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
IRS-Authorized eFile.com Has Exposed Some Wyomingites’ Computers To Malicious Trojan Horse Virus
Cyber security researchers have discovered that popular IRS-authorized site, eFile.com, has been placing malware onto users’ computers. Anyone who visited eFile.com from March 17 through April 4 should assume exposure, and act accordingly, Wyoming cybersecurity experts say.
Renée JeanApril 05, 2023
Wyoming Social Media Star Questions Practicality, Wisdom Of TikTok Ban
Ashley.the.mess makes viral TikTok videos about her everyday life as a mom. While she gets the concerns about national security, she believes banning TikTok is impractical.
Renée JeanApril 04, 2023
Wyoming Chef Suchada Johnson Named James Beard Award Finalist
Chef Suchada Johnson of Teton Thai has been named a finalist in the 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards for Best Chef in the Mountain region. The restaurant she started with her husband Samuel has long been a local favorite. Now it’s in the national spotlight.
Renée JeanApril 02, 2023
For A Decade, Catherine Wissner’s Been The Queen Bee For Wyoming Bee College
Changes are likely in store for the popular Wyoming Bee College, held the last 10 years in Cheyenne, with the retirement of longtime organizer Catherine Wissner. While it’ll be different without her, the hive with buzz on.
Renée JeanApril 02, 2023
Cheyenne Woman Blends Teas And Herbs Like A Modern-Day Apothecary
A medical illness led Susan Allen to explore the properties of herbs and teas, and ultimately led to her tea shop, The Hawthorn Tree, which has become a successful business with a personal mission.
Renée JeanApril 02, 2023
It Takes A Special Kind Of Stubborn to Grow Wine Grapes In Wyoming
Wyoming has only two wineries that grow their own grapes to make their wines. The wind, cold and short growing season are all against them. But through persistence and smart practices, they’ve managed to overcome the odds.
Renée JeanApril 02, 2023
Nose Work: Wyoming Has New Competition Sport That Puts Your Dog’s Sensitive Sniffer To Work
Canines have long been involved in police detection work with their great noses, which have been used to find everything from drugs and bombs. Now the trick that comes so naturally to dogs is becoming a fast-growing competition sport for regular pet owners and their pooches.
Renée JeanApril 02, 2023
Meeteetse Chocolatier’s Decadent Wyoming Confections Begin In Belize
In the cold deep of January when most of us can only dream of spring, the Meeteetse Chocolatier does a little more than just dream. That's when he travels down to Belize to stop by cacao farms in person to sample their nibs and buy direct from the families that produce them.
Renée JeanApril 01, 2023
Albertsons And Kroger Customers Say Mega Merger ‘Sucked The Lifeblood’ From Albertsons
The mega-merger of two U.S. grocery giants will affect many Wyoming consumers, as well as 750 of the Cowboy State’s grocery store workers. Now 25 consumer plaintiffs suing to stop the deal have filed their first major motion, saying Albertsons’ $4 billion pre-merger dividend “sucked the lifeblood” from the company.
Renée JeanMarch 30, 2023
Wyoming’s Digital Banks Caught Up In Crypto- Crossfire With Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve is not just rejecting Custodia Bank’s membership in its system, it appears to be putting a huge circle with a big line through it for all Wyoming digital banks.
Renée JeanMarch 28, 2023
Wyoming Has A Slice Of Europe Hiding in Saratoga At Bella’s Bistro
Fine dining in Paris and Rome has nothing on Bella’s Bistro. That’s because chef Tommy Orduno was classically trained by some of the best European chefs himself. The result is an uncanny resemblance to a classic European dining experience.
Renée JeanMarch 26, 2023
How Real Is Fungus Threat In ‘The Last Of Us’ That Leaves Jackson, Wyoming, As Civilization’s Last Hope?
Uh-oh... The fungus that threatens to kill all humanity in the hit TV show "The Last Of Us" has some reality to it. University of Wyoming fungi professor Steve Miller says the whole "cordyceps fungus" thing is very realistic -- for insects. But could it jump species? It's possible, he said.
Renée JeanMarch 26, 2023
Will Cowboy State Daily’s January-Planted Trees Survive?
Landscapers planted some new trees at Cowboy State Daily in January. Their future could be iffy, say tree experts, but we’re going to try to save them anyway.
Renée JeanMarch 25, 2023
Ramping Up The Nukes: Wyoming To House 100s Of New-Generation Intercontinental Nuclear Missiles
As headquarters for missiles located across three states, FE Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne is gearing up for whatever comes next in a renewed nuclear arms race with China and Russia. Hundreds of new nuclear missiles are on their way.
Renée JeanMarch 25, 2023
Greybull Motel To Be Restored To Vintage Glory By Former LA Woman Who Loves Wyoming & Rodeo
Former LA resident Amanda McGrew has a reputation for renovating homes in Phoenix. But it’s time for a change. She’s headed to Greybull to fix up a rundown motel. She loves small-town rodeos, and plans to really enjoy Greybull’s Days of 49 as part of her latest renovation adventure.
Renée JeanMarch 25, 2023
Lummis Introduces Bill To Raise Pilot Retirement Age To Fix Pilot Shortage In Wyoming
Lummis' bill would raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots to help ease a nationwide pilot shortage that’s threatening regional airports in Wyoming and other rural areas.
Renée JeanMarch 23, 2023
CDC Warns About New Antibiotic-Resistant Fungus; UW Fungus Expert Says Reason To Be Concerned
Although an antibiotic-resistant fungus hasn't spread to the Cowboy State yet, a fungus professor at the University of Wyoming said there is reason to be concerned. "In a lot of ways, the hospital is the worst place [an immunocompromised person] can go."
Renée JeanMarch 23, 2023
Wyoming Money Experts Watch As Fed Tries To Balance Shaky US Banking With Inflation
With interest rate hikes already contributing to three bank failures in as many days and persistent inflation continuing, the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate decision has become much more complicated.
Renée JeanMarch 21, 2023
Wyoming Among 17 States Reviewing Albertsons-Kroger Grocery Merger
Seventeen states, including Wyoming, are reviewing the Albertsons-Kroger merger under state and federal antitrust laws. Opposition continues to build with a consumer lawsuit filed in California and a coalition of 100 entities organizing to stop the merger.
Renée JeanMarch 21, 2023
Hawk Springs Processing Facility Could Expand Potential For Wyoming Hemp
Hemp has long lacked a key link in its supply chain — a processing facility. A Hawk Springs man wants to change that to give the crop the boost it needs to finally take off in the Cowboy State.
Renée JeanMarch 20, 2023
Wyoming Is Home For One of Homesteading’s Biggest Social Media Stars, Jill Winger
Buying their small ranch 9 miles outside of Chugwater gave Jill and Christian Winger room for their horses and their dreams — but blogging about it all unexpectedly turned Jill into a social media star.
Renée JeanMarch 19, 2023