Chasing Shadows in Tombstone, Arizona

Stepping through the Oriental Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona, there’s a sense of history colliding with the American imagination that is as heavy as its oak bar columns. It’s possible to drink here and wonder if the whole story of Western settlement can be crystallized by 17 violent months that happened in the still-dusty streets outside the door. 

Mar 3, 2025 Scott Thomas Anderson

From Baker’s Stats to Stanzas: Jim Franks’ ‘Existential Bread’ Launches in Davis

Picking apart the stuff (seeds, stories, hoaxes) that go into what we think we know about bread

Baker and poet Jim Franks launched his experimental cookbook “Existential Bread” in Davis this week in collaboration with Student Collaborative Organic Plant Breeding Education, an interdisciplinary approach that offers a new way to consider our relationship with food and the complex processes and economics behind it.

Feb 28, 2025 Anna Dobrowolski

California’s Fund to Build Student Housing Runs Dry — Leaving Community Colleges in the Lurch

CalMatters: College presidents across the state say the new housing projects are a long-term solution to wildfire recovery and to the state’s enduring affordability crisis, which has hit community college students hard. In study after study, researchers have found that around 20% of California community college students experience homelessness at some point over the course of a year, and many more struggle to pay rent. 

Feb 27, 2025 Adam Echelman, CalMatters