NEW ARRIVALS

The HCN family has grown by two in recent weeks. Laura Paskus, HCN’s Southwest editor, gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday, Jan. 29. Lillian Jane arrived at 11:38 p.m., weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and measuring 19 1/4 inches long. Laura and her husband, Hollis Lawrence, report that Lillie is "ridiculously cute" — though no word on whether they feel that way at 2:00 in the morning, when she decides it’s time for a snack.

Our newest staffer, Jonathan Thompson, arrived in the office on Monday, Jan. 30 — just in time to take over Laura’s Southwest duties while she’s on maternity leave. Jonathan comes from the smaller, higher and colder town of Silverton, Colo., where he owned and edited the local newspaper for the past six years. He says he, his wife, Wendy, and their daughters, Elena and Lydia, are loving Paonia’s relatively warm weather and the abundance of local foods and wines.

Once Laura is back in action, Jonathan will settle into new duties as associate editor, working with staff and freelance writers to produce news stories and "Uncommon Westerners" profiles. His e-mail address is jonathan@hcn.org.

LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD INTERNS

The deadline for applications for HCN’s four-month summer internship is March 3. We’re looking for smart, enthusiastic people with solid writing skills who’d like to learn more about independent reporting and the West. While interns at other publications may make copies and do research, ours write their own stories and report from places like the Grand Canyon and Washington’s Yakima Valley. We especially encourage minority applicants. For more information, call Jodi Peterson, Internship Coordinator, at 970-527-4898 or see our Web site, www.hcn.org/about/interns.jsp

CONDOLENCES

Longtime HCN supporter William Kent of Moab, Utah, died on Dec. 17, 2005. Kent, 69, was born in Budapest, Hungary, and emigrated to the U.S. with his parents as an infant. A dedicated conservationist, he loved Utah’s redrock country. In 2000, he retired to Moab, where he owned Petra Gallery and featured the work of local artists.

CORRECTION

Reader Courtney Smith of Lewiston, Idaho, pointed out that a photograph we ran recently was of Idaho’s Lemhi Range, not the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness as it was captioned (HCN, 1/23/06: Photo Gallery). The photo was originally published in the new book Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam; photography assistant Emil Jara says they’ll correct the mistake in the book’s next print run.