Mountain West News Bureau

KNPR

NPR

Series

Mountain West News Bureau

Nevada Public Radio is the newest partner in the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that serve the Western states of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Its mission is to tell stories about the people, places and issues across the region.

From land and water management to growth in the expanding West to the region's unique culture and heritage, the news bureau will explore the issues that define it and the challenges it faces.

The Mountain West News Bureau is a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, KUNR in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana 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.

Collection of Stories:

NPR

Timber Haulers, Harvesters To Get Federal Pandemic Aid

Jul 23, 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending up to $200 million to help loggers and timber haulers recover from the pandemic.

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NPR

Uncertainty Deepens For DACA Recipients On Heels Of Federal Ruling

Jul 23, 2021

Life for DACA recipients in the U.S. is anything but assured, and a recent federal ruling has unleveled the shaky ground they walk on and drawn sharper curves into their paths.

NPR

Shannon Santos and Greg Daly prepare for themed wedding photos at a chapel in Las Vegas on July 21, 2021.

Weddings Surge In Las Vegas As Pandemic Eases Across Nation

Jul 23, 2021

The pandemic made us press pause on a lot of life’s special moments. Vacations. Graduation parties … and weddings. But as the country continues to reopen and more people get vaccinated, marriages and ceremonies are surging this summer … including in America’s wedding capitol… Las Vegas.

NPR

Energy Job Numbers Slumped Last Year, But Are On The Rebound

Jul 22, 2021

The U.S. Energy and Employment Jobs report came out Tuesday, showing an overall decline in energy jobs around the nation.

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NPR

Rimrock Junior/Senior High School in Bruneau, Idaho. Despite recent outbreaks that forced temporary closures, the Bruneau-Grand View school board in Idaho voted down a mask mandate in November.

Schools Get Mixed Messaging On Mask Policies

Jul 20, 2021

Experts largely agree that schools should open to in-person learning this fall, but there’s disagreement on masking policies.

NPR

Smoky conditions at Priest Lake in northern Idaho.

Smoky Skies Could Linger Until Snow Flies

Jul 20, 2021

Air quality specialists say the smoky conditions that showed up earlier than usual this year, could stick around until October for some parts of the region.

KNPR

NPR

The Colorado River is at historic lows as a severe drought deepens across the West this summer.

Coalition Calls For Moratorium On New Pipelines, Dams Along Colorado River

Jul 16, 2021

A massive new infrastructure bill is slowly moving its way through Congress this summer. But a coalition of elected officials, farmers, conservationists and tribal leaders want to make sure it doesn’t include new big pipelines or dams along the parched Colorado River.

NPR

"There's A Lot Of People Out There Like Me." Immunosuppressed May Not Get Same Protection From COVID

Jul 19, 2021

Those living with compromised immune systems are facing a double whammy with the region's low vaccination rates and the possibility that the COVID-19 vaccine may not offer them the same protection as their peers.

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NPR

Cash From Child Tax Credit Lands In Family Bank Accounts Across Mountain West

Jul 15, 2021

Advocates and social scientists say the extra money will help low and middle-income families recover from the economic impacts wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and lift millions out of poverty.

NPR

Colorado River Basin Reservoirs Begin Emergency Releases To Prop Up A Troubled Lake Powell

Jul 15, 2021

Emergency water releases from reservoirs upstream of Lake Powell have begun to preserve the nation’s second-largest reservoir’s ability to generate hydroelectric power.

KNPR

NPR

The Bootleg fire in Oregon is the largest wildfire currently burning in the United States.

‘All Hands On Deck’: National Fire Preparedness Level Reaches Highest, Most Critical Tier

Jul 15, 2021

Severe wildfires across the West have prompted the nation’s top fire agency to increase its preparedness level to the highest and most critical stage — the earliest the agency has done so in a decade.

NPR

STUDY: ICE Ignores Protocols, Possibly Resulting In Detention Center Deaths

Jul 15, 2021

New research shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hasn’t been following its own health protocols, possibly resulting in detention center deaths. ICE's own documents revealed that medical aid was slow, inadequate or completely lacking in some cases.

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NPR

PFAS are substances found in firefighting foams and protective gear.

EPA Proposes Listing PFAS As Drinking Water Contaminants

Jul 14, 2021

A group of chemicals called PFAS are common in many household items, and potentially causing health problems. Monday, the EPA included them in the draft of its latest list of water contaminants, setting the groundwork for potential regulation.

KNPR

NPR

Approvals For New Oil Drilling Projects Surge Under Biden Administration

Jul 13, 2021

Oil production is ramping up on federal public lands despite President Biden’s promise to end new drilling. Approvals for new projects are on pace to hit their highest levels since the Bush administration. Environmentalists are objecting to the approvals saying it exacerbates climate change.

NPR