Madelyn Beck
Reporter, Mountain West °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ BureauMadelyn Beck is Boise State Public Radio's regional reporter with the Mountain West °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Bureau. She's from Montana but has reported everywhere from North Dakota to Alaska to Washington, D.C. Her last few positions included covering energy resources in Wyoming and reporting on agriculture/rural life in Illinois.
Pre-journalism jobs include (but are not limited to): ranch hand for Icelandic horses, hotel laundress, large caliber brass shell sorter/inventory, salmon processor in Alaska and waitress for a murder mystery dinner theater.
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A new report shows that rental prices are cooling off for the first time in several months. Apartment List, which is a national rental marketplace, found that rental prices have started to stagnate, or in some cases, even drop. That’s normal for the fall months, but especially welcome in a year that’s had unprecedented increases in rents across the Mountain West. -
The UN Climate Change Conference, also called COP26, is underway in Glasgow, Scotland. The global discussion around climate change may affect Mountain West energy sources and trade in the long term. -
Experts expect another wave of misinformation from anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theorists with the FDA's approval of Pfizer's vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11. That could include misleading and graphic articles and videos claiming severe side effects intended to sow doubt. -
Wildfire season is winding down across much of the Mountain West as cold weather moves in. But it’s the perfect time to set controlled, or prescribed, fires to burn unwanted dead trees and underbrush that fuel larger wildfires. -
A Pew Research analysis of census data shows that growth in U.S. households during the last decade slowed to its lowest pace in history. -
Many institutions acknowledge that land they've built upon once belonged to Native peoples, but experts say some well-intentioned statements can actually do harm. -
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a complicated groundwater case this week, which could have implications for the Mountain West. The case involves Mississippi alleging that Tennessee takes too much water from an aquifer that runs beneath both states. Several western states have argued against the suit, not wanting to further complicate water law between their states. -
Google Maps will soon launch a new filter that shows the location of active wildfires. Beyond just mapping fires, it will also provide local emergency information when available. -
An Amtrak train derailment in rural north-central Montana on Sunday killed three people and sent several passengers to far-flung hospitals, further burdening ICUs full of COVID-19 patients. -
The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that there was a 14% dip in hydropower in the U.S. this year. The vast majority of that decline is in the West. Less moisture and higher temps meant lower reservoir levels and decreased the ability to get energy from hydro dams. While utilities have long prepared for droughts, they’re becoming more frequent due to climate change.
