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An unusual pattern of springtime elk deaths for more than a decade in northern Nevada has scientists searching for answe...
09/09/2026

An unusual pattern of springtime elk deaths for more than a decade in northern Nevada has scientists searching for answers. Researchers are focused on a herd of elk north of Elko, in the Independence and Tuscarora mountains, that have been mysteriously dying. In some years, 10% to 30% of collared females in the affected population have died.

The phenomenon has an informal name: seasonal elk mortality syndrome. University of Nevada, Reno researchers are working with the Nevada Department of Wildlife in an attempt to understand what’s causing it. One clue is low copper levels in corpses.

But scientists are still working to understand how mineral imbalances affect wild elk, and whether they contribute to disease or mortality. Ava Window, a UNR researcher, said the Nevada study could help scientists better understand how nutrition affects elk health across the West.

🔗 Hear more ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/5tb667za
🎙️Reporting by KUNR’s Kaleb Roedel with the Mountain West News Bureau

According to reports from the nonprofit group Crisis Text Line, an option for mental health crisis support, Mountain Wes...
09/08/2026

According to reports from the nonprofit group Crisis Text Line, an option for mental health crisis support, Mountain West residents are more likely to say they want to harm themselves in crisis text conversations than Americans at large. The group says the trend could be because of the states’ large rural areas.

For example, in Wyoming, 64% of people who reached out to the nonprofit in recent years lived in rural areas. That’s the highest proportion out of any state nationwide.

Tracy Costigan, vice president of impact evaluation and storytelling, said there are barriers for rural texters, including geographic isolation and a lack of mental health resources and hospitals, but that’s not all.

Costigan added that nearly two-thirds of rural texters reached out because they had nobody else to talk to. Almost half reported having no access to a therapist.

🔗 Hear the full story ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/ybn2ked6
📷 Lukas Rodriguez / Pexels
🎙️ Reporting by Wyoming Public Radio’s Hanna Merzbach and Nicky Quellet with the Mountain West News Bureau

The Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe plans to transform two former office buildings into two new facilities: an ear...
09/08/2026

The Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe plans to transform two former office buildings into two new facilities: an early learning center for children from infancy through age five, and a teen center for middle and high school students.

The project comes as childcare options in the area remain limited. Some local providers have closed, while existing programs can have long waitlists, leaving families with few options. The early learning center is expected to serve up to 50 children each day.

The project is being funded largely through the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation, which is donating the buildings and providing funding for renovations. It is also receiving state funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) along with additional support from the community.

Construction and renovations are expected to begin in spring 2027, with the goal of opening in 2028.

🎙️ Reporting by KUNR’s Maria Palma
🔗 Hear more ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/3axhrpk3

Northern Nevada Public Health is currently asking people to not enter areas that have been damaged by wildfire. Chad Kin...
09/07/2026

Northern Nevada Public Health is currently asking people to not enter areas that have been damaged by wildfire. Chad Kingsley, the district health officer, urges people to be mindful of the unique safety risks that are present when structures are damaged, especially hazardous materials.

“We have not only the paint or the materials that are used within a home, we also have other materials inside of our homes, such as pesticides, lithium batteries,” he said. “So those chemicals then are condensed or distributed through the ash, as well as the wood or anything that remains.”

As well as being potentially toxic, ash can cause breathing issues and irritate the eyes and skin when it gets into the air. Anyone working around ash should wear a respirator.Kingsley says that the first phase of FEMA’s response will be debris removal. He also recommends that individuals who live near affected areas replace their air filters.

🔗 Hear more ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/35fa2dpk
🎙️ Reporting by Emma Charles, KUNR intern

Crews managed to contain the 15,085 acre Hawk Fire in just a few days, in spite of extreme conditions. Residents praised...
09/05/2026

Crews managed to contain the 15,085 acre Hawk Fire in just a few days, in spite of extreme conditions. Residents praised those efforts, but some say local government didn’t do enough to keep them informed.

For residents, detailed information was hard to find, so many of them turned to unofficial sources like the Reno/Sparks/775 Driver Shaming page. Public officials also relied on social media, by livestreaming briefings and posting updates on Facebook. And they used an online portal called Emergency Washoe to share official information from multiple sources.

In one case, that lack of information had deadly consequences. The trailer Francisco Lopez shared with his girlfriend and her elderly aunt, Hayde Medina Valiente, burned down. But they never got an evacuation notice. All three were badly burned, and Valiente later died.

Experts say climate change is making extreme fire behavior more likely. Fire evacuee Meghan Archambault said officials need to get better at communicating with the public, not just during an emergency, but before one happens.

🎙️Reporting by KUNR’s Bert Johnson
🔗Hear the full story ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/msptvwuh

Hundreds of thousands of Nevadans are caring for a loved one, but many don’t see themselves as family caregivers. The th...
09/04/2026

Hundreds of thousands of Nevadans are caring for a loved one, but many don’t see themselves as family caregivers. The third installment of KUNR’s series, “The Undervalued Shift: Caregiving in Nevada,” explores what this looks like for one longtime Reno family.

🔗 Hear the full story ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/2rkphzyu
🎙️ Reporting by KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck
📷 Photos by Kat Fulwider

This story was published with the assistance of the Journalism & Women Symposium Health Journalism Fellowship , supported by The Commonwealth Fund.

Summer may be winding down, but for bears in the Tahoe region, now is the perfect time for a fall feast. During this int...
09/04/2026

Summer may be winding down, but for bears in the Tahoe region, now is the perfect time for a fall feast. During this intense eating period, bears can consume up to 25,000 calories a day and spend up to 20 hours looking for food.

The Tahoe Interagency Bear Team reminds visitors and locals to secure anything that could be an easy meal for bears. This includes garbage, pet food, and birdseed.

Kenzie Margiott with the Interagency said, "Bears are incredibly intelligent, so once they learn that a neighborhood or a particular trash can can provide an easy meal, they're more than likely to come back."

🔗 Hear more ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/5xe5a957
🎙️ Reporting by Lupe Alvarez, KUNR intern
📷 Spadefootazul / Getty Images

Have you seen the effects of social media addiction first hand? We’d like to hear your perspective and experiences for a...
09/03/2026

Have you seen the effects of social media addiction first hand? We’d like to hear your perspective and experiences for an upcoming story.

KUNR intern Mariel Day is working on a story about the Meta settlement and the $178 million Nevada is expected to receive over 10 years following a lawsuit over youth social media addictions.

The deal will require Meta applications such as Facebook and Instagram to have several restrictions for users under 18 years old. Meta will implement strong age verifications for users under 13 years old, extra steps to identify and prevent from circumventing age verification and giving parents more control over their kids’ social media usage.

Contact Mariel Day at [email protected] or (775) 750-6923 to share how you or your family have been impacted by social media.

Washoe County residents displaced by the Hawk Fire may also face disruptions to their regular mail service, creating pot...
09/03/2026

Washoe County residents displaced by the Hawk Fire may also face disruptions to their regular mail service, creating potential complications for voters expecting to receive a ballot by mail.

Election officials are asking voters who are no longer receiving mail at their usual address to contact the Washoe County Registrar’s Office and update their mailing address. George Guthrie, the office’s public information officer, said the United States Postal Service does not forward mail ballots to a new address.

The registrar’s office can also provide accommodations for displaced voters who are unable to receive mail through a counter ballot, where the office can create a ballot in person and give it to displaced evacuees as soon as mail ballots go out.

Sample ballots and other election information are also available at washoecounty.gov/voters. Registered voters can also cast their ballots in person at any available election center during early voting or on Election Day.

🔗 Hear the full story ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/bdzd8akp
🎙️ Reporting by James Perez, KUNR intern.

As Nevada ages, demand for care workers has soared as people stay in their homes longer. The second installment of KUNR'...
09/02/2026

As Nevada ages, demand for care workers has soared as people stay in their homes longer. The second installment of KUNR's series, “The Undervalued Shift: Caregiving in Nevada,” looks into one historic barrier that continues to create roadblocks to building this workforce: pay.

🔗 Hear the full story ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/4yf2n4bm
🎙️ Reporting by KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck
📷 Photos by Kat Fulwider

This story was published with the assistance of the Journalism & Women Symposium Health Journalism Fellowship, supported by The Commonwealth Fund.

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