Chad Bradley

Tribal governments fend off the worst of the impacts of the shutdown - High Country News In the weeks leading up to the shutdown, tribal nations hefted their political and economic capital to protect services for their citizens.

Tribal governments fend off the worst of the impacts of the shutdown

In the weeks leading up to the shutdown, tribal nations hefted their political and economic capital to protect services for their citizens.

www.hcn.org/articles/tri...

Navajo president installs a new tribal controller; Council backs the old one Navajo President Buu Nygren appointed a new interim controller, twice, over the objections of the Council.

From me: ‘Navajo president installs a new tribal controller; Council backs the old one’

Denver’s storied tradition of sex work, then and now - High Country News In her new book, Michelle Gurule reveals her experience as a sugar baby and just how little has changed about the industry in the last century.

While often frowned upon, the story of sex work is as American as any, in which people use available resources to overcome obstacles, and should be viewed as such. buff.ly/rssT3UD

The dried-out subdivisions of Phoenix - High Country News A groundwater crisis halted the construction of thousands of homes and pitted affordability against environmental concerns.

For a century unsustainable groundwater pumping has taxed aquifers and caused subsidence. A 1980s law intended to rein it in has stopped the constrction of thousands of homes near Phoenix, pitting the environment and existing water uses against new housing developments. buff.ly/Hrzh2WX

How tribal educators are navigating budget challenges - High Country News Tribal college and university leaders lean on their resiliency and cultural values in the face of federal funding unknowns.

Tribal college and university presidents discuss how they’re navigating the fluctuating budget changes to higher education and its impacts on tribal communities. buff.ly/8xQraXV

What the government shutdown means for public lands - High Country News Many parks will stay open, and oil and gas permitting will continue — even as tens of thousands of staff are furloughed at NPS, BLM and USFS.

Under the federal government shutdown, public lands agencies say they’ll keep parks open and continue oil and gas permitting — even as they furlough tens of thousands of employees. Advocates warn the approach will do lasting ecological damage.

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The ‘bear’ necessities of good sign design - High Country News Researchers study the principles that promote bear-safety behavior.

Researchers find that the best bear-safety road signs are authoritative, engaging and persuasive. buff.ly/xgARJu6

Pima County NDA confirms Amazon is behind Project Blue data center  - AZ Luminaria Pima County agreed to keep Amazon Web Services’ role in Project Blue secret for five years, according to a non-disclosure agreement obtained by Arizona Luminaria. The deal, signed in 2023, sheds new l...

📄 Newly released records show Pima County signed a confidentiality deal with Amazon Web Services on Project Blue — keeping its role secret for up to 5 years or until the project was complete

UA among 9 schools asked to sign "compact" by Trump administration - AZ Luminaria The Trump administration is offering nine prominent U.S. universities preferential access to federal funds if they pledge to take a series of steps that align with the Republican administration’s goal...

The memo asks the UA and the other colleges to commit to a series of policies to get preferential access to federal funds

How tribal educators are navigating budget challenges - High Country News Tribal college and university leaders lean on their resiliency and cultural values in the face of federal funding unknowns.

I spoke with three tribal college and university presidents & learned more about they have planned, prepared and hoped to continue educating their communities amidst a year of budget cuts and a government shutdown. My latest for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/articles/how...

From me: ‘How will the federal shutdown affect Arizona tribes? Leaders scramble to find answers’

October 2025: Limits to Growth - High Country News “You don’t miss your water till your well runs dry,” an old blues song mourns, and ambitious developers and would-be homebuyers in Phoenix, Arizona, would probably agree, now that planned…

October issue has dropped 🔥 From Phoenix’s shrinking groundwater to whale songs under Arctic ice, the West is reckoning with change.

New issue ➡️ buff.ly/WDJzIny

What do fens do? Make peat, store water and help combat climate change - High Country News Meet the researchers restoring these unique wetlands high in Colorado's San Juan Mountains.

Peatlands — fens and bogs — are key climate regulators. Their peat retains plant carbon that would otherwise decompose and be released as carbon dioxide.

Tlingit and Haida's plans for casino-like gambling hall in limbo after federal reversal The U.S. Department of the Interior withdrew a legal opinion last week that gave Tlingit and Haida — and other tribes in Alaska — legal jurisdiction over Alaska Native allotments.

Very few tribes in Alaska have authority over land, so they haven’t had a way to open reservation-style casinos like tribes in the Lower 48.

Many, like Tlingit and Haida, have sought to assert authority over Native allotments owned by individual tribal members.

Benally pleads guilty to charges in huge pot-growing operations on Navajo Nation Authorities said Dineh Benally took advantage of disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and ran a huge pot and hemp operation near Shiprock.

From me: ‘Benally pleads guilty to charges in huge pot-growing operations on Navajo Nation’

Arizona District 7 special election results: Live updates as Grijalva vs. Butierez race decided - AZ Luminaria Live results and updates from Arizona's Congressional District 7 special election. Adelita Grijalva (D) vs Daniel Butierez (R) compete for Raúl Grijalva's former seat.

It's Special Election Day in Southern Arizona. We'll have updates today and results here tonight: azluminaria.org/2025/09/23/a...

How to build a food sovereignty lab - High Country News Bureaucracy and budget constraints couldn’t stop CalPoly Humboldt’s Native American Studies Department from founding an Indigenous foods research lab.

Bureaucracy and budget constraints couldn’t stop CalPoly Humboldt’s Native American Studies Department from founding an Indigenous foods research lab.

How to build a food sovereignty lab - High Country News Bureaucracy and budget constraints couldn’t stop CalPoly Humboldt’s Native American Studies Department from founding an Indigenous foods research lab.

The California State University system now has its first Indigenous food sovereignty lab.

www.hcn.org/issues/57-9/...

1970s black and white photo of Robert Redford leaning against a brick wall wearing sunglasses and reading High Country News magazine.

RIP GOAT

Be like Robert. Support badass journalism.

Rare tornadoes and funnel clouds spotted around the Navajo Nation Navajo Nation officials issued emergency alerts after tornadoes and funnel clouds were spotted near some communities.

From me: www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Resistance to data centers rises on the border - High Country News In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, residents have long struggled to access clean water. Now, developers plan to spend $165 billion on a massive data center complex.

Residents of Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico, struggle to access clean water — but their county wants to bring a $165 billion data center campus to town.

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Pima Community College warns of more than $10M in lost federal dollars - AZ Luminaria A $10 million reduction in federal funds, plus little financial support from the state could lead to program cuts, fewer students and employees at Pima Community College, officials say. The frozen and...

Pima Community College warns millions in federal funding could be cut, threatening programs for student-parents, low-income and adult learners already hit by years of lost state support

How an immigration raid reshaped meatpacking — and America  - High Country News In 2006, large-scale ICE raids in Greeley, Colorado, and elsewhere, triggered massive changes to the meatpacking workplace that continue reshaping the center of the country.

How post-9/11 policy and immigration enforcement reshaped meatpacking - and the West. This @highcountrynews.org & @thefern.org investigation digs into how meatpacking's increasing reliance on refugee labor created an escalating crisis for the industry - and the small towns where plants are based.

Arizona State Museum plans steep fee increases as funding struggles continue - AZ Luminaria The Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona — home to more than 13,000 years of cultural treasures but in urgent need of repairs and long denied state funding — is moving ahead with plans to...

Arizona’s oldest museum, home to 13,000 years of history, plans fee hikes of up to 265% after being denied other funding from the board of regents and the state

What eating bitterness has to do with Chinese food - High Country News The Chinese immigrants who built the Transcontinental Railroad quietly endured racism and violence, fostering a complicated legacy for Chinese-Americans.

The Chinese immigrants who built the Transcontinental Railroad quietly endured racism and violence, fostering a complicated legacy for Chinese-Americans.

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How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback - High Country News The deadline to weigh in on the change is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19.

The landmark roadless rule is on the chopping block, endangering 59 million acres of Forest Service lands that still retain some of their wild character. Experts say it's as bad of an idea as it sounds for wildlife.

Now that you know, go forth and comment! You have until Sept. 19. to do so.

From me: ‘Tribal leaders huddle with feds in push for landmark Arizona water deal’

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.

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

Acknowledging the hands that feed us - High Country News Narsiso Martinez aims to dignify farmworkers through his artwork

Centering farmworkers is the impetus behind this vibrant and dignified body of artwork. @thefern.org