Originally published on March 17, 2020 7:14 am Support for our series Private Prison: Locking Down The Facts came from The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a nonprofit news organization that partners with journalists and newsrooms to support in-depth reporting and education around the globe.

Originally published on March 10, 2020 7:03 am The Bureau of Land Management’s plan to move its headquarters out west is costing the agency around half the employees asked to make the move, according to a new report from federal watchdog Government Accountability Office.

Originally published on February 21, 2020 7:01 pm It’s no secret that Michael Bloomberg is spending a lot on his Democratic presidential campaign, from Super Bowl ads to social media influencers.

Originally published on February 14, 2020 3:35 pm Light pollution is usually associated with big towns and cities. But a new kind of light pollution map shows it’s also a problem in rural areas, including in the Mountain West.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:27 pm Nearly 40 hospitals in the Mountain West are being penalized for having high rates of infections, patient injuries or other complications from hospital stays. That’s according to data released last week from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:28 pm A new survey by the philanthropic arm of the Outdoor Industry Association shows that more people are recreating outdoors, but fewer are doing so regularly. And nearly half of Americans surveyed didn’t participate in outdoor recreation at all in 2018.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:28 pm Rural economies could get a massive boost under policies meant to decrease carbon emissions, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:29 pm Mix gelatin, sand and cyanobacteria and what do you get? A solid building material with a low carbon footprint.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:29 pm It was a dry start to the year for some mountain ranges in the region, but recent storms brought most Mountain West snowpack levels back to normal. Aside from a few patches, most of the Mountain West now is at or above 100% median snowpack.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:30 pm New research shows that you don’t need a big population to foster innovation.

Originally published on February 10, 2020 3:30 pm A new study casts doubt on the safety of state abortion laws in the Mountain West. Laws in Idaho and Utah require physicians to tell women seeking an abortion that they could “reverse” the abortion if it’s medication-induced.

Originally published on December 30, 2019 8:34 am Epi’s is a Basque restaurant in Meridian Idaho, just west of Boise. In mid-morning, things are still pretty quiet, but owner Eric McFarland and a few others are prepping food. “Come on in!”

Originally published on December 2, 2019 9:45 am It’s nearly Thanksgiving, which means extra food — and extra food waste. But one man’s garbage is another’s renewable energy.

Originally published on November 25, 2019 3:38 pm A report published last week graded 506 cities around the U.S. on how inclusive their towns are to the LGBTQ community, and cities in the Mountain West are all over the map.

Originally published on November 22, 2019 7:36 am The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be discussing bills to fund programs that help pay for public schools and infrastructure in rural areas this Thursday.

Originally published on November 18, 2019 1:25 pm The 2020 census count is coming, and it will determine where funding goes for things like schools, emergency services and health care. For the last several census counts, though, American Indians and Alaska Natives were the most undercounted ethnic group, limiting their access to funds.