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.

Find Renée Jean

Latest from Renée Jean

Lander's Fourth of July celebration draws people from across the United States.

Lander’s Legendary Fourth Of July Party Draws Visitors From All Over The US

Once dubbed one of the best displays in the nation, Lander’s Fourth of July fireworks and party gets bigger every year, drawing visitors from around the United States.

Renée JeanJuly 05, 2023

Two years after starting a monumental DYI effort to restore and revive the vintage K-Bar Motel in Greybull, Amanda McGrew is nearly finished. And the kitschy vibe is already turning heads.

Woman’s Love Of Rodeo Led Her To Tackle Makeover Of Historic Greybull, Wyoming K-Bar Motel

Amanda McGrew left a teaching job in L.A. to pursue a dream. She loved rodeo and she loved renovating buildings. When she heard of Greybull's 'Days of 49' rodeo, she was hooked. She bought the K-Bar Motel and began a total

Renée JeanJuly 02, 2023

On The Road With Renee: Revival Of Horseshoe Bend Motel In Lovell

New owner Bobbi Jo McJunkin says the outside of the Horseshoe Bend Motel in Lovell is still "Bates-y," but that's OK. She's got plans for it. In the meantime, she's completely renovated the insides. Although she was offered $50K for the outside sign, she turned down the offer and had it fixed instead.

Renée JeanJuly 02, 2023

The legendary Miners and Stockmen's Steakhouse and Spirits in Hartville, Wyoming.

Eating Wyoming: The Legendary Miners And Stockmen’s Steakhouse In Hartville

What looks like a rough and rugged saloon in Wyoming’s oldest town of Hartville, population 62, is actually hiding the high-end Miners and Stockmen’s Steakhouse, serving the finest-grade steaks, 35 kinds of whiskey and desserts to die for.

Renée JeanJuly 01, 2023

The YMCA was built by John D. Rockefeller Jr., who was trying to improve the reputation of the mining town after there were riots over working conditions.

Abandoned Mining Town Of Sunrise, Wyoming, Could Get Second Life As Tourist Destination

The former mining company town of Sunrise is largely intact despite the passing of the decades. Its YMCA, built by John Rockefeller Jr., is set to become a museum, and the brick buildings that once housed mining bosses are being restored, with Airbnbs in mind.

Renée JeanJuly 01, 2023

The America theater at 119 S. Center St. in Casper.

Historic Casper Theaters For Sale With Legal Stipulation They Can't Be Theaters Again

The Rialto and the America, historic theaters in downtown Casper, aren’t likely to be theaters ever again. A stipulation in their sale is that they can’t show movies for 25 years.

Renée JeanJuly 01, 2023

Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran, right, talks with a worker at a Casper Albertsons store Tuesday. He visited company stores in Wyoming at the invitation of U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, center.

Albertsons CEO Gets Earful From Casper Workers About $25 Billion Merger With Kroger

Employees at Albertsons in Casper are worried about their retirements if a proposed $25 billion merger goes through with Kroger. That prompted U.S. Sen. John Barrasso to invite Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran to Wyoming to hear from workers in person.

Renée JeanJune 27, 2023

Lead Singer Of Five Finger Death Punch Moves To Cheyenne, Opens 2 Businesses

The lead singer of metal group Five Finger Death Punch Ivan Moody is not only headlining with the band during Cheyenne Frontier Days, he’s moving to Cheyenne and opening a pair of businesses.

Renée JeanJune 26, 2023

A "Princess Bride" skit offers the boy sitting next to grandpa several options In the end. He chooses to go to the Lovell Follies instead of watching a movie.

On The Road With Renee: 60 Years Of Sellouts For Lovell, Wyoming's Famous Follies

The town of Lovell, Wyoming, shuts down early for the famous Lovell Follies, which for nearly 60 years has been selling out the 1,000-seat Hyart Theater.

Renée JeanJune 26, 2023

Wyoming's craft brew scene continues to grow, as shown by the huge crowd of people attracted to try dozens of beers — many produced in Wyoming — at a recent briefest in Cheyenne.

Wyoming Now Fifth In Nation For Craft Breweries Per Capita; Numbers Continue To Grow

Tourist destinations, in particular, appear to be the lightning that’s drawing craft breweries to them. Lander, Casper, Laramie, Jackson, Ten Sleep, Sheridan — almost every city with a brewery also has a major tourist attraction in its backyard.

Renée JeanJune 25, 2023

Dean Lomax explains what a spoil pile is. Bones are often missed along the way, so the spoil pile has to be sorted through to ensure nothing important has been left behind while digging for fossils.

World-Renowned Paleontologist From United Kingdom Kicks Off "Jurassic Fest" In Thermopolis On Friday

Dean Lomax, a world famous paleontologist from the United Kingdom, got his start as a paleontologist in Thermopolis. On Friday, he was back in town for "Jurassic Fest" and joined by fans from all over the nation and Canada to dig alongside him.

Renée JeanJune 25, 2023

The Driskill in Austin, Texas, is the epitome of Western luxury.

Ogden Driskill Wants Wyoming Beef Served At Luxury Texas Hotel Named For His Family

Wyoming Senate President Odgen Driskill’s great-great-great-grandfather built the award-winning luxury hotel in Austin, Texas appropriately named "The Driskill." While the family doesn’t own it anymore, he wants Wyoming beef served there.

Renée JeanJune 25, 2023

Other Authors

Wyoming Places: How Family Recipe For Honey Candy Saved Lovell’s Queen Bee Gardens

The Zeller family has been in the honey business for more than 100 years, but it’s been the last 47 when it began selling a family recipe for honey candy that’s put the Lovell, Wyoming, confection in all 50 states.

Renée JeanJune 25, 2023

Guy Fieri talks with fans of the Weitzel's Wings food truck in Laramie during a 2021 visit. Fieri filmed segments for six of his "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" show during that visit.

Sightings Of Superstar Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri Reported Across Northern Wyoming

Food Network celebrity chef Guy Fieri has been spotted across northern Wyoming this week reportedly shooting for his popular TV shows, and he may be in Cody now.

Renée JeanJune 23, 2023

Custodia and Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City 6 21 23

‘Stunning’ Revelation Bolster’s Wyoming-Based Custodia Bank’s Case Against Federal Reserve

A Federal Reserve database of master accounts reveals “stunning” information in Wyoming-based Custodia Bank’s precedent-setting lawsuit against the Fed for denying its master account.

Renée JeanJune 21, 2023

Country-rock artists Wayland The Band pose with Food Network star Guy Fieri during a recent visit to the TA Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri Spotted At The TA Ranch In Buffalo, Wyoming

Guy Fieri just can’t stay away from Wyoming. He was spotted most recently at the TA Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming, with Nashville’s Wayland The Band, a crossover country-rock group.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2023

Gloria and Mike Stevens have been all over the country for the past three decades cooking their chili. Gloria's green chili won this year's Chugwater Chili Cookoff.

Chugwater, Wyoming, Puts On A Giant Chili Cookoff That Attracts World Champs

For one day a year, Chugwater, Wyoming, and its 175 residents explodes with 3,000 chili lovers for the town’s annual chili cookoff, which attracts serious, world-champion chili cooks.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2023

Making 10 gallons of salsa required a few adjustments. Instead of a hand mixer, Jeremy Hugus uses this paint mixer instead, cleaned and sanitized first, of course.

Chugwater Chili Cookoff’s Seven-Time Fan Favorite Salsa Only Available One Day A Year

Jeremy Hugus' salsa won Chugwater Chili Cookoff for the seventh time Saturday. But it’s not for sale anywhere else in the world. It’s only available one day a year.

Renée JeanJune 19, 2023

Peter Inells of Cheyenne is Jackalope Jack at the Chugwater Chili Cookoff. He brought his signature Jackalope Juice hot sauces to the event.

Created By Cheyenne Plumber, Jackalope Juice Hot Sauces Heat Up Chugwater Chili Cookoff

Peter Inells is a Cheyenne plumber by trade, but his true passion is hot sauce. He’s created his own Wyoming line of Jackalope Juice hot sauces, which he featured in Saturday’s Chugwater Chili Cookoff.

Renée JeanJune 19, 2023

Wyoming Tourism Finally Winning In Digital Search Battleground Against Much-Better Funded States

Wyoming Tourism Director Diane Shober says Wyoming is finally winning the battle for travelers’ attention in a space that -- for a long time -- had Wyoming at the bottom compared to Montana, Utah, Colorado and Nevada.

Renée JeanJune 18, 2023

Jackson Geothermal Home Hits The Market With $13 Million Price Tag

One of Wyoming's few homes with a geothermal heating system has hit the real estate market. It also boasts stunning 360-degree views of the Tetons. And moose are frequent visitors.

Renée JeanJune 18, 2023

Page 49