Environment Nick on the Rocks: Mount Baker, the volcano born from volcanoes Shifting glaciers revealed the North Cascade peak’s origins, forged from three ancient volcanoes that lived and died over the past million years. by Shannen Ortale / January 12, 2024
Environment Nick on the Rocks: The North Cascades' gneiss-est bedrock The range’s oldest bedrock sits high in the mountains near Canada. But the yellow aster gneiss originated an ocean away 400 million years ago. by Shannen Ortale / January 19, 2024
Environment Nick on the Rocks: The mystery of Waterville's basalt boulders Just north of Withrow, WA, pancake-flat fields are dotted with massive rocks that help us visualize an Ice Age glacier. by Shannen Ortale / January 26, 2024
Culture Miracle: A mainstream newspaper sheds the pretense of detachment A recent installment of "A Prayer for Gloria" and <i>Seattle Times</i> columnist Jerry Brewer (inset). by William Echols / July 12, 2007
Culture For some, Seattle is evergreen; others say the Emerald City has lost its shine Update: Jonathan Raban's recent essay on Crosscut has sparked a big debate: What was Seattle, what has it become, and how did that happen? by William Echols / July 11, 2007
Politics In search of passenger-only ferry service that pencils out The passenger steamer <i>Daily</i>, launched in 1912, served on the Seattle-Tacoma route. by William Echols / July 4, 2007
News The Newsfeed: Key takeaways from the 2024 WA legislative session Lawmakers addressed guns and the environment, but housing was left behind. Also, the deaths of rideshare drivers leads to requests for more aid. by Shannen Ortale / March 21, 2024
Environment Nick on the Rocks: Wenatchee spires signal ancient volcanic power Towers at Saddle Rock were formed from 44-million-year-old vents of magma hidden deep under the Cascade mountains. by Shannen Ortale / December 15, 2023
Environment Nick on the Rocks: How the Ice Age carved WA’s labyrinth of canyons Host and geology professor Nick Zentner explores the Drumheller Channels near Othello — which resemble Southwest deserts — in the Season 5 premiere. by Shannen Ortale / December 8, 2023
Environment Nick on the Rocks: The sideways mountain in Western WA Sedimentary rock usually builds horizontally. So how does Big Four Mountain in Snohomish County have nearly vertical layers? by Shannen Ortale / December 29, 2023