Pamela White takes a look at a kind of religious violence that has been largely ignored by the media. In northern Arizona, Hopi Tribal employees bulldozed a Diné sacred site, in full view of federal authorities. The reason? “To prevent illegal political activity,” White writes.
Across the country, alternative newsweeklies ditched their planned front pages as the awesome events of Tuesday unfolded. East Coast papers like The Village Voice and Washington City Paper are sharing stories and pictures with colleagues from Maine to California.
Missoula Independent Publisher Matt Gibson writes a compelling story about the legal maneuvering that allowed Jeffrey M. Smith Jr. to obtain a concealed weapon permit in Montana, despite arrests for violent crimes and a diagnosis of manic depression. But this is Montana; what else is new? What makes this story unusual is that Smith formerly owned the Missoula Independent before he sold it to Gibson, who later sued him for breach of contract and trademark dilution.
The founders of the Missoula Independent are back together again. Eric Johnson has been hired as editor of Coast Weekly in Monterey, Calif., and his cohort Erik Cushman was promoted from vice president and director of operations to publisher. Founder Bradley Zeve will concentrate on community relations and grassroots social projects.
With the advent of Michele Laven as president and COO of New Times, news of hirings and promotions is spinning out of the chain’s headquarters like balls shot into a pinball machine.
