Political leaders talk about “heritage” but not “sovereignty” and see Native tribes as part of the past, not as governments operating now.

The decline isn’t just in Northern California: Across the West, porcupines are vanishing. Wildlife scientists are racing to find where porcupines are still living, and why they’re disappearing. Others ...

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. A farmworker walks through a field at a farm outside Firebaugh on Sept. 11, 2025. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, ...