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

Can You Catch ‘Food Poisoning?’ It’s Not Common, But, Yes, And Here’s How
Food-borne illnesses are among the most common in America, sickening more than 48 million each year. But can it be passed on to others? The answer is yes -- as a Cheyenne couple recently found out.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Famous Cheyenne Gunslingers To Be Homeless, Have To Move From Downtown Spot
The famous Cheyenne Gunslingers will have to find a new spot for its Wild West shootouts. The city has approved another historical attraction to take over their location and now the Gunslingers, who delight crowds every summer by shooting each other, have to find a new home.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Canadian Company Says There’s Still Plenty Of Gold Near Former Boom Town
"Thar's gold in them thar hills!" That's what a Canadian company is saying about the area near the old Carissa Mine near South Pass City. Thousands of miners went there in 1867 but never found the mother lode. This company says they have the technology to find it.
Renée JeanMay 10, 2025

Wyoming Could Capture Bigger Piece Of US Nuclear Power Than Just Mining Uranium
A pair of the major U.S. players in nuclear power announce a partnership to develop the industry across America — and Wyoming could be ground zero. There's potential for the state do more than just mine uranium.
Renée JeanMay 07, 2025

Wyoming’s Booming $2.2 Billion Outdoor Rec Tourism Stressing Some Communities
Pinedale is poised to double in size by 2040, growth that Town Councilman Scott Kosiba believes is due in no small part to the strength of a rapidly growing outdoor recreation economy. Call it a new economic model for boom towns, one driven in part by wealthy remote workers who can locate where they like to play, instead of just where they work.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2025

Lummis Behind Bill To Force U.S. Mint To Stop Making Pennies
With a $36 trillion national debt, wasteful government spending has to stop, says U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis. She said that’s why she’s behind a bill to make the U.S. Mint stop making pennies, which cost more than 3 cents per penny to make.
Renée JeanMay 04, 2025

It’s Taken 2 Years, But Revival Of Vintage Greybull K-Bar Motel Nearly Finished
Two years after starting a monumental DYI effort to restore and revive the vintage K-Bar Motel in Greybull, Amanda McGrew is nearly finished. And the kitschy vibe is already turning heads.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2025

How Will UPS Cutting 20,000 Jobs Impact Already Slow Wyoming Deliveries?
UPS is laying off 20,000 workers and closing 73 facilities. That has rural Wyoming residents wondering if the already slow-arriving deliveries they rely on are ever going to get through.
Renée JeanMay 03, 2025

Colorado Congresswoman Wants To De-Fund Front Range Passenger Rail Project
Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert wants DOGE to kill funding for a Front Range passenger rail project that has a potential to extend into Wyoming. That won’t happen, because the project is state-funded, not federal.
Renée JeanApril 30, 2025

Thunderbirds Continue 70-Plus-Year Run At Cheyenne Frontier Days On New Night
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds’ popular Cheyenne Frontier Days air show is moving to Saturday, July 26, so more people can see it. The aerial demonstration has been held at CFD every year but two since 1953.
Renée JeanApril 29, 2025

WyoTech Growth Spurt Continues With $48.2 Million, 137,000-Square-Foot Expansion
WyoTech’s waiting list is out to April 2026 for some programs. The demand is fueling yet another growth spurt for the Laramie trade school — a $48.2 million, 137,000-square-foot expansion set to open in 2027.
Renée JeanApril 29, 2025

Wyoming Is Perfect For Data Centers, So Why Do They Cluster Only In Cheyenne?
Wyoming has the right climate for data centers, and the Interstate 80 corridor could be a magnet for attracting more of them. So why do data centers cluster in Cheyenne, but hardly anywhere else in Wyoming?
Renée JeanApril 28, 2025

Lander Man Turns Heads Driving Pickup He’s Modified To Go Backwards
Lander resident Albert Bertagnolli modified his pickup to drive backwards. He swapped the headlights and taillights, moved the engine and looks out over the bed driving the thing. When he’s driving down the street, it looks like he’s going backwards.
Renée JeanApril 27, 2025

Wyoming Home To Musket That Fired First Shot At Bunker Hill 250 Years Ago
It’s less than two months until the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the most important battles of the American Revolution. The musket that fired the battle’s first shot is at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois.
Renée JeanApril 27, 2025

Drinking Wyoming: Bear Mountain Junction In La Grange Has Beer, Killer Cinnamon Rolls
Bear Mountain Junction is a tiny all-in-one stop in La Grange on U.S. Highway 85 between Cheyenne and Hawk Springs. It’s a store, gift shop and bar, where you can get a beer and killer homemade cinnamon rolls.
Renée JeanApril 26, 2025

Eating Wyoming: Lander’s Mulino Italian Bistro Is Hard To Find, But Worth It
In the heart of downtown Lander, hidden from all casual view, there’s a serious little slice of Italy, waiting to be discovered by the keenly observant. Mulino Italian Bistro is a little hard to find, but worth it.
Renée JeanApril 26, 2025

Pinedale’s World Famous Corral Bar For Sale For $1.5 Million
The World Famous Corral Bar in Pinedale may not actually be “world famous,” but it is a favorite spot for locals. The family that’s owned the bar for the last 25 years has decided it’s time to sell, listing it for about $1.5 million.
Renée JeanApril 25, 2025

Runaway Costs Have Wyoming’s Small Airports Facing Financial Turbulence
Small regional airports around Wyoming are being squeezed hard by inflation and runaway costs. Airports in Riverton, Rock Springs, Sheridan and Gillette in particular face a fight to keep airline service next year.
Renée JeanApril 23, 2025

Downtown Cheyenne Parking Garage A Nightmare, Nearby Business Owners Say
Cheyenne has taken steps to improve a problem downtown parking garage and make it safer. But business owners say there continue to be nightly noise violations, as well as vandalism.
Renée JeanApril 22, 2025

Wyoming National Guard Base To Be Home For Fleet Of C-130J Tankers
The Wyoming Air National Guard Base in Cheyenne is the latest base awarded top-flight C-130J air tankers. Starting in 2028, it will be home for a fleet of eight C-130Js, which will be a huge boost for fighting wildfires.
Renée JeanApril 22, 2025
Cheyenne Celebrity Chef Is Part Of Martha Stewart’s New Cooking Competition
Cheyenne celebrity chef Petrina Peart came within one vote of beating Food Network star Bobby Flay on his hit cooking competition show. Now she’ll try to do the same against 12 other chefs on Martha Stewart’s new show on NBC, “Yes, Chef!”
Renée JeanApril 21, 2025