The West

As our Charter Membership Drive continues, a few words from a Crosscut Public Media contributor

Horizon Bank and the fate of Fairhaven Highlands

Posted Mon, Oct 26, 6 a.m.

By Bob Simmons

Preservationists worry that the character of Bellingham's historic neighborhood rides on the FDIC's willingness to enforce its own order restricting a controversial development.

Calamity: Timeless lessons from the 1903 Heppner Flood

Posted Fri, Oct 16, 6 a.m.

By Joann Byrd

The author of a new book on Oregon's little-remembered disaster finds some enduring truths while researching the tragedy.

Seattle, toward a 'MetroNation'

Posted Thu, Oct 15, 6 a.m.

By Judy Lightfoot

Brookings' Bruce Katz argues in a UW talk that this "metro" can help lead the U.S. toward a new, more prosperous economy.

Get Thee to the None Zone

Posted Mon, Sep 28, 6 a.m.

A new study shows how many people are following the Northwest's lead of turning into religious skeptics and non-joiners.

Why the West deserves more rail service

Posted Fri, Sep 25, 6 a.m.

By Chris Blanchard

Some East Coast experts mistake the West for a thinly populated place, a wasteful region for Obama's new rail spending. The numbers tell a different, highly urban story.

The lasting impact of the New Deal's CCC

Posted Fri, Apr 10, 6 a.m.

By Brian D'Ambrosio

A new book looks at one spectacular legacy in the Colorado Plateau

The Cascadian Dream

Posted Thu, Apr 9, 6 a.m.

Can a Pacific Northwest utopia be shaped on the shared belief that nature is sacred? This latest installment in a series on regional identity looks at the patron saint of the environmental movement, John Muir, and how his thinking informs the desire for a new, greener, and elusive entity some call Cascadia.

Are we happier in the West?

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.

A desert town's dusty soul

Posted Fri, Feb 27, 6 a.m.

A feisty newspaper that carried on the Edward Abbey tradition in Moab, Utah, is closing. It's a sign, along with too much good coffee, of change in the West.

Is Seattle's growth unstoppable?

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.

BPA: Ready for a new Act?

Posted Fri, Feb 20, 6 a.m.

Internecine squabbles over hydroelectric power in the Northwest might lead to a new Power Act, possibly opening up the Columbia River system so that other states benefit, such as California. Part 2

BPA gets a new jolt, thanks to the stimulus bill

Posted Thu, Feb 19, 6 a.m.

The new money will speed up building lines to the new green energy economy. Or will it just touch off more power struggles? The Northwest has a rich history of these epic battles over public power. Part 1

Ending the West's environmental stagnation

Posted Thu, Jan 29, 6 a.m.

By Joan McCarter

If Democrats show that protecting the environment means more jobs, there's hope for real environmental progress, economic salvation and a retreat from old animosities

Setting sail for the Salish Sea

Posted Fri, Jan 23, 6 a.m.

Forget cleaning up Puget Sound: we have bigger waters to take care of. A new name for the Pacific Northwest's inland sea challenges us to rethink the region and its identity.

Why the national park gun rule should stand

Posted Fri, Jan 9, 6 a.m.

By Bill Schneider

The rule doesn't change much, says this commentator, mostly just making the status quo the legal status quo. So let it be.

How to build a Northwest conservatism

Posted Fri, Dec 26, 6 a.m.

By Hans Andreas Zeiger

Conservatives in the region pay too much heed to national conservative themes and not enough to the deep values of the Northwest. These values do not necessitate liberal politics.

How Wall Street is destroying the timber way of life

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.

The Gravy Train to nowhere?

Posted Thu, Dec 4, 6 a.m.

With Obama's new New Deal gaining momentum, let's remain skeptical of big projects that are touted as economic saviors. States like ours may be desperate, but a boondoggle is still a boondoggle.

Making Western states bicycle-friendly

Posted Sat, Oct 18, midnight

By Bill Schneider

Unless you're in Washington, which ranks No. 1, state officials and bicycle advocacy groups have a lot of work to do.