Facing possible liability for California wildfires, PG&E has embraced a strategy of frequent unscheduled power outages, much to the distress of rural residents who rely on life-saving medical devices and business owners forced to shut down during tourist season. Westerners are seeing the impacts of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, layoffs and funding cuts. Fluoride is back in the news but not always in the water. There’s good news out there: Conservationists are finding new ways to help coho salmon, and an abandoned bridge in Idaho finds new life as a wildlife crossing. On the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, a heavy metal music festival brings joy and community to Indigenous youth. Legendary Diné-Puerto Rican ballet dancer Jock Soto is inspiring a new generation of young male dancers. The wide-open “eyes” of an aspen tree are a comforting change from the merciless glare of round-the-clock state surveillance. Echoes of the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff still haunt the characters of Jess Walter’s new novel, So Far Gone.
‘Our mission is to change the world through eco-cultural tourism’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
In Mendocino, river restoration pays off for salmon
Coho love the newly ‘messy’ streams.
Attack of the owls, emu-cipated emus, and say ‘hi’ to the bumpy little snailfish
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Western economies falter under the Trump administration
Tariffs, layoffs and federal funding clawbacks stress budgets.
Aspen ‘eyes’ keep us accountable to the natural world
In times of crisis, their gaze is a summon from nature to take action.
Heavy metal is healing teens on the Blackfeet Nation
In response to youth suicides, teachers show students the power of headbanging at Fire in the Mountains festival.
The fallout from Ruby Ridge
Disillusionment pushes Jess Walter’s characters to the brink in his new novel ‘So Far Gone.’
For rural Californians, unreliable power has become the norm
Years ago, the state’s largest utility rolled out a power outage program designed to reduce wildfires. Customers now experience thousands of outages a year.
Coping techniques are in order
Or, how to put yourself in the path of joy.
Hosts with the most
Holding board meetings and meeting the challenges.
Letters to the Editor, November 2025
Comments from readers.
Want fluoride in the water? Too bad.
Across the West, lawmakers are skipping over the will of voters and yanking fluoride.
What inspires Indigenous ballet dancer Jock Soto
The dancer seeks to preserve his legacy while educating others about his time on the biggest ballet stage.
Osburn’s bridge to nowhere becomes a lifeline for Silver Valley’s elk
Idaho’s newest wildlife crossing didn’t need to be built. It already existed near Coeur d’Alene.