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

As the sun begins to go down, customers gather at Bosco's Italian restaurant in Casper, where Suzi Bosco has been cooking for 61 years.

Eating Wyoming: Bosco’s Italian Restaurante In Casper Has Had The Same Chef For 61 Years!

Suzi Bosco has been cooking in Bosco's Italian Restaurante for 61 years now. While her family members help, Suzi is a one-woman show in the kitchen. It's a juggling act, she says, but a labor of love.

Renée JeanJune 03, 2023

This short tin fence was enough to stop hoards of Mormon crickets swarming in and around Sundance in the 1930s.

How An Inch Wide, Mile Long Fence Saved Crops In Sundance From Crickets 84 Years Ago

As Edgerton, Wyoming, battles millions of Mormon crickets today, farmers in the Sundance area were successful saving their crops 84 years ago through an ingenious and quite low-tech solution.

Renée JeanJune 02, 2023

Megabus is partnering with Express Arrow to provide, and potentially expand, bus service throughout Wyoming and the region.

Megabus Wants To Make A Big Splash In Wyoming In Partnership With Express Arrow

Megabus wants to make a mega splash in Wyoming with its announcement of daily bus service routes from Cheyenne to Douglas, Wheatland, Greeley and Denver, as well as biweekly service to Cody, Casper, Thermopolis and other Wyoming stops.

Renée JeanJune 01, 2023

Wyoming Senate President Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, said that even with the state's business-friendly environment, surrounding states are still beating Wyoming out for new businesses.

Wyoming Looks At Utah Model For Ideas To Make It Easier For Business Innovators To Operate Here

Wyoming is losing out to its neighbors in capturing new business, says Senate President Ogden Driskill. That has lawmakers looking at Utah’s example for ways to lighten the regulatory burden for businesses.

Renée JeanMay 31, 2023

Lani Malmberg grew up on a ranch in Lander, and now operates a small army of 500 cashmere goats that travel around the U.S. West eating weeds.

Cheyenne Brings In 500 Goats To Battle Weeds

Five hundred cashmere goats are in Cheyenne to eat up huge volumes of weeds. They’re part of a traveling army of gypsy goats and will eat collectively over 1,000 pounds of every day.

Renée JeanMay 30, 2023

Frackelton's in downtown Sheridan had been a favorite go-to spot for locals for a decade before it closed in October 2023. Now its original owner is bringing it back.

From Tractors To Fine Dining, Frackleton’s New Owners Resurrect Favorite Sheridan Restaurant

Andy Ward used to manage the local John Deere dealership, now he and his wife own Sheridan fine-dining favorite Frackelton’s, which has reopened after a fire, just in time to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Renée JeanMay 29, 2023

Black Elk was born in December 1863 along the Little Powder River in territory that would become Wyoming.

Wyoming History: Who Was Lakota Medicine Man Black Elk?

Black Elk, a Lakota medicine man, was not as famous during his own time as he has since become. Born in Wyoming, he survived Wounded Knee, converted to Catholicism and performed in Buffalo Bill Cody’s “Wild West" show.

Renée JeanMay 29, 2023

Items from the Edith Gallatin Collection are kept in glass cases.

How Wyoming’s Brinton Museum, Home To World-Class Indian Art, Was Saved By An American Candy Tycoon

When the Brinton Museum was on the verge of closing, a neighbor not only saved it, he elevated the Brinton into a world-class museum of Indian and Western art and artifacts. That neighbor was American candy magnate Forrest E. Mars Jr.

Renée JeanMay 28, 2023

The historic Sheridan Inn oozes Wyoming and Wild West history.

Buffalo Bill Cody Loved The Sheridan Inn So Much, He Held Auditions For His ‘Wild West' Show There

Twenty-two rooms in the Sheridan Inn offer 22 windows on iconic Wyoming history. The historic inn, saved from demolition in the 1960s, is where Buffalo Bill Cody lived while he was in Sheridan, and where he auditioned performers for his “Wild West” show.

Renée JeanMay 27, 2023

This splendid rainbow over a colorful field of wildflower in the Bighorns inspired Victoria Haun of the Lucky Chukar Ranch in the Bighorn Mountains.

Lucky Chukar Ranch In The Bighorns Lives Up To Its Name After Spectacular Back-To-Back Rainbows — Including A Double

Rainbows are not more common in the Bighorn Mountains, Cowboy State Daily Meteorologist Don Day says, but they’re still a beautiful sight, especially with a more-generous-than-usual wildflower bloom in progress.

Renée JeanMay 26, 2023

Wyoming-based Taco John's reports it's been the beneficiary of huge global publicity since Taco Bell challenged its 34-year-old trademark on the phrase "Taco Tuesday."

Taco Tuesday War Brings Huge Global Publicity For Wyoming-Based Taco John’s

Lebron James, Jack In The Box and Gov. Mark Gordon all have waded into the World Taco War with publicity stunts mocking one side or the other. In the meantime, Taco John’s has enjoyed huge global publicity.

Renée JeanMay 25, 2023

SEC Commission Suspends Registration Of Wyoming’s First Legally Registered DAO

Wyoming’s first legally registered DAO, American CryptoFed, has run into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has suspended its effort to register with the agency.

Renée JeanMay 24, 2023

Other Authors

Teton County Has Affordable Housing Choices: 45 Free Acres? Buy 5 Acres for $28 Million? Or Both?

Housing in Jackson has long been tight, expensive and over-complicated. The recent purchase of a 5-acre parcel for $28 million has advocates of a project involving a 45-acre donation of land for affordable housing wondering why their project is delayed.

Renée JeanMay 24, 2023

Wyoming state Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, left, and Rep. Cyrus Western, R-Big Horn, serve on the state's Select Blockchain Committee and say Wyoming can continue to be a leader in the digital space by working with top experts on regulating generative AI.

Wyoming Lines Up With Top Experts As It Wrestles With How To Regulate ChatGPT and AI

Wyoming is getting one-of-a-kind access to the nation’s top experts in all things digital thanks to being out in front of a fast-growing business sector — despite antagonistic federal pushback.

Renée JeanMay 23, 2023

Cheyenne's Historic Hitching Post Inn Was The Place To Be For Wyoming’s Movers And Shakers

Part One of a Series: Cheyenne’s Hitching Post Inn, once dubbed the 'Second Capitol' of Wyoming, was destroyed by fire in 2010. When Cowboy State Daily wrote about the revitalization of the land where the Hitching Post once stood, many shared their memories of the place, a testament to a legacy of the legendary hotel.

Renée JeanMay 21, 2023

Wyld Amber Ale created in Laramie at Altitude Chophouse & Brewery donates a portion of sales to support Cowboy State wildlife.

Laramie Brewery’s New Wyld Amber Ale Is First Co-Branded Product To Support Wyoming Wildlife

Wyldlife For Tomorrow has another innovative idea for supporting wildlife — and it’s delicious. Wyld Amber Ale created in Laramie at Altitude Chophouse & Brewery donates a portion of sales to support the effort.

Renée JeanMay 21, 2023

Blue benches dot the hike to the waterfall at Garden Creek Falls near Casper. The trail and falls are part of Rotary Park.

Explore Wyoming: Garden Creek Falls Near Casper An Easy Spring Hike — And Excuse For A Picnic

Garden Creek Falls is a gem of a waterfall found at the base of Casper Mountain. In May, with the snow melting, it’s at its strongest and is a photo magnet for prom-goers and graduates.

Renée JeanMay 21, 2023

L & H Industrial CEO Mike Wandler said a deep-sea diving accident sparked a journey to finding better mental health. Along with the personal benefits, prioritizing mental fitness in his business has been game-changing.

Mental Fitness A Key To Success For Wyoming’s L & H Industrial As It Builds Biggest Machines On Earth

Mike Wandler, CEO of Gillette-based L & H Industrial, founded the Travis Ramsey mental fitness program after suffering panic attacks while deep-sea diving. It was so life-changing, he brought it to his company, and now the world.

Renée JeanMay 20, 2023

Wyoming Lawmakers Turn To Experts To Stay Ahead Of AI Curve, Even As ChatGPT4 Passes Bar Exam

Wyoming's Select Committee on Blockchain met in Jackson this week to go over emerging developments in the digital sector. The smarter the AI is the more potentially harmful it can be if it doesn’t have appropriate guardrails, John Nay, a fellow with the computer department at Stanford University told legislators.

Renée JeanMay 20, 2023

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says the state is fully behind Wyoming-based Taco John's in its battle with fast-food behemoth Taco Bell over the trademark to the phrase "Taco Tuesday."

Gordon Horks Down Food While Supporting Wyoming-Based Taco John’s In ‘Taco Tuesday’ Fight

Gov. Mark Gordon on Thursday horked down some Taco John's while stating he supported the Cheyenne-based restaurant chain in its battle to keep the trademarked phrase "Taco Tuesday."

Renée JeanMay 18, 2023

Taco Bell Fights To Use Trademarked Phrase ‘Taco Tuesday’ Owned By Cheyenne-Based Taco John's

Taco Bell has filed a petition with the U.S. Patent Office that seeks to quash Wyoming-based Taco John’s 34-year trademark on the phrase “Taco Tuesday.” Taco John's has survived every prior legal challenge over the phrase.

Renée JeanMay 17, 2023

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