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

The Kim & Go convenience store at the intersection of East Lincolnway and Ridge Road in Cheyenne.

Wyoming-Born Maverik Rebrands 400 Kum & Go Stores In Wake Of Sale

A dozen or so Kum & Go stores in Wyoming will rebrand over the next two years after its acquisition by Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop. The new company will have more than 800 stores and 13,000 employees.

Renée JeanSeptember 05, 2023

Dan Stewart empties a bag of chanterelles at a booth during the Rendezvous City Beef Roundup in Riverton.

Riverton's Mushroom Man Dan Is Wyoming's First Dude Of Fungus

Mushroom Man Dan is on the cusp of scaling his mushroom side job in Riverton, Wyoming, tenfold thanks in part to the Fremont Local Market that gave him shelf space and room to grow.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Outdoor seating with Devils Tower in the distance.

7th Generation Wyoming Family Maintains Devils Tower Gulch Restaurant Legacy

Meet the seventh generation of the Driskill family ranch, Ashley and Lincoln Driskill. Not only are they working hard to keep the ranch going, they're maintaining a local northeast Wyoming landmark in the Devils Tower Gulch Restaurant.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Butch Cassidy and his friends played poker in the River Saloon's Poker Room in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The display recreates what the inside of the pictured cabin might have looked like, but also includes "Cattle Kate's" cabinet.

Thermopolis, Wyoming: A Favorite Haunt For Notorious Wild West Outlaws

As a favorite hangout for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch and other notorious outlaws, Thermopolis, Wyoming, is flaunting its outlaw legacy as a Wild West tourist attraction.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

The unique and authentic buffalo hide coats worn by actors in "The Hateful Eight" were made by Merlin Heinze at Merlin's Hide Out in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Wyoming People: Thermopolis Man Makes Buffalo Hide Gear For Hollywood

Merlin Heinze never imagined the things he learned in 4-H would one day lead to becoming the go-to guy when Hollywood needs authentic buffalo hide coats, like the uniquely accurate hides worn in the hit film "The Hateful Eight."

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Sundance's Turbiville Ranch Wins Best Beef In Wyoming Competition

It's a simple, but pure, test — cook a cut of beef seasoned only with salt and pepper and see which Wyoming beef tastes the best. This year, it's from the Turbiville Ranch in Sundance, Wyoming.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Desiree Hannabach with her dream car, a 2010 Dodge Viper.

Wyoming People: Desiree Hannabach's Dream 628-Horsepower Muscle Car Took A Lifetime To Get

When Desiree Hannabach was a little girl, she rode in a Corvette, and from that moment on, she loved muscle cars. She finally got her dream muscle car – the 628-horsepower Dodge Viper, but had to survive breast cancer first.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Ultra-Rare Sundance Kid Photo May Be Worth More Than The Wyoming Museum It’s In

A researcher discovered a treasure hiding in plain sight at the Hot Springs County Museum & Cultural Center a couple of years ago — one of five original photos of Harry Longabaugh (aka the Sundance Kid) and his companion, Etta Place.

Renée JeanSeptember 03, 2023

The Hole in the Wall Bar was the place to be once upon a time in Thermopolis at the turn of the 20th century and was a favorite spot for Butch Cassidy's notorious Hole in the Wall outlaw gang.

Historic Hole In The Wall Bar In Thermopolis A Reminder Of Town's Outlaw Legacy

Even Robert Redford's celebrity and money couldn't pry the iconic bar and backbar from the Hole in the Wall Bar in Thermopolis from its place in local history as a favorite hangout for Butch Cassidy and his Hole in the Wall Gang.

Renée JeanSeptember 03, 2023

Rob Altamirano serves a pair of customers at Ike's Bar and Grill in south Cheyenne on Thursday, while a message from Charter Spectrum cable plays on ESPN over the back bar. The sports network, and all other Disney channels, have been pulled as a contract dispute between the companies comes to a head.

Wyoming TV Watchers Stunned As Disney — Including ESPN — Goes Dark On Spectrum

Like most of Charter Spectrum’s nearly 15 million subscribers Thursday, Wyoming customers of the cable television service were stunned to see an apology on their screens instead of their expected programs.

Renée JeanSeptember 01, 2023

Thermopolis has one of the widest streets in America for its downtown at 150 feet. There's not only room for two lanes of traffic on each side, but four lanes for parking as well two of them in the roomy median.

Main Street Through Thermopolis Is Gigantic For One Reason: Mules

The main drag through Thermopolis is 150 feet wide, dwarfing most any other small town. Why it’s so wide is simple: So Henry Johnson could turn his 16-mule team around.

Renée JeanAugust 27, 2023

This 2007 Corvette Indy 500 owned by Steve Melius was getting some attention during the Cars, Cigars and Guitars event.

Muscle Machines To Land Yachts, Summer Is Go-Time For Wyoming’s Gearheads

From muscle machines to land yachts, the summer classic car season in Wyoming wouldn’t be complete without the annual Cars, Cigars and Guitars show in Cheyenne.

Renée JeanAugust 27, 2023

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During Rally Week, or when labor is scarce, the Ponderosa Cafe closes and the restaurant runs out of the bar.

Eating Wyoming: Hulett's Ponderosa Cafe May Look Like A Dive But Doesn't Taste Like A Dive

Michael Dean Coronato, "the crabby chef" from New Jersey, owns the Ponderosa Cafe in Hulett. He’s catered for very large crowds over his 30-plus year career including backstage catering for Bruce Springsteen and other famous rock stars.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2023

Barrie Lynn Bryant a documentary photographer points to a sandstone slab that is falling off. Bryant said the slab was not loose the last time he and Mike Bies checked on the petroglyphs. Drought has been hastening the disintegration process.

Race On To Save Wind River Petroglyphs From Sliding Off Canyon Face

Retired cultural resources expert Mike Bies is working fast to document petroglyphs and pictographs on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The ancient rock art is sliding off the face of canyon walls.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2023

A Taco John's restaurant in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Wyoming-Based Taco John’s Moving Toward Digital-Only Ordering

Like many fast food chains, Taco John's is moving toward digital-only ordering, robotics to help cook food, and using artificial intelligence to automate drive-through orders.

Renée JeanAugust 25, 2023

Despite Rainy Summer, Cheyenne Regional Airport To Reopen Sept. 10

A new runway at Cheyenne Regional Airport that forced the airport to close is nearly complete, despite an unusually rainy summer. Flights are set to resume Sept. 10.

Renée JeanAugust 21, 2023

Brittany A. Batchelor offers a free sample to this pet Pomeranian during the Beartrap Summer Festival in Casper. More people are working for themselves, contributing to a shortage of people to take jobs at other businesses and agencies all over Wyoming.

While Wyoming Companies Are Desperate To Fill Jobs, People Work For Themselves

Wyoming businesses need employees but they are few and far between as many people have decided to work for themselves. Unemployment rates in the Cowboy State are nearing historic lows.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

This is a recent photo of the band during its summer tour of the West, which included the Las Vegas Highland Games.

Lander Bagpipe Band In Demand All Over The West

The Lander Pipe Band may have been started by adults, but today most of its members are youths who play the bagpipes expertly — and they're in demand to perform across the West.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

Snow King Mountain Resort President and CEO Ryan Stanley points at a computer rendering of what the new mountaintop restaurant they're building on Snow King will look like.

Dramatic Revival Underway At Jackson's Snow King Mountain Resort

Snow King Mountain Resort had been losing $500,000 on its winter operations. It’s making dramatic changes, including an observatory, restaurant, new ski trails, new concert venue and more to revive the historic ski resort.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

The Aladdin General Store is the oldest operating general store in Wyoming.

In Aladdin At The Oldest Continuously Operating General Store In Wyoming

Trent Tope owns the Aladdin General Store, Wyoming’s oldest continuously operating general store. He grew up in the Aladdin, population 15, and never dreamed he’d one day carry on an iconic piece of Cowboy State history.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

The building going up on Main Street in Hulett is the first new construction there in 40 years. It's being built with an old time look to fit in with other businesses on Main Street.

Wyoming Places: First New Building On Main Street In Hulett In 40 Years

Something is going on in Hulett, Wyoming. Local resident Tom Coronato just built the first new new building on Main Street in 40 years. Down the street, a couple from Arizona is rethinking the hardware store.

Renée JeanAugust 19, 2023

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