Lascher at Large

A Renter’s Market?

Bill — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:14:00 +0000

For the first time in decades it's cool to be a renter. So why is it so hard to rent a home and still be “green"? This week, as news outlets across the board reported a steep decline in home sales and prices in July, especially in the West, some reported increased preferences for renting, especially with the added uncertainty wrought by high unemployment levels. Particia Orsini of AOL's Housing Watch reported Aug. 26 that Americans, particularly homeowners, are now more likely to think that renting a home is more prudent than buying one. Other news outlets, such as Forbes and the Real Estate Channel and Time's “Curious Capitalist" blog, also recently dissected the growing preference for renting. Orsini cited statistics from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. I took a glance at that report – titled State of the Nation's Housing 2010 – and found it shows that rental vacancies grew from 2006 to 2009, even though the renter pool was growing at the same time. In fact, U.S. Census Bureau housing vacancy survey data cited by the report shows that fewer people own homes in the West compared to any other region in the nation. The same numbers also show that nearly three-quarters of white Americans own homes while fewer than half of minority populations do. So, what does this all have to do with the environment? [...]

National Parks for the Whole Nation

Bill — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:26:26 +0000

For High Country News's A Just West blog this week I explored the interplay between race, economic status and access to parks and outdoor recreation. The post originally appeared here. [...]

What a Week for Wind

Bill — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:46:13 +0000

I’ve begun blogging about environmental justice and the West for High Country News My first post went up July 30 and discussed growth, economics and justice.HCN has been kind enough to allow me to cross-post, so beginning with this week’s edition I’ll also be putting my posts up here at Lascher at Large.

[...]

Northland

Bill — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:00:14 +0000

Searching for Sherby Paradise, I discover the Northland. I discover strong friendships and traditions in a wilderness on the verge of destruction. I discover hospitality in a town bracing itself against outsiders. Jackman doesn’t fear foreign terrorists. It fears domestic tourists. The same influx that breathes life into the town will be the force that changes it forever. For now, life goes on much as it always has. [...]

Following a War Correspondent’s Footsteps to the Oil Spill

Bill — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:39:47 +0000

Will following the footsteps of Melville Jacoby, a World War II correspondent and my grandmother's cousin, help me cover the gulf oil spill? [...]

Amusements

Bill — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:14:57 +0000

When I am doing more than just writing

addHSSlideshow('group1');

When I am seeing

addHSSlideshow('group2');

As I wander

Guest Post – All for one and one for all: why writer communities

Bill — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:57:21 +0000

Michelle Rafter, Blogathon Organizer and Owner of WordCount

One of the more interesting features of the 2010 Blogathon is today’s guest post exchange day. Blogathon participants have wandered about the Internet to post on each other’s blogs. Visiting Lascher at Large today is Michelle Rafter, a freelance business and technology reporter who [...]

One Year Ago: Mastering the Bus

Bill — Sat, 15 May 2010 18:00:08 +0000

(Looking for the last excerpt from my tales of rural Maine? Come back tomorrow, or check out part 1 and part 2)

May 15, 2009.

I quit a job, spent a year of my life and paid thousands of dollars to get this shot.

[...]

Do what I would do.

Bill — Thu, 13 May 2010 06:59:03 +0000

I’m going to someplace not Portland this weekend. If you feel like following me, you might head east of Idaho, south of the Hudson Bay, north of Mali and west of Bhutan.

However, if I were staying town, there are a number of things I might do:

Check out what the Cascades Volcano Observatory [...]

Sights seen while not writing

Bill — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:46:57 +0000

As I noted last week, I don’t just write:

addHSSlideshow('group3');