News bits: The West is growing, and burning, and drying out

And oozing methane at scary high rates

The Census Bureau just released its latest population-change figures tracking in- and out-migration and natural population growth or decline from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021. The numbers don’t reveal any surprising new trends or shifts. As you can see from the pictured map, most Western counties continued to grow.

But some of the details stand out and …