In 2018, Ali moved from California to Colorado to be a founding reporter for the CPB-funded regional journalism collaborative, the Mountain West News Bureau. She was based at KRCC Radio in Colorado Springs.
While there, Ali reported for public radio stations across Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, and Nevada. Her stories covered issues of public land, water, urban growth, wildlife, politics, immigration, native issues, climate change, and Western culture and heritage.
Credit: Matt Bloom/ KUNC
During her time with the Bureau, Ali landed several stories on national programs like NPR’s All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, NPR Newscasts, Here and Now, and Marketplace. She was interviewed about her reporting by Joshua Johnson on 1A. Alongside her team, Ali reported a feature story for an in-depth series on private prisons funded by the Pulitzer Center.