Accessibility links
Kirk Siegler As a correspondent on NPR's national desk, Kirk Siegler covers rural life, culture and politics from his base in Boise, Idaho.
Stories By

Kirk Siegler

Friday

Climate change and a population boom could dry up the Great Salt Lake in 5 years

The Great Salt Lake is roughly 8-9 feet lower than it should be. A snowy winter recently has helped lake levels some. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kirk Siegler/NPR

National

Climate change and a population boom could dry up the Great Salt Lake in 5 years

Utah leaders are under pressure to end water diversions and enforce tougher restrictions in order save the drying Great Salt Lake. A recent report predicted it will completely dry in five years.

Climate change and a population boom could dry up the Great Salt Lake in 5 years

Listen · 5:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1153550793/1154092019" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Utah's solution to ski traffic snarl? Build the world's longest gondola

Busses connecting skiers to resorts in Utah's famous Big and Little Cottonwood canyons have been severely cut back due to driver shortages. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kirk Siegler/NPR

National

Utah's solution to ski traffic snarl? Build the world's longest gondola

Two of Utah's most acclaimed ski resorts are at the end of a narrow canyon road that's increasingly jammed with traffic but the state's plan to fix it is sparking controversy.

Utah's solution to ski traffic snarl? Build the world's longest gondola

Listen · 5:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1151438576/1151957954" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

National

Why lawmakers in Idaho want to ban public drag shows

While Democrats held off huge Republican gains in the midterm elections, some states swung further to the right. Idaho is set to consider a bill banning public drag shows.

Why lawmakers in Idaho want to ban public drag shows

Listen · 4:32
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1147787250/1147787251" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

The fate of America's largest lithium mine is in a federal judge's hands

Daranda Hinkey, a member of People of Red Mountain, in Humboldt County, Nev., on July 2, 2022. The planned Thacker Pass lithium mine in northern Nevada, the largest known lithium deposit in the United States, has drawn concerns and protests from environmental groups, Native American tribes and local ranchers. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

National

The fate of America's largest lithium mine is in a federal judge's hands

West Coast Native American tribes are suing to stop the proposed lithium mine because they consider the land sacred. Proponents of the Nevada mine see it as vital for electric vehicle production.

National

Tribes are suing to stop a proposed lithium mine in Nevada, saying the site is sacred

The fate of a proposed lithium mine in Nevada — one that's important to production of electric cars — is now in the hands of a federal judge as tribes sue to stop it.

Tribes are suing to stop a proposed lithium mine in Nevada, saying the site is sacred

Listen · 3:17
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1147547868/1147547869" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Science

Encore: Researchers in Brazil credit scientific discoveries to the power of sound

The Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. Scientists there say the best way to experience it may be with your ears.

Encore: Researchers in Brazil credit scientific discoveries to the power of sound

Listen · 3:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1145546370/1145546371" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Brought 'to the brink' by the pandemic, a Mississippi clinic is rebounding strong

Dr. Mary Williams opened Urgent and Primary Care of Clarksdale in 2018 to address historical gaps and disparities in health care in her Mississippi Delta hometown. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kirk Siegler/NPR

National

Brought 'to the brink' by the pandemic, a Mississippi clinic is rebounding strong

The pandemic brought many small town health clinics to the brink. But health care providers say the crisis also led to more awareness of the health disparities that have long existed in rural America.

Brought 'to the brink' by the pandemic, a Mississippi clinic is rebounding strong

Listen · 4:29
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1143138448/1145323195" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Latin America

Researchers in Brazil credit the power of sound for scientific discoveries

The Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. Scientists there say the best way to experience it may be with your ears.

Researchers in Brazil credit the power of sound for scientific discoveries

Listen · 3:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1143330659/1144064908" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

National

Brittney Griner returns back home to the United States

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star Brittney Griner is back on American soil. She was held in Russian captivity for nine months after being convicted on drug charges.

Brittney Griner returns back home to the United States

Listen · 3:05
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1142074773/1142074774" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Latin America

Encore: Brazil's President-elect renews calls to crack down on Amazon deforestation

Brazil's President-elect is pledging a "zero tolerance" policy on deforestation in the Amazon. But climate scientists warn the damage already done may be irreversible.

Encore: Brazil's President-elect renews calls to crack down on Amazon deforestation

Listen · 5:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1139765229/1139776599" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

National

Police give few details on the apparent murders of four University of Idaho students

Police are giving few details and contradictory information about the apparent murders of four University of Idaho students on Sunday.

Police give few details on the apparent murders of four University of Idaho students

Listen · 3:44
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1137501861/1137501862" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

National

Authorities investigate the deaths of 4 University of Idaho students

Police have yet to make any arrests in connection with the deaths of four University of Idaho students. The incident has shaken the small college town of Moscow.

Authorities investigate the deaths of 4 University of Idaho students

Listen · 2:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1137076773/1137076774" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Latin America

Brazil's president-elect renews calls to crack down on deforestation in the Amazon

Incoming president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is pledging a "zero tolerance" policy on deforestation in the Amazon. But climate scientists warn the damage already done may be irreversible.

Brazil's president-elect renews calls to crack down on deforestation in the Amazon

Listen · 5:13
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1136738643/1136738644" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

How Maricopa County defeated election disinformation — for now

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates gives an update about the ballot counting during a news conference at the Maricopa County Recorders Office in Phoenix, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Ross D. Franklin/AP

Elections

How Maricopa County defeated election disinformation — for now

The Republican chairman of Maricopa County, Ariz., is winning praise for his skilled handling of the election in the face of disinformation and voter conspiracy theories, mostly from his own party.

How Maricopa County defeated election disinformation — for now

Listen · 3:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1135820961/1136342634" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Climate

A 23-year megadrought is endangering the agricultural economy in the Southwest

Drought is pushing Arizona farmers to the brink as they've been cut off from the shrinking Colorado River. The crisis is also renewing questions about the viability of growing crops in a desert.

A 23-year megadrought is endangering the agricultural economy in the Southwest

Listen · 3:57
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1127631167/1127631168" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript