The latest story from @thewesternedge.bsky.social dives into the very gray space that exists in some spiritual communities, where one man is exalted as near god like and students are encouraged to not ask questions.

‘Give Your Mind Over’: Power and Devotion Inside Oregon Buddhist Communities

Women inside some Northwest Buddhist centers say the faith has long struggled to stop predatory behavior by spiritual leaders, and in some cases brushed it aside.

thewesternedge.media

I have some new followers, so I thought I'd reshare this weird story I wrote a month back for @thewesternedge.bsky.social. This would be the kind of story that would be nearly impossible to sell as a freelancer, but it's one of my favorite pieces of reporting I've gotten to do in the last year.

Leah Sottile@leahsottile.bsky.social · 3mo ago

As extreme politics have normalized, young people have grown up not knowing any other way. For months, I've spent time getting to know 10 college students who literally do not recall a time in America without Trump. My latest for @thewesternedge.bsky.social www.thewesternedge.media/p/the-age-of...

Women inside two Oregon Buddhist communities told The Western Edge they were concerned that their complaints of sexual abuse by gurus in those groups were swept aside by top leaders.

‘Give Your Mind Over’: Power and Devotion Inside Oregon Buddhist Communities

Women inside some Northwest Buddhist centers say the faith has long struggled to stop predatory behavior by spiritual leaders, and in some cases brushed it aside.

thewesternedge.media

A new Western Edge investigation: Women inside some Northwest Buddhist centers say the faith has long struggled to stop predatory behavior by spiritual leaders, and in some cases brushed it aside. www.thewesternedge.media/p/give-your-...

‘Give Your Mind Over’: Power and Devotion Inside Oregon Buddhist Communities

Women inside some Northwest Buddhist centers say the faith has long struggled to stop predatory behavior by spiritual leaders, and in some cases brushed it aside.

thewesternedge.media

For the past few years, several Northwest Buddhist institutions have reckoned with allegations of abuse. Victims feel brushed aside and leaders stay in power. My latest investigation for @thewesternedge.bsky.social. www.thewesternedge.media/p/give-your-...

‘Give Your Mind Over’: Power and Devotion Inside Oregon Buddhist Communities

Women inside some Northwest Buddhist centers say the faith has long struggled to stop predatory behavior by spiritual leaders, and in some cases brushed it aside.

thewesternedge.media

This one's for the OG Bundyville fans. @leahsottile.bsky.social and @ryanjhaas.bsky.social breakdown the wild world of Matt Shea since the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge takeover.

Return to Bundyville: Angels, Aliens and Matt Shea

The former Washington state legislator from Spokane Valley has been very, very busy

thewesternedge.media

Five police agencies, the Coast Guard, drones, underwater dive teams, ground and boat teams and an underwater remotely-operated vehicle still have not found St Helens City Administrator John Walsh, who fell into the river Saturday night. westernedgemedia.substack.com/p/longtime-s...

Longtime St Helens City Administrator Disappears in Columbia River

Sheriff and police now on a “recovery mission” to find John Walsh

westernedgemedia.substack.com

Longtime St. Helens City Administrator John Walsh fell into the Columbia River on Saturday night and has not been seen since. His family and friends continue to search for him.

Longtime St Helens City Administrator Disappears in Columbia River

Sheriff and police now on a “recovery mission” to find John Walsh

thewesternedge.media

In a continuation of @thewesternedge.bsky.social Bundyville revisit this month, @leahsottile.bsky.social and I talk about what became of once far right superstar Ammon Bundy. (Hint: He sells brakes now.)

Return to Bundyville: The Ammon Bundy episode

The man, the myth, the cowboy hat.

thewesternedge.media

What became of Ammon Bundy after he beat the federal government in court? Western Edge founders @leahsottile.bsky.social and @ryanjhaas.bsky.social break down the challenges of staying relevant in the MAGA movement over the long term.

Return to Bundyville: The Ammon Bundy episode

The man, the myth, the cowboy hat.

thewesternedge.media

The trial of the Spokane 3 for protesting ICE became national news. Few noted, however, that the charges in that case were nearly identical to those used to prosecute the Bundy family a decade earlier in Oregon. We're going back to Bundyville to see what these cases say about each other.

A Return to Bundyville: Two NW Protest Trials Bookend the Trump Era

The recent trial and conviction of the Spokane 3 holds striking similarities to the acquittal of the Bundy family a decade earlier in Oregon.

westernedgemedia.substack.com

Never thought we'd say it: we're going back to Bundyville. This month @thewesternedge.bsky.social we revisit the Bundys, and talk about how the same conspiracy charges that were used to prosecute them were used to convict three protesters in Spokane. www.thewesternedge.media/p/a-return-t...

A Return to Bundyville: Two NW Protest Trials Bookend the Trump Era

The recent trial and conviction of the Spokane 3 holds striking similarities to the acquittal of the Bundy family a decade earlier in Oregon.

thewesternedge.media

Phenomenal accountability journalism from Ryan Haas @thewesternedge.bsky.social on the brutal working conditions inside a massive #Amazon facility in Oregon, where the incidences of workers dying dying or falling ill is escalating. www.thewesternedge.media/p/sweaty-stu...

Sweaty, Stuffy and Loud: Inside the Amazon Warehouse Where Jim Wetmore Died

After the 46-year-old worker collapsed in April, employees and his family began to wonder if working conditions played any part.

thewesternedge.media

How do we restore trust in journalism? Listen to my conversation with Ryan Haas from @thewesternedge.bsky.social

Certified Organic Journalism

The Western Edge's Ryan Haas on investigative reporting, the need for diverse perspectives, and rebuilding trust

open.substack.com

"Over the past month, The Western Edge has conducted extensive interviews, analyzed hundreds of pages of public safety records, worker’s compensation cases, injury logs and some of Amazon’s own data" to answer a nagging question: What actually happened to Jim Wetmore?

Sweaty, Stuffy and Loud: Inside the Amazon Warehouse Where Jim Wetmore Died

After the 46-year-old worker collapsed in April, employees and his family began to wonder if working conditions played any part.

thewesternedge.media

We broke news last month of a worker dying inside an Oregon Amazon facility. Since then, dozens of employees have come forward with complaints. What records show is the facility knew about issues with heat, noise and injuries for years. And that other workers have been seriously hurt on the job.

Sweaty, Stuffy and Loud: Inside the Amazon Warehouse Where Jim Wetmore Died

After the 46-year-old worker collapsed in April, employees and his family began to wonder if working conditions played any part.

thewesternedge.media

I hope you'll spend time with this story and consider becoming a paid subscriber of @thewesternedge.bsky.social. Holding the powerful people and corporations of this country accountable for their actions is what I like to do, and I can't do it without you!

Sweaty, Stuffy and Loud: Inside the Amazon Warehouse Where Jim Wetmore Died

After the 46-year-old worker collapsed in April, employees and his family began to wonder if working conditions played any part.

thewesternedge.media

I also gathered OSHA data on injury rates at PDX9, which show the warehouse regularly exceeds the industry average by a significant margin. Amazon disputes using what is known as DART data because it also captures minor injuries. They prefer to only count serious injuries.

Last month, I broke news of a death inside an Amazon warehouse and the company’s response. My latest reporting reveals that two employees at that facility have died and a third sustained a life altering injury — all in the course of the last four years.

Sweaty, Stuffy and Loud: Inside the Amazon Warehouse Where Jim Wetmore Died

After the 46-year-old worker collapsed in April, employees and his family began to wonder if working conditions played any part.

thewesternedge.media

New piece by me reflecting on an article @leahsottile.bsky.social recently published about what it's like to be in your early 20s and to have always lived inside an era of mass shootings, climate change, unaffordable housing, and Trumpist rage. rightlandia.ghost.io/recommended-...

Recommended Reading: Leah Sottile's Recent Article about the Students in my History of the Far Right Class

This semester I taught a course on the History of the Far Right in the US. We were lucky to have one of the Pacific Northwest's sharpest contemporary chroniclers and interpreters of the far right, Lea...

rightlandia.ghost.io

This week on Notes from the Edge, we are joined by Montana journalist and professor Jule Banville, who talks about the nearly-lost art of obituary writing and how it fits into the journalism craft. She pays delightful tribute in her new podcast with Jad Abumrad, The Obit Project.

We are trying to build something new in Northwest journalism with The Western Edge - an unbelievable task for two people. We believe good work can pave the way. If you read this story (or plan to) we appreciate your donations and subscriptions! There are links throughout for how to do both.

The Western Edge@thewesternedge.bsky.social · 3mo ago

“It becomes more and more taxing to believe in a livable future. When I imagine my adulthood, I don’t see anything worthwhile.” @leahsottile.bsky.social explores how young people have been affected by a lifetime of extreme politics in America. www.thewesternedge.media/p/the-age-of...

Really great work here from @thewesternedge.bsky.social. It’s wild how we just glossed over extremism for so long that we allowed it’s resurgence to permeate the lives of our children.

Very kind, but what I want most is for you all to subscribe (or donate) to @thewesternedge.bsky.social. Here's a Substack-free link: buy.stripe.com/8x2dR86cj5SC...

@dairyqueen.bsky.social · 3mo ago

that @leahsottile.bsky.social isn't being published regularly in the national press, including long form magazines as well as newspapers, is literally going to come back & bite us all even more viciously than it already has.

It's remarkable how inciteful these young people are. One of them notes that, for many, extremism is rhetorical, when in reality it is a practice with real, tangible repercussions. Another notes wanting to grapple with topics from all angles made him more susceptible to the online nazi pipeline.

Ryan Haas@ryanjhaas.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Political violence and extremism are indisputably becoming more common. But for one group - young Americans - that's not a change. It's been the norm all their lives. @leahsottile.bsky.social spent months with a group of students for this @thewesternedge.bsky.social feature.

“It becomes more and more taxing to believe in a livable future. When I imagine my adulthood, I don’t see anything worthwhile.” @leahsottile.bsky.social explores how young people have been affected by a lifetime of extreme politics in America. www.thewesternedge.media/p/the-age-of...

The Age of No Innocence

What if all you knew was extremist politics? Welcome to being young in America.

thewesternedge.media

“It becomes more and more taxing to believe in a livable future. When I imagine my adulthood, I don’t see anything worthwhile.” @leahsottile.bsky.social explores how young people have been affected by a lifetime of extreme politics in America. www.thewesternedge.media/p/the-age-of...

The Age of No Innocence

What if all you knew was extremist politics? Welcome to being young in America.

thewesternedge.media

As extreme politics have normalized, young people have grown up not knowing any other way. For months, I've spent time getting to know 10 college students who literally do not recall a time in America without Trump. My latest for @thewesternedge.bsky.social www.thewesternedge.media/p/the-age-of...

The Age of No Innocence

What if all you knew was extremist politics? Welcome to being young in America.

thewesternedge.media

On this week’s Notes from The Edge: We talk about how on the day @ryanjhaas.bsky.social was reporting that someone died at an Amazon facility in Oregon, The New York Times was running a profile of Lauren Sanchez Bezos.

Staff at an Oregon Amazon facility have continued to come forward since our reporting last week on a death there to describe what they say are challenging and sometimes dangerous working conditions. We take you inside our reporting in this episode of Notes from the Edge.

Unpacking a Death at Amazon

A man died April 6 at an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Oregon. Our reporting on the facility continues.

thewesternedge.media