Mountain West

Some lawmakers in our region are arguing abortion bans help keep a population young and growing. Others say they lead to more people leaving the state.

Cross-country ski areas are doing their best to adapt, but they lack the same tools available in the far bigger downhill skiing industry.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the permit to Bill Gates-backed TerraPower to build a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in Kemmerer, about 130 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.

Steve Pearce, a former Republican congressman from New Mexico, would next need to clear a vote in the full Senate in the coming weeks to be confirmed.

Modern drones map farmland, inspect power lines and help fight wildfires. Nationwide, the drone industry now employs more than 100,000 people — and demand for trained pilots continues to grow.

Steve Pearce, Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management, said he would not propose large-scale sales of public lands.

Porsche Lane, the pygmy goat, became the focus of a lawsuit over constitutional rights when her owner was told she couldn't keep the goat at home.

There's been an especially steep drop in fertility rates in Western states, including Wyoming, which has also seen a big jump in the cost of housing.

Maybe, but even the ones that want to be environmentally friendly face energy challenges.

Flagstaff, Arizona, became the first ever DarkSky Community in 2001. Central Idaho is home to the only DarkSky Reserve in the U.S. and Utah has the highest concentration of places globally. More towns in Colorado want to join the ranks.

A doctor's office on wheels has helped the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe ease a rural health care shortage. Mobile clinics are also being used by the Navajo Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona and the Fort Peck Tribes in Montana.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the approach is problematic while Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon voiced qualified support for plans to tap federal land for development.