Mountain West News Bureau

A rural highway with mountains in the background and smoke rising from the hillside.

Western communities report drops in tourism as wildfires burn nearby

Rachel Cohen

Communities in Colorado and Utah are reporting drops in tourism as fires burn nearby and smoke floats in.

Renderings show plans for Project Jupiter, the massive data center complex planned for Doña Ana County. (Courtesy of STACK Infrastructure)

Oracle revises plans for massive Project Jupiter data center to reduce emissions

Jenny Kinsey, KANW Correspondent Mountain West News Bureau

Environmental groups in New Mexico say those efforts are not enough

The cover of the new Wildland Firefighter Family Handbook

A new handbook offers guidance for those with loved ones on the fireline

Murphy Woodhouse

The publication covers common fireline terminology, handling relationships and childcare during the long summer months and how to support firefighters reintegrating to family life once the season slows down.

Four men stand in front of a microphone with a sign that says, "Return management to the states." Meadows and mountains rise behind them.

Feds move to return threatened grizzly bear management to the states

Hanna Merzbach, Nicky Ouellet

Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington could take over management, but hunting will not immediately be on the table.

The handlebars of a mountain bike in front of a National Forest Service sign.

Some gravel and mountain bike trails could get a boost from the feds

Hanna Merzbach

The Department of the Interior is giving at least 20 trails more signage and marketing. Many could be in the West.

Scott Allison, of Las Vegas, plugs in his electric vehicle at a charging station in south Reno during the middle of his road trip across Nevada.

Nevada EV driver takes the long way around to avoid charging gaps

Kaleb Roedel

Scott Allison could have taken the shortest route from Las Vegas to Reno. Instead, he drove nearly 50 extra miles through California. The detour wasn't for the scenery. It was for the chargers.

Money may not buy happiness, new state report shows

Hanna Merzbach

As the nation turns 250, a report takes a look at quality of life across the states. It shows that economics don’t always determine well-being.

A ranger assists a visitor in a car with questions about vehicle reservations

National park workers in the Mountain West vote to unionize

Rachel Cohen

The new chapter will cover about 650 workers at 12 park sites or offices in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Montana and other states.

Original Laguna Burger restaurant in Laguna, New Mexico

Along Route 66, Laguna Burger tells a story that goes far beyond the menu

Daniel Spaulding

As the iconic Route 66 turns 100 years old and the United States marks its 250th anniversary, a Pueblo-owned restaurant in New Mexico offers a different way to think about American history.

This map shows the typical impacts of El Niño to the continental U.S. and Canada during Northern Hemisphere winter.

Strengthening El Niño could bring warmer, drier weather to parts of already parched West

Murphy Woodhouse

This year’s already strong El Niño is strengthening, a trend with potentially significant implications for the intense – and now tragic – fire season.