The state is dependent on oil and gas, but Carlsbad has opportunity to become the epicenter of renewable energy.
Public health
Posted inArticles
Will history repeat in a dry Klamath Basin this summer?
This year’s drought is worse than in 2001, when political and environmental tensions exploded into the national spotlight.
Posted inJune 1, 2021: Once and Future Fires
Film: After wildfire, a motel becomes a temporary refuge
Nearly 8,000 people lost their housing in Oregon’s Labor Day fires. Some are finally finding a home, for now.
Posted inArticles
A broken system: The number of Indigenous people who died from coronavirus may never be known
From medical health privacy laws to a maze of siloed information systems, the true impact of COVID-19 on American Indian and Alaska Natives is impossible to calculate.
Posted inJune 1, 2021: Once and Future Fires
Hotels for those left unhoused by wildfires
As climate change ratchets up wildfire intensity, an Oregon program provides a step toward home.
Posted inJuly 1, 2021: An Urban Greenspace Revolution
Ongoing fish kill on the Klamath River is an ‘absolute worst-case scenario’
Unprecedented drought in the Klamath Basin leaves communities wondering how they will make it through the summer.
Posted inArticles
The Central California town that keeps sinking
The very ground upon which Corcoran was built is steadily collapsing, a situation caused primarily by agriculture.
Posted inArticles
The Gila River Indian Community innovates for a drought-ridden future
Through partnerships and exchanges, the community is ensuring that its members have long-term access to their own resources while helping solve broader water supply problems.
Posted inJuly 1, 2021: An Urban Greenspace Revolution
‘I’m scared of getting sick from the water’
Some rural California communities have waited nearly a decade for state regulators to repair their tainted drinking-water systems.
Posted inArticles
How the West has changed since the last census
Population growth has slowed overall, but the West continues at a fast pace, adding three congressional seats.
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
Americans go on a gun-buying frenzy
Gun-related violence soars along with sales.
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
Will COVID-19 vaccinations mean more prison overcrowding deaths?
California’s decades-old ‘tough on crime’ laws still fill prisons, creating disease danger zones.
Posted inArticles
The health hazards of California’s neighborhood drilling
Much of the state’s oil extraction takes place in residential areas, often in Spanish-speaking communities, but there’s a lack of research detailing its impact.
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
The Colorado town that became a transgender haven
In ‘Going to Trinidad,’ histories illuminate — and obscure — the outcomes of gender transition.
Posted inArticles
What is the pandemic’s lasting impact on first responders?
In Los Angeles County, as COVID-19 surged, EMTs faced the unimaginable, forcing them to take unimaginable measures.
Posted inArticles
New federal funding for police alternatives
The latest COVID-19 relief bill provides a ‘down payment’ for crisis response programs.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Did James Plymell need to die?
How homelessness is criminalized in small cities and towns across the West.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Foreign-born doctors fill physician shortages in the West
Some find a permanent home; others languish in a visa holding pattern.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
A rural remedy to health care access
A virtual telementoring program helps the West respond to the pandemic.
Posted inArticles
Rural communities grapple with COVID-19 immunization rollout
Far-flung populations and limited cold-storage resources present challenges to clinics.