utah
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3 firefighters who died fighting Snyder Mesa fire identified; one once worked as a snowmaker in Vail
Federal authorities on Monday identified the three firefighters who died responding to the Knowles Fire at the Colorado-Utah border, one of whom once worked for a resort in Vail. Across Colorado, several fires are burning, with zero containment in what had been a frantic and deadly start to the state’s wildfire season. The U.S. Department…
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Heat, wind and drought conditions spark wildfires across US West | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
Heat, drought spark wildfires Extreme heat and dry, windy conditions fueled several wildfires in the West on June 21, including an uncontained blaze in Utah that forced the evacuation of a small town southwest of Salt Lake City. The Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected on June 20 and had blackened 34…
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Flesh-eating cattle parasite spreads beyond Texas as new screwworm cases found | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Screwworm spreads beyond Texas Three more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one found in a dog in New Mexico, outside the main cluster in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping a resurgent pest that could devastate the nation’s cattle industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on June…
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US Supreme Court settles long-running water dispute over dwindling Rio Grande | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Rio Grande settlement OK’d ALBUQUERQUE — The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a settlement package designed to rein in groundwater pumping along one of North America’s longest rivers and ensure enough water reliably makes it from New Mexico to Texas, ending a long-running dispute over management of the Rio Grande. In a brief…
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Federal judge tosses class-action lawsuit over poor Vail Resorts experience during strike
A federal judge dismissed a plaintiff’s proposed class-action lawsuit last month that sought compensation from Vail Resorts after a ski patrol strike turned a family vacation into a “colossal disaster.” U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang concluded plaintiff Christopher Bisaillon entered into a valid agreement with Vail when he bought his ski pass, and…
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Regulators seek public input for massive Montana-Wyoming oil pipeline proposal | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
WYOMING Massive oil pipeline proposed State and federal officials are seeking public comment on the proposed Bridger Pipeline Expansion project to carry Canadian crude from the border in Phillips County, Montana, to a terminal near Guernsey in Wyoming. The massive 36-inch-diameter pipeline would span 647 miles and move about 550,000 barrels of crude oil daily.…
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Trump plans to move Forest Service headquarters to Utah, shutter research sites | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
UTAH Forest Service bound for Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump’s administration will move the U.S. Forest Service headquarters out of the nation’s capital to Salt Lake City as part of an organizational overhaul that involves shuttering research facilities in 31 states and concentrating resources in the West, the agency announced…
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Law puts Kansas at vanguard of denying trans identities on government documents | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
KANSAS Law reverses trans documents TOPEKA — Kansas is set to invalidate about 1,700 driver’s licenses held by transgender residents and roughly as many birth certificates under a new law that goes beyond Republican-imposed restrictions in other states on listing gender identities in government documents. The new law took effect Feb. 26. Democratic Gov. Laura…
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Unsalaried legislature in New Mexico asks voters to reconsider volunteer status | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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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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…