Sean Scully

After veto, Cox is one step closer to being able to appoint chief justice • Utah News Dispatch The Utah Legislature revived a bill that would give Gov. Spencer Cox the power to appoint the Utah Supreme Court chief justice.

After an initial veto of a bill that would have allowed Gov. Spencer Cox to appoint the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, the Legislature voted to approve a compromise during a special session Monday, report @utahnewsdispatch.com and @statesnewsroom.com

With federal penalties looming, WA looks to curb food stamp payment errors • Washington State Standard States that routinely overpay or underpay food stamp recipients could now lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

In the face of federal cuts to nutrition programs, Washington state is trying to improve it's higher-than-average error rate as a way to conserve remaining funds, report @washingtonstatestandard and @statesnewsroom

Trump picks former Oregon state senator for labor department role • Oregon Capital Chronicle Speculation had been growing over whether Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, could be leaving to work for the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Trump administration has tapped a former Oregon Senate Republican leader as an assistant labor secretary, bringing him into an agency headed by another Oregon Republican, report @oregoncapitalchronicle.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Gradual improvements in Bering Sea crab stocks allow for Alaska harvest increases | Alaska Beacon Snow crab and red king crab stocks are recovering, while an abundance of snow-tanner crab hybrids adds a new twist to harvest rules.

Snow crab stocks in Alaska’s Bering Sea, which crashed a few years ago, have recovered enough to allow a modest harvest starting in mid-October, report @alaskabeacon.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Lombardo announces there will be a special legislative session… at some point • Nevada Current Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday announced he plans to call the Nevada State Legislature into a special session “at some point over the next few months.” His two-sentence statement did not include a…

Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday announced he plans to call the Nevada State Legislature into a special session “at some point over the next few months,” but he did not identify what topics would be considered during the special session, report @nevadacurrent.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Montana’s largest universities see year-over-year enrollment growth • Daily Montanan MSU’s all-time record numbers cement status as region’s largest university, UM continues upward trajectory

Montana’s flagship institutions of higher education are both celebrating continued growth reflected in fall enrollment numbers, report @dailymontanan.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Idaho health insurance premiums set to rise by 10-11% next year • Idaho Capital Sun The Idaho Department of Insurance published final premium rates for 2026 health insurance plans, which are set to increase by 10-11%.

Premiums for plans on the individual market, where Idahoans buy insurance for themselves, are set to rise by 10%. And premiums for plans that employers commonly purchase, through the small group market, are set to rise by 11%, report @idahocapitalsun.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Trump's African deportation operation runs through a Phoenix airport Arizona's Mesa Gateway Airport serves as hub for Trump's ICE Air deportation flights to Africa as ICE expands operations

The Trump administration has been sending immigrants to African nations like Ghana as part of their deportation operations, often with those aboard not even being from the continent — and Arizona is at the heart of that operation, report @azmirror.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Plaintiffs submit 2 congressional maps to judge as Utah lawmakers vote on their own • Utah News Dispatch Plaintiffs in a redistricting lawsuit have submitted two maps to a judge to pick from in the states' court-ordered redistricting process.

A Utah judge is considering rival congressional maps she ordered after striking down the state's last redistricting process, report @utahnewsdispatch.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Hammer-wielding vandal damages WA Capitol in late-night break-in, authorities say • Washington State Standard A former minor league baseball player is accused of lighting fires, tipping over statues and breaking glass inside the building.

A hammer-wielding 29-year-old Washington resident is facing felony charges after allegedly breaking into the Capitol building in Olympia, setting fires and toppling two iconic busts outside the historic state reception room, report @washingtonstatestadard.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Trump approves appeal for Ambler Road project, reversing Biden administration's rejection | Alaska Beacon The proposed road, being developed by Alaska’s state-owned investment bank, would open access to a mining region in northwest Alaska.

President Donald Trump has signed an order that overturns a decision by the Biden administration to cancel a 211-mile mining road through Alaska’s Brooks Range by denying a right-of-way permit, report @alaskabeacon.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Oregon, Portland, troops in ‘wait mode’ for federal challenge to temporary order • Oregon Capital Chronicle The Trump administration on Sunday was blocked by a federal judge from activating National Guard troops from any state and D.C. to Portland.

The city of Portland, state leaders and hundreds of Oregon and California National Guard troops are in legal limbo as federal courts determine the legality of President Trump’s efforts to deploy Guard troops to U.S. cities, report @oregoncapitalchronicle.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Casinos can do more with AI than enhance customer service and replace humans, experts say  • Nevada Current From kiosks designed to speed customer check-in to vibrant casino games, Nevada’s tourism industry is putting artificial intelligence to work.  But one of AI’s potential best uses – its ability to…

Las Vegas casinos have raced to embrace AI for service-side jobs but not for promising compliance fields like preventing money laundering, experts tell @nevadacurrent.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Groups claim Montana Attorney General wants to mislead public about nonpartisan elections • Daily Montanan Two groups claim that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is illegally meddling in Constitutional Initiative 131 as a way to sabotage the measure.

Backers of a Montana ballot measure to preserve nonpartisan judicial elections say the attorney general is trying to muddy the issue with intentionally confusing ballot language, report @dailymontanan.com and @statesnewsroom.com

An inside look at Idaho’s $3M fight against invasive quagga mussels  • Idaho Capital Sun Crews are injecting a section of the Snake River near Twin Falls with a copper chemical intended to kill invasive quagga mussels.

Now in its third year, the effort to rid Idaho’s Snake River of invasive quagga mussels is a near 24/7 operation taking place both on the water and in nearby community college laboratories, report @idahocapitalsun.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Arizona doctors blame GOP for blocking health care tax credit extension | Arizona Mirror Arizona doctors urge Republican delegation to extend ACA tax credits as shutdown blocks popular health subsidies

Arizona doctors are calling on the state’s Republican congressional delegation to support the extension of health care premium tax credits, saying that allowing them to expire will have devastating consequences, report @azmirror.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Utah redistricting committee picks congressional map supported by Republican party • Utah News Dispatch The Utah Legislative Redistricting Committee picked congressional map C, a map supported by the Republican Party.

After little debate Monday morning but with Democrats voting against, the Utah Legislative Redistricting Committee voted to pick map C — a congressional map that the Utah GOP last week encouraged Republicans to support, report @utahnewsdispatch.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Some Democratic-led states pledged to help fund family planning services. It’s not always enough. • Washington State Standard How many people will be able to afford and access reproductive health care is changing after a new federal provision prohibits Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortions from…

After Republicans cut off federal funding, some Democratic-led states, have pledged to backfill the funding needed to allow Planned Parenthood clinics to keep accepting Medicaid and other low-income patients, report @statesnewsroom.com via @washingtonstatestandard.com

Restricting, cutting Medicaid funding shifts more reproductive health care to telemedicine | Alaska Beacon Now that a new rule has eliminated hundreds of millions in Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood, reproductive health providers have turned to telehealth as part of the solution to offer…

Now that a new rule has eliminated hundreds of millions in Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood, reproductive health providers have turned to telehealth, reports @statesnewsroom.com via @alaskabeacon.com

Trump cancels blue-state projects, trolls Dems on social media as shutdown drags on • Oregon Capital Chronicle Trump administration officials on Friday defended the decision to cancel federal projects in regions of the country that have voted for Democrats.

Trump administration officials are defending canceling federal projects in regions of the country that voted for Democrats, saying the move isn’t political but an effort to reduce the size of government during the shutdown, reports @statesnewsroom.com via @oregoncapitalchronicle.com

As federal government shuts down, visitors can still enter Glacier, Yellowstone national parks • Daily Montanan Uncertainty looms for visitors and employees to National Park Service sites, other public lands

Glacier National Park remains open to visitors during the federal government shutdown, which a former superintendent said could lead to trash pileup, a lack of communication for visitors and limited emergency response operations, report @dailymontanan.com and @statesnewsroom.com

New podcast tells the 'Sheep Stories' of Idaho's Scottish, Basque and Peruvian immigrants • Idaho Capital Sun A new podcast will highlight stories and explore the history and culture of sheep ranching in Idaho's Wood River Valley.

A new podcast will highlight stories and explore the history and culture of sheep ranching in Idaho’s Wood River Valley, report @idahocapitalsun.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Federal judges question Trump administration's IRS-ICE tax sharing deal | Arizona Mirror Appeals court judges split on Trump plan to share immigrant tax data with ICE for deportation enforcement

A panel of judges on an appeals court seemed split about whether the Trump administration’s move to request taxpayer information from the IRS for the purposes of immigration enforcement is lawful, reports @statesnewsroom.com via @azmirror.com

Utah Supreme Court approves alternative licensing path for attorneys, joining Oregon and Washington • Utah News Dispatch Those seeking to get licensed as attorneys in Utah have a new path, one that reflects evolving needs of the profession and the public.

The Utah Supreme Court has approved a rule providing an alternative path to license attorneys — a change the state bar association calls a “groundbreaking” move, report @utahnewsdispatch.com and @statesnewsroom.com

With enrollment down and financial pressure rising, WSU looks for a turnaround • Washington State Standard The number of students attending Washington State University appears to be stabilizing after dramatic declines following the COVID pandemic, despite those students paying the highest combination of…

The number of students attending Washington State University appears to be stabilizing after dramatic declines following the COVID pandemic, despite those students paying the highest bills among the state’s public colleges, report @washingtonstatestandard.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Annual Alaska disease report shows dip in sexually transmitted infections | Alaska Beacon Alaska had fewer reported cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea last year than in 2023, as statistics show declines nationally.

Cases of sexually transmitted infections declined in Alaska from 2023 to 2024, though as in past years, they continue to dominate the state’s annual infectious disease totals, report @alaskabeacon.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Federal judge bars Trump administration from sending any National Guard troops to Portland • Oregon Capital Chronicle After Judge Karin Immergut's Saturday order the federal government sought to deploy first California and then Texas troops.

After earlier blocking the Trump administration's effort to mobilize Oregon National Guard troops in Portland, a federal government has now barred deployment from any state, report @oregoncapitalchronicle.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Paying farmers proves most cost effective way to conserve Colorado River, study says • Nevada Current The most cost-effective and quickest way to conserve the Colorado River’s shrinking water supply amid persistent drought and rapid population growth is changing how states handle the largest use of…

The most cost-effective and quickest way to conserve the Colorado River’s shrinking water supply amid persistent drought and rapid population growth is changing how states handle the largest use of water on the river: agriculture, report @nevadacurrent.com and @statesnewsroom.com

Report: National parks, historic sites contribute $1.2 billion in economic output for Montana • Daily Montanan Visitors to National Park Service sites in Montana, primarily Glacier and Yellowstone, spent $848 billion in nearby communities

The shutdown of the federal government, which began Wednesday, could have a more visible presence in Montana due to the outsized impact the National Park system has on Montana’s economy, report @dailymontanan.com and @statesnewsroom.com

The federal government shut down after a health care clash. In Idaho, the stakes are high. • Idaho Capital Sun If enhanced premium tax credits end, 25,000 Idahoans are likely to cancel health insurance policies as their costs rise.

Unless Congress extends them, the enhanced premium tax credits that let people buy cheaper health insurance on exchanges will expire. Without those credits, 25,000 Idahoans are likely to cancel their insurance policies, report @idahocapitalsun.com and @statesnewsroom.com