Arizona

A new database reveals that museums and universities across the U.S. still hold the remains of more than 100,000 Native Americans, despite a federal law passed more than 30 years ago to help return their remains to tribes.

A Nevada water agency has taken the first concrete step toward accounting for evaporation and other losses in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin. The new analysis attempts to pinpoint exactly how much water is lost, and who should cut back to bring the system closer to a balance between supply and demand.

In the Colorado River basin, agriculture accounts for about 80% of all the water used. As the river’s supply shrinks, and some farms start to make cutbacks, many are wondering if new technology can help with water conservation. Research suggests that it may not.

Nancy Caywood’s Pinal County farm should have a full field of alfalfa, but since the irrigation district shut off her water because of drought, her fields are empty and dry.

In Arizona, fields of crops and a growing sprawl of suburban homes mean a increased demand for water in the middle of the desert. Meeting that demand includes drawing from massive stores of water in underground aquifers. But some experts say groundwater is overtaxed, and shouldn’t be seen as a long-term solution for a region where the water supply is expected to shrink in the decades to come.

After another long, dry summer across the West, reservoirs in the region remain at record-low levels. It will take years of wet winters to climb out of drought, and La Niña conditions mean this winter is unlikely to bring one.

Julie and Jim Powell’s air conditioner has been fending off the summertime heat since they bought their traditional Sun City home two decades ago.“It’s…

NEW ED DIRECTOR - Gov. Matt Mead has selected an Arizona state senator to run the Wyoming Education Department.Mead late Wednesday afternoon announced his…