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

From Trash To Treasure - Wyoming Airport Turns An Old Relic Into Something Cool
Preserving history has become second nature at the Casper/Natrona County Airport, so when it was time to replace the airport's 50-year-old control tower beacon, Airport Director Glenn Januska knew they had to preserve it.
Renée JeanApril 09, 2023

Wyoming Real Estate: Ski-in, Ski-out Lodge In Teton Village Hits Market For $26 million
In case you're in the market new home, Teton Village’s largest lot has just hit the market. In addition to a private ski locker, hot tub, and sauna, there are nine bedrooms, an amazing kitchen, heated driveways and decks, a wine cellar, and an elevator. All for just $26 million.
Renée JeanApril 09, 2023

Cowboy State Gardeners Have Hope Of Extending Growing Seasons With Wyoming-Proof Geodesic Domes
Small acre horticulture specialist Jeff Edwards and his colleagues have designed a geodesic dome suited to the insanity of Wyoming's weather. Now they're on a mission to spread the word about the domes, and train as many people as they can and how to make them.
Renée JeanApril 09, 2023

Wyoming Geology Provides Unique Canvas For Cowboy State Rock Artist
Cheyenne Artist Georgia Roswell is inspired by the state’s unique and complex geology. That shows through in her art, which highlights the many layers, colors and dimensions found in rocks millions of years old.
Renée JeanApril 09, 2023

Elizabeth Smart In Wyoming To Tell A Story Of Miracles, 20 Years After Kidnapping That Riveted Nation
20 years after being rescued from a harrowing nine-month kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart has released a new book about overcoming trauma and spoke to hundreds of people about it in Cheyenne on Thursday night.
Renée JeanApril 08, 2023

Billionaires Are Moving Millionaires Out Of Jackson, Similar Trends Happening Across Wyoming
Teton County's newest residents have a mean income of $661,000, while its out-migrants had a mean income of $100,181 - a 660 percent difference. This gap leads not just Wyoming, but the nation.
Renée JeanApril 08, 2023

Ice Cube In Wyoming? How Cheyenne's Lincoln Theatre Booked The Rap Legend
Turns out, the OG gangsta rapper has many fans in the Cowboy State. Ice Cube's April 16th performance at The Lincoln Theatre is sold out and all the tickets were gone in only a few days.
Renée JeanApril 07, 2023

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
