Friday, May 16, 2025
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Regional News

What's happening in the region? Here's a roundup of news from Spokane, Montana and other regional areas.

Updated 1 day, 16 hours ago

Climber who survived 400-foot fall that killed 3 others was unconscious before seeking pay phone

One climber was rappelling off the piton — a metal spike pounded into rock cracks or ice that climbers anchor thei…

Updated 2 days, 21 hours ago
Microsoft to lay off about 3% of its workforce

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, said the layoffs will be across all levels and geographies but will focus on reducing the number of managers. Notices to employees began going out on Tuesday. Microsoft a…

Updated 2 days, 23 hours ago
A Republican push to sell public lands in the West is reigniting a political fight

Who should control such sites has long been a burning source of disagreement in the West, where about half the acreage is under federal control and cities that…

Updated 3 days, 15 hours ago
3 die in North Cascades National Park climbing fall

A party of four climbers from Renton was involved in the fall while descending a steep gully in the area of North Early Winters Spire. The post said three people died at the scene and the fourth person freed themse…

Updated 3 days, 20 hours ago
Police deem Mother’s Day killings in Kalispell a murder-suicide

Officers eventually entered a residence where they discovered four individuals had died from apparent gunshot wounds, according to information from Kalispell P…

Updated 3 days, 20 hours ago
Gov. Gavin Newsom urges California cities and counties to ban homeless encampments

Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, made tackling homelessness a priority of his administration when he took office in 2019 and since then, Democratic lea…

Updated 1 week ago
Asbestos clinic forced to close in Montana town where thousands have been sickened by dust

Courts in Montana have said BNSF contributed to the pollution when it brought contaminated material from the mine through town, and the railway separately faces numerous lawsuits from asbestos victims in Libby and …

Updated 1 week, 1 day ago
House Republicans push to sell thousands of acres of public lands in the West

The land sale provision put forward by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah would sell thousands of acres of public lands in the two states, and calls for some of the parcels to be consi…

Updated 1 week, 2 days ago
How Utah dentists are preparing patients for the first statewide fluoride ban

Florida is poised to become the second state to ban fluoride under a bill that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday he would sign soon. The Ohio and …

Updated 2 weeks ago
Scientists once thought only humans could bob to music. Ronan the sea lion helped prove them wrong

A former rescue sea lion, she burst to fame around a decade ago after scientists reported her musical skills. From age 3, she has been a resident at the Univer…

Updated 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Montana Republicans dominated the 2024 election. How did Democrats gain power at the statehouse?

The partnership seems to defy divisions between America's two major political parties that have played out in Washington, D.C., and in many statehouses. But it…

Updated 2 weeks, 6 days ago
Thousands gather in New Mexico for the largest powwow in North America

The event also features the crowning of Miss Indian World, as well as horse parades in which riders are judged on the craftsmanship of their intricately beaded…

Updated 3 weeks, 3 days ago
In Wyoming, the Eastern Shoshone tribe decided to classify buffalo as wildlife. Here is why

While climate change isn’t the main driver behind the push to restore buffalo's wildlife status, the move could bring positive effects to the fight against glo…

Updated 3 weeks, 6 days ago
The US has a single rare earths mine. Chinese export limits are energizing a push for more

The California mine yields neodymium and praseodymium, the light rare earths that are the main components of the permanent rare earth magnets in EVs and wind t…

Updated 4 weeks ago
Google's digital ad network declared an illegal monopoly, joining its search engine in penalty box

Although antitrust regulators prevailed both times, the battle is likely to continue for several more years as Google tries to overturn the two monopoly decisi…