A new report shows that nearly half of metro areas in the U.S. – including some in the Mountain West – have only one or two health systems controlling all inpatient care. Experts say that’s driving up the prices that patients have to pay.

This comes after a rare white bison calf, born in Yellowstone, made headlines for fulfilling a Lakota prophecy.

The popular mama bear was hit by a car near Jackson, Wyoming. We hear from some of the people grieving the loss of the “Queen of the Tetons.”

If the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case, it could drastically change the ownership and management of public lands across the West.

Crisis pregnancy centers, which are largely places that convince women not to go forward with abortions, have increased since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Some Democratic lawmakers want to see how much federal funding these centers are getting.

Ranked-choice voting is on the ballot in Idaho, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. Alaskans will also consider getting rid of their ranked-choice system.

For 10 straight days this month, the country was at a preparedness level of 5 (PL5), the highest on the scale used to measure wildfire activity and resource availability. Since 1990, there is only a single past instance of a PL5 day in October, which came in 2020.

Winter is coming. But how much snow will it bring? Federal forecasters recently released their outlook for the season, and projections for the Mountain West are all over the map.

Having a proactive statewide management plan, advocates said, can help educate the public about the importance of sustaining beaver populations, outline goals for their recovery, and help foster coexistence with communities.

At age 28, she was the oldest known reproducing female in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Photos of the popular mama bear and her cubs circulated around the world.