Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · 14d

You might have gripes with the @forestservice.bsky.social but it looks like the Trump administration has more with plans for radical overhauls. You have until 9/30 to comment. @landdesk.bsky.social analyzes what's going on for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/articles/tru...

The dismantling of the Forest Service - High Country News

The Trump administration’s plans would remake the agency and public lands. The deadline to comment is Sept. 30.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · 29d

You know you want to know about 🔥firenandos🔥 @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social looks into what created one in Utah for @highcountrynews.org complete with WILD VIDEO www.hcn.org/articles/how...

How a Utah wildfire created its own tornado - High Country News

Firefighters were caught in a pyro-vortex last month on the Deer Creek Fire.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Sep 4

Buckle up for an in-depth overview about who controls our food (& you wondered why it was so expensive) w/amazing of #infographic by @jbrookelarsen.bsky.social & Nick Underwood for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/issues/57-9/...

Who controls food in the West? - High Country News

Consolidation, shifting politics, water rights and the myth of the cowboy all play into the region’s ability to feed itself.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Aug 29

#journalists: what in-article newsletter signup widget don't you hate? You know, it encourages folks to sign up, but doesn't interrupt the story too much? Screenshots appreciated 🙏

Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Aug 26

Can I sing the praises of @annierosenthal.bsky.social more? Yes, yes I can. This story will make your heart grow 3X 💓 💓 💓 complete w/ wonderful youth and audio (for @highcountrynews.org). www.hcn.org/articles/in-...

In rural New Mexico, kids paint a sonic portrait of their ghost town - High Country News

Madrid was once a booming coal town. At radio camp, its youngest inhabitants had big questions about its past — and present.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Aug 25

How can Altadenans & those displaced from LA's wildfires protect their communities from opportunists? @annierosenthal.bsky.social provides a community land trust 101 for @highcountrynews.org
www.hcn.org/articles/the...

The race to protect homes from speculators post-wildfire - High Country News

Around the West, community land trusts are helping people recover from disaster — and prepare for the next one.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Aug 14

@sammyroth.bsky.social I live within spitting distance of the Taylor! I'm sorry I didn't know you were here, but I may know your raft guide. Great convo with @landdesk.bsky.social too

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Aug 5

You know what sucks? Data centers. I mean, they do... @landdesk.bsky.social analyzes why for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/issues/57-8/...

The West's data centers suck (water and power) - High Country News

From simple searches to chatGPT, the big digital buildup threatens the grid and water supplies.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Jul 11

aaaand the link: www.hcn.org/issues/57-7/...

Western states step up to save their wetlands - High Country News

The West’s vital wetlands are in trouble — but states are working to safeguard them.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Jul 11

Sometimes you should just stand like an Oregon white oak or embrace the coyote's vocal self. Anna V. Smith looks into how Western wildlife might help humans cope in these times for @highcountrynews.org GORGEOUS illios too
www.hcn.org/articles/in-...

In stressful times, what do the plants and animals have to say? - High Country News

The time-honored tradition of humans looking to the natural world can help us survive difficult times.

www.hcn.org

Reposted by Gretchen King

High Country News @highcountrynews.org · Jul 10

Federal layoffs are likely to move ahead quickly, with major impacts on conservation and science.

buff.ly/XieVRNB

Mass layoffs can move forward, with devastating impacts for conservation and science - High Country News

‘Shortsighted’ cuts could eliminate bird banding program, federal bee research and much more.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Jun 12

Public lands sales in vogue again www.hcn.org/articles/sen...

Senate Republicans want to sell 3 million acres of public land - High Country News

The majority of public land is too fire prone and far away from communities to even make sense for housing, research shows.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Jun 6

Hover over your state to see what Trump's request to cut >$1B from public broadcaster funding might mean. @annierosenthal.bsky.social & @chadebradley.bsky.social report for @highcountrynews.org #infographic www.hcn.org/articles/wha...

What defunding public media would mean for the West - High Country News

Data show that rural, tribal and Western stations would be the most impacted by Trump’s attempt to cut CPB funding.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Jun 4

“Whenever you look anything up now you’re basically torching the planet.” Emine Saner has been covering AI for @theguardian.com very well, and this piece nails it. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

‘Nobody wants a robot to read them a story!’ The creatives and academics rejecting AI – at work and at home

Is artificial intelligence coming for everyone’s jobs? Not if this lot have anything to do with it

www.theguardian.com

Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · May 22

Scientists at USGS don't know if they'll have jobs on Monday. The Bee Lab, Bird Banding Lab, national maps showing where contaminants are and many other important research is at risk. Sarah Trent reports for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/articles/usg...

USGS’ biological research arm could vanish next week - High Country News

Trump is on a multipronged mission to eliminate a science agency that conservationists, toxicologists, universities and more call irreplaceable.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · May 10

I knew the plant was bad but … www.hcn.org/articles/new...

New alfalfa strain sucks your soul away alongside all Colorado River water - High Country News

Your weekly Westy reality check.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · May 7

My husband requires that his college students write BY HAND in class for exams now. It can be even be open book, but they can't cut-n-paste. At least something's getting in...

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · May 2

At the small city’s only emergency shelter, demand is higher and the work is harder than ever. “If you build it, they will come. And come, and come.”
@thesundaylongread.bsky.social www.hcn.org/issues/57-5/...

The toll of Bozeman’s housing crisis - High Country News

At the small city’s only emergency shelter, demand is higher and the work is harder than ever.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · May 2

Hard but important #longread from @nickbowlin.bsky.social about Bozeman, Montana. "We see the culmination of a mental health crisis, housing crisis, a wage crisis, a drug crisis.” For @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/issues/57-5/...

Joshua Powell, 41, lives in his car even during sub-zero weather. Here, he uses his car door to clear away snow so he can climb into and out of the vehicle. Photo by Will Warasila for High Country News

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Apr 29

The Cybertruck "voids the deeper truck experience, severing the vital connections that bond truck-driving humans: wood hauls, fishing and camping trips." Enjoy a laugh w @shaun505.bsky.social latest for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/issues/57-5/...

The Cybertruck is all tricks and no truck, a musky Tesla fail - High Country News

The Cybertruck is nothing but a baking sheet on wheels that's riding to recall lane toward a dead end.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Apr 21

The simple act of trying to take your son to the park has immigrants worried about their safety. @jankcurbelo.bsky.social shares his experiences in this chilling essay for @highcountrynews.bsky.social www.hcn.org/articles/imm...

Immigrants feel hope, hate and hunted - High Country News

Under the Trump administration, immigrants across the West worry for their safety.

www.hcn.org

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Reposted by Gretchen King

Shi En Kim @goesbykim.bsky.social · Apr 9

Hi! #journorequest here: For HCN, I'm looking to speak with #federal scientists from the West who are preparing for #fieldwork this upcoming season. How has the federal chaos affect your planning?

I'd be happy to offer anonymity. You can reach me at [email protected] or via Signal @shienkim.1721.

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Reposted by Gretchen King

Annie Rosenthal @annierosenthal.bsky.social · Apr 17

For @highcountrynews.bsky.social, I wrote about the long history of Spanish-language radio as a subversive tool for protecting immigrant communities in the U.S. — from Depression-era Los Angeles to rural Washington State in the 1980s and Arizona today.

www.hcn.org/articles/the...

The subversive power of Spanish-language radio - High Country News

For decades, immigrant communities have used the airwaves to educate and protect themselves in times of crisis.

www.hcn.org

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Reposted by Gretchen King

The Sunday Long Read @thesundaylongread.bsky.social · Apr 14

A patch of dusty land and a few stones, half-buried, set the stage for a dramatic, emotional story about unearthing the past. But as @korisuzuki.com points out, this is no Indiana Jones tale. It's far more real. @jacobfeldman.bsky.social's favorite www.hcn.org/issues/57-4/...

The murder, the museum and the monument - High Country News

How the discovery of a long-lost monument shattered trust between a Japanese American community and the museum built to preserve its history.

www.hcn.org

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Gretchen King @gbtking.bsky.social · Apr 3

Mules & horses have long been partners w/ @forestservice.bsky.social, especially for use in wilderness areas. With recent DOGE chaos, it's not clear what will happen to the animals. @goesbykim.bsky.social reports for @highcountrynews.bsky.social www.hcn.org/articles/the...

The horses and mules that moved mountains and hearts - High Country News

U.S. Forest Service stock animals are indispensable to trail work on public lands in the West. Trump’s radical upheaval is accelerating the death of a dying art.

www.hcn.org

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