The Colorado city’s unwieldy expansion offers a cautionary tale for similar Western locales.
Montana
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Beware the privatization of your town’s water
People often assume private providers will be cheaper and more efficient; often the opposite is true.
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Judge: Agency cherrypicked science for bison management
Amid protests, Fish & Wildlife has been ordered to reexamine protections for the iconic Yellowstone beast.
Posted inMarch 19, 2018: Desert, Divided
Latest: Wyoming to pay up over water dispute
A decade-old case on the Tongue River is resolved.
Posted inMarch 19, 2018: Desert, Divided
Latest: Berkeley Pit cleanup ahead of schedule
The EPA will begin treating the pit’s toxic water five years earlier than planned.
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A way out of Bozeman’s shadow
Belgrade, Montana, is growing just enough to assert an identity separate of its adjacent city.
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A new structure for the Interior Department takes shape
A massive shake-up would shed senior staffers and state boundaries. Could it work?
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A town clings to its small-town identity under pressure
Manhattan, Montana, has become a bedroom community with full schools but few businesses.
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Art and education fuel young public lands advocates
At University of Montana, students foster a conservation vision for the future.
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A Montana bill takes aim at wilderness study areas
Sen. Steve Daines wants to slash protections for some of the state’s wildest land.
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The power of fossil fuels is fading
Will Western states react in time to save local economies?
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Montana’s first black mayor is here to listen
How might the toxic tenor of national politics change if more of us practiced forbearance and gratitude?
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When Copper Kings leave, what happens to the slag?
To jolt its economy, a town explores the many uses of the byproduct of its smelting history.
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Want to revitalize a depressed economy? The EPA can help.
A Montana town is using an obscure program to help clean up contaminated areas.
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Libby, Montana, tries to shake its ‘Superfund stigma’
Rebranding could help the town distance itself from past asbestos pollution.
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Rural areas short on workers turn to overseas professionals
Montana has a shortage of nurses, teachers and other workers.
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Social services give rural families a safety net
Issues of affordable housing and transportation impede rural families from getting out of poverty.
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In a district losing money, students from afar fill the gap
After a mill closure, a town is offseting losses by allowing out-of-district students.
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No zoning? No problem.
Lack of zoning laws allow entrepreneurs to thrive in East Missoula.
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In Montana, houses are replacing farmland
Can lessons from Vermont keep local agriculture alive?