Today, Julia, Rider, and Tod discuss three articles from Alta Magazine, the publication based in California that focuses on news, history, literature, and culture, with a decidedly Western bent. Its founder, William Hearst III, declares it to be "a literate magazine that serves as a counterpoint to the New Yorker."

Articles discussed:

• "The Accident on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Louise Farr, about the tragic death of a hiker


• "When the Mafia Came to Lodi" by Andrew Dubbins, about the mafia's attempt to infiltrate California and the undercover case that took them down


• "The Search of a Lifetime" by Julian Smith, about a woman investigating a cold case of her grandfather's murder

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