Crosscut articles of the past 10 days with the most clicks.
Crosscut articles of the past 10 days with the most reader comments.
Crosscut blog posts of the past 10 days with the most clicks.
Posted Wed, Sep 23, 6 a.m.
A Biological Opinion factors in the effect of climate change on California salmon runs and the orcas that depend on them. So why is the recent BiOp by NOAA on the Columbia and Snake so oblivious?
READ MORE 5 COMMENTS
Posted Sat, Mar 14, 6 a.m.
A new poll suggests Western states report a better sense of well-being, but neither prosperity not recession seem to be making most Americans happier.
READ MORE 5 COMMENTS
Posted Mon, Feb 23, 6 a.m.
Walling off migration is not possible. But there are ways to downsize our ambitions to a Lesser Seattle, which might be good for America and the environment.
READ MORE 27 COMMENTS
Posted Tue, Feb 3, 6 a.m.
A Hearst investigative series reveals the Boy Scouts to be chainsaw-wielding maniacs, confirming the author's long suspicion that scouting is a fraud.
READ MORE 14 COMMENTS
Posted Fri, Dec 12, 6 a.m.
The pressure for real estate and the short-term perspective of fancy Wall Street financial instruments have changed the old line companies utterly.
READ MORE 9 COMMENTS
Posted Wed, Dec 10, 6 a.m.
As resorts for the wealthy such as Yellowstone Club, Tamarack, and Promontory tumble into insolvency, you have to wonder what the lenders such as Credit Suisse and Lehman Bros. were thinking. Here's another tale of toxic assets, poor diligence, and no backup plans.
READ MORE COMMENT NOW
Posted Thu, Nov 20, midnight
Electing a black president has caused a rise in hate crimes, but no one is less popular than Godless blowhards.
READ MORE 25 COMMENTS
Posted Fri, Nov 7, midnight
As Washington and Oregon become increasingly urban, Republicans are increasingly scarce. They remain in control of isolated, rural counties, but their numbers are no match for Democrats.
READ MORE 14 COMMENTS
Posted Fri, Oct 10, 4 p.m.
Some misery is more equal than others, as new figures show. The governor also gains a notch by being able to dole out budget savings.
READ MORE 7 COMMENTS
Posted Wed, Sep 3, 6 p.m.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is hardly the first from this corner of the country to run for one of the highest offices, but those who made it to the general election are relatively few.
READ MORE COMMENT NOW
Posted Fri, Aug 29, 11 a.m.
Our grizzled national political writer, an Obama supporter, found himself rooting for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during her coming-out party. Her choice by Sen. John McCain could be a game-changer — if she doesn't make any big mistakes between now and the election.
READ MORE 8 COMMENTS
Posted Tue, Aug 5, 4 a.m.
There's a reverse flow of population in the West, drifting from expensive coastal cities to interior boomtowns. It's definitely changing the politics of the Rockies, while also stirring resentments at "Aspenization."
READ MORE 4 COMMENTS
Posted Mon, Jul 7, 4 a.m.
The federal agencies are back for a fifth round in federal court, still cooking up very strained arguments for minimal efforts to save the fish. Two things might change the impasse: a new case for saving dams due to climate change, and the bestirring of Congress. Here's a survey of the high-stakes issues.
READ MORE 1 COMMENTS
Posted Fri, Jun 20, 8 p.m.
Wild Sky in Washington's Cascades is just one of a number of areas designated for protection that are not, in the strictest sense, primeval environment. But they are wild, and in modern times they're worth preserving, say environmentalists — even if unprecedented compromise is necessary.
READ MORE 4 COMMENTS
Posted Fri, May 30, midnight
It was, the Brookings Institution admitted, a flawed study. But it's the best data we have on the impact of urban areas on climate. This business of quantifying carbon emissions is as complicated as technological urban life itself.
READ MORE 8 COMMENTS
Posted Tue, May 20, 5 a.m.
State universities have clumsy and stingy masters in state capitols. Is it time for divorce court? Here's the story of how some people advising the University of Washington looked at such a scheme.
READ MORE 4 COMMENTS
Posted Sat, May 10, midnight
The golden age of dam building has long since passed, capped by the tragic failure in 1976 of the last big dam, an earthen structure on the Teton River of Idaho. Few new dam projects are being proposed these days, and many dams are being purposefully breached. But that hasn't stopped some from resurrecting the possibility of a new Teton Dam.
READ MORE 2 COMMENTS
Posted Tue, May 6, midnight
A primer of regional separatist movements, real and imagined.
READ MORE 2 COMMENTS
Posted Sat, Apr 19, midnight
With healthy numbers, the gray wolf faces de-listing as an endangered species. Introducing trophy hunting into the management plan has arguably worked for other species, such as the mountain lion, and some think it will work for the gray wolf, but the idea is not without its staunch critics.
READ MORE COMMENT NOW
Posted Mon, Apr 14, 11 p.m.
The salmon fisheries of the Northwest have spawned a new industry of bureaucrats, lawyers, environmentalists, sport fishers, commercial interests, scientists, and natives, all focused on the absence of fish. Meanwhile, four sockeye returned last summer to a lake in Idaho once teeming with tens of thousands.
READ MORE 3 COMMENTS
Posted Thu, Aug 6, 4:30 p.m.
Recent Northwest examples of the government failing to follow its own rules on protecting heritage.
MOREPosted Wed, Apr 1, 3:03 p.m.
The problems with Tamarack Resort in Idaho, where the author worked, suggest that we should stop building such playgrounds for the wealthy.
MOREPosted Sun, Feb 1, 10 a.m.
Driving the interior West from Seattle to Arizona is a demoralizing experience, as hard times bites these hard-bitten towns.
MOREPosted Tue, Jan 6, 6 a.m.
Once known for resilience, the Northwest now seems baffled as regards an economic strategy for the recession.
MOREPosted Sat, Nov 1, 6:22 p.m. 2008
The network's political director surveys all 50 states for races and trends to watch. Here's what he sees in the Northwest.
MOREPosted Sun, Nov 2, 6:12 a.m. 2008
Some links to voting-related Web sites to help you prepare.
MOREPosted Thu, Oct 9, 4 a.m. 2008
There's a cool Web site that lets you look at the electoral college results in presidential races since 1789. It features a U.S. map that shows the color of states as they were carried every four years: red for Republican, blue for Democrat, purple for Whig. It's fun to look at the Great Nearby and see the trends.
MOREPosted Mon, Sep 29, 1:31 p.m. 2008
If you've been following coverage of the House of Representatives' rejection of the $700 billion proposal to bail out Wall Street and the subsequent stock plunge, I don't need to tell you what a lousy day it's been for politicians. But for the state's political journalists, it's even worse. Tri-City Herald reporter and rising state political journalism star Chris Mulick announced he was leaving the business today, opting instead to work for the state Senate Democratic caucus. I wrote about Mulick recently, saying that he was part of the next generation of promising political writers sure to take the reigns from the state's elder newsmen. So much for that.
MOREPosted Fri, Sep 12, 5 p.m. 2008
A source "tight in the Obama campaign" has sent out a memo, meant to reassure anxious supporters by deflecting attention from national polls, where McCain is rising, and to the state-by-state electoral tally, where the election will be settled. While there might be some disinformation in such a message, and things are obviously still fluid, it makes for interesting reading. Washington and Oregon remain firmly in the "Obama solid" category, while Montana has joined Idaho in the "McCain solid" group.
MORE
Posted Sun, Sep 7, 9:31 a.m. 2008
In the governor's race, Gov. Chris Gregoire understandably often cites the state's recent rating by Forbes magazine, which names Washington as the third best state for business. The magazine's annual ranking put Virginia first and Utah second; Idaho retains its high rank, this year as 7th. Oregon finished 16th, Colorado is 6th, Minnesota is 11th, Montana is 24th, California is 40th, and Alaska is 48th.
MORE
