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
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
$25 Billion Albertsons - Kroger Merger Bombarded With Lawsuits, FTC May Join In
Colorado and Washington have both filed lawsuits against the $25 billion Albertsons - Kroger merger, while the FTC reportedly could file its own as early as next week.
Renée JeanFebruary 22, 2024
New Federal Railroad Proposal Would Run Three Passenger Rail Routes Thru Wyoming
The Federal Railroad Administration has announced a new expansion proposal that would run three passenger rail routes through Wyoming including the I-80 corridor, a north-south route from Billings to Cheyenne, and one running from Cheyenne to Rapid City.
Renée JeanFebruary 20, 2024
Wyoming’s Shelby Means Wins Grammy Award For Best Bluegrass Album
Growing up, Shelby Means' dad would wake her up by playing the banjo. But now, the Laramie woman is waking up the world with her bass fiddle. Means is part of Molly Tuttle’s Golden Highway Band which just won a Grammy for best bluegrass album.
Renée JeanFebruary 18, 2024
Town Of Cody Demolishing Two More 100-Year-Old Buildings
Cody is a town that loves its Western and Wyoming legacy, but it is about to lose two more of its 100-plus-year-old buildings within its historic district. The mayor says concerns about retaining the historic character are legitimate, but it's got to be balanced with the rights of property owners.
Renée JeanFebruary 18, 2024
How A Tenderfoot Wyoming Dentist Once Outdrank Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch To Survive
Sheridan dentist William Frackleton had no intention of ever meeting Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch gang in person. No sirree. But when he did and it started going downhill, he devised a plan to survive — outdrink them.
Renée JeanFebruary 18, 2024
How WyoTech Went From Near Oblivion To National Tech Education Powerhouse
Jim Mathis says he owes his adult life to what he learned at WyoTech. That's why when it was about to close for good, he started making calls to raise money to buy the school -- which he did. In two years, he returned it to profitability and made the Laramie school a national tech education powerhouse.
Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2024
Wyoming’s Legendary 100-Year-Old Brooks Lake Lodge Is ‘Where The West Begins’
It’s been re-invented and even resurrected a few times over the past 100 years, but at its core, Wyoming’s legendary Brooks Lake Lodge remains that one place historically proclaimed as “where the West begins.”
Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2024
Wyoming Outdoor Rec Fund Gets $6M Every Two Years, But No Way To Manage It
The Legislature is considering ways to pay out $6 million in grants for outdoor recreation and tourism. A Senate bill to do that failed by 3 votes Monday. Now it’s up to the House.
Renée JeanFebruary 14, 2024
Cheyenne Tow Truck Company "Big Al's" Featured On Weather Channel TV Series
The Weather Channel is putting together a new adventure docuseries that will feature the worst wrecks and most difficult extrications in America. Cheyenne, Wyoming's tow truck company Big Al’s is featured on the show.
Renée JeanFebruary 11, 2024
Ian Munsick’s Latest Album Comes With A Documentary Celebrating Wyoming
When Sheridan's Ian Munsick moved to Nashville 10 years ago and became immersed in a city with some of the world’s best songwriters, he made himself a promise. He was not going to forget his Wyoming roots.
Renée JeanFebruary 11, 2024
How Volunteers And Valentine’s Day Saved Hartville, Wyoming's Post Office
To save its post office, the tiny town of Hartville created a commemorative Valentine's Day stamp in 1996. The stamp has become so popular, collectors from around the world seek it out. The Pony Express joins in too with a Valentine's Day-themed ride to the town.
Renée JeanFebruary 11, 2024
Wyoming’s Only Pro Racing Team In Lead To Defend Endurance Cup Title
In only its third season, Wyoming’s only professional auto racing team has won one IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and is in the lead for another. It all started 20 years ago when Herb Korthoff bought a $600,000 car to get things started.
Renée JeanFebruary 10, 2024
Jack In The Box, Del Taco To Open Soon In Wyoming
Jack in the Box has announced that it and Del Taco will build new stores in Wyoming, bringing two entirely new fast-food franchises to Wyoming. The expansions are riding on the coattails of what Jack in the Box says have been record profits in 2023.
Renée JeanFebruary 08, 2024
U.S. Postal Service Says Casper Mail Processing Should Move To Billings
The U.S. Postal Service has concluded that some of Casper’s mail processing should move to Billings, which means that along with a similar move in Cheyenne, Wyoming would be left without a major mail processing center.
Renée JeanFebruary 07, 2024
Wyoming Mourns Country Superstar Toby Keith, A Cheyenne Frontier Days Favorite
Wyomingites are remembering country music superstar Toby Keith, who died Monday. Country music star and Moorcroft native Chancey Williams said he'll never forget the time he got to sing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” with Keith at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Renée JeanFebruary 06, 2024
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Remains Locally Owned As Sale Closes
After 32 years of building Jackson Hole Mountain Resort into a Wyoming showplace, Jay, Connie and Betty Kemmerer have sold it to a pair of Jackson Hole insiders, to assure it remains locally owned and independent.
Renée JeanFebruary 05, 2024
Wyoming Has 400 Miles Of Snow Fences To Help Keep Roads Open In Winter
Although the "lake effect" produces bad conditions in Michigan and New York, scientists say Wyoming is the epicenter of blowing snow. Other areas of the country get snow and get wind but Wyoming gets both like none other.
Renée JeanFebruary 04, 2024
Even Hard-Core Wyoming Carnivores Wowed By Chef’s 7-Course Veggie Showcase
Cheyenne chef Petrina Peart hosted a two-day popup restaurant with a surprise menu — a seven-course all-veggie showcase that wowed even hard-core Wyoming carnivores.
Renée JeanFebruary 03, 2024