In eastern Washington, a push to clean PCBs from its namesake river faces a dirty legacy and global pollution problem.
Public health
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
No news is bad news for public health
Losing local news sources and public health reporters hampers disease detection and outbreak response.
Posted inArticles
Native Americans are under-reported in opioid overdose data
Misclassification of race on death certificates underestimated opioid and heroin overdose deaths among Native Americans by 40 percent in Washington state.
Posted inArticles
Senate hears stories of Indian Country’s missing and murdered
Data gaps, understaffing and lax investigations have deepened the crisis.
Posted inArticles
What the Violence Against Women Act could do in Indian Country — and one major flaw
Women from 228 tribes in Alaska and four in Maine still aren’t protected by the act.
Posted inFebruary 4, 2019: Nizhoni Girls
Extreme heat hits Tucson’s poor neighborhoods hardest
Where city efforts fall short, activists try to add shade to the heat-stressed south side.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Study of missing and murdered Indigenous women highlights police data failures
Poor data collection by law enforcement creates a significant hurdle to understanding the crisis.
Posted inArticles
A fishing rod stronger than war’s dark legacy
After his father’s suicide, a son seeks solace in the streams.
Posted inArticles
Indian Health Service provider vacancies a ‘never-ending cycle’
A new report reveals that chronic understaffing at the Indian Health Service denies patients quality care.
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
Latest: Wildfire smoke deaths could double by century’s end
New research shows fire-polluted air could kill up to 44,000 people per year by 2100.
Posted inArticles
Congress must prioritize Native women through legislation
The critical Violence Against Women Act is set to expire at the end of this month.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
An end of the line for the kings of the Yukon?
A writer visits Alaska and finds a fishing culture in slow collapse, fading with its most important resource.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
Photos: Above a Western waste land
A photo collection of 67 Superfund sites shows landscapes vandalized by mines and nuclear plants.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
Relittering: Take your trash and show it in the sun
Philosophy teaches us little more than how to confuse our settled opinions.
Posted inAugust 20, 2018: Where the West is Moving - and Why
In southwestern Utah, unceasing growth means increased tension
Access to public lands has caused St. George to become one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.
Posted inArticles
How tweets can map a #wildfire
Social media could help monitor air pollution that physical monitors miss.
Posted inArticles
Hunters and anglers need to get the lead out
Lead ammunition and fishing gear poison ecosystems — and dinner tables.
Posted inArticles
As Montana ages, community can help combat loneliness
Fostering connections boosts elders’ physical as well as mental health.
Posted inArticles
Counties lacking mental health providers turn to technology
A Montana clinic’s telemedicine network helps far-away patients receive care.
Posted inArticles
In a state troubled by suicide, teens learn mental health skills
A Swedish program takes root in Montana classrooms.