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
Texas Red Chili Wins Popular Casper Chili Cook-Off For Fifth Time
A Texas red chili was voted No. 1 at the popular API Chili Cook-Off in Casper on Saturday. It’s the fifth time Norman Jackson’s secret recipe has won, as thousands of people packed the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper for the 32nd annual event.
Renée JeanFebruary 24, 2025
Not All Solar Panel Systems Are Nightmares For Their Owners
Several Cowboy State Daily readers wrote in to talk about their experiences with solar panels after a Happy Valley family living near Cheyenne shared their nightmare experience. They also shared tips on how to select the right system.
Renée JeanFebruary 23, 2025
Six Degrees And Snowing At 7:30 p.m. And Nate Ditto Is Cutting Down A 50-Foot Tree
Arborist Nate Ditto was trying to beat the clock by cutting down a 50-foot tree before a snowstorm hit Cheyenne last week. To make things more interesting, it was six-degrees and snowing at 7:30 p.m. and he was still at it. He says he likes the adrenaline he gets from his job.
Renée JeanFebruary 23, 2025
Where The Heck In Wyoming Is This One-Of-A-Kind Western Iron Art Fence?
Lela Emmons of tiny Savery, Wyoming, stumbled on an unusual artistic fence in the 1990s and took photos of it. But she forgot where it was and hasn’t been able to find it again in about 30 years. She hopes someone in Wyoming can solve the mystery.
Renée JeanFebruary 23, 2025
Drinking Wyoming: Whiskey Was The Go-To Medicinal Remedy Of The Wild West
Survival in Wild West Wyoming depended on treating illnesses without the help of modern medicine. Whiskey figured in a lot of treatments for all sorts of medical problems — some good and some quite insane.
Renée JeanFebruary 22, 2025
USPS Does About-Face, Now Won’t Move Mail Processing Out Of Cheyenne, Casper
The U.S. Post Office did an about-face Friday on its controversial plan to move local mail processing out of Wyoming’s main hubs. Cheyenne and Casper now won’t ship local mail to other states.
Renée JeanFebruary 21, 2025
Why Cheyenne Had To Give Up Putting Windshield Barnacles On Cars
With tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid parking tickets, Cheyenne started using the high-tech windshield Barnacle device on cars. Less than three years later, that’s been abandoned because too many Wyoming windshields are chipped or cracked.
Renée JeanFebruary 21, 2025
Clock Ticking Again For Small Businesses To Report Ownership
Small business owners now have until March 21 to file forms disclosing their ownership. But even the federal agency in charge isn’t firm on that deadline with legislation and a court case pending.
Renée JeanFebruary 20, 2025
Wyoming Native Reid Rasner Puts Together $47.45 Billion Offer To Buy TikTok
Casper native Reid Rasner has put together a $47.45 billion bid to bring the popular social media app TikTok to Wyoming, which he said would keep the app away from China and boost the state’s economy.
Renée JeanFebruary 20, 2025
Virginia Company Scouting Wyoming For Spot To Build Uranium Fuel Plant
Virginia-based BWX Technologies is not just looking to deploy small micro nuclear reactors in Wyoming. It’s scouting the state for possible sites to build a uranium fuel plant.
Renée JeanFebruary 19, 2025
Postmaster General, Who Gave Himself An “A” For Gutting Rural Mail Delivery, Is Quitting
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who gave himself an “A” for the controversial Delivery For America plan that gutted rural delivery, announced on Monday he is quitting. Wyoming leaders are thrilled.
Renée JeanFebruary 18, 2025
WHP Association May Be First Law Enforcement Group In Nation To Buy Into Bitcoin
The Wyoming Highway Patrol Association voted last week to buy bitcoin, which has exploded by 400% over the last five years. The association says it may be the first law enforcement group in the United States to invest in bitcoin.
Renée JeanFebruary 18, 2025
Why Are These Three Turkeys Endlessly Circling A Gravestone?
If you walk into a graveyard and see three turkeys endlessly circling one headstone, it could be offsetting -- even spooky. That was the scene at a cemetery in North Dakota last week. Although it may seem bizarre, turkey growers say it's no big deal.
Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2025
Former Metal Drummer Turned Singing Cupid Delivers Love — And Embarrassment
Casper has had a Cupid of sorts for the past 10 years in Joe Eason, a former heavy metal drummer who does singing telegrams as a side gig. On Valentine’s Day, he delivers up to 35 of the most embarrassing singing telegrams he can muster.
Renée JeanFebruary 16, 2025
Cheyenne Stargazers Love Space So Much They Built Their Own Observatory
Cheyenne’s Marcy Curran, the cofounder of the Cheyenne Astronomy Society and an editor of a major astronomy publication, has spent 40 years studying the sky. She and her husband recently built their own observatory.
Renée JeanFebruary 16, 2025
Yellowstone Has An Active Ancient Undersea Wasteland 7,300 Feet Above Sea Level
Monument Geyser Basin is one of the most unique areas of Yellowstone National Park. Its ancient undersea wasteland at 7,300 feet above sea level features formerly underwater cones that are still active.
Renée JeanFebruary 16, 2025
Wyoming Confirms First Human Case Of Bird Flu, 3rd Hospitalization In U.S.
Wyoming’s first human case of bird flu was caused by an infected poultry flock in Platte County. The person is hospitalized in another state, and is the nation’s third hospitalization.
Renée JeanFebruary 16, 2025
Egg Prices Have Restaurants Scrambling When It Comes To Breakfast
Wyoming restaurants are facing higher and higher egg prices amid an outbreak of the bird flu. Because of the huge increase in prices, some Wyoming restaurants say they are closing down temporarily.
Renée JeanFebruary 15, 2025
Hageman’s Postal Service Investigations Find Denver Mail Being Processed In Cheyenne
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman has been investigating the U.S. Postal Service and found that Denver mail is being processed in Cheyenne. The Denver centers are so overwhelmed, they can’t keep up, yet plans are to transfer Wyoming mail there.
Renée JeanFebruary 13, 2025
Google Hired Yellowstone, Grand Teton Wildlife Guide For Super Bowl Ad
Google tapped a Wyoming outdoor wildlife guide for its Super Bowl ad campaign, showcasing all 50 states. The Cowboy State’s ad shows off wild Wyoming, as well as one of the state’s leading outdoor guide businesses.
Renée JeanFebruary 12, 2025
Already No. 1 For LLCs, Can Wyoming Attract The Huge Companies Leaving Delaware?
Tesla, Meta, Dropbox are a few of the huge tech companies leaving Delaware for other states like Texas and Nevada. Why not Wyoming, which has surpassed Delaware for No. 1 in business incorporations per capita?
Renée JeanFebruary 11, 2025