The Odessa American is the leading source of local news, information, entertainment and sports for the Permian Basin.

When Sarah Tidwell learned she was losing her job with the U.S. Forest Service, her first reaction was grief. Her second was confusion. "I was distressed immediately," recalled Tidwell. "I worked so ...

Waves of budget cuts, layoffs and buyouts in the last year have decimated the U.S. Forest Service, but the shutdown is ...