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
As Data Centers Boom, Wyomingites Want To Know Where The Water’s Coming From
As the state’s data center industry booms, Wyomingites want to know where the water is coming from. The Select Water Committee dove into that Thursday, as critics clashed over property rights, supply, and impacts for one of the nation’s driest states.
Renée JeanMay 08, 2026
For Second Summer, Star Plunge Closure Kills Short-Term Bookings In Thermopolis
Tourism spending overall is up in Thermopolis, but short-term rental owners say the Star Plunge closure has gutted their bookings for a second summer. "We know it’s closed, so we’re just not going up there,” a potential visitor told a local Airbnb owner.
Renée JeanMay 07, 2026
Bridger Oil Pipeline Filling Fast, Has Commitments To Move 400,000 Barrels A Day
Bridger Pipeline says it already has commitments for around 400,000 barrels per day of crude oil. That’s roughly 89% of the volume the company has said it needs to green-light construction of the 650-mile pipeline which would terminate in Guernsey.
Renée JeanMay 07, 2026
"It Just Blew Up": Wyoming Couple Jolted Awake When Lithium-Ion Battery Catches Fire
A lithium-ion battery caught fire at a Daniel couple’s home as they were waking up on Tuesday. “The flames, my God, I couldn’t believe it,” Jack Morey said. “It just blew up and shot flames I’d say about a foot up.”
Renée JeanMay 06, 2026
BWXT Has First Customer, Partner For Its $500 Million Nuclear Fuel Plant In Gillette
BWXT has lined up its first customer for the $500 million TRISO nuclear fuel plant it’s building in Gillette. “Once you have a licensed nuclear facility, it’s a very powerful asset,” a company official said about the potential for more customers.
Renée JeanMay 06, 2026
Some Claim Foreign 'Dark Money' Is Funding Anti-Data Center Sentiment Across U.S.
A new study traces $39 million in foreign funding behind anti-data center campaigns across the U.S. Betsey Hale, the CEO of Cheyenne Leads, is concerned about it. "No one has complained about data centers until about the last month and a half,” she said.
Renée JeanMay 05, 2026
Rocky Mountain Power Joins Western Energy Market, Says It Could Lower Rates
After years of steep rate hikes in response to higher-than-expected energy costs, Rocky Mountain Power has joined a regional Western market to buy power. "Potentially, it could lower costs for Wyoming customers,” says state Sen. Cale Case about the deal.
Renée JeanMay 05, 2026
With Up To 70 Cheyenne-Area Data Centers In The Works, Petition Calls For Pause
With dozens of Cheyenne-Area data centers in various stages of discussion — one city councilman put the number at as many as 70 — some residents want to hit the brakes. A petition is circulating, calling for a data center moratorium.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2026
Entrepreneurs Say It's Easier To Do Business In Wyoming
The business community is bullish on Wyoming as the state is seeing more start-ups and venture capital deals — even without data centers. “Things are easier to do in Wyoming versus the rest of the world," said one business owner who relocated here.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2026
Riverton Inventor Building Device That Can See Your Heart Attack Coming
An accomplished inventor living in Riverton is building a wearable medical device that can see your heart attack coming before it happens. “You wear it as a patch … I don’t even feel it,” he says about the Bio Chest, which also can alert doctors.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2026
Wyoming Lands Rare Super Magnet To Power Up Advanced Rare Earths Research
Wyoming has landed one of only three super magnets of its kind in the U.S. that will power up advanced research on rare earths and trona. It's a room-sized contraption that can generate a magnetic field a million times stronger than Earth’s.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2026
Rural Tourism: Torrington’s Short-Term Rentals Take 97% Leap, Other Small Towns Spike Too
Teton County is the king of Wyoming tourism, but rural Wyoming towns are showing a spike in visitors. Torrington officials are stunned by the town’s 97% increase in visitors — much of that driven by archaeology. Rawlins and Powell are seeing it too.
Renée JeanMay 02, 2026
Wyoming Jobs: What James Lambert Has Learned After Driving A UPS Truck For 33 Years
For 33 years, UPS driver James Lambert has delivered much more than boxes on his UPS route, the last 15 in a remote section of Laramie County. He’s turned a sometimes rough-and-tumble job into friendships, snowy rescues, and laughter-filled memories.
Renée JeanMay 02, 2026
Wyoming In Dire Need Of Large-Animal Veterinarians
In Wyoming, cattle outnumber people, but the number of veterinarians treating them has shrunk by 90% since World War II, and only 5% of new vets are interested in the job. One vet in Wheatland said desperate ranchers outside his area are "begging for help."
Renée JeanMay 02, 2026
Founder Of Robot Chef Wants To Move Manufacturing From China To Cheyenne
The maker of an AI-powered robot chef that will cook for you wants to move its manufacturing from China to Cheyenne. Once you load the robot with ingredients, it will drop them into the pan, stir and cook according to an app-driven recipe.
Renée JeanMay 02, 2026
Economist: Trump Pipeline OK Could Mean High-Paying Jobs, Big Tax Revenues For Wyoming
Wyoming economist Rob Godby says the state could gain new jobs and increased tax revenue after Trump's approval of the Bridger Pipeline carrying Canadian crude through Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen, and Platte counties. “Pipelines aren’t minor,” he said.
Renée JeanMay 01, 2026
In New ‘Longmire’ Book, Sheriff Walt Has To Solve The Murder Of Guy Everyone Hated
Everyone Hated Pepper McKay, so when he turned up dead, Sheriff Walt Longmire had a lot of suspects to rule out in his latest “Longmire” mystery, “The Brothers McKay.” Wyoming author Craig Johnson’s 22nd “Longmire” novel is set for a May 26 release.
Renée JeanApril 30, 2026
Hotels, Convention Center And Indoor Arena Could Follow PRCA To Cheyenne
Now that the PRCA’s move to Cheyenne is official, local leaders are sketching big plans to turn the 416-acre Hitching Post subdivision into a Western "Field of Dreams" for rodeo. That could include hotels, a convention center and an indoor arena.
Renée JeanApril 28, 2026
Amazon’s Rural Push Brings Fast Deliveries — And Jobs — To Remote Wyoming
Amazon is spending $4 billion this year to expand its reach with same-day and next-day deliveries to some of America’s most remote places, including in Wyoming. For rural residents and small businesses, the fast deliveries are game-changing.
Renée JeanApril 27, 2026
Wyoming People: The 95-Year-Old Classically Trained Tenor Who Sings Opera In Cheyenne
Rick French, aka “Ricardo” when he’s singing opera, is a classically trained tenor who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Folks in Cheyenne know the now-95-year-old for singing opera for years at a local Italian restaurant.
Renée JeanApril 26, 2026
‘AI Will Never Replace Us’: Wyoming Nurse Rides Booming Career Wave
Wyoming nurse Ashley Myers escaped hardship into a high-paying nursing career. Her success story highlights rapid wage growth in the health care sector. "AI is a great tool, but it will never replace us. We have to have people to do this work," she says.
Renée JeanApril 26, 2026