A powerful governing board gives agricultural interests the loudest voice.
State government
Posted inArticles
Montanans must rely on each other in crisis
A network of local providers steps in as vital mental health centers close.
Posted inAugust 6, 2018: What Are We Doing Here?
Montana is losing essential mental health services
As the state’s mental health system faces an uncertain future, experts encourage crisis prevention.
Posted inArticles
Why Justice Anthony Kennedy wasn’t good for Indian Country
The retiring Supreme Court justice leaves a legacy of anti-tribal votes.
Posted inMay 14, 2018: Death in the Alpine
Free-range parenting; vandalized valentine; duck, duck, goat
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Oil- and gas-rich counties ask for more federal revenue
A new bill would return money earmarked for Western water projects to mineral-producing counties.
Posted inArticles
High schoolers forced Utah to admit climate change is real
A group of students convinced state lawmakers to acknowledge the warming planet.
Posted inArticles
Gunnison sage grouse recovery plan stops lawsuit
U.S. Fish and Wildlife has 30 months to submit a draft plan to recover the threatened species.
Posted inArticles
As Oregon’s midterms approach, divided sides dig in
The right and the ‘resistance’ are doubling down after the election of Donald Trump.
Posted inArticles
Bail out coal communities, not coal executives
The good times are over for the coal industry. It’s time to move on.
Posted inMarch 5, 2018: Drilling Chaco
Fight over household wells highlights rural growing pains
Can Washington balance development with the needs of rivers, fish and water users?
Posted inJanuary 22, 2018: A Separatist State of Mind
When Atlantic salmon escape in the Pacific, who cleans up?
Coastal tribes will be dealing with this summer’s Atlantic salmon spill for years.
Posted inArticles
Timeline: A brief history of the Sagebrush Rebellion
An interactive, year-by-year look at the current insurgency.
Posted inArticles
Social services give rural families a safety net
Issues of affordable housing and transportation impede rural families from getting out of poverty.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
‘Orphaned’ oil and gas wells are on the rise
Wells left behind by industry threaten to overwhelm Western states.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
Idaho protects the rights of faith healers. Should it?
A debate rages over the extent of religious freedom in the face of preventable deaths.
Posted inArticles
For endangered species, politics replaces science
A leaked Fish and Wildlife memo suggests a shift away from science.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
In a burning West, wildfire smoke threatens public health
Montana hospitals handled an increase of respiratory-related problems this year.
Posted inArticles
After Oroville, officials across the West review dam safety
The California dam’s spillways are ready for rain as safety officials prepare for future catastrophes.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
In Utah, public access to state lands comes at a cost
Public access to trust lands varies widely from state to state.