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

"Can I take your order?" Margaret Lovato asks with a smile at Diamond Horseshoe Cafe in Cheyenne, where she has worked for almost 50 years.

Margaret Lovato Has Been Serving Customers For 50 Years At Cheyenne's Diamond Horseshoe

Regulars at the Diamond Horseshoe Cafe describe it as Cheyenne’s Cheers, a place where everyone knows your name. At the center of that is Margaret Lovato, who’s been serving customers there for almost 50 years.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2025

City National Pawn's coin master Joe Bohlinger looks at the tail feathers of a 2000-P Sacagawea coin, to see if it is a "Cheerios" coin. It wasn't, but if it had been, it would have been worth around $6,600 if in mint condition.

Pocket Change Can Be Worth Big Money If You Know What to Look For

While many of the most valuable coins aren’t in circulation anymore, there are still millions of coins changing hands every day. A Wyoming coin dealer says there’s big money in pocket change if you know what to look for.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2025

Billy Bob Thornton plays the lead character of Tommy Norris in the new Paramount+ series "Landman." Real Wyoming landmen say the show isn't always realistic, but gets as lot of the details right.

“Landman” Not Always Realistic, But New Hit Taylor Sheridan Show Gets A Lot Right

Real-life Wyoming landmen say Taylor Sheridan’s new hit TV show “Landman” isn't always realistic, but the show does get a lot of the fundamentals right.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2025

Embattled Star Plunge Park Remains Open Ahead Of Jan. 14 Deadline

While many media outlets reported the historic Star Plunge would close Dec. 31, it remains open. While its lease expired then, the facility has an extension through Jan. 14 while negotiations for its sale and a court case continue.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2025

Industry: Court Ruling BLM Illegally Halted Oil And Gas Lease Sales Is Too Late

A judge ruled Tuesday that the BLM illegally suspended a 2022 Wyoming oil and gas lease. While pleased with the decision, the governor and industry officials said Friday it’s too little, too late to reverse the damage done by the Biden administration.

Renée JeanJanuary 03, 2025

When billionaire Joe Ricketts bought White Pine Ski & Summer Resort near Pinedale, Wyoming, people speculated the goal was to turn it into an upscale Jackson Hole-like resort. So far, fans of the ski area say it hasn’t changed yet.

Fans Say White Pine Unchanged So Far In First Season Under Billionaire Ricketts

When billionaire Joe Ricketts bought White Pine Resort near Pinedale, Wyoming, people speculated the goal was to turn it into an upscale Jackson Hole-like resort. So far, fans of the ski area say it hasn’t changed yet.

Renée JeanDecember 30, 2024

John Haggerty in front of the car he used as a medical courier, even when I-80 was closed.

Even When I-80 Is Closed, Medical Couriers Still Allowed To Go Through

Interstate 80 is notorious for being impossible to get through at times during the winter. But even when closed, medical couriers are still allowed to go through. Lives depend on it.

Renée JeanDecember 29, 2024

A group of monks in the mountains near Meeteetse, Wyoming, are building a Gothic monastery using cutting-edge technology. They’ve adapted CNC machines to carve stone that looks like it could’ve been sculpted 1,000 years ago.

Carmelite Monks Near Meeteetse Use Modern Tech To Build Gothic Monastery

A group of Carmelite monks in the mountains near Meeteetse, Wyoming, are building a Gothic monastery using cutting-edge technology. They’ve adapted high-tech computerized machines to carve stone that looks like it could’ve been sculpted 1,000 years ago.

Renée JeanDecember 29, 2024

Wyoming Businesses Don’t Have To Disclose Owners After Whiplash Court Ruling

The on-again, off-again mandate for small businesses to disclose their ownership is off again after a Thursday whiplash ruling by a federal court. It halts the Corporate Transparency Act, which calls for jail time, $10,000 fines for noncompliance.

Renée JeanDecember 27, 2024

Lines were long at the U.S. Postal Service office at Capitol Avenue in Cheyenne in this file photo.

Wyoming Mail Goes Hundreds Of Extra Miles Before Delivery

Wyoming mail is getting ping-ponged around the region, traveling hundreds of extra miles before finally being delivered. Tracking packages online is leaving customers beyond frustrated. Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service says it will look into the issue.

Renée JeanDecember 27, 2024

Small businesses make up the backbone of Cheyenne's downtown district.

Wyoming Business Owners Could Get Jail, $10,000 Fine For Not Disclosing Ownership

Small business owners face jail time and fines of up to $10,000 for not reporting who their owners are. They have until Jan 13, but Chuck Gray wants Wyoming to fight the rule in court.

Renée JeanDecember 26, 2024

Grammy Award-winning Christian rock duo for King + Country filmed the music video for its emotional version of "The Little Drummer Boy" in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains.

Popular Version Of “The Little Drummer Boy” Has A Silent Star — The Bighorns

The popular Christian rock duo for King + Country uses Wyoming as the backdrop for the music video of their remake of the Christmas classic “The Little Drummer Boy.” The majesty of the Bighorn Mountains helps make the video magical.

Renée JeanDecember 24, 2024

Other Authors

Eula Wulfjen Kendrick, played by Barbara Cavanagh, talks about newspaper clippings in her scrapbooks with her two guests, Matatie Wulfjen Williams (Michelle King) and Madge Eggleston (Kathy Pavatt).

Party Like It’s Christmas 1924 At The Kendrick Mansion In Sheridan

The Kendrick Mansion in Sheridan comes to life for the holidays. The setting serves as the backdrop for a day in the life of the Kendricks at Christmas -- an intimate and cozy trip back into time.

Renée JeanDecember 24, 2024

This porch pirate was caught on a doorbell camera taking a 5-year-old Cheyenne boy's Christmas gift.

Cheyenne Porch Pirate Caught On Camera Grinching A 5-Year-Old’s Christmas

Porch pirates just seem to keep getting more and more bold. But people are fighting back with door cameras, drop boxes and pranks like putting old junk in new boxes. That didn't stop one Grinch from stealing a Cheyenne 5-year-old's Christmas.

Renée JeanDecember 24, 2024

A house in a subdivision about 15 miles west of Cheyenne that had attracted squatters and drug activity, and had terrorized neighbors for years, has finally been raided and torn down.

How Neighbors Teamed Up With Wyoming Sheriff To Get Drug House Demolished

Residents in a Laramie County subdivision said they felt terrorized by squatters who had moved into an abandoned home and turned it into a drug house. It took months of collaboration with local officials but got it successfully torn down.

Renée JeanDecember 23, 2024

Brian Bartow’s fire truck Christmas light display on Dec. 19, 2024, at 550 Essex Road in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Antique Firetrucks Decked Out For Christmas Draw Crowds In Cheyenne

Christmas is all about Santa and firetrucks at the Bartow family home in Cheyenne. His holiday decorations are centered two antique firetrucks -- a 1942 American LaFrance and a 1938 Studebaker.

Renée JeanDecember 22, 2024

Chef Juan Coronado, co-owner of Railspur, demonstrates how to prepare the classic holiday dish beef Wellington.

Think Beef Wellington Is Too Hard To Make? Think Again, Says Wyoming Chef

There’s a reason Gordon Ramsay’s famous beef Wellington costs $119 dollars per person. it’s a complex dish that marries high-quality ingredients in a visually stunning way. But Wyoming chef Juan Coronado says with a few smart changes, it doesn’t really have to be such a chore.

Renée JeanDecember 22, 2024

The Halleck Creek site in Wyoming, now called the Cowboy State Mine site.

Wyoming Project Gets Boost In Race To Be First For U.S. Rare Earths Production

What could be one of the world’s richest rare earths deposits announced Friday a partnership for a Wyoming pilot plant. It’s a boost for Wyoming to be first in the U.S. to help stand up domestic rare earths production sooner.

Renée JeanDecember 21, 2024

Outrage Over Daniel Wolf Abuse Didn’t Impact Wyoming Tourism In 2024

Global outrage and calls to boycott Wyoming over the abuse and killing of a wolf in Daniel in February didn’t impact Cowboy State tourism in 2024. Lodging tax collections are up almost across the board.

Renée JeanDecember 20, 2024

Innovative Short Wind Turbines Are In For A Tough Test — Wyoming Winter

Airloom Energy will test its innovative wind turbines in winter — the perfect shakedown for an 80- to 100-foot-tall invention born in Wyoming. The novel Bill Gates-backed concept could make today’s 500-foot-tall wind towers obsolete.

Renée JeanDecember 18, 2024

BNSF Railway To Eliminate Dozens Of Jobs Dec. 27

BNSF has pushed through an agreement in arbitration with its unions that will eliminate dozens of jobs on Dec. 27. As more people are cut, union reps say they worry for the safety of the workers who remain.

Renée JeanDecember 17, 2024

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