out west roundup
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Trump nominates former New Mexico lawmaker to lead Bureau of Land Management | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA Trump nominates BLM chief BILLINGS — President Donald Trump nominated a former lawmaker from New Mexico on Nov. 5 to oversee the management of vast public lands that are playing a central role in Republican attempts to ramp up fossil fuel production. The nominee for the Bureau of Land Management, former U.S. Rep. Steve…
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Sundance Film Festival details Robert Redford tributes, legacy screenings | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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UTAH Sundance festival to honor Redford Robert Redford’s legacy and mission was always going to be a key component of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, which will be the last of its kind in Park City, Utah. But in the wake of his death in September at age 89, those ideas took on a new…
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Judge dismisses young climate activists’ lawsuit challenging Trump on fossil fuels | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA Judge dismisses climate lawsuit BILLINGS — A federal judge on Oct. 15 dismissed a lawsuit from young climate activists seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels and discouraging renewable energy. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen said the plaintiffs showed overwhelming evidence climate change affects them and that it will worsen…
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US rejects bid to buy tons of coal on public lands for less than a penny per ton | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA Lowball coal bid rejected BILLINGS — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade. The failed sale underscores a continued low…
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EF5 tornado that killed 3 in North Dakota was nation’s strongest in 12 years | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NORTH DAKOTA Deadly tornado classified EF5 A deadly tornado that tore across southeastern North Dakota this summer has been upgraded to an EF5 with winds topping 200 mph, the strongest classification of tornado and the first confirmed on American soil in a dozen years, meteorologists said Oct. 6. The June 20 twister near the town…
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Company bids less than a penny per ton in biggest US coal sale in over a decade | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA Coal bid price plummets BILLINGS — A Navajo tribe-owned company bid $186,000 to lease 167 million tons of coal on federal lands in southeastern Montana on Oct. 6 in the biggest U.S. coal sale in more than a decade. The offer from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) equates to one-tenth of a penny…
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New Mexico legislators rush to shore up safety net programs after federal cuts | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEW MEXICO Legislators address safety-net SANTA FE — New Mexico legislators pushed to shore up safety-net spending on Oct. 1 in response to President Donald Trump’s spending and tax cuts, in a state with one of the highest enrollment rates for Medicaid and federal food assistance. State legislators in the Democratic majority said they weren’t…
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New Mexico is first state to promise free child care for all families | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEW MEXICO State promises free child care SANTA FE — New Mexico’s governor is promising universal free child care to families of all income levels. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her plans in the second week of September, saying she wants to leverage a financial windfall from oil and gas production to help more parents…
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Power restored after fearsome dust storm rips through Phoenix area | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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ARIZONA Dust storm rips Phoenix area PHOENIX — Crews cleaned up downed trees and got electricity mostly restored for thousands of people on Aug. 26 after a powerful dust storm roared through the Phoenix area. The wall of dust towering hundreds of feet high dwarfed the city’s neighborhoods. Called a haboob, the wind-driven phenomenon blackened…
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Grand Canyon mascot Brighty the Burro recovered from rubble after wildfire | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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ARIZONA Grand Canyon mascot recovered Missing an ear and his front legs detached, Brighty the Burro certainly has seen better days. The 600-pound bronze statue used to greet visitors at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the national park’s North Rim. The nearly century-old building was reduce to rubble this summer when a wildfire swept through…
