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RJ
Business and Tourism Reporter

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.

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Latest from Renée Jean

Generation Z has grown up digital, and many aren’t choosing traditional colleges. They’re packing Wyoming’s trade schools, lured by shorter, cheaper programs and better job prospects. It’s earned these Gen Z’ers the nickname The Toolbelt Generation.

Wyoming Trade Schools Packed With Gen Z Students, AKA The Toolbelt Generation

Generation Z has grown up digital, and many aren’t choosing traditional colleges. They’re packing Wyoming’s trade schools, lured by shorter, cheaper programs and better job prospects. It’s earned these Gen Z’ers the nickname The Toolbelt Generation.

Renée JeanApril 05, 2025

Eatons’ Ranch in the Wyoming Bighorn Range is the nation’s oldest dude ranch, cowboying with folks since 1879. Now it’s also been named America’s No. 1 dude ranch in USA Today’s annual rankings.

Wyoming’s Eatons’ Ranch Is America’s Oldest — And No. 1-Ranked — Dude Ranch

Eatons’ Ranch in the Wyoming Bighorn Range is the nation’s oldest dude ranch, cowboying with folks since 1879. Now it’s also been named America’s No. 1 dude ranch in USA Today’s annual rankings.

Renée JeanApril 05, 2025

Eli Jerrigan uses a flash card system to study words for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland.

It’s No Accident Kemmerer Eighth Grader Is Wyoming’s Two-Time Best Speller

It’s not an accident that Kemmerer eighth grader Eli Jernigan is Wyoming’s two-time state spelling bee champion. He studies the 4,000-word list constantly, and doesn’t care if he’s an underdog at next month’s nationals.

Renée JeanApril 05, 2025

The Wildcat Creek Fire southeast of Wright, Wyoming, has burned thousands of acres last summer.

Last Summer’s Wildfires Still Devastating For Wyoming Ranchers

Wildfires burned up huge amounts of hay and forage for Wyoming ranches last year, and the aftermath is nearly as dire. Ranchers start a new season still devastated by the fires.

Renée JeanApril 04, 2025

Microsoft, Cheyenne’s first data center, also received a key, business-ready matching grant from the Wyoming Business Council that helped the city build the business park where Microsoft is located.

Cheyenne Primed For More Huge Data Centers As Artificial Intelligence Explodes

A large data center logistics company is touting Cheyenne as the ideal home for the nation’s next major data center. That could position the city for an explosion of Artificial Intelligence and data centers.

Renée JeanApril 04, 2025

Tyrrell Chevrolet, located in Cheyenne, has seen an influx of customers due to auto tariffs that went into effect Wednesday.

Wyoming Auto Dealers Say Rush On To Buy Cars Ahead Of Price Jumps From Tariffs

Tariffs on cars and parts made in Canada and Mexico went into effect Wednesday, leaving a vanishing window to beat price jumps. Wyoming auto dealers say buyers are traveling across multiple states to find what they want now.

Renée JeanApril 02, 2025

David Belus is hoping for rain to help heal his ranch after 50,000 acres of it went up in smoke in Johnson County.

Wyoming Farmers Fear Potential For Devastation From Drought

Drought is hurting farmers in southeast and central Wyoming, and the USDA is offering emergency loans. Many farmers are hoping that more rain is ahead and that they won’t need the assistance.

Renée JeanApril 01, 2025

Plenty Unlimited is bankrupt, and its huge vertical farming research lab in Laramie is on hold. The company will keep a smaller, existing research station in Laramie. Most of the $20 million it was awarded in grant money will revert back to the state.

60,000-Square-Foot Vertical Farming Lab In Laramie On Hold Amid Bankruptcy

Plenty Unlimited is bankrupt, and its huge vertical farming research lab in Laramie is on hold. The company will keep a smaller, existing research station in Laramie. Most of the $20 million it was awarded in grant money will revert back to the state.

Renée JeanMarch 31, 2025

Mountain man Jim Baker’s 152-year-old cabin in Savery, Wyoming, is rotting and giving in to the ravages of time. But a cavalry of sorts is on the way, as a national preservation group races to save the historic cabin of the West’s last true mountain man.

Race On To Save Mountain Man Jim Baker’s Rotting 152-Year-Old Wyoming Cabin

Mountain man Jim Baker’s 152-year-old cabin in Savery, Wyoming, is rotting and giving in to the ravages of time. But a cavalry of sorts is on the way, as a national preservation group races to save the historic cabin of the West’s last true mountain man.

Renée JeanMarch 30, 2025

Cheyenne resident Hannah Snitko and her fiance both took DNA tests with 23andMe.

Wyomingites Who Gave DNA To 23andMe Left In Limbo With Company’s Bankruptcy

Wyoming 23andMe users are scrambling to delete their DNA data in the wake of the company announcing bankruptcy. Others say they hope a future buyer will use their genetic information to help develop medical cures.

Renée JeanMarch 30, 2025

Chugwater Soda Fountain is already famous for being Wyoming’s oldest operating soda fountain. Now it’s becoming known for its upscale Supper at the Fountain — and people drive hours for a spot at a table.

Why People Drive Hours For Chugwater Soda Fountain’s Upscale Supper

Chugwater Soda Fountain is already famous for being Wyoming’s oldest operating soda fountain. Now it’s becoming known for its upscale Supper at the Fountain — and people drive hours for a spot at a table.

Renée JeanMarch 29, 2025

A Colorado-owned fireworks business at the border south of Cheyenne has again been denied a permit because county commissioners say it’s “obnoxious.” The manager says he’s “never going to stop” fighting.

‘Obnoxious’ Cheyenne Fireworks Warehouse Again Denied Permit

A fireworks business at the Wyoming-Colorado border south of Cheyenne has again been denied a permit because county commissioners say it’s “obnoxious.” The manager says he’s “never going to stop” fighting.

Renée JeanMarch 27, 2025

Other Authors

Wyoming-based Custodia Bank, working with a Texas bank, has successfully sent U.S. dollars from an account into the digital realm and back again. The transaction is the first of its kind, says Caitlin Long, Custodia CEO.

Wyoming-Based Custodia Bank Is First To Send, Receive Digital U.S. Dollars

Wyoming-based Custodia Bank, working with a Texas bank, has successfully sent tokenized digital U.S. dollars from an account into the digital realm and back again. The transaction is the first of its kind.

Renée JeanMarch 26, 2025

A long line of people waits for service at the Cheyenne U.S. Post Office annex.

Starting April 1, Wyoming Post Offices May Lose Afternoon Mail Pickup

It's still not clear if afternoon pickup for Wyoming wyoming mail will be impacted under the Delivering for America plan, which starts April 1. It could mean Wyoming post offices will lose it.

Renée JeanMarch 25, 2025

Wyoming’s wild mustangs and many military veterans have something in common — they suffer from PTSD. A couple near Lusk is putting them together to help ease each others’ pain in a program called Operation Remount. Some of them form very strong bonds, like veteran Jerry and his mustang Chisum.

Wyoming's Wild Horses And Military Veterans Ease Each Others’ PTSD

Wyoming’s wild mustangs and many military veterans have something in common — they can suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A couple near Lusk is putting them together to help ease each others’ pain in a program called Operation Remount.

Renée JeanMarch 23, 2025

This Aladdin Readi-Cut kit mail-order house was bought in 1919 and built on a lot in Wheatland, Wyoming. It's still there more than 100 years later.

Mail-Order Homes Used To Be All The Rage, Like This One From 1919 In Wheatland

Mail-order homes, also called kit houses, were all the rage in the early 1900s as people moved West. In Wyoming, Aladdin kit homes were more popular than Sears & Roebuck homes like this one in Wheatland, built in 1919.

Renée JeanMarch 22, 2025

Left, Chris LeDoux performs in Nashville in 1993. Right, his son Ned LeDoux points to heaven while performing on stage at the 2021 Watershed music fesival in Washington state.

Chris LeDoux Days Is Ending: After 15 Years Festival Will Hold Finale In June 2025

Chris LeDoux Days in Kaycee, Wyoming, is ending, and going out with a bang this year for its 15th and final run. Entertainer Kip Attaway and country band Sawyer Brown will play for final June festival.

Renée JeanMarch 16, 2025

CleanSpark is standing up a new Bitcoin mining facility on Venture Drive in Cheyenne. The site is in addition to the one the company is building at a site near F.E. Warren Air Force Base that was previously owned by a Chinese company.

Rural Cheyenne Residents Have A Noisy New Neighbor — A Bitcoin Miner

A noisy new bitcoin mining operation is disturbing its rural Cheyenne area neighbors who moved outside the city for peace and quiet. The company says it’s working on mitigating the issue.

Renée JeanMarch 16, 2025

Rocky mountain power 10 3 23

Consumer Advocates Warn More Rate Increases Ahead For Rocky Mountain Power Customers

Both of Wyoming’s consumer advocate groups foresee more rate increases ahead for Rocky Mountain Power customers. If commissioners approve the latest rate increase, the overall rate increase in the past two years totals 30.4%.

Renée JeanMarch 13, 2025

Rocky Mountain Power says wildfires are a driving force behind its most recent request for a double-digit rate increase. The Elk Fire was one of the worst from last season, buring nearly 100,000 acres across the eastern face of the Bighorn Mountains, threatening the small town of Dayton.

Wildfires Big Driver Behind Rocky Mountain Power’s Double-Digit Rate Hike

Wyoming’s wildfires have spurred higher insurance costs so much, Rocky Mountain Power says it's proposing another double-digit rate increase. It’s also considering self-insurance.

Renée JeanMarch 12, 2025

The Wyoming Public Service Commission meets in Cheyenne on March 11, 2025, to hear testimony about a proposed electricity rate hike from Rocky Mountain Power.

Rocky Mountain Power Makes Case For Rate Hike, Says Large Users Will Pay More

At a Tuesday public hearing for Rocky Mountain Power’s latest double-digit rate increase request, the company said residential customers won’t pay as much. Large power users like data centers would pay more.

Renée JeanMarch 12, 2025

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