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LETTERS • High Country News is dedicated to independent journalism, informed debate and discourse in the public interest. We welcome letters through digital media and the post. Send us a letter, find us on social media, or email us at editor@hcn.org.

The rebel constables of Tucson • Amid the COVID-19 crisis, officers expected to enforce evictions are instead helping tenants stay in their homes.

Capturing the seasons of a plague • Disaster researchers take a Prius’-eye view of how COVID-19 is changing Seattle.

A reset for environmental justice • Former EPA program leader Mustafa Santiago Ali discusses how to help communities go from merely surviving to thriving.

Students and faculty urge deeper look at land-grant legacy • University officials face pressure over HCN’s ‘Land-Grab Universities’ investigation.

Pupfish Peak

The battle for the Black Hills • Nick Tilsen was arrested for protesting President Trump at Mount Rushmore. Now, his legal troubles are part of a legacy.

Sea change • Decades have passed and millions of dollars have been spent, yet little has been done to restore the Salton Sea. But California officials say the future is bright.

Abandoned boats pose problems above and below the waves • An 80-year-old tugboat in Juneau illustrates the cost of dealing with vessel-littered coastlines.

The Zoom boom • Remote workers are flocking to Western towns.

HCN in the 1990s

HCN readers: Funding our work for 50 years

A red pen and rosy lenses • Ed and Betsy Marston featured in a 1990 issue of Rolling Stone. Jeffrey Aaronson / Rolling Stone

SECOND CITIZENS • When the pandemic hit, a rural Colorado county kicked out nonresident home owners. They hit back.

From boxes of memorabilia, sifting out a life • In her debut memoir, Danielle Geller researches her elusive mother — and the meaning of family.

A space to heal • A wildland firefighter finds solace in an unexpected place.

Resistance on the gridiron • In a Wyoming wartime internment camp, Japanese American high school students find release in football.

Heard Around the West • Tips about Western oddities are appreciated and often shared in this column. Write betsym@hcn.org.

#IAM THE WEST