Regional News
What's happening in the region? Here's a roundup of news from Spokane, Montana and other regional areas.
Flash-flood risk lingers across the Southwest after Rachel’s remnants swamped Nevada
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…
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 …
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Mega Millions tickets rise to $5, but the lottery promises more giant jackpots
The biggest change is the ticket price hike from $2 to $5. Lottery officials expect that jump to increase revenue from the twice-weekly game, enabling them to …
Snatched pets and livestock deaths blamed on wolves raise alarms in rural New Mexico
“This is an immediate health and safety hazard to individuals and property,” Catron County commissioners said in a recent news release. “Please be aware of you…
Kilauea volcano's sporadic eruption resumes in Hawaii as lava pours out of a summit vent
The volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii has been erupting on-and-off since Dec. 23. It's shot tall fountains of lava high into the air and spilled molten rock …
Hecla forges ahead with Lincoln County mine
That optimism met a roadblock when the state of Montana tried to label Hecla’s former CEO, Phillips S. Baker, a “bad actor” for his involvement in a failed min…
A new thermal steam vent is grabbing attention in ever-changing Yellowstone National Park
Mike Poland, scientist in charge of the observatory, said Monday that such features are often forming and constantly changing in Yellowstone.