Regional News

A studio portrait of thirteen male students wearing school uniforms at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

The remains of five Native American children will be returned to living relatives

Will Walkey

The remains of five Native American children who died at a notorious Indian boarding school more than a century ago will be returned to their living relatives.

Coy-a-dee (Water Boy) Salomon, a citizen of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, and also of Apache and Kiowa descent, wears a feather on his graduation cap in Longmont, Colorado. He is a 2023 graduate of Skyline High School.

New laws back Indigenous students wearing tribal regalia at graduation

Emma VandenEinde

Some Indigenous youth continue to face resistance for wearing tribal regalia at graduation. But more Mountain West states are passing legislation to protect that right.

The Supreme Court has limited the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate wetlands, such as this wetland at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah.

Supreme Court sides with Idaho couple, undercuts EPA’s power to regulate wetlands

Kaleb Roedel

The U.S. Supreme Court recently sided with a couple battling federal officials over plans to build a house on a wetland in northern Idaho. Some call the ruling a victory for property rights, but its consequences extend to wetlands and waterways nationwide.

So-called fire weather days, when temperatures and winds are high and humidity is low, have risen across the United States since 1973, especially in the American West.

As fire weather looms, a new report quantifies the rising number of 'fire weather days'

Murphy Woodhouse

A new report from Climate Central - based on 50 years of weather data across the country - finds that the number of hot, dry and windy fire weather days have increased, particularly in the American West.

Katherine Hale, the lead author of the study, bends down to grab something out of her backpack while collecting measurements near the Continental Divide in the Front Range, Colo., in May 2022. She is not surprised by the findings that snowpack water storage has been decreasing over time.

Leaner snowpack and earlier melt has Western water out of whack, study shows

Emma VandenEinde

A new study out of the University of Colorado Boulder shows that less snow is falling and snow is melting earlier in the Mountain West, a trend that has big implications for agricultural, wildfire risk and water supplies.

Entrepreneurship is thriving in the Mountain West, especially in rural areas, analysis finds

Will Walkey

Entrepreneurship is thriving in the rural Mountain West, according to a new index released by the e-commerce company Shopify. The data comes as new business applications are on the rise nationwide.

Art and climate science converge in new exhibit at the Colorado Capitol

Emma VandenEinde

A collaboration between artists and scientists has led to the creation of new artwork that reflects how climate change is affecting Colorado and the Mountain West.

A bedrock environmental law in the U.S. turns 50

Will Walkey

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, one of the strongest conservation laws in the world, and it continues to have far-reaching impacts, especially in the Mountain West.

Mountain West states’ rates of incarceration and supervision vary drastically

Kaleb Roedel

A new report reveals the full picture of correctional control across the United States, including incarceration, probation and parole. Rates of incarceration and supervision vary widely across the Mountain West.

As wildland firefighter pay cuts loom, lawmakers propose permanent raise

Currently such firefighters are facing an Oct. 1 end to temporary pay raises that were a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.