The Mountain West News Bureau is a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KANW in New Mexico, KUNC in Colorado, KUNR in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, and Wyoming Public Media, with support from affiliate stations across the region.
Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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Many parts of the West are in for at least a weekend of extreme heat – with daily temperatures exceeding normal readings by as much as 35 degrees. The group Climate Central says that 40 million people in the region are set to experience heat made at least three times more likely by human-caused climate change. Parts of states including Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Colorado are expected to see temps made five times more likely.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently denied federal protections for two native fish in the Mountain West with shrinking populations.
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This week, the Biden administration announced more than $300 million in funds are being distributed to states and local communities aimed to help make housing more affordable.
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There have been over 40 homicides in national parks over the last decade. And experts say accidents happen all the time, especially in the water.
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It was over 100 degrees last week when 160 workers in Colorado were culling 1.8 million chickens with avian flu at a commercial egg-laying facility.
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In the wake of the devastating Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire in 2022, the U.S. Forest Service paused prescribed fires – which started the infernos – to review the agency’s program. A newly released Government Accountability Office report looks into how well the agency has implemented changes since then. While acknowledging that changes necessary to resume burning have been made, the government watchdog says more work remains.
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The Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo is an event that challenges the hyper-masculinity associated with rodeos and Western ranching culture.
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Fires are increasingly gaining steam overnight in the West, especially in mountainous regions. A recent study says drought conditions are the largest driver.
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The U.S. Bicycle Route System already had designated roads in Utah, Nevada and Arizona. Now it’s in Wyoming too.
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These state-regulated plans are typically more expensive and offer less coverage compared to private insurance. Colorado’s is the first new Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan created in the U.S. in decades.