West news stories on Newser

US Sizzling in Record Heat

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:20:00 CDT

The US is still sizzling in triple-digit temperatures as record heat threatens fireworks displays. Santa Barbara County has set up special cooling centers in libraries, senior centers and other community facilities as California struggles in 100+ degree heat, along with much of the Southwest and the lower Mississippi Valley. Several...

Want Happiness? Go West, Young Man

Kevin Spak — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:45:24 CST

A huge new study has ranked Boulder, Colo., as the happiest, healthiest city in America, and finds Western cities in general are more content than the rest of the country. The new Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index rated 162 cities based on interviews with 353,000 people, who answered questions about their...

Obama's Mideast Success Jacks Expectations

Drew Nelles — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:45:19 CDT

Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East has established even higher standards for his presidency, Politico reports. Obama is using his global celebrity to restart Israel-Palestine talks and improve relations between the West and the Muslim world, proving he’s “not a president who has ever shied away from setting high...

Grand Canyon Is No Disneyland

Victoria Floethe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:15:04 CDT

Every day from before dawn until around midnight, a staff of thousands unites to keep the Grand Canyon in good condition and its 4.4 million annual visitors safe. NPR travels to the iconic destination to see how it works. "I hope that you are not imagining a pony ride...

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Water

NewsDude — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:39:49 CDT

You'd think the warm weather and easy living would make the West and South leave Frostbelters alone. But no, they want what that frost is made from: water. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great...

Record Highs Scorch West

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:51:15 CDT

A searing heat wave is likely to continue barbecuing the western U.S. today after record temperatures soared to 127 in Death Valley, 125 in nearby Baker and 116 in Phoenix yesterday. Las Vegas sizzled at 116 degrees with humidity in the single digits, and even northeastern Oregon cracked 107...

Utilities May Profit From Ruling

Colleen Barry — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 08:31:24 CDT

Some utility companies may actually benefit financially from the Supreme Court ruling forcing the EPA to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions, the Wall Street Journal reports. While it will cost them millions in the short-term to meet new requirements, utilities in government-regulated markets—mostly in the Southeast, Great Plains,...