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

The Hole in the Wall Bar was the place to be once upon a time in Thermopolis at the turn of the 20th century and was a favorite spot for Butch Cassidy's notorious Hole in the Wall outlaw gang.

Historic Hole In The Wall Bar In Thermopolis A Reminder Of Town's Outlaw Legacy

Even Robert Redford's celebrity and money couldn't pry the iconic bar and backbar from the Hole in the Wall Bar in Thermopolis from its place in local history as a favorite hangout for Butch Cassidy and his Hole in the Wall Gang.

Renée JeanSeptember 03, 2023

Rob Altamirano serves a pair of customers at Ike's Bar and Grill in south Cheyenne on Thursday, while a message from Charter Spectrum cable plays on ESPN over the back bar. The sports network, and all other Disney channels, have been pulled as a contract dispute between the companies comes to a head.

Wyoming TV Watchers Stunned As Disney — Including ESPN — Goes Dark On Spectrum

Like most of Charter Spectrum’s nearly 15 million subscribers Thursday, Wyoming customers of the cable television service were stunned to see an apology on their screens instead of their expected programs.

Renée JeanSeptember 01, 2023

Thermopolis has one of the widest streets in America for its downtown at 150 feet. There's not only room for two lanes of traffic on each side, but four lanes for parking as well two of them in the roomy median.

Main Street Through Thermopolis Is Gigantic For One Reason: Mules

The main drag through Thermopolis is 150 feet wide, dwarfing most any other small town. Why it’s so wide is simple: So Henry Johnson could turn his 16-mule team around.

Renée JeanAugust 27, 2023

This 2007 Corvette Indy 500 owned by Steve Melius was getting some attention during the Cars, Cigars and Guitars event.

Muscle Machines To Land Yachts, Summer Is Go-Time For Wyoming’s Gearheads

From muscle machines to land yachts, the summer classic car season in Wyoming wouldn’t be complete without the annual Cars, Cigars and Guitars show in Cheyenne.

Renée JeanAugust 27, 2023

During Rally Week, or when labor is scarce, the Ponderosa Cafe closes and the restaurant runs out of the bar.

Eating Wyoming: Hulett's Ponderosa Cafe May Look Like A Dive But Doesn't Taste Like A Dive

Michael Dean Coronato, "the crabby chef" from New Jersey, owns the Ponderosa Cafe in Hulett. He’s catered for very large crowds over his 30-plus year career including backstage catering for Bruce Springsteen and other famous rock stars.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2023

Barrie Lynn Bryant a documentary photographer points to a sandstone slab that is falling off. Bryant said the slab was not loose the last time he and Mike Bies checked on the petroglyphs. Drought has been hastening the disintegration process.

Race On To Save Wind River Petroglyphs From Sliding Off Canyon Face

Retired cultural resources expert Mike Bies is working fast to document petroglyphs and pictographs on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The ancient rock art is sliding off the face of canyon walls.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2023

A Taco John's restaurant in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Wyoming-Based Taco John’s Moving Toward Digital-Only Ordering

Like many fast food chains, Taco John's is moving toward digital-only ordering, robotics to help cook food, and using artificial intelligence to automate drive-through orders.

Renée JeanAugust 25, 2023

Despite Rainy Summer, Cheyenne Regional Airport To Reopen Sept. 10

A new runway at Cheyenne Regional Airport that forced the airport to close is nearly complete, despite an unusually rainy summer. Flights are set to resume Sept. 10.

Renée JeanAugust 21, 2023

Brittany A. Batchelor offers a free sample to this pet Pomeranian during the Beartrap Summer Festival in Casper. More people are working for themselves, contributing to a shortage of people to take jobs at other businesses and agencies all over Wyoming.

While Wyoming Companies Are Desperate To Fill Jobs, People Work For Themselves

Wyoming businesses need employees but they are few and far between as many people have decided to work for themselves. Unemployment rates in the Cowboy State are nearing historic lows.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

This is a recent photo of the band during its summer tour of the West, which included the Las Vegas Highland Games.

Lander Bagpipe Band In Demand All Over The West

The Lander Pipe Band may have been started by adults, but today most of its members are youths who play the bagpipes expertly — and they're in demand to perform across the West.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

Snow King Mountain Resort President and CEO Ryan Stanley points at a computer rendering of what the new mountaintop restaurant they're building on Snow King will look like.

Dramatic Revival Underway At Jackson's Snow King Mountain Resort

Snow King Mountain Resort had been losing $500,000 on its winter operations. It’s making dramatic changes, including an observatory, restaurant, new ski trails, new concert venue and more to revive the historic ski resort.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

The Aladdin General Store is the oldest operating general store in Wyoming.

In Aladdin At The Oldest Continuously Operating General Store In Wyoming

Trent Tope owns the Aladdin General Store, Wyoming’s oldest continuously operating general store. He grew up in the Aladdin, population 15, and never dreamed he’d one day carry on an iconic piece of Cowboy State history.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

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The building going up on Main Street in Hulett is the first new construction there in 40 years. It's being built with an old time look to fit in with other businesses on Main Street.

Wyoming Places: First New Building On Main Street In Hulett In 40 Years

Something is going on in Hulett, Wyoming. Local resident Tom Coronato just built the first new new building on Main Street in 40 years. Down the street, a couple from Arizona is rethinking the hardware store.

Renée JeanAugust 19, 2023

White Wolf Saloon -- Douglas, Wyoming's Oldest Bar For Sale, Includes Free Ghost

Founded in 1887, the oldest bar in Douglas, Wyoming, is for sale. Included in the sale is at least one ghost, a working telephone booth, and Don Johnson's pet alligator from Miami Vice.

Renée JeanAugust 19, 2023

The movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind plays every night at the Devils Tower KOA Campground

Devils Tower KOA A 'Close Encounter' With America's First National Monument

Devils Tower KOA is one of the most popular overnight stays in the national campground system, perfectly situated between Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone. It also shows "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" every night.

Renée JeanAugust 19, 2023

Researchers at the Powars II red ochre mine archaeological site may have discovered an even older red ochre mine.

Groundbreaking: Even Older Red Ochre Mine May Have Been Found At Powars II In Wyoming

Researchers from around the world at Wyoming’s Powars II Paleoindian archaeological dig have found what could be a much older red ochre mine on the site. The original site contains one of the oldest paleoindian mines ever discovered.

Renée JeanAugust 19, 2023

Still Fighting Federal Reserve In Court, Wyoming’s Custodia Bank Opens 2 Services

While continuing to fight the Federal Reserve in court, Custodia Bank CEO Caitlin Long has opened two services at the Wyoming-based digital bank that digital asset industries are clamoring for — money market mutual funds and dollar deposits.

Renée JeanAugust 14, 2023

Around Wyoming: An Unusual Adventure In Hulett At Bob Coronato’s Rogues Gallery

Western artist Bob Coronato has made a name for himself with iconic rodeo posters and a controversial portrait of the late Native American activist Russell Means. But his Rogues Gallery store also houses a number of cool, hard-to-find Western artifacts in a miniature museum that’s worth a look.

Renée JeanAugust 13, 2023

Artist rendering of completed observatory.

Snow King Mountain In Jackson Builds First-Of-Its-Kind $5 Million Observatory

Snow King Mountain wants to capitalize on rising stargazing tourism with a $5 million observatory dedicated to tourism. The observatory will be completed this fall for a soft opening.

Renée JeanAugust 13, 2023

Caesar the Allosaurus at Sheridan College

Who Really Ruled The Jurassic: Gearing Up For A Bigger Dinosaur Hunt In The Bighorns

There’s a place in the Bighorns near Buffalo that is a paleontological gold mine. It has already yielded Caesar the Allosaurus and other rare finds, but this is just scratching the surface of what’s waiting to be discovered.

Renée JeanAugust 13, 2023

Sheryl McLaughlin poses with a table full of her beadwork and jewelry. She's been a mainstay vendor at the Beartrap Summer Festival for 25 of its 30-year run.

Around Wyoming: 25 Years At The Beartrap Fest For The Bead Lady

Sheryl McLauglin has been a fixture at Casper's Beartrap Summer Festival for 25 of its 30 years. She’s watched the festival grow up, and has grown as an artist right alongside it.

Renée JeanAugust 13, 2023

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