John Clary Davies on a 3 A.M. bear at his kitchen window and a record year for human-bear conflicts in Colorado. There have been over 7,000 incidents by early September. A dry winter and drought pushing bears toward houses and a whole town trading stories about cubs on the bike path.

Liam Hodder writes about how the punk and hardcore community in Alberta are galvanizing against a common enemy, the United Conservative Party. A great read on how local music scenes double as political communities.