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 Snow Plow Driver Overwhelmed By Support After Bringing Tacos To Stranded Truckers
A snow plow driver felt sorry for all the stranded truck drivers outside of Evanston, so he decided to take them some snacks. When he posted his simple little idea on Facebook, inviting drivers who wanted a taco to turn on their flashers, he got a lot more help than he bargained for, a restoration of his faith in humanity, for one.
Renée JeanFebruary 28, 2023
Property Tax Relief? Not Really. Legislature Has Passed 1 Property Tax Bill Out Of 21 Introduced
House Bill 99 is the only bill for property tax reform to make it across the finish line in the 67th legislative session so far. That's despite there being a huge financial surplus in the state and legislators saying it was a "top priority."
Renée JeanFebruary 28, 2023
Chinese Spy Balloon Not First Military Balloon To Target America; Thermopolis Hit First In 1944
Japanese sent an armada of 9,000 balloon bombs to America during World War II. The first explosion to be noticed in America was in Thermopolis in 1944.
Renée JeanFebruary 26, 2023
Pokey’s BBQ In Gillette Lands On Food Network List As Wyoming’s Best Barbecue
True to its name, it took awhile for Pokeys BBQ to take off, but now its recognized by the Food Network and a host of celebrities like Willie Nelson and ZZ Top as Wyomings best barbecue.
Renée JeanFebruary 26, 2023
Sen. Charlie Scott Has Been In Legislature Since Disco Era; Still Uses Same Filing System
When Charlie Scott began his 45-year run in the Wyoming Legislature in 1979, Space Invaders was the most popular video game, My Sharona by The Knack was the number one song, and Christopher Reeve had his career breakout moment as the title good guy Superman in the years top box office draw.
Renée JeanFebruary 25, 2023
Pay Taxes In Gold? Wyoming Close To Accepting Precious Metals As Legal Tender
A company setting up a private Fort Knox in Casper says it would help the state if Senate File 101 become law, allowing Wyoming to accept gold and silver to pay mineral taxes.
Renée JeanFebruary 24, 2023
Sutton Site A Signature Away From Being Next State Archaeological Site
A bill that will protect a site with unusually large ceremonial circles, next to one of the worlds oldest red ochre mines, managed to avoid a last-minute rewrite and passed the House with unanimous approval.
Renée JeanFebruary 22, 2023
Rawlins Could Start Big Trend With Tiny Home Development
A Utah-based manufacturer is not only building a community of 70 tiny homes in Rawlins, its bringing a manufacturing facility there as well and its eyeing other communities in the Cowboy State.
Renée JeanFebruary 22, 2023
Wyoming’s Custodia Digital Bank Fights David Vs. Goliath Battle With Federal Reserve
It's David vs Goliath for Wyoming's Custodia Bank which is taking on the Kansas City Federal Reserve for shutting the financial institution out earlier this month. Bank founder Caitlin Long says the Federal Reserve has no authority to reject a law-abiding state-chartered bank.
Renée JeanFebruary 21, 2023
It’s Not Quite Cheyenne Frontier Days But For February, Chicken Roping Is About The Closest Thing
February gets to be a very slow month not just for cowboys who like to rope, but for businesses in Moorcroft. So one bar in town started the annual Chicken Roping contest. It was held this past weekend.
Renée JeanFebruary 20, 2023
From Desperation To CEO Of A Pretzel Empire, ‘Auntie Annie’ Shares Message Of Faith, Hope
After her 20-month-old baby was killed, Anne Beiler sought spiritual help -- only to get assaulted by her pastor. She considered suicide but with her husband's help, she was able to start anew. And ended up running largest pretzel company in the country with more than 1,700 locations in 48 states.
Renée JeanFebruary 19, 2023
Tired Of Waiting For Feds To Act, Wyoming Making Its Own Digital Banking Rules
After waiting about a decade for promised federal regulation of the emerging digital financial landscape, Wyoming lawmakers are making their own. A bill to regulate third-party apps that interface with banks is close to passing the Legislature.
Renée JeanFebruary 19, 2023
First She Took On Bobby Flay, Now Wyoming Chef Petrina Pert Tapped As US Culinary Diplomat
The star continues to rise for Cheyenne Chef Petrina Peart. She almost beat Bobby Flay on his hit Food Network show and now has been tapped to represent the United States as a culinary diplomat.
Renée JeanFebruary 18, 2023
Wyoming Lawmakers Work To Counteract Skyrocketing Property Tax Bills
Of 21 bills filed this session to ease exploding property tax increases, Rep. Liz Storers House Bill 99 has emerged a favorite. It calls for relief to kick in when property tax bills are more than 10% of someones gross income.
Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2023
Sen. Affie Ellis Brings Dirt From Sutton Archaeological Site To Wyoming Capitol
House lawmakers continued to advance a bill that would fence a special archaeological site in Wyoming adjacent to the Powers II red ochre mine. The site has large ceremonial circles that could prove significant in understanding the states earliest inhabitants.
Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2023
Should Wyoming Tax Property Like It Does Vehicles?
A bill moving through the Wyoming Legislature would study whether the state should change from valuations to determine property tax to basing it on a propertys purchase price.
Renée JeanFebruary 16, 2023
There Are Many More Balloons Floating Overhead Than You Might Realize, Thousands Launched Every Day
The U.S. military may need a lot more missiles given the number of unidentified balloons navigating high overhead at any given time, says meteorologist Don Day. In fact, thousands are launched every day.
Renée JeanFebruary 15, 2023
It’s The Craziest Day Of The Year For Wyoming Chocolatiers
It may not be raining chocolate, but its close for Wyoming chocolatiers, who will each go through hundreds of pounds of chocolate for that annual ritual of giving sweets to the sweet.
Renée JeanFebruary 14, 2023
Bill Would Have Driver’s Licenses Going Retro With Black-And-White Photos
Wyoming is using a new and more secure technology for its drivers licenses, but that technology so far does not play well with color. To allow black-and-white photos on them requires the Wyoming Legislature to act.
Renée JeanFebruary 14, 2023
Chinese New Year A Celebration Of Joy, Culture For Cheyenne Family
Dragons and lions made for a magical annual Chinese New Year party in Cheyenne, an event held by Bryan and Sara Pedersen to celebrate the heritage of their two adopted children.
Renée JeanFebruary 14, 2023
Wyoming’s Cigar Tax Bill Is A Great Example Of Sausage-Making In The Legislative Process
The old adage goes "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made. Wyoming's cigar tax bill is a good example the sausage-making in action.
Renée JeanFebruary 12, 2023