Feature stories
Browse High Country News feature stories
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California: Dope, eBay, pollution and moonbeams
California flashes back to the 1970s with campaigns to legalize marijuana and re-elect Jerry Brown as governor, while other key races are also sizzling hot.
by Jonathan Thompson, Oct 19, 2010 -
Arizona: Obama's curse?
When Obama plucked Janet Napolitano out of the governor's seat to run Homeland Security, he surrendered Arizona to the ultra-conservatives.
by Jonathan Thompson, Oct 19, 2010 -
Idaho: How a Democrat wins in the Northern Rockies
Pro-business, semi-green Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick has a good chance of keeping his seat, while Idaho's Republican Party fractures over a loyalty oath.
by Ray Ring, Oct 19, 2010 -
Once More Unto The Breach
Controversial guidebook author Michael Kelsey takes a writer into Utah's notorious Black Hole.
by Jeremy Miller, Oct 10, 2010 -
Dancing with Climate Change
In California's White Mountains, scientists ponder the fate of beardtongues, bristlecone pines and butterflies in a rapidly warming world.
by J. Madeleine Nash, Oct 04, 2010 -
Still Cranish After All These Years
A specimen of Homo sapiens sapiens considers evolution and becoming a crane.
by George Sibley, Sep 12, 2010 -
A Hell of an Anniversary
High Country News' founder, Tom Bell, marks our 40th anniversary with a grim prediction: The West -- and the world -- are doomed.
by Ray Ring, Aug 30, 2010 -
Young, All-American, Illegal
Young undocumented immigrants thrive in the U.S. -- until they turn 18 and the law cracks down.
by Daniel Glick, Aug 16, 2010 -
The Fiery Touch
Raymond Oyler is charged with murder and wildfire arson after five firefighters die in California's Esperanza Fire.
by John N. Maclean, Aug 01, 2010 -
The Ute Paradox
The Southern Utes overcame poverty and oppression to become a wealthy and powerful tribe with nationwide energy holdings.
by Jonathan Thompson, Jul 12, 2010 -
Immersed in the Wild
Edwin Dobb's cold swims in San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and other Western waters bring him into contact with whales and other aquatic wildlife, as well as hidden currents and storms.
by Edwin Dobb, Jun 27, 2010 -
Bloody Mystery Lingers in the Desert
The unsolved murder of rancher Robert Krentz adds to the already-high tension along the Arizona-Mexico border.
by Michel Marizco, Jun 15, 2010 -
One Tough Sucker
Human beings are the greatest threat -- and the only hope -- for the Colorado River's razorback sucker.
by Hillary Rosner, Jun 07, 2010 -
Accidental Wilderness
Washington's Hanford Site and New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range both hold deadly nuclear contamination – along with unspoiled landscapes rich in wildlife.
by David Wolman, May 17, 2010 -
One Way to Save the Wolf? Hunt It.
Montana wildlife managers say the state's first wolf hunt has been a success -- for both the hunters and their prey.
by Hal Herring, May 10, 2010 -
The Secret Lives of River Guides
Every spring, Grand Canyon boatmen meet for an educational seminar -- and a rousing good time.
by Brad Dimock, May 03, 2010 -
Nevada's Golden Child
Hardrock mining's outsized political power in Nevada may finally be eroding, thanks to state budget woes.
by Judith Lewis, Apr 19, 2010 -
The Butterfly Sting
How a federal wildlife agent brought down one of the world's most notorious insect thieves.
by Craig Welch, Apr 11, 2010 -
March Madness in Indian Country
Basketball provides a bright spot in reservation life.
by Lisa Jones, Apr 05, 2010 -
Gary Nabhan remembers Stewart Udall
Gary Nabhan remembers influential conservationist and former Interior secretary, Stewart Udall.
by Gary Nabhan, Mar 29, 2010
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