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

Lukis Hill points out on Google Maps the location where he and his dad tried to pick up a Chinese woman who looked like she needed help. She screamed at them instead, and disappeared before their eyes.

Haunted Wyoming: Ghost Of China Mary Haunts Evanston Road Named For Her

The ghost of China Mary still haunts the road named after her in Evanston, Wyoming. But talking about her has been a taboo subject, and not many people know the real history behind Ah Yuen, who became known as China Mary.

Renée JeanOctober 30, 2024

A drilling rig near Pinedale, Wyoming, in this file photo.

$80 Million Bet Says Wyoming Can Unlock Secret To Getting More Oil From "Tight Rocks"

ThermoFisher Scientific is laying a $40 million bet, matched by $40 million from the Legislature, that Wyoming can get more oil from so-called "tight rocks." Squeezing even 1% more from those rocks is worth billions of dollars.

Renée JeanOctober 29, 2024

Wyoming Home Sales Strong Despite National Trend Approaching 30-Year Low

Wyoming overall is bucking a national trend that’s approaching a 30-year low for home sales. Casper and Jackson continue to see strong sales data, while cities like Cheyenne and Sheridan have seen some cooling in the marketplace.

Renée JeanOctober 28, 2024

Mike Hennessy during a trip to Cheyenne, left, and the old storefront that used to be home to his great-great-granfather's grocery store.

History Come Alive: San Diego Man Discovers Documents About 140-Year-Old Cheyenne Building

A San Diego Man found a treasure trove of documents about a 140-year-old Cheyenne building. His great-great-grandfather ran a grocery store there that's now Bohemian Metals.

Renée JeanOctober 27, 2024

Weatherman Daryl Orr experiencing high winds in a live shot on Denver's Channel 7

Cheyenne Man’s Midlife Career Change: From TV Reporter To Truck Driver

When longtime Denver TV reporter Daryl Orr lost his job unexpectedly in midlife, he wasn’t worried — until everyone kept telling him he was overqualified. So the Cheyenne man decided to do something completely different: become a truck driver (and he loves it).

Renée JeanOctober 27, 2024

With a huge wildfire season in Wyoming this year, one question people ask is why isn't cloud seeding used to induce rain and snow to fall on the fires. The simple answer is you have to have clouds to do that.

Why Couldn't Wyoming Wildfires Be Put Out By Cloud Seeding?

With almost a million acres of land burned up in Wyoming this year by wildfire, why not use cloud seeding to help? For cloud seeding to even have a chance, a cloud is needed -- something Wyoming hasn't had much of lately.

Renée JeanOctober 27, 2024

Logan Wilson is a starting linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL.

NFL Star Logan Wilson Is Still A Casper Boy, Promoting His Hometown And Wyoming

Logan Wilson may be an NFL star, but he remains a Casper boy at heart, and isn’t shy about telling the world about it. He is partnering with Visit Casper to actively promote his hometown and the state of Wyoming.

Renée JeanOctober 26, 2024

The VTEM Plus AEM system from Geotech Ltd. is an example of a helicopter doing a aeromagnetic survey. Helicopters are used over mountainous terrain and fixed-wing aircraft for flat land.

Aerial Scans Happening For First Time In Wyoming To Find Valuable Minerals

They can do that? Scanning the earth’s crust 3,300 feet below ground from the air looking for minerals might sound far-fetched, but the science is real, and being used for the first time in Wyoming.

Renée JeanOctober 25, 2024

Wyoming Whiskey Hits No. 2 On USA Today List Of The Nation’s Best Whiskey

Wyoming Whiskey has hit No. 2 on USA Today’s annual list of the nation’s best whiskey. It’s a huge leap from its “horrible” first batch, in the words of its co-founder, to now selling $500 bottles of limited-edition whiskey to connoisseurs.

Renée JeanOctober 23, 2024

Billionaire Bill Gates took his turn at shoveling up some dirt in a groundbreaking ceremony for TerraPower’s nuclear reactor project in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

Construction Underway On Testing Facility At TerraPower’s Wyoming Nuclear Plant Site

Construction is happening in Kemmerer at the site of the future TerraPower nuclear plant site. But it’s not the actual plant that’s being built, it’s a test and fill facility, the first step of many before the plant finally opens in 2030.

Renée JeanOctober 22, 2024

In Teton County, Wyoming, people expect their homes to feature stunning views. And they pay stunning prices for those views.

Want A View Of The Tetons? Vacant Lot In Jackson Hole Will Cost You $5.5 Million

In 1992, a 1.5 acre vacant lot with a view of the Tetons in Jackson Hole cost $70,000. Today, the average price tag for single-family lots valley-wide is a whopping $5.57 million.

Renée JeanOctober 21, 2024

Improvements being made at the Rare Element Resources site in Upton, Wyoming. The company is waiting on one more federal OK to open its nearly completed $53 million rare earths processing plant.

Wyoming Rare Earths Producer Close To Completing $53 Million Processing Plant

Rare Element Resources needs one more thumbs-up from a federal agency to complete its $53 million rare earth demonstration plant in Upton. The rare earth refinery is billed as a game-changer not just for Wyoming, but America.

Renée JeanOctober 21, 2024

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Extra tables had to be pulled from storage to expand the eating area at the Let it Rain Concert in Parkman, even as smoke from the nearby Elk Fire continues to linger in the air.

Parkman Bar Holds ‘Let It Rain’ Concert To Say 'Thank You' To Firefighters

Around 500 people showed up for the Parkman Bar and Grill’s “Let it Rain” concert Saturday to say thank you from the community to the firefighters battling the Elk Fire. Cars lined the highway for a couple of miles before and after the bar but attendees said it was worth the walk.

Renée JeanOctober 21, 2024

The Texas Fire Relief effort has helped Wyoming ranchers impacted by a number of huge and devastating wildfires this season.

Thank you Texas! Texas Ranchers Hauling Hay To Wyoming

When wildfires devastated ranches in Texas in 2022, Wyomingites were quick to haul trucks of hay for livestock there. Now ranchers there are returning the favor after fires have burned more than 810,000 acres across Wyoming.

Renée JeanOctober 20, 2024

Employees at Suds Bros. Brewery in Evanston claim the bar has at least three ghosts.

Drinking Wyoming: Ghosts Might Join You For A Drink At Suds Bros. In Evanston

Patrons and employees report ghostly experiences at Suds Bros. Brewery in Evanston. It’s in a historic building built in 1890 that was America’s second JCPenney store and, at one time, tied into Evanston’s underground tunnels.

Renée JeanOctober 19, 2024

Building their home in Story, Wyoming, was a true family affair for Steve and Bridget Snyder and their young kids. They didn’t just do the work themselves, they did it together, which gives them a deeper connection to their home.

Insurance Companies Rejecting Wyoming Homeowners In Wildfire-Threatened Areas

When Bridget and Steve Snyder’s homeowners insurance policy expired four months ago, their provider refused to renew it because of wildfire risk. Now they’re threatened by the Elk Fire with no insurance — a problem happening across the nation.

Renée JeanOctober 19, 2024

Uranium Energy Corp.'s Irigaray plant in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

Uranium Energy Corp. To Increase Wyoming Production Capacity To 8.1 Million Pounds

Wyoming has approved a Uranium Energy Corps. application to double capacity at its plant in the Powder River Basin. That gives the company capacity to process 12.1 million pounds of uranium, 8.1 million pounds of which are in Wyoming.

Renée JeanOctober 19, 2024

This image from the Bear Lodge Resort webcam in the Wyoming Bighorns shows the arrival of much-anticipated snow. The lodge is near the Elk Fire, which has grown to about 96,000 acres.

Firefighters’ Prayers Answered With Snow Falling On Huge Wyoming Wildfires

Snow is finally falling on a pair of huge Wyoming wildfires. It’s literally the answer to the prayers of firefighters and locals living under the threat of the Elk and Pack Trail fires.

Renée JeanOctober 17, 2024

The Elk Fire remains active in northern Wyoming, putting out large plumes of smoke.

Sheridan Area Residents Cheer Forecast For 7-13 Inches Of Snow

People in Story and other communities along the Bighorns were literally cheering Wednesday when the weather forecast predicted 7-13 inches of snow. It will help, but it’s probably not a fire-killer.

Renée JeanOctober 16, 2024

The historic Wagon Box in Story, Wyoming.

Story’s Historic Wagon Box Restaurant Is Suddenly Closing For Winter

The owner of the Wagon Box in Story, Wyoming, announced Tuesday that the historic eatery and campground will close for the winter. The announcement caught employees completely off guard and scrambling to find new jobs.

Renée JeanOctober 15, 2024

Portable water ponds set up at a home in the path of the Elk Fire. Dozer line and fire retardant have already been set in place to protect the home if and when the fire gets to this point. It's part of the structure protection measures put in place for homes in the area.

Massive Effort Building 7-Mile Line To Keep Elk Fire From Wyoming Towns

Firefighters have charred a 7-mile strip of ground between Big Horn and Story, starting from Goose Creek. It’s a buffer zone between Wyoming communities at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains that will act as a “catcher’s mitt” to stop the Elk Fire.

Renée JeanOctober 15, 2024

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