News
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Utah's Bob Bennett on the Tea Party, wilderness and life after Congress
The Republican senator got booted from office in the 2010 Tea Party surge, after supporting wilderness legislation. HCN interviewed him about the prospects for public lands bills in the next Congress.
by Paul Larmer, Nov 06, 2012 -
Voters shape energy policy by choosing utility regulators
Races for seats on state commissions that oversee utilities are among the most important elections you’ve never heard of. They could decide the future of renewable energy in Montana and Arizona this year.
by Ray Ring, Nov 02, 2012 -
Races where the environment matters. Sort of.
Though environmental issues won't be decisive at the ballot box, candidates' green records could still matter -- if environmental super PACs have their way.
by Cally Carswell, Oct 30, 2012 -
2012 Western ballot initiatives
Important and intriguing measures on the ballot this year across the West.
by Brendon Bosworth, Oct 28, 2012 -
As goes Nevada, so goes the nation?
As Nevada sinks deeper into decline, party politics give way to pragmatism.
by Judith Lewis Mernit, Oct 29, 2012 -
Westerners' presidential proclivities
Red-blue swings in presidential elections since 1960 show the region’s political landscape has always been dynamic.
by Cally Carswell, Oct 28, 2012 -
Redistricting pains in California and other states
Many congressional races are up for grabs in California, thanks to a depoliticized redistricting process and less partisan primary system.
by Stephanie Paige Ogburn, Oct 28, 2012 -
Is the Latino electorate finally beginning to make its mark?
If Democrats succeed in an improbable coup -- winning a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, and making the state competitive for Obama -- they’ll have Latino voters to thank.
by Ray Ring, Oct 28, 2012 -
Fall books offer journeys of the mind
New Western fiction and nonfiction for fall 2012.
by Cally Carswell, Oct 15, 2012 -
Best of the West: Our favorite books
Western authors and HCN staffers share their most-loved writing about the region.
by Jodi Peterson, Oct 14, 2012 -
Western literary journals give voice to story and place
A number of literary journals offer different perspectives on the West.
by Susan J. Tweit, Oct 14, 2012 -
Fire scientists fight over what Western forests should look like
Controversial new studies question the conventional wisdom on Western ponderosa forests and the severity of their historic wildfires.
by Emily Guerin, Sep 26, 2012 -
One Sagebrush Rebellion flickers out -- or does it?
Wayne Hage's 20-year court battle over ranching on public lands comes to a close, but his son continues to tussle with the feds.
by Jodi Peterson, Sep 20, 2012 -
The politics of public health
Environmental regulations are a favorite target in the runup to this year's election.
by Judith Lewis Mernit, Sep 18, 2012 -
The great New Mexican juniper massacre
On public land in New Mexico, firewood-hunters have illegally cut down hundreds of old-growth juniper trees, much to the dismay of the Bureau of Land Management and environmental activists.
by Jonathan Thompson, Sep 16, 2012 -
Watching land swaps in Idaho and the West
Federal land exchanges have come under increased scrutiny over the past decade, both from citizen activists and the Government Accountability Office.
by Neil LaRubbio, Sep 11, 2012 -
Cracking the ozone code in Utah's gas fields
Can gas drilling and clean air co-exist?
by Cally Carswell, Sep 10, 2012 -
In rural California, a Liberian family finds an agricultural refuge
Guinda, California is home to an unusual multi-ethnic community with a rich African-American farming tradition.
by Lauren Markham, Sep 07, 2012 -
The Bay Area Chevron explosion shows gaps in refinery safety
Oil refineries pose serious health hazards for nearby residents as well as workers, as the recent explosion in Richmond and other incidents, like one in Sinclair, Wyo., have made clear.
by Jeremy Miller, Sep 04, 2012 -
A sampling of Western land swaps
Ovrview of land swaps around the West.
by Neil LaRubbio, Sep 02, 2012
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