WASHINGTON - As the national economic meltdown takes its toll on local economies, some out-of-the-way states are enjoying unprecedented prosperity. Home prices in states like Wyoming, West Virginia and North Dakota continue to rise, wages are growing...

RENO, Nev. An unusual combination of economic and environmental forces have created a perfect storm’’ that could help geothermal shed its back-seat status to its renewable cousins wind and solar energy, experts said at an international...

Considering public tension surrounding the city of Great Falls' dealings with the electric cooperative that wants to build a coal-fired power plant nearby, the city manager's decision last week to focus an audit on those dealings was a good one. The occasion is the city's annual audit by an outside accounting firm, and the specifics are that Manager Greg Doyon is asking the auditor to put a "special emphasis" on Electric City Power,...