A new alternative to Uber and Lyft aspires to give workers more income and more say over their working conditions.
Economy
Posted inNovember 2024: The Once and Future Prairie
Is a farm that hosts weddings still a farm?
Agritourism divides a rural Washington county.
Posted inArticles
Denver’s last slaughterhouse is on the ballot
Voters face a complicated choice between jobs, workers’ rights and animal welfare.
Posted inArticles
In rural Washington, a ‘constitutional sheriff’ and his growing volunteer posse provoke controversy
Where some see a ‘rural neighborhood watch’ that saves money, others worry about liability and ties to extremism.
Posted inArticles
Befriending wildfire
A new book from Obi Kaufmann illustrates the reciprocal connection between California ecosystems and fire.
Posted inIssues
What to make of land art in the era of LandBack
‘City,’ a massive outdoor sculpture in Nevada, took Michael Heizer 50 years to make. Today, it is met with a mixture of scrutiny and awe.
Posted inSeptember 2024: When Migrants Go Missing
The scrappy store that gave me everything when I had nothing
Before its demise, the 99 Cents Only chain fed generations of families across four states.
Posted inArticles
Trying to escape sea-level rise, Northwest coastal tribes are drowning in paperwork
A new study shows how federal grant funding has actually become an obstacle to climate adaptation.
Posted inArticles
Arizona and Nevada edge toward Harris and Walz
The Democratic ticket is hitting home in Western swing states with young, minority and independent voters.
Posted inAugust 2024: In the Wake of the Floods
After historic floods, the safety net failed small farmers
Climate disasters are killing the largest subset of California farms. Government programs are too.
Posted inAugust 2024: In the Wake of the Floods
The inequity of heat
Extreme heat doesn’t discriminate; the ability to escape it does.
Posted inAugust 2024: In the Wake of the Floods
How New Mexico made child care free for most families
The state, long known for its challenges with child wellbeing, is now a leader in early childhood education.
Posted inArticles
Grabbing public land in the name of housing
Have politicians finally found a way to take public land out of the public’s hands?
Posted inArticles
When the end of the road brings a new beginning
Two accomplished new novels by Joe Wilkins and Willy Vlautin feature weathered protagonists called back from the brink.
Posted inArticles
Repeal of the Chevron doctrine will have profound consequences for federal rulemaking
Climate, public lands and tribal law regulations are now likely to face legal challenges.
Posted inJuly 2024
When a utility sparks a wildfire, who pays?
How Western utility companies are trying to shield themselves from wildfire costs and liabilities.
Posted inArticles
Supreme Court gives cities and towns power to criminalize homelessness
The Oregon case has been closely watched by Western cities and states.
Posted inArticles
Colorado’s oil and gas rules put taxpayers at risk, according to study
The report contradicts claims that the new rules are the ‘most robust in the country.’
Posted inArticles
When a landslide blocks your commute
The Teton Pass collapse highlights the importance — and growing vulnerability — of mountain roads.
Posted inArticles
The American Climate Corps take flight, with most jobs based in the West
Biden’s climate jobs program will put young people to work starting this summer.