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
WYDOT Trying To Stop Google Maps Stranding Motorists In Frozen Nowhere, Wyoming
Google Maps has a bad habit of sending travelers down closed roads in Wyoming. It's led to 28 search and rescues in Sweetwater County alone, leaving motorists stranded in below-freezing weather with 22-foot high snowdrifts. WYDOT is trying to fix that.
Renée JeanApril 14, 2024
At $75 A Pound, Wyoming Morel Hunters Could Cash In On Shroom Boom
Foragers who will soon be hunting for those tasty morel mushrooms hiding under cottonwood trees or alongside lady slipper orchids in Wyoming could be in for a pleasant surprise this year. At $75 a pound in some places, the shroom boom is on.
Renée JeanApril 14, 2024
Pinedale’s Oldest Building Built Up Through Great Depression Generosity
Small towns are not just made of hardy stuff. They’re built on generosity, too. There is perhaps no better example than the Chambers Bed and Breakfast, a top-quality historic stay and the oldest building in Pinedale.
Renée JeanApril 13, 2024
Wyoming’s Own Ian Munsick Returns Home With ‘Real West’ Country Music
Sheridan’s Ian Munsick says he will be back performing in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain Region, where he got his start in the country-western scene. “This will definitely be a homecoming for me,” Munsick told Cowboy State Daily.
Renée JeanApril 13, 2024
The Rock Shop Inn: A Spectacular Spot In the Heart Of Nowhere, Wyoming
The Rock Shop Inn in the heart of nowhere, Wyoming, is a pristine 5-acre gateway to a bouldering hotspot and hundreds of miles of Shoshone National Forest trails. The cabins re-opened in 2019 and the refurbished saloon will be open this summer.
Renée JeanApril 13, 2024
Hawk Springs Farmer Works To Scale Up State’s Hemp Industry
A farmer in Hawk Springs thinks Wyoming can be a hemp industry leader in research and production. When he saw how expensive machines to process hemp were, he worked with an engineer to design his own at a fraction of the cost
Renée JeanApril 07, 2024
Sublette County Auctioneer’s 41-Year Collection Fills Up House And Two Garages
After 41 years of auctioneering, Dave Stephens of Sublette County has amassed an eclectic collection of curiosities and historic Wyoming artifacts that cuts a wide swath of Cowboy State history.
Renée JeanApril 07, 2024
How Saving Pinedale’s Historic Stockman’s Saloon Nearly Killed Its New Owner
Pinedale’s historic Stockman’s Saloon and Steakhouse was close to falling over when Buck Buchenroth bought it as his retirement project. But restoring the iconic local spot literally nearly killed him.
Renée JeanApril 07, 2024
Ghost Town Of Sunrise, Wyoming, Poised To Become International Tourist Draw
The discovery of 14,000-year-old artifacts near the historic former mining town of Sunrise, Wyoming, has the area poised to become an archaeology tourism destination with a new field school to study them.
Renée JeanApril 06, 2024
Wyoming’s New License Plates Made In A Secret Warehouse Called ‘Area 51’
In a plain-Jane secret warehouse in Cheyenne dubbed “Area 51,” Wyoming’s new dark, solid-colored license plates are coming off the press by the thousands. WYDOT insists the color of the plates is dark blue, not black.
Renée JeanApril 06, 2024
Historic Wyoming Ranch In Teton County Listed For $58 Million Sold
One of Wyoming’s most expensive properties is off the market. The Grand View River Ranch, listed for $58 million, is one of those very rare inholdings that’s surrounded by Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger Teton National Forest.
Renée JeanApril 03, 2024
Wyoming-based Custodia Bank Loses Lawsuit Against Fed, May Appeal
Wyoming-based Custodia Bank has lost the first round of a court battle for access to the Federal Reserve’s services, which limits what it can offer customers. The company says it may appeal the ruling.
Renée JeanApril 02, 2024
Wyoming’s Iconic The Virginian Hotel Has New Out-Of-State Owners
A pair of out-of-state owners have bought Wyoming’s iconic The Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow for an undisclosed price, and they plan to invest in the historic property to restore and preserve it for another 113 years.
Renée JeanApril 01, 2024
Science Behind Frozen Dead Guys Advancing Beyond Sci-Fi
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale has 227 cryopreserved patients including the brain of Boston Red Sox icon Ted Williams. You can be frozen for $220,000 for whole-body preservation or $90,000 for just your brain.
Renée JeanMarch 31, 2024
The Haunting Of Cheyenne's Knights Of Pythias Building
Back in the 1990s, a caretaker found a skeleton in a coffin hidden under a stage. Authorities determined it was a 15-year-old girl and was there for more than 50 years. Although her skeleton has been removed, people say her spirit is still there.
Renée JeanMarch 31, 2024
Jackson Vacation Rental Mogul Now Roasts Specialty Coffee By The Ton
Mekki Jaidi owns the largest vacation rental company in Jackson and now wants to conquer the specialty coffee industry. Under his watch, Snake River Roasting Co. is going global, roasting 150,000 pounds of specialty coffee a year.
Renée JeanMarch 31, 2024
Evanston Man Grows Gourmet Mushroom Business From The Ground Up
Austin Webster of Evanston always knew he wanted to grow a business, but it took awhile to realize that business would be growing things — premium gourmet mushrooms from his custom-built facility.
Renée JeanMarch 30, 2024
No Total Eclipse For Wyoming, But Still Plenty To See At 65%
Wyoming is not in the path of totality this time around for the April 8 eclipse, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see. Our partial eclipse will be up to 65%, which is still pretty cool to view.
Renée JeanMarch 30, 2024
Locals In Bondurant, Wyoming, Angered By Push To Make It ‘Little Jackson Hole’
TD Ameritrade founder and Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts’s push to rename Bondurant, Wyoming to Little Jackson Hole and build a swanky 230,000-square-foot resort is stirring fears in both Hoback Valley and Sublette County.
Renée JeanMarch 30, 2024
US Postal Service To Downsize Cheyenne Mail Center Against Objections
The Postal Service on Thursday announced that Cheyenne’s mail processing will move to Denver -- even for letters sent from one Cheyenne address to another. That’s going to mean letters take longer — but they say it will still be “on time.”
Renée JeanMarch 29, 2024
Clear-Cutting Cheyenne's Parks: 160+ Cottonwoods Chopped Down & More To Come
There aren’t many trees in Cheyenne. It’s hard to grow them. That’s what makes longtime Cheyenne resident Buck McVeigh so angry at the city for cutting down more than 160 cottonwoods and there’s more to come.
Renée JeanMarch 24, 2024