Nineteen years after Michelle Vanek vanished on a Colorado mountain, she appeared in a rescue volunteer's dream with a message: Send a team of women to find me. I really loved editing this longread, by the talented Heather Hansman, for 5280 www.5280.com/she-disappea...

Are beavers a nuisance or a necessity? Here’s why Colorado wildlife officials are wading into the debate.

This story is a must-read, devastating as it is. I can't fathom how anyone can continue to use AI chatbots in good conscience

"Google’s AI summaries are cratering traffic and rewiring the web. In schools, ChatGPT hasn’t just killed the student essay; it seems to be threatening basic building blocks of human cognition." www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

"We won the dinosaur lottery." Always a treat to edit @asherelbein.bsky.social! He spoke with the "incredibly lucky" scientist who helped unearth a 67M-year-old dinosaur fossil from beneath Denver's science museum, denvermuseumns.bsky.social: www.5280.com/dinosaur-fos...

"The phone dropped, and then screaming." I spoke with search and rescue volunteer Jake Smith about how a 40-person team pulled off the highest-altitude helicopter hoist rescue in Colorado history, including a near-fatal lightning strike that happened during the call: www.5280.com/torreys-peak...

Since 2019, the number of Kroger-owned stores has stayed about the same, but 10% fewer employees, each working 10% fewer hours, now staff them. The result? Massive food waste, overcharging, and unsafe conditions, King Soopers workers told me. My latest in 5280: www.5280.com/king-soopers...

The shroom boom is coming to Colorado, and it's a new Wild West. Fascinating, funny, mind-expanding feature by my colleague @milehighrobert.bsky.social, who microdosed in the name of journalism!

A great tribute to a Texas journalism legend. When I worked at the Observer, Ronnie would often stop by the office to do some writing and regale us with wild, meandering stories. He paved the way.

This flamboyant Colorado bird has one of the best mating dances in the animal kingdom. But fewer than 4,000 Gunnison sage-grouse remain, and advocates say changes to the Endangered Species Act could drive them to extinction. My latest: www.5280.com/gunnison-sag...

Rattlesnake moms support each other by "babysitting" their babies, scientists studying a snake mega-den in Colorado have learned 🐍 www.5280.com/surprising-f...

I'm such a sucker for when an interviewee says "That's a great question." Even though I usually know my question wasn't that good...it's so nice to hear 😂

The latest victim of Trump cuts? Beetles keeping an invasive plant at bay in Colorado

More than fifty years ago, a University of Colorado professor vanished under suspicious circumstances. The Cold War mystery has never been solved—and a new exhibit lets visitors play detective. www.5280.com/thomas-riha-...

"Don't f— with moms." Wrote about Colorado's @pettersen.house.gov, her record of advocating for working parents in her home state, and why she brought her nine-week-old to the House floor this week: www.5280.com/colorado-rep...

Gondolas in Denver?! For my first 5280 Magazine byline, I asked urban planning experts if a new proposal to build an aerial tram over downtown could really lift off. (Answer: probably not, but hey, at least we're dreaming big.) www.5280.com/could-gondol...

On March 24, I'll join 5280 Magazine in Denver as senior editor. I'll be ~75% writing, 25% editing in this role—a longtime dream. Couldn't be more excited for this new adventure at an ambitious, creative, ASME-winning magazine I've long admired!

It's my last day at @texasmonthly.bsky.social. I'm so grateful for an amazing five years at one of the best magazines in the nation, with some of the smartest, kindest journalists around. You can apply for my job here! It's a good one. www.texasmonthly.com/about/jobs-a...

Kerrville flies under the radar a bit as a Texas travel destination, but dang, is it a lovely place. I was lucky enough to spend a near-perfect weekend there for this story www.texasmonthly.com/travel/kerrv...

Thank you @dansolomon.com for this impassioned and necessary defense of Y’ALL www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/... @texasmonthly.bsky.social

New bee alert 🐝 The blue-tinged, solitary species was first spotted near Del Rio in 1987, but its identity remained a mystery until now, writes Chris Collins www.texasmonthly.com/travel/new-n...

The other day, I saw dozens of butterflies flitting around a mistflower and wondered why they go so crazy for that plant. Molly Glentzer found the answer 🦋 www.texasmonthly.com/travel/mistf...

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