the "Mayo Clinic of the West" before announcing last month it would close, may have a buyer. The Hoskinson family announced Wednesday it's in talks to sell to a large hospital chain.

Renée JeanJune 17, 2026

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Uinta County Commissioner Mark Anderson was among those with lots of questions about the data center Prometheus Hyperscale has proposed on his family's ranch land in Uinta County during a May 2026 town hall meeting.

Uinta County OKs Huge Data Center, Some Fear They'll Get Left 'Holding The Bag'

Residents are split over the proposed massive Prometheus Hyperscale data center, which Uinta County commissioners gave a green light Tuesday. “My concern is, Prometheus promises all of these things ... and we end up holding the bag," said a critic.

Renée JeanJune 17, 2026

Drilling hands prepare to tighten 10-inch metal pipe casing that will be connected and fitted into a drilled well in Wyoming's northeastern Powder River Basin south of Gillette in this file photo.

Montana Judge Tosses 1.5M Acres Of Wyoming Oil And Gas Leases, Costs State $50M

A federal judge in Montana has thrown out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases sold under the Trump administration, forcing the state to return $50 million in payments. “The environmental group found a sympathetic venue in Montana,” said a Wyoming landman.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2026

A full house turned out to hear debate about a 3,500-acre annexation for future Microsoft data center expansions. Cheyenne’s Public Services Committee narrowly recommended approval, while Councilman Larry Wolfe urged postponement, to give the city time to negotiate a $50M community benefits agreement.

Cheyenne Committee Backs Microsoft Annexation While Councilman Pushes $50M Deal

Despite calls to delay or deny a 3,500-acre annexation for Microsoft data centers, Cheyenne’s Public Services Committee narrowly recommended approval Monday. A councilman urged them to postpone to give the city time to negotiate a $50 million agreement.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2026

Gov. Mark Gordon, center, listens as a Related Digital employee talks about the closed-loop system used to cool Related's data center east of Cheyenne.

Inside The $1.2 Billion Data Center Campus Being Built In Cheyenne

Work is nearing completion on the first 184,000-square-foot phase of the Related Digital data center campus in Cheyenne, which is expected to be finished in late 2026. The company says because of its closed-loop system, there’s no ongoing water required.

Renée JeanJune 14, 2026

At the R&B Cafe in Cheyenne, weekends are packed with hungry breakfast crowds in a file photo.

From Cafés To Clinics, Wyoming’s Labor Crunch Is Holding The Economy Back

Wyoming business owners say they are leaving a lot of money on the table because they can’t fill open jobs, forcing them to turn away customers and reduce hours. “I keep banging my head against the wall,” said one owner.

Renée JeanJune 13, 2026

Up To 2,600 Pounds Each, Powder River Percherons Are Huge At Wyoming Parades

Anyone who’s been to a parade in Wyoming in the past 25 years knows the Powder River Percherons, teams of dapple-gray draft horses that tower over crowds. Also called the "war horse of France," they're 2,600 pounds each and 6 feet tall at the withers.

Renée JeanJune 13, 2026

Developer Puts Massive 5,600-Worker Cheyenne Man Camp On Hold, Looks For New Site

A proposed 5,600-worker man camp south of Cheyenne that would have been larger than 84 Wyoming cities and towns has been put on hold after weeks of community backlash. The developer says it's still “desperately needed” and is looking for a new site.

Renée JeanJune 12, 2026

The first job for Union Pacific’s new Trump-themed locomotive No. 4547 was carrying parts of the Artemis III rocket. It rolled through Wyoming without much notice last week.

New Trump Locomotive No. 4547 Rolls Through Wyoming Carrying Artemis III Rocket

The first job for Union Pacific’s new Trump-themed locomotive No. 4547 took it through Wyoming carrying the Artemis III rocket. Nobody except railroad watchers noticed. “They were just these weird-looking, covered capsule-looking things,” one said.

Renée JeanJune 11, 2026

Partner Pulling Out Doesn’t Slow Huge 2.7GW Cheyenne Project Jade Data Center

Crusoe, a founding partner in the huge 2.7-gigawatt Project Jade data center near Cheyenne, quietly pulled out months ago. That hasn’t slowed the project, which is going “full steam ahead,” remaining partner Tallgrass Energy told Cowboy State Daily.

Renée JeanJune 11, 2026

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