This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Every spring, Forest Service fire leaders meet to plan for the upcoming fire season. This year, some employees were shocked by the blunt remarks made during a meeting with forest supervisors and fire staff officers…
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Climate disasters: Personal loss connects us all Re: “Healing power of storytelling,” August 3 commentary Years after the Marshall Fire, the embers of personal loss call out for remembrance. Listen also to the stories of those who endured the Guadalupe River flood in Texas Hill Country, the wildfires of Pasadena and Altadena, Calif., and the prolonged…
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A cattle feedlot in Kansas. | Michael Hall/Getty Images Perhaps the most crucial idea for understanding our species’ future on this planet boils down to two boring words: land use. To mitigate climate change, humans will need to extract critical minerals to build vast numbers of photovoltaic cells and wind turbines. We’ll need millions of…
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Schedule a real town hall, Rep. Boebert When we elect someone to represent us, we expect them to show up — not just in Washington, but here at home. With Congress on recess this month, our representatives should be holding real, in-person town halls. Not tele-town halls where questions are screened and scripted. Not closed-door…
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On summer evenings in the Midwest, the muggy air comes alive with a chorus of crickets, cicadas, and frogs — especially bullfrogs. Their booming mating calls sound like something between a foghorn and a didgeridoo. As far as we know, summer here has always sounded like this. Bullfrogs are native to most of the Eastern…
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Thin-skinned president retaliates Re: “President blames poor jobs report on statistics chief, calls for her firing,” Aug. 2 news story I hope everyone appreciates the fact that we have a president who thinks he knows more about everything than anybody, no matter their level of expertise, and has no difficulty getting rid of anyone who…
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Silence from those who bought into ‘Pizzagate’ Re: “Maxwell transferred to prison camp in Texas,” Aug. 2 news story Remember when MAGA was horrified and ready to storm the pizza shop because of a supposed Democratic pedophile ring in the basement? And, without a shred of evidence in any form? Where is their outrage when…
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Solar panels on the roof of a home in Pasadena, California, on February 25, 2025. | Mario Tama/Getty Images This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration plans to claw back…
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Tax breaks for the rich have negative impact on housing market Re: “Investors snap up growing share of homes,” July 9 news story The rich have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it. So they invest in the stock market and drive stocks to new records almost weekly. The other…
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Adult sunflower sea stars feeding on mussels at UW Friday Harbor Laboratories. The stars suck out and ingest the soft tissues of mussels, then discard the shells, which collect at the bottom of the tank. The sea star on the bottom, “Charlotte,” is the mother of the lab’s stars grown in captivity. “It was like…
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