FEATURE: On today’s KVNF Farm Friday, we follow up on our reporting about the ‘bird flu’ threat in our nation’s milk supply and plan by Colorado legislature is to help local farms and ranches feed more Colorado families.

FEATURE: Big changes are taking place at Sweitzer Lake State Park near Delta. KVNF caught up with Park Manager Scott Rist on construction taking place this winter on the north side of the park.

KVNF Regional Newscast for Wednesday, December 18th

TOP STORY: Last week, Montrose County commissioners rejected a proposal to add a zoning amendment addressing renewable power generation facilities, reports the Montrose Daily Press, In the end, the three person board rejected the measure 2-1 vote after hearing a string of community concerns.

FEATURE: Nationwide, nearly 17,000 homes on tribal lands don’t have electricity. A majority of them are spread across the Navajo Nation where climate change is making it harder for families to keep cool. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel visited the reservation to learn how Navajo families are coping without power.

FEATURE: On today’s KVNF Farm Friday we hear from Penelope Powell, executive director for Valley Food Partnership, about tax credit opportunity for small food retailers and farmers.

TOP STORY: Montrose County School District was recently awarded the 2024 Student Achievement Award for Career Pathways Program.

FEATURE: In some pricy corners of the Mountain West, housing has become so expensive that employers are stepping in to help their workers. In Jackson, Wyoming, a state agency has found a way to stretch limited dollars. They’re turning to MODULAR HOMES, which are built in factories. Like legos, entire sections of the house are assembled on permanent foundations. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach shadows one family from packing up to moving in.

FEATURE: States that use the Colorado River just wrapped up annual meetings in Las Vegas. It provided a rare look behind the curtain of tense negotiations about how to share the river’s shrinking water supply. But as KUNC’s Alex Hager reports, state negotiators are still deeply divided heading into uncertain political times.

FEATURE: Dr. Nathan Perry, Professor of Economics at Colorado Mesa University, shares his thoughts on the new administration's policies on immigration and how that could potentially affect our national economy.