America's biggest arts complex hasn't been able to present its regular programming due to the pandemic. Watch one of the private outdoor concerts organized for healthcare professionals and teachers. Continue Reading During A Read More
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In an interview with WebMD, CDC Director Robert Redfield warned of the dual threat of the coronavirus and flu season. He urged Americans to follow COVID-19 health guidance and get the flu vaccine. Continue Reading CDC Read More
Many of the county’s cases have spread in the small town of Brewster, where there is a large tree-fruit growing, packing and shipping industry. According to public health officials, there have been 885 positive cases in Okanogan County –– 518 in Brewster. Read More
President Trump told Fox Business Network that he's against additional funding and election assistance for the U.S. Postal Service in order to sabotage efforts to expand mail-in voting. Continue Reading President Trump Admits He Read More
While most people who die from COVID-19 are over 65, health care workers who die are often younger. Here are stories of some who died in their 20s, leaving shattered dreams and devastated families. Continue Reading Lives Cut Read More
On Aug. 3, Gov. Inslee announced new rules for indoor fitness studios and gyms that nearly tripled the required spacing between class participants from six feet to 17 feet. Krueger expressed her frustration in a 4-minute video she posted to Instagram. “I have to say that I am freaking pissed,” she said in the video. “We’re unable to pay our bills with these mandates; that Read More
President Trump has directed the Treasury Department to stop collecting payroll taxes this fall in an effort to boost workers' paychecks. But the move is temporary, and could spark headaches in 2021. Continue Reading Payroll Tax Delay To Boost Read More
Voter turnout in the Washington state primary is usually low, and turnout in 2016 was just under 35%. But Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman had still advised counties to plan for turnout that could potentially exceed 60%. Continue Read More
The Education Working Group requested the Legislature take up the issue of school closure authority when Gov. Brad Little convenes an extraordinary session of the Legislature the week of Aug. 24. Currently, health districts do have the authority to issue quarantine orders or close schools. Read More
This latest rollback proposal, issued Tuesday, comes from the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region. It would end a 25-year-old provision that prevents logging of trees that exceed 21 inches in diameter in six national forests across Eastern Oregon and Washington. Read More
As a result of the new postmaster general's plans to shake up the agency, "mail is beginning to pile up in our offices," says Kimberly Karol, a postal clerk and union leader in Iowa. Continue Reading Postal Workers Decry Changes And Cost-Cutting Read More
Canvassers have been out in North Idaho the past few weeks. They will be working between now and the end of September to follow up with people who haven’t filled out census forms. Continue Reading Census Canvassers Fan Out In The Read More
The state of Washington on Tuesday ordered that more endangered wolves be killed in a pack that continued to prey on cattle in Stevens County even after one member was eliminated. The decision was criticized by conservation groups who want the state to stop killing wolves. The state has killed more than 30 wolves since 2012. Read More
The selection will make Harris just the third woman — and first African American — to be nominated for vice president by a major political party. Continue Reading In Historic Pick, Joe Biden Taps Kamala Harris To Be His Running MateRead More
Seattle’s police chief says she is stepping down, a move made public the same day the City Council approved reducing the department by as many as 100 officers through layoffs and attrition. Carmen Best, the city’s first Black police chief, said in a letter to the department that her retirement will be effective Sept. 2 and the mayor has appointed Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz Read More
Undocumented workers who lost income because of the coronavirus pandemic, but were passed over for federal assistance, will finally be getting some help in Washington state, thanks to a new $40 million relief fund. Continue Reading Read More
Schools, faith and community groups as well as professional musicians are all struggling with the risks of singing. Experts present the most recent research and offer strategies to mitigate the risks. Continue Reading Is Singing Read More
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 20 million people worldwide have tested positive for the virus. The milestone comes almost exactly five months after the WHO declared it a pandemic. Continue Reading Global Coronavirus Case Count Surpasses 20 Read More
Washington Firefighter Quarantining With COVID; It’s A Test Of Safety Plan Ahead Of Wildfire Weather
The firefighter contracted COVID-19 outside of the fire camp. He tested positive after he left the fire. The firefighter came into contact with 14 others, who have now been quarantined and aren’t showing symptoms right now, according to the DNR. This year, fire camps have been kept smaller and more spaced out – to help prevent widespread outbreaks. Read More
The latest harvest estimates say Washington ranchers will harvest nearly 153 million bushels of wheat and Oregon 44 million bushels. That’s around average for both states. A typical barge holds around 122,500 bushels of wheat — meaning 44 million bushels would be about 360 barges full of grain on the Snake and Columbia Rivers heading toward export terminals. Read More
The June agreement is one of three, six-figure-a-week, no-bid contracts the state of Washington has entered into with McKinsey – one of the largest consulting firms in the world -- in the midst of the pandemic, according to a review by the public media Northwest News Network and The Seattle Times. The nature and price of the contracts has raised questions about whether Read More
The National Virtual Medical Orchestra brings together health care workers and gives them a creative outlet during the pandemic. Continue Reading Meet The Medical Professionals Playing Classical Music Together OnlineRead More
It's been 75 years since the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Koko Kondo, who was an infant when one of those bombs was dropped on Hiroshima. Continue Reading An Atomic Bomb Survivor On Her Journey From Read More
Woods played in the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a history-making all-female big band. She was 96. Continue Reading Helen Jones Woods, Groundbreaking Female Trombonist, Dies At 95 From COVID-19Read More
The virus might eventually behave more like the common cold, according to Vineet Menachery, a coronavirus researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Continue Reading COVID-19 May Never Go Away — With Or Without A VaccineRead More
President Trump signed four executive actions to provide economic relief amid the coronavirus pandemic. They amount to a stopgap measure after not reaching a deal with Congress. Continue Reading In Executive Actions, Trump Extends Read More
The billboards will be placed across Louisville, Ky., where Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment by police. The signs' message urges the arrest of the officers involved. Continue Reading Oprah Winfrey Commissions 26 Read More
In the Columbia Basin, the Democratic challenger for Washington state’s 13th Legislative District house seat has focused his message on farmworker safety and called for the boycott of fruit. It’s quite a move for a candidate in a district where the economy is dominated by agriculture. Read More
Oregon Forest Resources Institute, created in the early 1990s to educate residents about forestry, has acted as a public-relations agency and lobbying arm for the timber industry, in some cases skirting legal constraints that forbid it from doing so. Read More
The Disney+ documentary Howard features the life and work of Howard Ashman, a lyricist known for Little Shop of Horrors and one half of the duo that brought the music for three classic films to life. Continue Read More
Multiple sources tell OPB, federal officers are watching closely to see if the delicate peace holds through the weekend, in what some describe as a key moment for determining how many federal officers will remain in Portland. Read More
Louis DeJoy's political donations have sparked questions about whether he has an interest in affecting the delivery of mail ballots. He said the Postal Service has "ample capacity" to handle them. Continue Reading Postmaster Read More
A federal appeals court in San Francisco has denied the Justice Department's motion for a retrial in the case against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who led an armed standoff against federal agents over cattle grazing near his ranch in 2014. Read More
The state has developed a new four phase plan for the long-term care settings. This plan is entirely separate from the four phase protocol for reopening Washington state counties. Continue Reading After Months Of Read More
Idaho Gov. Brad Little says individual school districts will decide whether to bring students back to the classroom this fall. But he says the expectation is that schools will not be closed for an extended period. Read More
The debate over whether a Spokane religious group can hold services in front of a Planned Parenthood facility is getting so loud and heated that it is headed toward a courtroom, where noise ordinances, the right to health care and the First Amendment are all likely to be debated. Read More
New York's attorney general announced civil action to dissolve the National Rifle Association after an investigation found millions of dollars in alleged fraud by CEO Wayne LaPierre and others. Continue Reading New York Attorney Read More
Denin Koch's trip to the Hanford B Reactor when he was 19 stirred his musical passion. It eventually inspired a full jazz album exploring the complicated history of Hanford, 75 years after the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan ended WWII. Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday that schools in the majority of Washington’s counties should strongly consider online-only learning for students this fall due to COVID-19 and canceling or postponing sports and all other in-person extracurricular activities. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little is urging schools to reopen where it's deemed safe. Read More
Host Ari Shapiro talks with Linda Diaz, the winner of this year's NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest. Her entry, "Green Tea Ice Cream" is a dreamy R&B song anchored by her skilled and soulful voice. Continue Reading Meet Linda Diaz, The Winner Of NPR’s Read More
The massive explosion leveled the city's port and scattered debris across a road thousands of feet away. The blast killed at least 100 people and injured thousands more. Continue Reading Satellite Images Show Devastating Aftermath Of Beirut Read More
Thousands of foreign workers who entered the U.S. on temporary work visas received $1,200 pandemic stimulus checks in error, and many of them are spending the money in their home countries. Continue Reading Foreign Workers Living Read More
The race for governor and lieutenant governor were among dozens of federal, statewide and local races that voters were deciding in the state’s top-two primary, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the November ballot, regardless of party. Last-minute voters had until 8 p.m. to drop their ballots off at drop off boxes around the state. Read More
Eight people, at least two of them foreign H-2A farmworkers, have died in the county. Health officials say cases are climbing quickly with nearly 300 confirmed over the last two weeks alone. The county has seen about 800 total cases during the pandemic. Many of the recent cases are in the small town of Brewster, home to a large tree-fruit growing, packing and shipping Read More
July started off cool, which lowered wildfire risks in Washington and Oregon. But a new outlook shows excessive heat and a lack of precipitation have helped to dry out fuels in southern and central Oregon and central Washington. In those areas that have been dealing with drought, the land is ready to burn. Read More
Two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. is handling the pandemic worse than other nations, an NPR/Ipsos poll finds. Majorities support more aggressive measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Continue Reading Poll: Despite Read More
After collaborating with David Bowie in 2014, the multiple Grammy-winning composer found her artistic process had been recombobulated a bit — much like our ever-more digital world. Continue Reading Composer Maria Schneider Returns, With A Read More
U.S. pleasure boats have been sneaking into Canada despite a border shutdown. A group of Canadian retirees is on the lookout for violators from the "petri dish" that is America. Continue Reading Americans, Go Home: Read More
Spokane Superintendent Adam Swinyard says parents in his district can choose full-year distance learning or an option that allows for a transition to classroom learning, if that becomes possible later. Both would involve live instruction with teachers. For other districts, like Pullman, there's still an open question about what the fall term will look like, at least in the Read More
While turnout in November could easily top 80 percent, Washington’s August primary typically draws 40 percent or less of the electorate. We break down the dynamics of this year's unusual election season during the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
