out west roundup
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Unsalaried legislature in New Mexico asks voters to reconsider volunteer status | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEW MEXICO Voters to decide on paying legislators SANTA FE — Members of the nation’s only unsalaried legislature are asking voters to reconsider their volunteer status that has endured for 114 years since statehood in New Mexico. The state Senate on Feb. 17 narrowly endorsed a constitutional amendment that would do away with the state’s…
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Indian Health Service to phase out dental fillings containing mercury by 2027 | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEW MEXICO Indian Health Service phases out mercury fillings ALBUQUERQUE — The federal agency that provides health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives has announced it will phase out the use of dental fillings containing mercury. The Indian Health Service has used fillings, known as dental amalgams, that contain elemental mercury to treat decayed…
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New Mexico launches ‘truth commission’ investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s ranch | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEW MEXICO State investigates Epstein’s ranch SANTA FE — State legislators in New Mexico launched an investigation on Feb. 17 into past activity at a secluded desert ranch where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once entertained guests and whether local authorities looked the other way. A bipartisan, four-member panel of state House is investigating…
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Record snow drought in Western states raises concern for water shortages, wildfires | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA Record snow drought raises concerns A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation. Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they’ve seen in decades, while at…
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Bureau of Land Management revokes American Prairie’s bison leases | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA BLM revokes bison grazing leases The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Jan. 16 that it is revoking grazing permits in Phillips County that American Prairie had been using to sustain its herd of bison. The decision comes after a three-and-a-half-year battle between the Montana livestock industry, backed by Gov. Greg Gianforte and…
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Sundance kicks off in Utah with premieres, emotional tributes to Robert Redford | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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UTAH Redford hailed at Sundance kick-off PARK CITY — Robert Redford liked to say that everybody has a story. He’s not the only person who said it, but he is one of the few who did something to celebrate it, his daughter, Amy Redford, said on Jan. 21 ahead of the Sundance Film Festival’s opening…
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Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as top court strikes down laws, including pill ban | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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WYOMING Court strikes down abortion bans FORT COLLINS — Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 6 that two laws barring the procedure, including the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills, violate the state constitution. The justices sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others who…
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Nebraska to be 1st state to implement Trump’s new Medicaid work requirements | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEBRASKA Medicaid work requirements set Nebraska will become the first state to implement new work requirements for some people with Medicaid health insurance under a law President Donald Trump signed last summer. Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, announced on Dec. 17 that the requirement would take effect in the state May 1 and could impact…
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Warren Buffett steps back as Berkshire Hathaway enters a new era | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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NEBRASKA Warren Buffet passes torch OMAHA — Greg Abel faces the challenge of taking over Berkshire Hathaway from the legendary Warren Buffett after the first of the year. Many regard Buffett as the world’s greatest investor after he grew Berkshire from a struggling New England textile mill that he starting buying up for $7.60 a…
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New jaguar spotted in Arizona points to progress in endangered species’ recovery | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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ARIZONA New jaguar spotted in wild The spots gave it away. Just like a human fingerprint, the rosette pattern on each jaguar is unique so researchers knew they had a new animal on their hands after reviewing images captured by a remote camera in southern Arizona. The University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation…