Utah regulators turned a blind eye to faulty water systems at a girls’ summer camp, trusting the LDS Church would eventually fix the problem.
Feature
Posted inAugust 19, 2019: 2068: The Speculative Journalism Issue
Climate criminals
In 2068, as the world’s last climate change deniers are brought to justice, those tasked with going after them face a final challenge: retirement.
Posted inAugust 19, 2019: 2068: The Speculative Journalism Issue
The mysterious cow murders at Missouri Breaks
In 2068, a West Obsessed investigation.
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
Who pays for infrastructure in Borderland colonias?
In places like Vado, New Mexico, good roads are hard to find.
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
When Arizona catches fire, prisoners step up
In one of the West’s harshest penal systems, incarcerated wildfire fighters learn to see themselves anew.
Posted inJuly 21, 2019: A Radical Return
Can Bacone College reclaim its roots as a center for Native art?
The private college redefined Indigenous art but faces financial and infrastructure challenges today.
Posted inJune 24, 2019: Losing Lake Coeur d'Alene
A dangerous cocktail threatens the gem of North Idaho
Upstream mining has left a toxic legacy at the bottom of Coeur d’Alene Lake.
Posted inJune 10, 2019: 'None of this happened the way you think it did'
‘None of this happened the way you think it did’
For years, the clients of a Colorado funeral home kept their loved ones’ cremated remains. Then the FBI called.
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
The transformation of a centuries-old refuge in New Mexico
With 300,000 visitors every year, how can Chimayó’s history be preserved?
Posted inMay 13, 2019: Atomic Tourists
A road trip through New Mexico’s atomic past
As nuclear tourism booms in the Land of Enchantment, histories of violence are packaged, sold and consumed.
Posted inApril 29, 2019: A History of Violence
Indigenous educators fight for an accurate history of California
The Golden State is ignoring a history of violence against Native Americans.
Posted inApril 15, 2019: Scene of the Crime
How a tiny endangered species put a man in prison
The Devils Hole pupfish is nothing to mess with.
Posted inMay 27, 2019: Public Pushback
Militias, MAGA activists and one border town’s complicated resistance
How Arivaca, Arizona, became a magnet for anti-immigrant activists – and what locals did next.
Posted inFebruary 18, 2019: Barriers to Entry
Racist policing plagues Portland’s nightclubs
A reckoning is coming for Oregon’s white supremacist past.
Posted inFebruary 4, 2019: Nizhoni Girls
The making of a desert surf rock band
Meet the Nizhóní Girls on the road to stardom.
Posted inMarch 4, 2019: El Nuevo Movimiento
Chicano groups are embracing undocumented immigrants. It wasn’t always this way.
New alliances are forming in the face of racism and an unprecedented political moment.
Posted inJanuary 21, 2019: What Killed Washington's Carbon Tax?
What killed Washington’s carbon tax?
The curious death of 1631 and what it says about the future of addressing climate change.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
As the ecosystem of news changes, will journalists adapt fast enough?
Blooms can still be found in the West’s news desert.
Posted inMarch 18, 2019: Arizona's Wild Horse Paradox
Arizona’s wild horse paradox
Activists and agencies try to balance the West’s horse mythology against herd impacts.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Is nuclear energy the key to saving the planet?
A new generation of environmentalists is learning to stop worrying and love atomic power.