In recent weeks, destructive and deadly flash floods have hit several parts of the country, including the Mountain West. A New York Times analysis found the National Weather Service has vacant senior leadership positions at many offices overseeing areas vulnerable to flash floods.

Across the region, goatheads - or puncturevine - are a scourge to cyclists, walkers and our four-legged friends: they pop tires and embed themselves in shoes and sensitive paws. There are many efforts to halt their spread, and new research could help to better target that work.

For three years now, Sacha Wells, an interpretive ranger for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, has made “Ground Squirrel High School” an annual summer exhibit. Last year’s theme was prom. This summer, it’s spirit week.

President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” phases out tax credits for clean energy projects, slowing the addition of new power to the grid. Experts predict it could drive up energy costs, especially in parts of the Mountain West.

The Forest Service's new chief recently published a letter that called for wildfires to be suppressed "as swiftly as possible." That may sound prudent to many, but it raised eyebrows among some who study fire policy. They worried that it may signal a return to aggressive suppression that has been linked to growing wildfire severity.

Town leaders say the purchase will boost local economic development and will allow it to better support mountain ski employees.

This could be because of rising home prices and, in some places, the decline of the mining industry.

This comes amid Trump administration cuts to special services on the 988 hotline.

With 16-hour days for weeks straight, long separation from friends and family, and regular exposure to serious immediate and long-term risks, wildland fire pushes people to both their physical and mental limits. But the recently launched federal Wildland Fire Therapy Service is now available to help those workers ease the mental strain of battling wildfires.

The 4th of July, statistically, is one of the heaviest days of the year for wildfire starts. And this year the holiday comes amid heightened risk for major blazes.