utah
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Top officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County agree on how to oversee elections | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
ARIZONA Officials agree on election oversight PHOENIX — Election officials in Arizona’s most populous county reached an agreement a week before the state’s July 21 primary on how to jointly oversee the vote, ending a prolonged legal battle. Republican Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap sued the predominantly GOP board of supervisors in June 2025, alleging…
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Busy wildfire season tests US fire bosses as they juggle resources to stay ahead | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Wildfires challenge resources ALBUQUERQUE — It’s already been a deadly year for firefighters, and authorities have been putting resources where they can more quickly pounce on wildfires before they get out of hand and increase the possibility of additional loss of life and property. Fire managers try to anticipate nature’s next move, placing…
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Trump reduces size of 2 national monuments in Utah amid public lands revamp | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
UTAH Trump shrinks national monuments President Donald Trump on July 13 sharply reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah, undoing protections established by his Democratic predecessors on public lands that are sacred among many Native Americans. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in southern Utah have ancient cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and scenic…
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New Mexico governor could seek billions after DEA let fentanyl hit streets | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Governor rips DEA policy ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico’s governor said on June 29 that state officials could pursue billions of dollars in civil damages after revelations that U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents repeatedly allowed shipments of fentanyl to flow into drug-plagued communities as investigators sought to build bigger cases. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan…
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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.…