Kirk Siegler

The partial federal government shutdown has furloughed thousands of people who work on millions of acres of public land across the country. That means work on critical projects has mostly stopped.

Wildfires destroyed thousands of homes across California this year. Fire scientists are discovering that most homes burn down from blowing embers, sometimes long after the the fire has passed.

Scientists say too often after deadly natural disasters, like the recent wildfires in California, there is a rush to rebuild, but not always smartly.

Last month's deadly Camp Fire has become a turning point in the debate over how western forests should be managed.

The current version of the Farm Bill includes House-backed provisions that would streamline logging projects on federal land. The administration argues logging could mitigate wildfire risk.

The smoke and ash from California's wildfires are making it difficult for some people to breathe. But there are other health risks, including burned up cars and lead paint from older burned homes.

Wildfires are burning more intensely than ever in California and that's prompting state and local officials to rethink strategies to mitigate the scale of future destruction.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited two wildfire areas in California on Wednesday. The administration and the state have clashed over the reasons behind the fires and the state's fire management.

At least 42 are dead in Butte County, Calif., where a devastating fire tore through the small town of Paradise and other communities. Many residents were left with nothing. Hundreds are still missing.

A mass shooting at a club in Thousand Oaks, California, last night has left the community reeling.

A shooter killed 12 people and injured several more at a country music bar in Ventura County, Calif., late Wednesday.

A shooter killed 12 people and injured several more at a country music bar in Ventura County, Calif., late Wednesday. Among the dead was Sgt. Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran of law enforcement.

In the tightening Senate race, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and challenger Matt Rosendale are criss-crossing the vast, sparsely populated state with the hopes of meeting every voter personally.

California Republicans are pushing a ballot measure that would repeal a 2017 increase in the state's gas tax that funds transportation. The effort is widely seen as motivator for Republicans to vote.

Eight of the top ten states with the highest suicide rates are in the Mountain West. Grand Junction, Colo. has launched an ambitious effort starting in the schools to try and address the problem.

For the first time in years, Delta County in western Colorado is experiencing population growth, one indicator that rural Americans are increasingly feeling optimistic about their economic future.

The Department of the Interior has chosen a prominent property rights attorney in Wyoming as their new deputy solicitor. Its a controversial appointment for environmental groups.

California has the highest poverty rate in the nation, due largely to the state's lack of affordable housing. In November voters will decide whether or not rent controls will help solve the problem.

A rocky outcropping on Oregon's coast is home to dozens of rare tufted puffins and, this summer, volunteer Art Broszeit — a de facto expert on the exotic cold climate birds.

The Trump administration has called for more logging of western forests to reduce wildfire risks. But people on the ground in the west say the solution is thinning and forest restoration, not logging.