Ray Ring
Posted inMay 30, 2011: Wolf Whiplash
The cost of righteousness
I have a friend named Gina who is a great marriage counselor. Gina is roly-poly and effervescent — her mere presence disarms uptight people. With a Ph.D., an M.D. and decades of experience, she’s an empathetic listener, expressing just enough of her own opinions to create a genuine conversation and strive for breakthroughs. She’s very […]
Posted inWotr
When all else fails, go to court
The national environmental movement is spinning its wheels in Congress and accomplishing very little. The big groups lobbied like crazy in 2008 and 2009 on the crucial issue of limiting the fossil fuels that cause climate change, but couldn’t get the Senate to approve even a moderate move to curb carbon emissions with a “cap-and-trade” […]
Posted inMay 2, 2011: The Westerner in D.C
Profile: Corey Shott, National Wildlife Federation
Montana native Corey Shott grew up in Missoula, came to D.C. to earn a bachelor’s in political science at George Washington University and made politics her career: An internship with Montana Sen. Max Baucus, then campaign work for various Democratic candidates, then a couple of years as a “junior lobbyist” for a D.C. firm that […]
Posted inMay 2, 2011: The Westerner in D.C
Profile: Rodger Schlickeisen, Defenders of Wildlife
“I like snow on the Crazies,” says Rodger Schlickeisen, longtime president and CEO of one of the most ardent D.C.-based environmental groups, Defenders of Wildlife. He’s not talking about snowflakes falling on members of Congress. He means the white stuff that piles up on Montana’s Crazy Mountains, northeast of Bozeman. For 22 years, Schlickeisen has […]
Posted inMay 2, 2011: The Westerner in D.C
Profile: Bethany Cotton, Center for Biological Diversity
A crowd of several dozen lawyers met in a recent D.C. federal court hearing to consider the question: Should the government limit carbon emissions to slow climate change and save sea-ice habitat for polar bears? Some represented the Obama administration, while others were there on behalf of Alaska’s government, the oil industry or environmental groups. […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2011: Big Beef
Ruthless economics
I admit it: I sometimes shop in soulless big-box stores like Walmart. I’m not offering this confession as a member of Shopaholics Anonymous. I’m admitting that I’m part of the larger problem that figures in our cover story “Big Beef.” When I buy from big-box stores, I support economic forces that value high volume and […]
Posted inFebruary 21, 2011: Palin, politics, and predator control
Alaska ho!
Here at High Country News, we’re even more charged up than usual: This issue has our first cover story exploring the rough terrain of Alaska’s environmental politics. The only other cover story we’ve devoted to Alaska analyzed Bering Sea crab fishing, in July 2009. You might wonder why a 41-year-old news operation focused on the […]
Posted inFebruary 7, 2011: Obama and the West
A closer look at Obama’s judges, federal agencies, and his approach to science and secrecy
Federal judges Background Judges strive to be objective, but they’re only human. Studies show that federal judges appointed by Democratic presidents show a slight tendency to rule in favor of environmentalists’ positions, while Republican judges tend toward the opposite. When Obama took office, nearly 60 percent of the active federal judges were Republican. Since a […]
Posted inFebruary 7, 2011: Obama and the West
Presidential style
Our first president, George Washington, was cautious and reserved. He emphasized honesty and dedication, as well as punctuality. Abraham Lincoln was emotional and reflective, deeply empathetic and driven by his conscience. Teddy Roosevelt had an up-front, in-your-face style and liked to say, “I always believe in going hard at everything.” The personalities of these presidents […]
Posted inJanuary 24, 2011: Serendipity in the Desert
A dark moment, a glimmer of light
The connection might seem tenuous, but I think that the West’s most shocking recent event — the Jan. 8 bloodbath in Tucson, Ariz. — has a correlation with our Utah cover story. The “Tucson massacre,” as it’s being called — in which an apparently mentally ill young man shot Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 […]
Posted inDecember 20, 2010: California Dreamin'
Diving deeper into the Bay Delta
It would have been easy to frame this issue’s cover story from just one viewpoint — that of a dedicated environmentalist, say. It would have gone something like this: Profit-loving California farmers and voracious megacities are so greedy for water that they’re destroying what’s left of the once-sublime Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta ecosystem. Period. […]
Posted inNovember 8, 2010: Dr. No
How outsiders shape the West
Note: This is the editor’s note for a package of stories about Oklahoma vs. the West (links at the end). — The biggest story happening now — the Nov. 2 elections and their results — is impossible to cover in this edition of High Country News. We go to press a few days before the […]
Posted inNovember 8, 2010: Dr. No
Oklahoma vs. the West
This dispute includes drilling, wilderness, guns and climate change
Posted inOctober 25, 2010: Lynch-Mob Politics
Montana: Utility regs and clean energy up for grabs
When Democrat Dennis McDonald first decided to try to knock Denny Rehberg out of Montana’s sole seat in the House of Representatives, his chances appeared good. Montana’s Democrats had been on a roll since 2004, winning a Senate seat, the governor’s mansion and four other statewide offices. McDonald has a background in ranching — an […]
Posted inOctober 25, 2010: Lynch-Mob Politics
Stringing up the Western sheriff
Note: This is the editor’s note for our Western elections guide. The other elections stories are listed at the end. — The people were angry about a political system that seemed hopelessly corrupt. Waves of immigrants were flooding in and everything felt chaotic. The economy soared and plummeted, driven by naked greed, profiteering businesses, and […]
Posted inOctober 25, 2010: Lynch-Mob Politics
Utah: A Sagebrush Rebel headed for D.C.
Utah’s most important election this year was held in the springtime, when angry right-wingers overthrew three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Bennett in the Republican primary. Mike Lee, a lawyer who pushes high-profile Sagebrush Rebel cases, is now the Republican candidate for Senate. And given Utah’s history, Lee will almost certainly crush Democrat Sam Granato to win […]
Posted inOctober 25, 2010: Lynch-Mob Politics
Wyoming: A popular governor gets mysterious
Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal isn’t running for a third term, despite his belief that he could successfully challenge Wyoming’s term-limits law in court and translate his high approval ratings into another win in the ballot boxes. And he’s apparently decided that it’s no longer crucial to have a Democrat in the governor’s office as a […]
Posted inOctober 25, 2010: Lynch-Mob Politics
Idaho: How a Democrat wins in the Northern Rockies
When the votes are counted election night, it might surprise some national pundits if Idaho’s 1st Congressional District goes blue. But Democrat Walt Minnick was a pretty good bet when he wrested the seat from 14 years of Republican ownership in 2008. And since then, Minnick has positioned himself to appeal even more to Idaho’s […]
Posted inAugust 20, 2010: A Hell of an Anniversary
Doomster chorus
Note: This is a sidebar to a profile of the founder of High Country News and his increasingly pessimistic view of the future, headlined, “A Hell of an Anniversary.” — “… A simple look at the upward path of global greenhouse-gas emissions (indicates) we will continue to squeeze the trigger on the gun we have […]