out west roundup
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Record snow drought in Western states raises concern for water shortages, wildfires | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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
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
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
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
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
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
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…
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Georgia O’Keeffe’s views of New Mexico desert to be preserved under agreement | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO O’Keeffe’s views to be preserved SANTA FE — A new conservation agreement will preserve land with breathtaking desert vistas that inspired the work of 20th century painter Georgia O’Keeffe and ensure visitors access to an adjacent educational retreat, several partners to the pact announced Dec. 9. Initial phases of the plan establish a…
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Tyson’s beef plant closure in Nebraska to impact town, ranchers nationwide | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEBRASKA Beef plant’s closure could ripple OMAHA — Tyson Foods’ decision to close a beef plant that employs nearly one third of residents of Lexington, Nebraska, could devastate the small city and undermine the profits of ranchers nationwide. Closing a single slaughterhouse might not seem significant, but the Lexington plant employs roughly 3,200 people in…
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Trump administration seeks to roll back protections for imperiled species | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
MONTANA Endangered species rollback sought BILLINGS — President Donald Trump’s administration moved on Nov. 19 to roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live, reviving a suite of changes to Endangered Species Act regulations from the Republican’s first term that were blocked under former Democratic President Joe Biden. The proposed changes include…