New West Blog News

Election 2010

Former Idaho Rep. Bill Sali announced today he will not run in the Republican primary to regain his old seat, but instead will support state representative Raul Labrador in the primary.

Others who have filed in the Republican primary for Idaho’s First Congressional District include Harley D. Brown, Michael L. Chadwick, Allan M. Salzberg, and Vaughn Ward. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick.

At a press conference in the state capitol rotunda, Sali said he is supporting Labrador as the “right sort of person” to send to Washington, D.C., someone “with the backbone to make a tough vote.”

“The things I’ve seen him do helped me make a decision,” Sali said. He said he admires Labrador for independent thinking.

Labrador said it was “a surprise but an honor to have former representative Bill Sali’s support.”

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FREE Insights Column

Domestic and international efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are dead in the water. Many will think this is bad news. I don’t. Here’s why.

Policies such as the Kyoto Protocol and U.S. cap-and-trade legislation focus solely on reducing CO2 emissions. But these are symbolic acts, mere posturing, while doing little or nothing to achieve their stated goals. Stubborn reliance on this approach is now the main barrier to an effective climate policy.

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Faster Internet in the West

Making Internet connections in Idaho and Montana speedier is part of the goal behind the much-anticipated National Broadband Plan, officially released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday.

While many are still combing through the 360-page outline of steps to higher-quality Internet access for all Americans, Amalia Deloney, media action grassroots network coordinator for the Center for Media Justice, says the plan’s release is a victory, in and of itself.

“Broadband is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. It affects everything from education, to employment, to health care, to government services and to democracy. It’s crucial.”

A report from the Communications Workers of America finds most Idahoans and Montanans access the Internet at the slowest speeds in the country, with thousands still on dial-up plans. The FCC document calls for increasing the high-speed broadband adoption rate from 65 to 90 percent nationwide, connecting vital institutions like hospitals and schools; and connecting 100 million households to affordable broadband by 2020.

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Western Book Roundup

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for: two weeks ago I asked New West readers to vote on what book I should review next.  I was delighted and relieved when several people voted.  The winner, with four votes, is Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West by Marcia Meredith Hensley.  I’ll review it next Monday.  And since the voting was so tight, I plan to review the runner-up, How it Looks Going Back by Doris Knowles Pulis, in a few weeks as well. 

As for the other two books: they’ll go back on my guilt pile, and I’ll get to them as soon as I can.  Every time I open the cabinet where I keep my un-reviewed books, the books scream, “Pick me!  Pick me!” I’m okay with it, but it frightens the kids.

• Wyofile has an in-depth feature by Susan Gray Gose on Wyoming mystery and thriller novelist C.J. Box.  Gray Gose writes that Box “cranks out 1,000 words a day,” “publishes two books a year,” and that one of his novels could be adapted into a screenplay soon:

“The producers of About Schmidt (the 2002 New Line Cinema comedy) bought the rights to Blue Heaven. While many optioned books languish, this one seems to be moving forward. It’s received financing, and actors Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin and Joe Pesci have signed on.”

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Along the Frontier Column

In early March, I had the privilege of visiting a project in northern California that felt very much like a preview of the future.

If the current ‘New West’ is inexorably giving way to the ‘Next West,’ as so many ‘New Wests’ have done before, and if the region is in search of a new mission statement as a consequence, then clues to what’s coming might be found among the bright green grass of a small ranch in Marin County.

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Design in the West

Modern in the mountains: is modern design an appropriate style of architecture in a mountain environment? 

Styles in architecture are associated with places, cultures and eras, but in one’s own home, especially in America, style is often thought of as something that can be picked and applied.  Mediterranean design is used for new homes in the Southwest, French Chateau styles are used widely, etc., largely based on an owner’s preference or a developer’s interpretation of what a market segment might be looking for.

Style is also a personal choice or an ingrained preference, of course.

In many climates more benign than the Mountain West, choice of a particular style might not really make a difference in building performance. The style is mostly icing on the cake, and the cake itself is similar. Heating, cooling, upkeep costs, and durability are more or less the same, regardless of the style of the home.

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