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

Delinquent Tax Paperwork Preceded Implosion Of Wyoming History Groups
More details are emerging over the rift that has grown in a decades-long partnership between three of Wyoming’s most prominent history groups. Records show problems leading to their split began much earlier than February.
Renée JeanJune 05, 2025

Wyoming Loves Its History But Its History Groups No Longer Love Each Other
A slow-motion blow-up is happening between three long-time history organizations. The resulting implosion is threatening to split Wyoming’s historical community in two.
Renée JeanJune 04, 2025

Figuring Out Why So Many High-Growth Business Startups Fail In Wyoming
Wyoming has an enviable overall success rate of up to 77% for startup businesses that are still active after one year. But that stat hides a big problem — high-impact, growth-oriented companies have a success rate that’s much lower
Renée JeanJune 01, 2025

The Secret Underground World Of F.E. Warren Air Force Base Murals
F.E. Warren Air Force Base has a secret underground world full of airmen-created artwork that most people have never seen. Set to disappear after the Minuteman III missiles are replaced, former missileer Jim Warner is determined to save them.
Renée JeanJune 01, 2025

Carbon County's JO Ranch A Throwback To An Untamed Wyoming
Only the hardiest of souls ever lived at the now-abandoned JO Ranch in southern Carbon County. The ranch’s stone buildings, built in 1890, are as old as the state and still standing, a throwback to an untamed Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 31, 2025

Wyoming Couple Trade Home In Laramie For Four Years On Luxury Cruise Ship
A Laramie couple sold their home and bought a cabin on the luxury cruise ship Odyssey. Now they’re spending four years cruising around the world for the same cost as their lifestyle in Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 31, 2025

At $3,300 An Ounce, Prices Prime For Southeast Wyoming’s CK Gold Project
With gold prices trading high at $3,300 an ounce, timing may be prime for the CK Gold Project in Southeast Wyoming. It’s completed most of its state permitting, with a Laramie County hearing for local permits next month.
Renée JeanMay 28, 2025

Union Pacific’s Big Boy Has A Date With Newly Unveiled Lincoln Locomotive
The newly unveiled Abraham Lincoln commemorative locomotive No. 1616 and Cheyenne's Big Boy No. 4014 will meet up twice this summer in Greeley for a whistle stop. Four cab rides will also be auctioned for rides on Big Boy between Cheyenne and Denver.
Renée JeanMay 28, 2025

Hot Springs County Rallies To Boost Tourism During Prolonged Star Plunge Closure
Hot Springs County is rallying to save its tourism season despite what’s become a prolonged closure of the popular Star Plunge hot springs pools. To do that, it’s putting the spotlight on attractions outside the park — fishing, new trails and more events.
Renée JeanMay 27, 2025

Sheridan Mourns Kim Love, Broadcast Pioneer And Philanthropist
Sheridan broadcast pioneer and business owner Kim Love died Saturday. Friends and family recall him as outspoken, never afraid to say what was on his mind, and a stalwart economic and civic backer of Sheridan known as a “genius at” philanthropy.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Pine Bluffs Distilling Wins International Award With Wyoming-Grown Whiskey
Pine Bluffs Distilling’s straight rye whiskey won a prestigious double-gold medal at an American Distilling Institute international competition. It’s a big win for a small-town craft distillery that makes whiskey with Wyoming-grown ingredients.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Wyoming Ghost Town Site Gives Up Evidence Of People From 16,000 Years Ago
Artifacts that date back to 16,000 years ago have been recently found at the ghost town site of Sunrise, Wyoming — older than the site’s previous 14,000-year-old find. That’s the oldest evidence yet of people in the Western High Plains.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Wyoming Businessman Talks Artificial Intelligence Policy With Trump White House
Jackson businessman Kevin Deneen is cofounder of Moterra Campervans. He’s one of five small business owners from across America tapped to discuss artificial intelligence policy with Vice President JD Vance and the Trump White House.
Renée JeanMay 26, 2025

Rock Springs Teacher’s Crazy Costumes Make A Serious Point — Laughter Is Learning
Not all learning comes from a textbook — some of it comes from laughter. That’s inspired Rock Springs teacher Weston Lamb-Costantino to wear a lot of silly costumes to school, which his students love.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025

Huge Wyoming-Grown Greenhouse Embraces Grateful Dead Connection
The Grateful Dead and fresh produce might not sound like they go together, but they do at Silver Stream Farm northwest of Pinedale. The huge 25,000-square-foot greenhouse takes its name from a Grateful Dead song reportedly written in Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025

Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Buys Tulips By The Thousands, And They Last For Years
Holland may be famous for its tulips, but they’re all over Cheyenne as well each summer. The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens buys them by the thousands, and they thrive in southeast Wyoming, some lasting for a decade.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025

Wyoming’s Popular Crazy Woman Canyon Unexpectedly Closed For The Summer
Crazy Woman Canyon is a draw for Wyomingites and visitors to Johnson County, but it’s been unexpectedly closed for the summer. It’s a blow for tourism and locals who count the canyon as a favorite outdoors getaway.
Renée JeanMay 25, 2025

1.2-GW Wyoming Data Center To Help Pioneer New Battery Less Likely To Catch Fire
A new battery system could solve the runaway thermal problem that makes lithium batteries burst into flames. A 1.2-gigawatt data center near Evanston, Wyoming, is going to help a startup prove its new battery system.
Renée JeanMay 23, 2025

Longtime Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober To Retire After 22 Years
Longtime Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober announced she’s retiring at the end of 2025. Author CJ Box says she’s the best in the business and former Gov. Dave Freudenthal says she was perfect for the job — an “unbearably happy human being.”
Renée JeanMay 22, 2025

Wyoming Service Workers Optimistic Over Senate Passage Of No Tax On Tips Bill
In a surprise move, the U.S. Senate passed the No Tax on Tips bill unanimously. The reaction from Wyoming service employees ranged from cautious optimism to elation. “The blue-collar worker, what’s left of us, needs their tips to help ends meet,” one barber said.
Renée JeanMay 22, 2025

Short-Staffed Cheyenne National Weather Service Office Ends 24/7 Monitoring
The National Weather Service forecast office in Cheyenne is short staffed and has killed its overnight shift, ending the office's 24/7 monitoring. Meteorologist Don Day says that could mean less accurate forecasts and less timely warnings for southeast Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 19, 2025

Little Snake River Students Get Hands-On In New $1.7M Livestock Center
A new $1.7 million livestock center has opened a hands-on classroom for students interested in ag education at Little Snake River School in Baggs. It’s the realization of a dream by their teacher.
Renée JeanMay 19, 2025

Pioneer Town At Little Snake River Museum In Savery Takes Students Back To Days Of Old
Snow still tops Baker Mountain looking down on Little Snake River Museum in this hamlet near the Wyoming - Colorado border east of Baggs, Wyoming. More than 100 children gathered at the museum to celebrate the annual Pioneer Day.
Renée JeanMay 18, 2025

Beartooth Basin Will Open For Summer Skiing For First Time In Three Years
Beartooth Basin near Cody is America’s only ski resort that operates exclusively in the summer. Unlike other ski resorts where summer skiing could happen, Beartooth Basin, which will open for the first time in three years, doesn’t open for the winter at all.
Renée JeanMay 18, 2025

Why Alpacas Are So Popular In The Rocky Mountains
Alpacas are becoming more popular as a cash crop in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region. At the Great Western Alpaca Show in Cheyenne, producers said they prized for their soft, luxurious wool — and are great with kids.
Renée JeanMay 18, 2025

Record Prices Have Triggered A New Kind Of Gold Rush — Jewelry Sales
Record gold prices have people around Wyoming cleaning out their jewelry drawers and hitting up gold buyers for cash in a new kind of gold rush. One gold buyer in Cheyenne estimates his traffic is up 50%.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2025

Local Food Trend A Growing $24 Million Economic Force In Wyoming
The Lucky Buffalo Farm Stand near Burns is part of a growing local food trend in Wyoming. Already injecting $24 million a year into the state’s economy, local food venues have been a rising trend since Wyoming adopted the Food Freedom Act in 2015.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2025

Two Pizzas Bought With Bitcoin In 2010 Would Be Worth $815 Million Today
In 2010, a Florida man bought two pizzas worth about $41 with 10,000 bitcoins. Today, those bitcoins would be worth $815 million. Wyoming crypto leaders say that demonstrates how far digital currency has come and, like it or not, is the future.
Renée JeanMay 17, 2025

Stanley Hotel Sold In $400 Million Deal That Will See Huge Film Center Built
The historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, has sold in a $400 million deal that will build on its cult horror fame as the setting for “The Shining.” The deal includes building a huge film center.
Renée JeanMay 16, 2025

Sheriff Longmire Actor Turns Down Paying Gigs To Be At Longmire Days
Fans of the hit television show “Longmire” will soon flood Buffalo for two days in author Craig Johnson’s fictional Absaroka County. Sheriff Longmire actor Robert Taylor loves the franchise so much he turns down paying gigs to be at Longmire Days.
Renée JeanMay 14, 2025

Second Major Helium Plant Planned For Southwest Wyoming
Wyoming already produces 20% of the world’s Grade A helium supply from one plant east of Kemmerer. Now it’s about to get another major helium plant in southwest Wyoming.
Renée JeanMay 12, 2025

More Tourists Discovering Small, Rural Wyoming Counties
Wyoming has long had a goal of encouraging tourism in other parts of the state other Teton County. In 2024, more tourists discovered small, rural Wyoming areas, with Crook and Sublette counties showing the biggest boost.
Renée JeanMay 11, 2025

Federal Cuts Have Wyoming Museums Scrambling At Start Of Busy Summer Season
Several Wyoming museums say they were caught by surprise when federal grants were cut. That’s left some on the hook for thousands of dollars as they scramble at the start of the busy summer season.
Renée JeanMay 11, 2025

Can You Catch ‘Food Poisoning?’ It’s Not Common, But, Yes, And Here’s How
Food-borne illnesses are among the most common in America, sickening more than 48 million each year. But can it be passed on to others? The answer is yes -- as a Cheyenne couple recently found out.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Famous Cheyenne Gunslingers To Be Homeless, Have To Move From Downtown Spot
The famous Cheyenne Gunslingers will have to find a new spot for its Wild West shootouts. The city has approved another historical attraction to take over their location and now the Gunslingers, who delight crowds every summer by shooting each other, have to find a new home.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Canadian Company Says There’s Still Plenty Of Gold Near Former Boom Town
"Thar's gold in them thar hills!" That's what a Canadian company is saying about the area near the old Carissa Mine near South Pass City. Thousands of miners went there in 1867 but never found the mother lode. This company says they have the technology to find it.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Wyoming Could Capture Bigger Piece Of US Nuclear Power Than Just Mining Uranium
A pair of the major U.S. players in nuclear power announce a partnership to develop the industry across America — and Wyoming could be ground zero. There's potential for the state do more than just mine uranium.
Renée JeanMay 07, 2025

Wyoming’s Booming $2.2 Billion Outdoor Rec Tourism Stressing Some Communities
Pinedale is poised to double in size by 2040, growth that Town Councilman Scott Kosiba believes is due in no small part to the strength of a rapidly growing outdoor recreation economy. Call it a new economic model for boom towns, one driven in part by wealthy remote workers who can locate where they like to play, instead of just where they work.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2025

Lummis Behind Bill To Force U.S. Mint To Stop Making Pennies
With a $36 trillion national debt, wasteful government spending has to stop, says U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis. She said that’s why she’s behind a bill to make the U.S. Mint stop making pennies, which cost more than 3 cents per penny to make.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2025

It’s Taken 2 Years, But Revival Of Vintage Greybull K-Bar Motel Nearly Finished
Two years after starting a monumental DYI effort to restore and revive the vintage K-Bar Motel in Greybull, Amanda McGrew is nearly finished. And the kitschy vibe is already turning heads.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2025

How Will UPS Cutting 20,000 Jobs Impact Already Slow Wyoming Deliveries?
UPS is laying off 20,000 workers and closing 73 facilities. That has rural Wyoming residents wondering if the already slow-arriving deliveries they rely on are ever going to get through.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2025

Colorado Congresswoman Wants To De-Fund Front Range Passenger Rail Project
Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert wants DOGE to kill funding for a Front Range passenger rail project that has a potential to extend into Wyoming. That won’t happen, because the project is state-funded, not federal.
Renée JeanApril 30, 2025

Thunderbirds Continue 70-Plus-Year Run At Cheyenne Frontier Days On New Night
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds’ popular Cheyenne Frontier Days air show is moving to Saturday, July 26, so more people can see it. The aerial demonstration has been held at CFD every year but two since 1953.
Renée JeanApril 29, 2025

WyoTech Growth Spurt Continues With $48.2 Million, 137,000-Square-Foot Expansion
WyoTech’s waiting list is out to April 2026 for some programs. The demand is fueling yet another growth spurt for the Laramie trade school — a $48.2 million, 137,000-square-foot expansion set to open in 2027.
Renée JeanApril 29, 2025

Wyoming Is Perfect For Data Centers, So Why Do They Cluster Only In Cheyenne?
Wyoming has the right climate for data centers, and the Interstate 80 corridor could be a magnet for attracting more of them. So why do data centers cluster in Cheyenne, but hardly anywhere else in Wyoming?
Renée JeanApril 28, 2025

Lander Man Turns Heads Driving Pickup He’s Modified To Go Backwards
Lander resident Albert Bertagnolli modified his pickup to drive backwards. He swapped the headlights and taillights, moved the engine and looks out over the bed driving the thing. When he’s driving down the street, it looks like he’s going backwards.
Renée JeanApril 27, 2025

Wyoming Home To Musket That Fired First Shot At Bunker Hill 250 Years Ago
It’s less than two months until the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the most important battles of the American Revolution. The musket that fired the battle’s first shot is at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois.
Renée JeanApril 27, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: Bear Mountain Junction In La Grange Has Beer, Killer Cinnamon Rolls
Bear Mountain Junction is a tiny all-in-one stop in La Grange on U.S. Highway 85 between Cheyenne and Hawk Springs. It’s a store, gift shop and bar, where you can get a beer and killer homemade cinnamon rolls.
Renée JeanApril 26, 2025

Eating Wyoming: Lander’s Mulino Italian Bistro Is Hard To Find, But Worth It
In the heart of downtown Lander, hidden from all casual view, there’s a serious little slice of Italy, waiting to be discovered by the keenly observant. Mulino Italian Bistro is a little hard to find, but worth it.
Renée JeanApril 26, 2025

Pinedale’s World Famous Corral Bar For Sale For $1.5 Million
The World Famous Corral Bar in Pinedale may not actually be “world famous,” but it is a favorite spot for locals. The family that’s owned the bar for the last 25 years has decided it’s time to sell, listing it for about $1.5 million.
Renée JeanApril 25, 2025

Runaway Costs Have Wyoming’s Small Airports Facing Financial Turbulence
Small regional airports around Wyoming are being squeezed hard by inflation and runaway costs. Airports in Riverton, Rock Springs, Sheridan and Gillette in particular face a fight to keep airline service next year.
Renée JeanApril 23, 2025

Downtown Cheyenne Parking Garage A Nightmare, Nearby Business Owners Say
Cheyenne has taken steps to improve a problem downtown parking garage and make it safer. But business owners say there continue to be nightly noise violations, as well as vandalism.
Renée JeanApril 22, 2025

Wyoming National Guard Base To Be Home For Fleet Of C-130J Tankers
The Wyoming Air National Guard Base in Cheyenne is the latest base awarded top-flight C-130J air tankers. Starting in 2028, it will be home for a fleet of eight C-130Js, which will be a huge boost for fighting wildfires.
Renée JeanApril 22, 2025
Cheyenne Celebrity Chef Is Part Of Martha Stewart’s New Cooking Competition
Cheyenne celebrity chef Petrina Peart came within one vote of beating Food Network star Bobby Flay on his hit cooking competition show. Now she’ll try to do the same against 12 other chefs on Martha Stewart’s new show on NBC, “Yes, Chef!”
Renée JeanApril 21, 2025

Wyoming Girl Gets Her Ranch Chores Done Before Winning Gymnastics Titles
Raelee Warner was up early doing her usual daily chores feeding chicks and driving cattle April 12. Then the seventh grader went to the state gymnastics meet and won two events. All in a day’s work for a true Wyoming cowgirl.
Renée JeanApril 21, 2025

Mega Millions Makes Odds Better, But They’re Still Not As Good As Winning WyoLotto
The multistate Mega Millions lottery is charging more to play, but promises bigger jackpots with better odds of winning. But state lotteries like WyoLotto still offer better chances.
Renée JeanApril 20, 2025

Man Promises To Pay Fines On Wyoming Library Book He Checked Out 31 Years Ago
Josiah Harlow checked out a Robin Hood novel from the Cheyenne Central High School library 31 years ago, and never returned it. It’s still a treasured part of his collection, and he promises to “swing by to pay my overdue fees” the next time he’s in town.
Renée JeanApril 20, 2025

Wyoming Man Starts Treasure Hunt Similar To One Now Featured On Netflix
A Douglas man is still searching for a missing emerald from Forest Fenn’s treasure chest that was found in Wyoming and is featured in a Netflix documentary. If found, he plans to add it to his own treasure chest.
Renée JeanApril 20, 2025

Wyoming Company Builds Tough-As-Tank Security Gates For A-List Stars
Picasso Gate in Cheyenne may not be a household name, but its tough-as-a-tank security gates are coveted by A-list stars like Tom Cruise and Kevin Costner. It’s owned by a father-son duo who love Wyoming.
Renée JeanApril 20, 2025

Wyoming Students Turn Shipping Container Into High-Tech Greenhouse
Central Wyoming College has engineered a shipping container into a high-tech greenhouse that’s like something out of “The Jetsons." It creates its own sunshine and rain to grow all kinds of produce.
Renée JeanApril 19, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: At Lander’s Pushroot Brewing, It’s All About The Foam
Pushroot Brewing Company in Lander brings unique Czech pours to Wyoming that put a luxurious twist on beer. It’s all about big heads, and even a beer pour that’s all foam.
Renée JeanApril 19, 2025

A Whole Town Near Yellowstone Is For Sale For Less Than $3 Million
Located 45 minutes from Yellowstone’s north entrance, the entire town of Pray, Montana, is for sale for $2.6 million. That includes its 100-year-old general store, post office, home and cabins.
Renée JeanApril 19, 2025

‘Obnoxious’ Fireworks Outlets Near Cheyenne Can Reopen, But Dad Has To Stay Away
The Laramie County Commission has finally approved fireworks permits for a pair of businesses near the Colorado border it had said were too “obnoxious.” But the owner’s father has to stay away from her businesses as part of the agreement.
Renée JeanApril 17, 2025

Jackson’s Snow King Hotel Sale A Boost For Ski Hill’s Revival
The Snow King Mountain Resort’s ongoing revival is getting a boost with Trailborn’s recent purchase of the Snow King Resort Hotel at the base of the ski hill.
Renée JeanApril 17, 2025

Another Double-Digit Rocky Mountain Power Rate Hike Approved, More Likely Ahead
Wyoming Public Service Commissioners reluctantly approved another double-digit rate increase for Rocky Mountain Power on Tuesday. That means another $14 a month on an average residential customer’s bill, and more rate increases are likely ahead.
Renée JeanApril 16, 2025

Star Plunge Closure Hits Three Months, And Visitors Are Steering Clear
The Star Plunge hot springs venue has been closed for three months, which is starting to impact the tourism industry in and around Thermopolis. There are fewer people staying in local hotels with the busy summer tourism season on the horizon.
Renée JeanApril 15, 2025