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
Year-Round Produce: Wyoming Gardener Outsmarts Winter With Underground Greenhouse
Sara Ross loves gardening but lives in Daniel, Wyoming, where there are only 57 growing days a year. So she's outsmarted Wyoming’s brutal winters by building an underground Bolivian greenhouse called a walipini.
Renée JeanMarch 10, 2024
Jackson $4 million ‘Fixer-Upper’ Tied To Iconic Wort Hotel And Lynyrd Skynyrd
That 1,000 square-foot "fixer-upper" home in Jackson that's listed for $4 million has an interesting history. It was not only built by the founders of the Wort Hotel but was the home of Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington.
Renée JeanMarch 09, 2024
Meet Ranger, The Wyoming Cowdog That Chases Grizzlies At Brooks Lake Lodge
Guides at Brooks Lake Lodge affectionately call this black-and-white pooch “Ranger Danger” — and with good reason. Ranger has proven himself time and again by fearlessly chasing off grizzly bears. It’s not what Hangin’ Tree dogs were bred for, but with him, it’s instinct.
Renée JeanMarch 09, 2024
Wyoming Company Will Sue If Gordon Signs Ban On Altered Hemp Derivatives
A law that seeks to close a loophole that has some entrepreneurs adding THC additives like Delta-8 is on Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk for his signature. At least one Wyoming company says it will sue if the bill becomes law.
Renée JeanMarch 06, 2024
A Decade In, Wyoming’s Food Freedom Law Opens Markets For Mom-And-Pop Producers
There are now 13 year-round farmer’s market-style stores in Wyoming since the state's Food Freedom law went into effect 10 years ago. Every one of them boasts dozens of producers, all with one-of-a-kind products that can’t be found anywhere else.
Renée JeanMarch 03, 2024
Swiss-Born Baker Taking Wyoming By Storm With Her Traditional Bread
A Swiss woman who lives in Carpenter, Wyoming, was feeling a bit nostalgic one day for the foods she grew up with. So she asked on Facebook: “Who wants some Swiss bread?” She got so many responses, she quit her job and became a full-time baker.
Renée JeanMarch 03, 2024
Drinking Wyoming: The Brooks Lake Lodge’s Insane Bloody Mary Changes Every Year
The bloody mary at Brooks Lake Lodge near Dubois changes every year. This year's version has a huge crab claw jutting unapologetically up out of it, along with a fist-sized, deep-fried Monte Cristo sandwich
Renée JeanMarch 03, 2024
Foodies Get 5-Star Cuisine In Middle Of Nowhere Wyoming’s Brooks Lake Lodge
Brooks Lake Lodge in remote Fremont County Wyoming might be in the middle of nowhere, but it is a foodie heaven thanks to longtime executive chef Whitney Hall, who creates a 5-star dining experience for guests.
Renée JeanMarch 02, 2024
Gillette Camporee Expected To Bring 60,000 People To Event This Summer
The International Pathfinders Camporee is expected to bring 60,000 people to Gillette this summer which will shatter the record attendance of a single event in Wyoming. Everything is sold-out in Gillette and rooms were going for $800 a night.
Renée JeanMarch 02, 2024
1,000-Square-Foot Jackson, Wyoming, Fixer-Upper Home Lists For $4 Million
There’s nothing particularly remarkable about the 1,000-square-foot home at 165 N. Gros Ventre St. in downtown Jackson -- except for the location. That's enough to give it a listing price of a whopping $4 million.
Renée JeanMarch 02, 2024
Casper One Of Three Finalists To Land National Air Championship Races
Casper has made the short list of three cities still in the running to become the new host for the National Championship Air Races, which could be a $100 million shot in the arm for the Cowboy State.
Renée JeanFebruary 29, 2024
Wyoming Tourism Is Back: Visitors Spend $4.7 Billion In 2023
Wyoming Office of Tourism Director Diane Shober said the tourism industry back on top as the state's number one employer providing 33,000 jobs. In 2023, visitors spent a record $4.7 billion -- a significant increase from 2022.
Renée JeanFebruary 28, 2024
Jackson’s Jim Waldrop — AKA ‘Mr. Hospitality’ — Wins Wyoming's Highest Tourism Award
Tourism is big business in Wyoming and every year one Wyoming citizen wins the BIG WYO award for making significant lifetime contributions to Wyoming’s tourism and hospitality industries. This year, Jim Waldrop, who oversees the Wort Hotel and the Silver Dollar Bar in Jackson, was the winner.
Renée JeanFebruary 28, 2024
Wyoming’s Fun, Quirky Small Towns Could Be A Big Draw For 2024 Tourism
Small Wyoming communities have an oversized opportunity to attract new visitors to their communities, thanks to the mood of travelers in 2024, according to experts and analysts at the 2024 Wyoming Governor’s Tourism and Hospitality Convention.
Renée JeanFebruary 27, 2024
Wyoming Joins FTC Lawsuit To Block $25 Billion Albertsons - Kroger Merger
Wyoming is one of nine states joining the FTC in a lawsuit filed Monday to block the $25 billion merger of Kroger and Albertsons. “Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons would lead to additional grocery price hikes for everyday goods," said the FTC.
Renée JeanFebruary 26, 2024
Cheyenne Frontier Days Legend Princess Blue Water Bowed To Nobody, Not Even The Queen
Cheyenne Frontier Days legend Princess Blue Water performed with Buffalo Bill Cody, was invited to Kennedy’s inauguration and refused to bow for England’s Queen Victoria, saying the Oglala Sioux bow to no one.
Renée JeanFebruary 25, 2024
Casper Artist's Unique Wildlife - Landscape Fusions Gain International Audience
Casper native and artist Travis Glasgow creates stunning, portraits of Wyoming wildlife by fusing them with the landscapes they live in. His unique approach is gaining an international audience.
Renée JeanFebruary 25, 2024
Meet Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Elite Life-Saving Avalanche Dogs
When the avalanche risk is high in Jackson Hole, there’s a pack of superheroes ready for action on a moment’s notice to find and rescue buried skiers and snowmobilers. These superheroes don’t wear capes, they wear collars.
Renée JeanFebruary 25, 2024
Wyoming’s Brooks Lake Lodge Surrounded By 700 Miles Of World-Class Snowmobiling
With 700 miles of groomed trails, Brooks Lake Lodge near Dubois, Wyoming, is one of the world’s top-rated snowmobiling resorts. At 9,200 feet of elevation, the snow in the area -- more than 600 inches every year -- is low in moisture, which creates light, fluffy powder.
Renée JeanFebruary 25, 2024
Digital Technology Has Democratized The Night Sky, Making It Accessible To All
Cheyenne photographer and retired meteorologist Jan Curtis uses digital technology to take photos of the nightsky while the world is asleep. His photos have been featured in National Geographic and NASA publications, and some of his digital cameras are quite inexpensive.
Renée JeanFebruary 24, 2024
How A Wyoming Couple Resurrected The Legendary Brooks Lake Lodge
Barbara and Richard Carlsberg were looking for a ranch in Jackson Hole nearly 40 years ago when they instead bought the abandoned and neglected Brooks Lake Lodge in 1987. Restoring and resurrecting it, they say, was a labor of love.
Renée JeanFebruary 24, 2024