In Wisconsin, small towns want more regulations for big farms
The state's agricultural lobby says local efforts to regulate CAFOs are illegal.
I am a journalist reporting on religion, the environment and urbanism from the U.S. and around the world.
Winner of the 2022 Covering Climate Now Journalism Award for Writing — Short Feature
Recent Work
How a Nebraska ethanol plant turned seeds into toxic waste
State regulators shuttered the AltEn plant in 2021 after years of environmental violations. Residents are just beginning to grapple with its toxic legacy.
Cities are investing billions in new sewage systems. They’re already obsolete.
The use of decades-old rainfall estimates do not reflect current – let alone future – climate risk.
Wood-burning Stoves Raise New Health Concerns
Officials increasingly treat woodsmoke pollution as a public health and environmental justice issue, despite opposition.
Indigenous Mormons struggle to balance pride in the faith with LDS history
Some are calling out historical injustices the church has carried out against Native Americans, even as others find their faith empowering.
Who built the pyramids and how? The debate rages on YouTube.
Most “alternative historians” distance themselves from theories about aliens, but they’re still spreading damaging misinformation, archaeologists say.
How Ohio’s Indigenous sacred sites became a religious flashpoint
A battle for access to sacred sites is taking place, from mountains in Arizona to rivers in North Dakota, aimed at fending off developers or government agencies to preserve the physical integrity directly linked to their spiritual value.
Mercury mining makes a comeback in Kyrgyzstan
Mercury, used in gold mining and electronics, poses serious health risks. Despite international pressure to ban its trade, Kyrgyzstan is ramping up production.
Funding Isn’t Reaching America’s Immigrants
Across the country, grassroots organizations have faced an uphill battle to secure enough money to adequately support their growing immigrant populations.
A Tiny Town Was the Soviet Union’s Uranium Hub. Now, It’s Racing to Avoid Disaster
Mailuu-Suu powered the Soviet Union's nuclear program. But climate change and its nuclear legacy are putting the town in Kyrgyzstan at risk.
U.S. Southwest, Already Parched, Sees 'Virtual Water' Drain Abroad
Foreign corporations are increasingly purchasing land in the U.S.; in the Southwest, thanks to longstanding laws on water rights, these purchases often come with unlimited access to the valuable water underneath the soil.
‘It’ll Get Better’: Chaplains Play Essential Role for Transit Workers
Over the course of the pandemic, the M.T.A.’s nearly all-volunteer force of about 70 chaplains has mobilized to check in with workers who are sick or quarantining, offer support to families of employees who died of the virus and counsel those feeling isolated or burned out.
