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

Volunteers remove debris from around Story homes to help protect them in case the Elk Fire gets too close.

Townspeople Of Story, Wyoming, Rally To Protect Homes In Path Of Huge Wildfire

It's a monumental challenge, but townspeople in the forested community of Story are rallying together to rid the area of pine needles, pine cones, and other fire fuels as the 90,000-acre Elk Fire gets closer and closer.

Renée JeanOctober 14, 2024

A large jet tanker drops a load of retardant on the Elk Fire.

13 Aircraft Maintaining An All-Out Air Assault On 90,000-Acre Elk Fire

In addition to nearly 1,000 people fighting the Elk Fire on the ground, 13 aircraft are assigned to battle. It’s more than most fires get, and they’re maintaining an all-out aerial assault on the nearly 90,000-acre fire.

Renée JeanOctober 14, 2024

Annie and Chuck Magera own Carrol's Furniture in Sheridan. They feel that Sheridan's entrepreneurial spirit stems from the very heart and soul of the community, where lifelong residents are not just willing but eager to help others succeed. It's a rising tide lifts all boats type of mentality.

Wyoming Ranked #1 Entrepreneurial State In Country, Sheridan County Tops In State

Wyoming is the No. 1 entrepreneurial state in the nation according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Sheridan lies at the heart of the state’s most entrepreneurial county, where 51% of residents are self-employed.

Renée JeanOctober 13, 2024

At the Elk View Inn near Dayton, the Elk Fire appears intimidating in this file photo.

Firefighting “Spike Camp” Near Burgess Junction Tackles Elk Fire From The West

The Elk Fire has burned about 87,000 acres on the Bighorn Mountains in northern Wyoming. While most of the attention has been the fire’s relentless push southeast, a firefighting “spike camp” near Burgess Junction is fighting it from the west.

Renée JeanOctober 13, 2024

A firefighter picks up one of each type of lunch, vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

It Takes A Makeshift City To Support The Nearly 1,000 Elk Fire Firefighters

There are nearly 1,000 firefighters and support personnel assigned to the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team fighting the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming. It takes a makeshift city to support them all.

Renée JeanOctober 12, 2024

The flames may seem ominous, but they're part of a strategic burn in the southern part of the Elk Fire overnight Thursday, as seen in this stunning photo taken by Jeffrey Shanor of Sheridan.

Fiery Glow On Bighorns Overnight Was Intentional Burning To Slow Elk Fire

Another night of watching the Bighorn Mountains glow above them made some living in the shadow of the Elk Fire nervous overnight Thursday. But the huge, scary and dramatic column of fire was part of a plan to save Sheridan’s water supply, as well as slow the fire down.

Renée JeanOctober 11, 2024

Jacob Williamson discovered a wildfire burning near Sheridan. He stopped, called it in, then got busy fighting it.

Fast-Acting WYDOT Worker Spots New Wildfire, Calls 911, Then Helps Put It Out

An alert Wyoming Department of Transportation worker spotted a new wildfire taking off 7 miles north of Sheridan along I-90. He called 911, then jumped into action himself, helping to put it out before the fire became a catastrophe.

Renée JeanOctober 11, 2024

The Elk Fire has left the face of the Bighorn Mountains above Dayton, Wyoming, blackened.

Elk Fire Breaking The Rules Of Wildfires And ‘Is Behaving Like A Teenager’

The strategists in charge of battling the huge 76,000-acre Elk Fire in northern Wyoming say the stubborn blaze is breaking the rules of wildfires. One said it even seems oppositional to authority and “is behaving like a teenager.”

Renée JeanOctober 10, 2024

Warren Tritschler is a guy with a water tank and a garden hose, determined to do whatever possible to protect his home and his property. The Buckhorn Travel Center owner has started a fuel fund for other Hillbilly Hotshots, to help them with the cost of fuel for their trucks and their water pumps.

Armed With A Hose And Weed Sprayer, Wyoming Man Defends His Home From Elk Fire

Warren Tritschler defended his home in the Horseshoe subdivision near Dayton from the Elk Fire with a garden hose and a weed sprayer. He’s one of the many so-called “Hillbilly Hotshots” determined to help fight the huge wildfire.

Renée JeanOctober 09, 2024

Local residents near the Elk Fire in northern Wyoming are also helping to keep their homes and land from burning. They're affectionately called the Hillbilly Hotshots.

Rural Wyomingites — AKA Hotshot Hillbillies — Help Save 1887 Double Rafter Ranch

The Double Rafter Ranch has been a fixture in northern Wyoming since 1887. It’s still there, thanks in part to the local Hillbilly Hotshots — a group of self-appointed rancher-firefighters — who helped save it from the Elk Fire.

Renée JeanOctober 08, 2024

Jaron Fry pulls out the Wyoming flag he's displaying on his truck in North Carolina, where he's helping out by delivering fuel to the hurricane-devastated area.

Wyoming’s State Flag Is Flying In South Carolina Hurricane Relief Efforts

Jaron Fry, a truck driver from Evanston, is helping hurricane relief efforts in South Carolina. He’s easy to spot amongst the thousands of trucks down there, as he’s proudly displaying his Wyoming flag.

Renée JeanOctober 07, 2024

This MRI has the largest bore size in Wyoming at the present time, according to The McGinley Clinic. It also incorporates AI, allowing it to use a less strong magnet while getting a superior image.

McGinley Clinic’s New MRI Machine Is Largest In Wyoming, Comes With New AI Technology

The new MRI machine at the McGinley Clinic in Casper is the first in Wyoming using artificial intelligence. It produces better images faster with weaker magnets, improving patient safety. Dr. Joe McGinley says it's just the tip of the iceberg of what AI can do.

Renée JeanOctober 07, 2024

Other Authors

The New Amish: Raising A Wyoming Horse Barn With Power Tools And Cellphones

Although they're Amish men raising a barn in Bear River, Wyoming, they don't exactly look or act the part. These Amish, wearing Under Armour T-shirts, use power tools, heavy machinery and cellphones. At home, however, they're more traditional.

Renée JeanOctober 06, 2024

The Inntrigue house in Laramie, Wyoming, appears as a regular home from the outside. Inside, it's filled with puzzles and challenges.

Get Your Brain Busted At The Inntrigue In Laramie, Wyoming’s Only Puzzle House

A Laramie Airbnb called the Inntrigue is unlike any other in Wyoming. A stay at this house at 1214 Sheridan St. is a brain-busting house-wide puzzle chase.

Renée JeanOctober 06, 2024

The Alibi Wood Fire Pizzeria on 4th Street in downtown Laramie, Wyoming.

Drinking Wyoming: Guy Fieri Loves Food At The Alibi, But Cocktails Are Great Too

Guy Fieri made Alibi Wood Fire Pizzaria famous for its “legit” Cowboy Brisket Pizza and its “rye-tchous” Ruben. But Alibi started life as a bar, and its craft cocktails are just as great as its food.

Renée JeanOctober 06, 2024

The small, rural Wyoming town of Dayton can only watch and pray as the Elk Fire burns across the mountain face of the Bighorns above.

Ian Munsick Starts GoFundMe to Help His Hometown Communities With The Elk Fire

Although country superstar Ian Munsick is performing at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper on Saturday, his mind is on the Elk Fire -- which is threatening the communities in northern Wyoming where he grew up. Munsick's GoFundMe has already topped the $50,000 goal and is growing.

Renée JeanOctober 05, 2024

The Open Range has been open for business at the Sheridan Inn for about a year.

Eating Wyoming: Fine Dining With Ghosts At The Open Range At Sheridan Inn

Sheridan Inn’s Open Range has been open for about a year now. The meals are delicious, but sometimes they might come with an unexpected spice — a little side dish of ghosts.

Renée JeanOctober 05, 2024

Mary Grace and her dog, Marley, walk around the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina. According to reports, more than 60 people have been killed across the South due to the storm, and millions have been left without power. North Carolina has been approved for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration.

In Brief: Rocky Mountain Power Sending Wyoming Workers To Help With Hurricane Relief

Rocky Mountain Power will send 23 employees from Wyoming, Idaho and Utah to help reconnect the power grid after Hurricane Helene.

Renée JeanOctober 04, 2024

View of the Fish Creek and Pack Trail fire area from the Gros Ventre.

Wyoming’s Pack Trail, Elk Fires Are Top Wildfire Priorities In Region

The Pack Trail Fire has burned nearly 20,000 acres in the Shoshoni National Forest and is expecting high winds to continue throughout the weekend. It and the Elk Fire in Sheridan County are the No. 1 wildfire priorities in the region.

Renée JeanOctober 04, 2024

The fast-growing Pack Trail Fire just southeast of the Fish Creek Fire has grown rapidly, with firefighting crews now treating the two fires as a single Fish Creek/Pack Trail complex. Both are burning in the Shoshone National Forest and threatening Highway 26 and nearby residential areas.

At 18,000 Acres And No Containment, Reinforcements Called In For Pack Trail Fire

After blowing up to 18,000 acres with 0% containment, the Pack Trail Fire has prompted evacuations and closures. Reinforcements are on the way, with a complex incident management team on the way.

Renée JeanOctober 01, 2024

Folks at the Parkman Bar and Grill are busy making hundreds of breakfast burritos a day and other meals and treat bags for firefighters working the Elk Fire and their families.

Water, Gatorade And Breakfast Burritos — Locals Rally For Wyoming Firefighters

With their neighbors evacuated or watching for that call, dozens of others are busy donating water, Gatorade and making hundreds of breakfast burritos for crews fighting the Elk Fire. It’s burned 25,000 acres so far in northern Wyoming.

Renée JeanOctober 01, 2024

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