As his final term ends, Dave Sakrison weighs the cost of decades of transformation.
Economy
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Don’t trim Grand Staircase. If anything, expand it.
The Utah monument is sustaining small town tourism, a good substitute for extractive industry.
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Keystone XL Pipeline gets a step closer to completion
An already-built section of the pipeline spilled 210,000 gallons of oil last week.
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A Wyoming county pursues a private immigration jail
A rural town hopes incarceration will boost its local economy.
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Raton tries to rise again
A former coal mining town takes measured approach to economic recovery.
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A vision for the Navajo Nation in one farm’s sustainability
Local businesses keep jobs and money circulating within their communities.
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Navajo small businesses help stabilize booms and busts
To build a sustained community, the Navajo Nation experiments with entrepreneurs.
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From ‘hallway’ to artery, a town rebuilds Main Street
Booms and busts withered Farmington, New Mexico, but new initiatives could revitalize it.
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
Handbook to ranching; pizza-loving bears; high hopes for medical marijuana
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
The changing politics of woods work
Cash-strapped agencies use private contractors to the detriment of local communities.
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A water-bottling plant creates a rift in Montana
Opponents say a proposal is tilting Flathead Valley development toward corporate interests.
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Ski resorts prepare for warmer Northwest winters
Shrinking snowpack has led some resorts to use costly, water-intensive snowmakers.
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
Can Utah’s centrists provide refuge for the disillusioned?
A new party called United Utah says that it is ‘Practical Not Partisan.’
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In New Mexico, demographic shifts have helped job growth
An influx of immigrants is preventing economic stagnation in the Borderlands.
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New Mexico breweries patch the gaps between oil booms
Rural towns explore ways to diversify their economies, from tourism to hospitality.
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
Latest: More pushback against coal export terminals
Proposed terminal in Longview, Washington, denied key water permit.
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Take a job, create another
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the myth of job-stealing immigrants persists.
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In rural New Mexico, a new brewery creates momentum
Truth or Consequences looks for ways to attract a new generation of entrepreneurs.
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Infographic: Where in the West young people are moving
Some counties in the region buck the aging trend.
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Why save the small town?
Cities may seem inevitable, but rural communities are finding ways to hang on.