West

Four men went to prison, one was hung.

The $1.2 billion proposal is a potential breakthrough in a stalemate over how to deal with a rising problem that pitted Western states against one another.

Federal officials use the forecast released each August to make decisions about how to allocate river water.

The most dramatic changes have been seen in the desert Southwest.

Forecasters expect nearly the entire country to be warmer than normal for the next three months.

Any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy, while a score above 50 suggests a growing economy.

Nearly three of every four bankers surveyed reported restructuring farm loans to deal with weak farm income.

Any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy.

Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

The confidence index remained low at 42.9 in September — up slightly from August's 42.