Rocky Mountain Media Grok

Meth’s Grip on the Rural West

By Courtney Lowery, 11-03-05

The effects of Wyoming's meth problem (and the state is not the only one in the West fighting a similar battle) is trickling down into social services, prompting agencies to ask the state for a little back up. The increase in children placed in foster care and treatment programs has the Department of Family Services projecting a $6.5 million budget shortfall for this budget period. Meanwhile, in Montana, rural leaders are trying to figure out how to deal with the surge of meth labs in the Big Sky State's most remote areas.

On the water beat, river experts in Colorado are cautioning that federal officials might be thinking there is more water to divvy up than there really is when it comes time to figure out how to manage Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

In Colorado politics, the fighting isn't over after the passage of Referendum C and the failure of Referendum D. Posturing has begun in the statehouse and already, the election results are forcing gubenatorial candidates to switch gears.

In the courts, the Utah Supreme Court is deciding whether or not to disbar a judge who says being spiritually married to multiple wives is the way to achieve glory in the afterlife. In Montana, an environmental group is making its case in court saying state officials put the constitutional rights of Montanans in jeopardy by giving a nod to a mine underneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness.

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