high country news service

WORC’s award-winning High Plains News project covered western news, culture, and issues into the early 2000s.

High Plains News was a project of the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC), a regional association of eight grassroots membership organizations: Dakota Resource Council (North Dakota); Dakota Rural Action (South Dakota); Idaho Rural Council (Idaho); Northern Plains Resource Council (Montana); Oregon Rural Action (Oregon); Powder River Basin Resource Council (Wyoming); Western Colorado Alliance(Colorado); and Western Native Voice (Montana). WORC’s mission is to advance the vision of a democratic, sustainable, and just society through community action. WORC is committed to building sustainable environmental and economic communities that balance economic growth with the health of people and stewardship of their land, water, and air resources.

When it was running, High Plains News produced its award-winning special program, Rural Voices three times a year. These 30-minute programs took an in-depth look at issues affecting our region. Our reporters talked to Western people about issues they care about. Western Waters: Rivers at Risk explored problems facing our streams and what can be done to solve them. Another special, Health Care: Rural Realities, addressed health insurance and diversity in care for rural people of different races, cultures and ages. During the summer of 1997 we heard about lives attacked by racial slurs, death threats and bombs in Intimidation & Conflict: How to Respond. We’ve also examined impacts of uncontrolled growth on wildlife, agriculture, infrastructure, taxes, and community. Featuring voices and perspectives of grassroots people, Sprawl: The Cost of Uncontrolled Growth explored booming development and its consequences on local economies, the environment, and quality of life.

High Plains News won a Silver Reel Award for Western Stampede: The Rush for Coalbed Methane at the annual meeting of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters in February, 2003.

Here are some of the project’s accolades:

“High Plains News is a vehicle to share Native American culture with other diverse peoples of the West. The news is informational and educational.”

Nina Fox, independent producer, Mandaree, ND

“The High Plains News Service is one of a kind. You don’t hear programs like it anywhere else….the High Plains News Service is a high quality news and information show.”

Edna Carpenter, rancher, Torrington, WY The News For You

“High Plains News Service covers real issues that affect rural America and provides stories and information to our station that we wouldn’t normally get.”

Jackie Scalzo, Program Director, KBUT, Crested Butte, CO HPNS Programs

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