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As natural disasters strike the Mountain West, rural communities face some barriers to recovery. But they can’t always get their hands on climate resilience funding.
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The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline bill went through several big changes during committee hearings before eventually passing the House floor. However, the trust that funds the bill lost all dollars allocated to it.The 988 hotline offers 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained Wyoming based crisis counselors.
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The Interior Department is spending nearly $85 million to help communities in the West tackle challenges brought on by drought, and many of the projects are in the Mountain West.
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The Wyoming Game & Fish Commission is allocating nearly $550,000 to eight local sage grouse working groups to fund projects and address issues and threats to the bird. Environmental and human impacts have caused a significant loss of habitat for sage grouse in several Western and Mountain West states in previous decades.
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The Donkey Creek Festival was an annual two-day free event held each June at Gillette College that featured musicians performing different genres of music, numerous vendors, activities for kids, and a beer garden. Despite the lack of funding and board members, there's a chance it could be revived if new funding sources and volunteers help out.
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The Natrona Collective Health Trust in collaboration with the Wyoming Community Foundation has allocated over $2 million to improve the health and well-being of the county. $350,000 is being allocated over several years to organizations and nonprofits to help alleviate effects of COVID-19, such as suicide prevention and vaccine education and distribution efforts.
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The State of Wyoming is being sued for potentially underfunding the education system, which would violate the state’s constitution. The Wyoming Education Association (WEA) filed a suit against the state on Aug. 18.
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A federal program is giving about $30,000 to individual rural communities to help them develop outdoor recreation economies.
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A federal program helps send nurses and social workers into the homes of thousands of lower-income or at-risk parents in the Mountain West to help before, during and after a birth. However, its funding is set to lapse at the end of next month. Advocates are asking for reauthorization, pointing to its proven track record of improving prenatal health and readiness for school.
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The Interior Department announced the distribution of $279 million to outdoor recreation and conservation projects across the U.S., with tens of millions of dollars going to states in the Mountain West.