By Air And By Bike, Civilian Pilots And Cyclists Rehearse Delivering Aid After ‘The Big One’

By Tom Banse
Private pilots and cyclists will separately take to the air and the streets this month to practice delivering relief supplies after a catastrophic earthquake.
A huge dress rehearsal for regional earthquake disaster relief was supposed to happen next week until the ongoing pandemic forced its cancellation. The scrubbed Cascadia Rising exercise would have involved more than 22,000 participants – chiefly U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen as well as state, local and tribal emergency planners. Some smaller drills are going ahead this Read More

To ‘Honor The Shoulders We Stand On:’ Big Band Premieres With Nod To History Of Native Jazz Musicians

By Tom Banse
The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band posed for a commemorative photo after their premiere in Olympia on May 19, 2022.
A scheme to entertain a 4-year-old youngster in Spokane by playing a jazz album nearly three decades ago produced a cascade of aftereffects that culminated on stage in Olympia, Washington, this month with crescendos of horns and multiple standing ovations. During the debut of a 16-piece, all-Indigenous big band, the performers on stage hearkened even further back in Read More

Rehearsing For ‘The Big One’ On A Room-Sized Chess Board

By Tom Banse
Emergency planners could move pins representing earthquake response resources during an exercise at Camp Murray, Washington, on May 4.
Close to 200 federal, state and tribal emergency preparedness planners gathered around a giant map of the Pacific Northwest this week to rehearse and critique the federal response plan for "The Big One." The three-day Cascadia earthquake discussion exercise partially replaced a much bigger planned dress rehearsal that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read More

Electric Utilities In Northwest Spending Millions On Upgrades To Reduce Risk Of Wildfire Ignitions

By Tom Banse
Utility crews replace power poles burned in the Beachie Creek Fire east of Salem in September 2020.
Private electric utilities in the Pacific Northwest are planning tens of millions of dollars in upgrades to reduce the risk that their power lines could spark wildfires during extreme weather. Utilities such as Pacific Power, Avista, Idaho Power, Portland General Electric and Puget Sound Energy are either required to or are voluntarily submitting wildfire mitigation plans. Read More

Pickleball Now The Official Sport Of Washington State

By Tom Banse
Pickleball, invented in 1965 in Washington State, is now the state’s official sport / Tom Banse – Northwest News Network Listen Tom Banse reports on pickle ball being named the official sport of Washington State / Runtime – :48 Read Pickleball enthusiasts gathered Monday on Bainbridge Island for a celebration on the court where the… Read More

U.S. Senate Votes To Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

By Tom Banse
File photo. A loosely coordinated effort is gaining steam to get all West Coast states to synchronize their clocks to year-round daylight saving time. CREDIT: HENRIQUE SIMPLICIO / FLICKR PHOTO HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/F1JXBL
U.S. Senate votes to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. CREDIT: HENRIQUE SIMPLICIO / FLICKR/FLIC.KR/P/F1JXBL Listen Tom Banse reports on efforts to make Daylight Saving Time permanent / Runtime: 1 minute Read An abrupt awakening in Congress is raising hopes on the West Coast that last weekend’s switch from standard time to daylight time might be… Read More

Out-Of-State Fuel Tax Runs Out Of Gas in WA Legislature

By Tom Banse
Traffic on I-95 passes oil storage tanks owned by the Colonial Pipeline Co. in Linden, N.J. An cybersecurity attack has shut down Colonial Pipeline, a major transporter of gasoline along the East Coast. CREDIT: Mark Lennihan/AP
A controversial tax on Washington State fuel shipped to other states was shot down by lawmakers CREDIT: Mark Lennihan/AP Listen Read A proposed tax on gasoline and diesel delivered to out-of-state customers from Washington refineries has gone by the wayside. The Washington House of Representatives voted Tuesday to jettison and replace the tax after strong… Read More

WA Dems Ignore Complaints About Out-Of-State Gas Tax

By Tom Banse
The 400-mile Olympic Pipeline carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from refineries in northern Washington state.
The 400-mile Olympic Pipeline carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from refineries in northern Washington state, such as BP Cherry Point shown here, to a distribution hub in Portland, Oregon. CREDIT: Tom Banse Listen Read Majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature appear unbowed by complaints from Oregon, Idaho and Alaska over a targeted new fuel… Read More

Green Aluminum? Complex Deal Seeks To Restart The Last Aluminum Smelter In The NW And Cut Pollution

By Tom Banse
The potential restart of the Intalco Works smelter near Ferndale, Washington, calls for millions in taxpayer dollars and a cheap power deal.
A complex deal is taking shape to revive the Pacific Northwest's last remaining aluminum smelter. Alcoa idled its Intalco Works smelter near Ferndale, Washington, a year-and-a-half ago and laid off virtually all the workers there. The plan to bring this industry back involves a new owner, cash from taxpayers and an uncertain new contract for cut-rate wholesale power. Read More

Solidarity At Olympia Mosque

By Tom Banse
Christians, Jews, Sikhs and Quakers go to Olympia mosque to show support after explosion. People of many faiths gathered outside the Islamic Center of Olympia before Friday prayers  to demonstrate support for the area’s Muslim community. This, after a late-night explosion rocked the neighborhood last week. Sheriff’s investigators found paper remnants of a firework Read More

Washington State And Oregon Considering More Tsunami Refuge Facilities Along Pacific Coast Following New Study

By Tom Banse
A tsunami of local origin leaves precious little time for people to move to higher ground along the Pacific coast.
If you are on the Pacific Northwest Coast when the next Cascadia megaquake strikes — also known as "The Big One"— the standard advice is to run for higher ground as soon as the shaking stops. But in some low-lying places such as Ocean Shores and Long Beach, Washington, and Warrenton and Seaside, Oregon, the closest high ground could be a long walk away over buckled roads. Read More
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