Mary Ellen Pitney, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Gravity Hill – the hill so nice I rolled down it twice

By Mary Ellen Pitney October 31, 2022

Gravity Hill on North Crosby Road near Prosser, WA. Listen Runtime 4:16 Read Past hop trellises, fruit orchards and rye fields, down a lonely stretch of road near Prosser, Washington… Continue Reading Gravity Hill – the hill so nice I rolled Read More

Salts, bacteria and evaporation: a magic spell for one Central Washington lake

By Mary Ellen Pitney October 18, 2022

The shore of Soap Lake is gray and gritty Listen Soap Lake’s unique healing properties can be explained by it’s even more unique ecology (Runtime 4:39) Read The recognition of… Continue Reading Salts, bacteria and Read More

Idaho asks judge to rethink temporary block on abortion ban

By Mary Ellen Pitney September 22, 2022

Old Ada County Courthouse. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Read BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Attorneys for the state of Idaho say a federal judge misinterpreted the law when he blocked… Continue Reading Idaho asks judge to rethink temporary block Read More

Twilight Or Bust: How One Saga Revitalized A Small Town Economy

By Mary Ellen Pitney September 6, 2022

In the misty forests of the Olympic peninsula sits a small town where a story of the undead has breathed new life into the economy. Forks was once primarily a logging town and that history is still visible. Continue Reading Twilight Or Bust: How One Saga Revitalized A Small Town EconomyRead More

StoryCorps Northwest: Dick Deane & Jon Lane — School Struggles and Coaching Champions

By Mary Ellen Pitney August 31, 2022

What does it take to lead a championship-winning wrestling team? In this week’s StoryCorps Northwest, former coach Dick Deane talks to Jon Lane, a former student, about how Deane became a coach. Both are from Moses Lake. Continue Read More

StoryCorps Northwest: Finding Lost Native Roots — Sunshine Pray & Apryl Yearout

By Mary Ellen Pitney August 24, 2022

Imagine being told to hide your identity. In this week’s StoryCorps Northwest, Sunshine Pray talks with her daughter Apryl Yearout about rediscovering their indigenous roots, and why they were hidden in the first place. Both are from Soap Lake. Read More

50 Years Of Flotsam: John’s Beachcombing Museum

By Mary Ellen Pitney August 18, 2022

John and Deb Anderson standing outside the beachcombing museum. Listen (Runtime 4:30) Read Deep, dark, and mysterious. Most people think that whatever falls into the ocean is lost forever, but… Continue Reading 50 Years Of Flotsam: John’s Read More

No Air Conditioner? No Sweat! Build A DIY Swamp Cooler

By Mary Ellen Pitney July 28, 2022

Different typed of DIY Swamp Coolers https://www.diycraftsy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/7-Simple-DIY-Homemade-Swamp-Cooler-Plans.jpg A heat wave is on the way in Eastern Washington. If you don’t have access to air conditioning, building a DIY swamp cooler… Continue Read More

Northwest Skillset: How To Drop A Tree 101

By Mary Ellen Pitney April 5, 2022

Left to right: Jeb Selby, Paul Riebe, Nathan Knoeller. University of Idaho Vandaljack team members clearing limbs off of fallen trees. Listen Like the roots of northwest forests, the roots… Continue Reading Northwest Skillset: How To Drop A Tree 101Read More

Clear Your Record Of Simple Possession? Not That Easy But You Should Try

By Mary Ellen Pitney December 21, 2021

graphic of scales with little bag on one scale

In February 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the State's felony drug possession statute was unconstitutional. This decision, known as State v. Blake, has far-reaching impacts that affect anyone previously convicted of simple possession of a controlled substance. Read More

Washington Supreme Court State vs Blake Drug Possession Law Payments

By Mary Ellen Pitney December 3, 2021

The first payments for people awarded clemency for simple possession charges in Washington started going out this week. This comes from the State vs Blake ruling. Continue Reading Washington Supreme Court State vs Blake Drug Possession Law Read More