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

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

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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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

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