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’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
Saratoga’s Famous Hobo Hot Springs A Remote Gem In Wyoming’s Snowy Range
Theres an alchemy at work in Saratoga, Wyoming, at the base of the Snowy Range Mountains that has long brought people to what they believe must be healing waters. The best part is a soak in the Hobo Pool is, and always has been, free.
Renée JeanFebruary 12, 2023
Wyoming Stores On Long List Of Bed, Bath & Beyond Closures
In another round of cost-saving moves, national big-box retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond has announced its closing hundreds of its brick-and-mortar stores, including the Casper and Cheyenne locations in Wyoming.
Renée JeanFebruary 11, 2023
Wyoming Filmmaker Says Film Incentives Bill Deliberately Killed By House Majority Leader
A Wyoming filmmaker says a bill that would have provided incentives to film companies that shoot Wyoming-centric films in the Cowboy State was targeted for failure by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
Renée JeanFebruary 10, 2023
Property Tax Relief Bills Die After Freedom Caucus Blocks Them
Both bills that aimed to give residential property a category of its own -- and would make it easier to provide property tax relief -- failed. That means any specifically targeted homeowner relief is likely dead as well.
Renée JeanFebruary 09, 2023
Wyoming Property Owners Closer To Some Tax Relief As $50,000 Exemption Passes House
The bill would provide a an average savings of $300 for Wyoming homeowners under House Bill 98, which advanced to the Senate floor Wednesday evening.
Renée JeanFebruary 09, 2023
C.J. Box Films Won’t Be Produced In Wyoming Anytime Soon; Legislature Shoots Down Film Incentives Again
The Big Sky and Joe Pickett television shows arent likely to get authentic Wyoming settings anytime soon as a bill that would have created incentives for filmmakers who shoot their Wyoming storylines in the Cowboy State died on Tuesday.
Renée JeanFebruary 08, 2023
No Fishing Derby? No Problem: Ice Racing Revs Up Saratoga’s Winter Lineup
When Game and Fish decided to kill all the fish in Lake Saratoga last summer, it dealt a significant blow to winter tourism in Saratoga. But the townspeople got together and made the best out of it. Turns out the lake is a great place for motorized ice racing.
Renée JeanFebruary 07, 2023
Saratoga Skijoring 2023: A Broken Leg, Plenty Of Wrecks, And A Great Time
Visitors to Saratogas skijoring championship this past weekend will found a scene reminiscent of spring break, but its in the snow. Instead of college pranks, theres skijoring, with some of the best steak and pea moments aka wrecks around.
Renée JeanFebruary 07, 2023
Saratoga On The Lookout For Elusive Mountain Lion Close To Town
Local Police, Game and Fish officials are watching for signs of a mountain lion that was spotted during daylight near a public space in Saratoga. So far, the cat has eluded efforts to find it, including drones.
Renée JeanFebruary 06, 2023
Archeological Group Says Bill To Protect Site Near Ghost Town In Platte County Could Endanger It
A nonprofit group says a bill that would fence in and protect an archeological site in Platte County is not only unnecessary, but potentially detrimental, and that they plan to oppose it.
Renée JeanFebruary 05, 2023
When Chinese Spy Balloon Flew Over Crook County, Wyomingites Wanted To Shoot It Down
There were plenty of Wyomingites ready and willing to help shoot the balloon down when it flew over Crook County, among them former state lawmaker Tyler Lindholm. "Theres some guys out in the woods who have the capability, and I think it would have been a hoot," he said.
Renée JeanFebruary 04, 2023
Property Tax Relief A Possibility In Wyoming After 16% Jump Last Year, 36% In Teton County
Prior to the pandemic, property taxes in Wyoming were rising 3% to 4% annually, according to state figures. But last year, they jumped 16% on average across the state. The increase was much larger in some counties, like Teton County, where it was 36%.
Renée JeanFebruary 03, 2023
Author C.J. Box Says Wyoming Missed Out On An Enormous Payday By Not Having Film Incentives
Best-selling author CJ Box on Thursday said Wyoming missed out on $90 million in on-the-ground spending for the productions of "Big Sky" and "Joe Pickett" because production companies shot his shows in Canada and New Mexico.
Renée JeanFebruary 03, 2023
Lindholm Says Wyoming Should Sue Federal Reserve Over Digital Bank Rejection
Now that the Federal Reserve has shut a Wyoming Special Purpose Depository Institution out of its centralized systems, Tyler Lindholm who helped write Wyomings digital asset laws, said it's time for the state to sue the Federal Reserve.
Renée JeanFebruary 02, 2023
1 Million More Visitors Boosted Wyoming Tourism Revenue By $1.2 Billion In 2022
While Wyomings tourism industry hasnt rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers, 1 million more visitors came to Wyoming last year compared to 2021 and they spent $1.21 billion.
Renée JeanFebruary 01, 2023
Make Way For Dirty Charlotte and Old Faithful, Wyoming’s Newest Signature Cocktails
Booze, a Wyoming tradition even before statehood. And to celebrate booze at the Wyoming Tourism Conference, distillers across the state were challenged to make new concoctions. And they succeeded...
Renée JeanFebruary 01, 2023
Young Wyoming Chefs Get Police Escort, Then Bake Winning Cake At Statewide Competition
A weekend snowstorm and multiple pileups closed Interstate-80 and threatened to shut Laramie High School culinary students out of a cooking competition in Cheyenne. It took a police escort, but they made it and then won.
Renée JeanFebruary 01, 2023
Governor’s Tourism Conference: Watch Out For Generation Z
At Monday's Wyoming tourism conference in Cheyenne, professional marketers said Generation Z is rising in importance. By 2026, they'll make up the largest share of the U.S. consumer population at 82 million people.
Renée JeanJanuary 31, 2023
One Giant Leap For Wyoming – Bill Would Make July 20 ‘Moon Landing Day’
The designation wouldnt create a new state holiday, says Sen. Affie Ellis, who sponsored Senate File 95. What it does is recognize one of the greatest accomplishments for mankind.
Renée JeanJanuary 31, 2023
For 60 Years, Nancy Takeda Has Been A Fixture At The Historic Wort Hotel In Jackson
Nancy Takeda has been part of the famous Wort Hotel in Jackson Hole for 60 years. From watching a then-unknown Willie Nelson perform to a devastating fire that threatened to close the legendary hotel forever, shes been there for it all.
Renée JeanJanuary 28, 2023