western United States

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Drought in Western US May Be One for the Ages
Worst 'Megadrought' in 1K
Years May Be Upon Us
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Worst 'Megadrought' in 1K Years May Be Upon Us

Scientists say dry spell in Western US is worst in modern history

(Newser) - Scientists say a 20-year drought across the western US is in fact an emerging "megadrought" as bad as any in the region over the last 1,200 years. Megadroughts, intense droughts that last decades, have a long history in the Desert Southwest. Indeed, the study area—including nine states...

Rapidly Vanishing in America: Dark Spots

In a decade, Milky Way could be visible from just 3 places

(Newser) - Even in the vastness of the American West, the glow from cities has become so bright that places with truly dark skies at night are becoming an endangered species. In the continental US, experts predict that in a decade, there will be just three areas where the sky will be...

Climate Change Will Snatch West's Dwindling Water

Flow is already down in major rivers

(Newser) - Climate change is going to make the western US an even thirstier place in decades to come, according to a new report from the Interior Department. The report predicts that water flow in major river basins including the Colorado and Rio Grande could drop by up to 20% this century,...

Seeking Cheaper Land, Amish Go West

Population in Colorado surges

(Newser) - With fewer than 1,000 residents, Westcliffe, Colo., looks like a lot of other Western towns—until you notice the buggy crossing sign and the hitching post outside the supermarket. Amish farmers are seeking out the rural community 3 hours south of Denver, where land is six times cheaper than...

Oldest Working CEO Dead at 107
 Oldest Working 
 CEO Dead at 107 
OBITUARY

Oldest Working CEO Dead at 107

'Papa Jack' Weil, a Denver fixture, was 'to Western shirts what Henry Ford was to cars'

(Newser) - Jack A. Weil, the Henry Ford of Western shirts who was thought to be the oldest working CEO, died yesterday at age 107, the Denver Post reports. “Papa Jack,” as he was known in the Denver community, popularized the Western shirt as we know it. The sawtooth pocket...

Gov't Is Mucking Up Mustang's Fate
 Gov't Is Mucking Up
 Mustang's Fate 
OPINION

Gov't Is Mucking Up Mustang's Fate

Cash-strapped BLM wants to cull herd, 'a protected symbol of freedom'

(Newser) - The cash-strapped Bureau of Land Management is considering culling the wild horse population in the West, and at least one equine advocate is not pleased, Newsweek reports. In an interview, expert and author Deanne Stillman calls the plan to reduce the population of 30,000 wild and 33,000 corralled...

Vanishing Snow Threatens West
Vanishing Snow Threatens West

Vanishing Snow Threatens West

Global warming blamed for shrinking snowpacks

(Newser) - Blame for a dramatic decrease in Western mountain snowpacks rests squarely on global warming, researchers said yesterday. Using computer models of 50 years' worth of data, scientists confirmed warming is turning snowfall into rain, melting the packs earlier and drying up more rivers by summer. The trend threatens to trigger...

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