KJZZ is an associate partner of the Mountain West News Bureau, a regional newsroom exploring the issues that define our region — from land and water to urban growth to culture and heritage. The bureau is a partnership with NPR and public media stations that serve Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
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A new analysis of public federal workforce data shows about 5,800 fewer workers at public lands agencies in 2025 compared to the year before. -
The ordinance requires groups to get permits to provide non-emergency medical treatment in public parks and to offer food distribution events. -
In some parts of the Mountain West, residents are reviving these gathering places, which have long been a staple for westerners living in isolated places. -
The U.S. already has about 3,000 data centers — and that number is expected to grow quickly in the coming years. A new report finds much of that growth is shifting away from cities and into rural areas, including in the Mountain West. -
A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the agency missed a key deadline tied to a stricter national standard for soot pollution. The case could affect air quality protections across the Mountain West. -
Invasive species are on the march in the Colorado River, threatening everything from endangered native fish in Arizona to Colorado's juicy Palisade peaches. -
As data centers rapidly expand across the Mountain West, researchers say a key question is getting harder to answer: how much water are they actually using? -
Wind and solar power are rapidly expanding across the Mountain West, with some states now generating a significant share of their electricity from renewable sources, according to a new report from Climate Central, a nonpartisan research group. -
The plan would consolidate research leadership — currently dispersed across the country — in Fort Collins, Colo., while closing laboratories in Montana, Utah and Nevada. -
Renters are feeling some relief as rental costs across the Mountain West are dropping. That's thanks, in part, to a building boom. Yet, at the same time, home ownership remains out of reach for many.
More about Mountain West Bureau
The Mountain West News Bureau has six managing partner stations — Boise State Public Radio, KANW in New Mexico, KUNC in Colorado, KUNR Public Radio in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, and Wyoming Public Media. Colorado Public Radio in Denver and KJZZ in Phoenix are associate partners and nearly a dozen other stations are affiliate members.
The bureau also produces “Our Living Lands,” a weekly radio segment exploring how climate change affects Indigenous communities, in partnership with Koahnic Broadcast Corp. and Native Public Media.
The Mountain West News Bureau was formed in 2018 and joined NPR’s network of regional newsrooms in 2025. It receives funding from Eric and Wendy Schmidt and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Managing Editor: Michael de Yoanna