U.S. Briefs: Drought whittles Wyoming’s snowpack

Wyoming

Record high winter temperatures and below-average precipitation produced the lowest recorded mountain snowpack levels in 13 of Wyoming’s 19 primary river basins as of early April. Cowboy State snowpack generally peaks in the middle of March, but this year’s peak occurred a month earlier, on average, due to warmer, dryer conditions, according to Wyoming State Climate Office Director Tony Bergantino. “Except for the north, northeast, and some of the high elevation northwest, temperatures have been running up to more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, which has chewed up the snowpack,” Bergantino said. Some counties recorded normal or above-normal precipitation in late March and early April, but most of the state received less than half the usual spring snow or rains. Precipitation across much of the state in early April didn’t help the snowpack climb above the record lows. Moderate-to-exceptional drought conditions persist across more than 40% of the country, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which forecasts below-average precipitation and continued drought conditions through June for most of the West, including the Central Rocky Mountains. —Todd Vician

California

The White House has requested $152 million to reopen Alcatraz as a working prison. The Trump administration included the funding in its 2027 proposed budget submitted April 3. Located on a remote island, “The Rock” was one of the most secure prisons in the United States. Since the prison cost almost three times more than any other federal prison, it closed as a correctional facility in 1963. It has since served as a tourist attraction under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Last year, President Donald Trump announced on social media he would direct federal agencies to renovate and reopen the prison to “house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.” The funding request may not go through. Congress sets the budget, and the request mainly functions as a suggestion. —Bekah Bernhardt

Montana

Gov. Greg Gianforte joined a slew of other states’ leaders in requesting a waiver from the federal government to exclude certain items from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. If approved, the waiver would cut candy and prepared desserts, such as packaged snack cakes, from the program as well as high-sugar beverages. So far, Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has granted 22 states permission to ax junk food from SNAP. Gianforte praised the Make America Healthy Again initiative in a press release about the waiver. Montana’s requested changes will not affect fresh baked goods, protein bars, milk products, and fruit juices. Similar restrictions went into effect in Texas on April 1. —Addie Offereins

Tennessee

Convicted felons in Tennessee have fewer financial hurdles between them and the voting booth thanks to a law that amends a previous rule requiring them to finish paying back child support before they could regain the right to vote. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the new legislation in April. It requires felons to show that they are complying with a child support payment plan. The law also does away with a previous rule requiring people with felony sentences to finish paying their court costs before being allowed to vote. The Volunteer State joins several others in easing up on felony voting restrictions in recent years. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a law restoring voting rights to about 55,000 felons in 2023. Felons lose their right to vote in 23 states only while incarcerated. Fifteen states remove voting rights for a period of time after prison such as parole or probation. In 10 other states, felons lose their voting rights indefinitely or require a governor’s pardon or additional action to regain suffrage. Felons never lose the right to vote in Washington, D.C., Vermont, and Maine. —Addie Offereins

Washington

Opponents of the state’s newly adopted income tax are gearing up for a legal fight to overturn it. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the tax into law on March 30. It took effect immediately, but the state will not start collecting until 2029. Backers, who dubbed it the “millionaire’s tax,” claim it will generate about $3 billion a year from an estimated 21,000 filers. The 9.9% tax only applies to Washington households that make more than $1 million a year. State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen welcomed news of the legal challenge. He and other supporters of the bill filed it in part to test the legality of targeted taxation at the state Supreme Court. Washington voters have previously rejected efforts to impose a state income tax, but the income threshold for those measures was much lower. Opponents of the current bill say progressive taxing is illegal. Because income is considered property, they claim any taxing laws must be universally applied. Only eight states do not levy any form of income tax. —Leigh Jones

South Carolina

Senate budget writers on April 7 moved to limit the state’s K-12 scholarship program to 10,000 students before reversing course a day later, restoring a planned 15,000 cap. The proposal, led by Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, stemmed from frustration that the state Department of Education awarded funds to homeschooled students, allegedly against lawmakers’ wishes. After a 16-3 committee vote, several senators said they hadn’t realized the cap would reduce participation. While they reinstated the higher limit, they upheld a ban on adding more homeschooled students. The scholarships are designed to cover private school tuition, curriculum, technology, transportation, and other education expenses. South Carolina’s voucher law bars students in the state’s three statutory homeschool programs but is silent on those taught at home outside them. Normally ineligible under attendance rules, those students can qualify through required testing. Under Hembree’s proposal, the nearly 1,000 home­schooled students who participated in the program last year would be allowed to remain. —Kim Henderson