Patty Grice lives less than a mile from a sewage treatment facility, bulk petroleum storage, concrete-batching plants, a brick manufacturer, a truss-making company, junk yards and car recyclers.

What can't you do at the University of New Mexico next semester? How's the state’s favorite produce doing? Why is Mayor Martin Chavez being called out in a federal lawsuit? Public school students may be able to abstain from ...

Genuine change in our school systems can’t happen until we get honest about education’s ugliest secrets. Namely, the fact that what we call “dropouts” are actually push-outs, force-outs and ignore-outs. And that most schools—and the administrators, teachers and principals that staff them—have no interest whatever in bringing them back in.

The first few times Cody Duarte knocked on an unfamiliar door to talk taxes, he was nervous.

Duarte, 17, a summer community-organizing intern, says he had to get over himself to have a persuasive discussion with strangers about something he'd never thought about before.

“It was hard at first, but it got easier,” he says. Duarte and a dozen other teens spent six weeks of this summer getting paid to learn how to take action and educate others on social and political causes. The program let out Friday, July 24.

Dateline: Australia—Here’s a tip: If you’re huffing gas, try to avoid getting Tasered by the cops. An Aboriginal Australian who had been sniffing gasoline apparently burst into flames after a police officer zapped him with a Taser gun. Ronald Mitchell, who charged at police while brandishing a juice bottle full of fuel, is now recovering in a hospital in Perth. The incident happened in Warburton, an Aboriginal community 950 miles northeast of the city in the state of Western Australia. Cops said they were responding to a complaint at a house when Mitchell, 36, came out of the house and charged them. When he refused to stop, one officer hit him with his Taser. The man was immediately engulfed in flames. The officer threw Mitchell to the ground and extinguished the blaze with his hands. A police spokesperson said Mitchell appeared to have received third-degree burns over about 10 percent of his body.

[ Re: Feature, "Somewhere Under the Rainbow," July 16-22] As a child of "hippy" parents, I have always felt the dichotomy of the hippy label: substance abuse and laziness on one side; on the other, sustainability, creativity, healing and spirituality. I hide my colorful side sometimes, not wanting to be judged by those darker qualities. I went with some trepidation to the Gathering because of this duality. Immediately on arrival, I relaxed into appreciation. As we lugged five cases of Thai Baby coconuts in, strong guys came running up to help us. I began to feel at "home": Here were other creative, generous and loving people! Exploring with my 3-year-old proved the magic of the Gathering; we found many positive scenes to dip into. We relied on intuition and connection to plan and find the right place/time; much better than cell phones! We stayed cozy under beautifully constructed shelters in rain, then enjoyed the warm sun, soft earth and bug-free fresh air. We marveled at exquisite meals: raw "pizza," sushi, Thai curry, pancakes ... . We enjoyed heartsongs, yoga, contact dance and met amazing people from all over who are contributing to our society positively. Life felt simple and loving, knowing that the artistic earth ovens, healing treatments, permaculture workshops and jazz brunch weren’t just for profit but inspired by a common vision. I avoided some of the wilder areas, though we met a reporter whose article on homeless Rainbow teens filled me with compassion toward the very folks I’d been avoiding. I’m sorry to read Maren's accounts; in life, we attract our experience based on our perspective. Though hard to leave, on returning I am embracing hippiness; I feel more willing to shine. We left refreshed, renewed and ready do our work in the world. I like this definition I heard there: Happy Intelligent Person Pursuing Infinite Enlightenment.