What is lost when the floating highway that connects the state’s coastal communities disappears?
Politics
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
When wildlife safety turns into fierce political debate
In Island Park, Idaho, a fight over roadkill became a referendum on government control.
Posted inArticles
Washington Rep. Matt Shea engaged in ‘domestic terrorism,’ helped plan Malheur standoff, investigation finds
A report says the Spokane Valley Republican aided three armed conflicts against the U.S. government.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
As Spokane grows, is it leaving low-income renters outside?
Proposals to protect tenants and reduce homelessness lack political support.
Posted inArticles
Decision to relocate BLM’s headquarters under investigation
‘If this administration is confident the move is defensible,’ Democrats say, the Government Accountability Office ‘should have no problem confirming it.’
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Party Favors
This Cherokee congressman is for Trump – and Indian Country
Markwayne Mullin, who is hard-right and white-passing, may not seem like an Indigenous lawmaker, but he’s no anomaly.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Party Favors
Party favors: Should parties pick candidates before voters do?
The 2018 battle over New Mexico’s most conservative district shows just how undemocratic politics can be.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
NEPA transformed federal land management — and has fallen short
A look back at the ground-breaking legislation on its 50th anniversary.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Party Favors
Why are Govs. Inslee and Brown fighting the youth climate cases?
Settling with the young activists could be an important tool for climate action.
Posted inArticles
WiFi, Amazon and food trucks: Trump team’s vision for national parks
As they open parks for businesses, advisers propose cutting seniors 50% discounts during peak seasons.
Posted inNovember 25, 2019: Forever Mines
BLM chief’s wild horse fixation distracts from the real threats to public land
Species extinction, near-constant wildfire and widespread drought are a few dangers William Perry Pendley might consider instead.
Posted inArticles
Allowing off-highway vehicles in Utah’s national parks is a mistake
More mechanized traffic in already crowded parks is another Trump administration gift to industry and Utah politicians.
Posted inArticles
No relief from fracking industry on Colorado’s Front Range
Advocates hope new laws will bring changes, but they aren’t seeing much yet.
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
Packing heat; a ministeroni; wipes frenzy
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Ancestral remains to be returned to Navajo and Hopi nations
Finland will repatriate more than 600 items to 26 tribes.
Posted inArticles
National politics put California’s air quality in the crosshairs
On the ground, one teen deploys pollution monitors to make his community safer.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s Fish and Wildlife pick is entangled with industry
Aurelia Skipwith has ties to water interests fighting endangered species protection and worked for ag giant Monsanto.
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
How BLM employees really feel about moving West
Leaked audio from a recent agency meeting is filled with fumbles by leadership, disapproving rumbles and derisive laughter from staff.
Posted inArticles
How the Trump administration is silencing science
Six ex-government scientists explain how they were made to bury climate science and why they decided to blow the whistle.
Posted inArticles
Since the 1870s, the West has led the way for women in politics
Though racist policies persist, the West has a distinctive heritage of expanding voting rights for women.