Last week a federal jury decided that private company GEO Group, which operates the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, owed those formerly detained at the facility $17.3 million in back pay for violation of Washington state’s minimum wage law. Continue Reading Read More
Northwest Extra
A needs assessment by the Innovia foundation and Lewis Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation found that among the many health care barriers residents face, one of the biggest is affordability. Continue Reading Lack Of Read More
Emergency authorization for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 was given last week by the CDC. Parents of kids that age have lots of questions. Continue Reading Vaccines For Kids Ages 5 To 11Read More
School Resource Officers should be following the state’s vaccination mandate. But that isn’t the case for some officers who serve schools in Benton County. Continue Reading Contracted School Resource Officers Read More
The Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIW/P) Task Force will have its first meetings on December 2nd and 3rd. Continue Reading WA Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And People Meeting To Start Read More
Yakima Valley Libraries are breaking down barriers for special-needs patrons with their services. They’ll provide more access to entertainment and information resources to build a stronger community. Continue Reading Building A More Inclusive Library In YakimaRead More
Organizations in Yakima County are motivating Latinx voters to get to the polls on Elections Day. Informational sessions and events are part of the strategies. Continue Reading Yakima Nonprofit Organizations Encourage Latinos To VoteRead More
Employers in foodservice are having difficulty filling positions. At WSU Dining Services, that difficulty led to the closure of a coffee shop, limited hours for markets and cutback on catering services. Continue Reading Food-Service Worker Shortage Affecting Read More
A group of labor organizations, farmworker advocates and health experts are sending a letter to the Governors of Washington, Oregon and California with their recommendations on permanent rulemaking for heat and smoke protections for farmworkers. Continue Read More
In several areas of the state, school resource officers are contracted employees from sheriff’s departments. Pierce and Benton county both supply sheriff deputies to local school districts as school resource officers. In the Kiona Benton school district, the school resource officer is sheriff deputy Brad Klippert, who is also a state representative. Read More
The Afghan resettlement has begun in Washington. The Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities is helping families to settle in the area. One of the first families here is a young couple with a two-year-old child. They traveled nearly seven thousand miles to arrive at Pasco airport. Read More
There’s a new tool to prevent pesticide exposure and illness among Latinx farmworkers. The University of Washington created the app, “Pesticide Labels, Now!’ to address language barriers on technical labels written in English. Continue Read More
Nez Perce Tribe install Tesla Megapack for soloar power at wastewater facility. Continue Reading Nez Perce Tribe Installs Tesla MegapackRead More
Washington’s prison population has dropped to levels not seen in nearly a generation. COVID is a major factor, but what’s not clear is whether the downward trend is here to stay. Continue Reading Washington’s Prison Population Plummets During COVID Read More
A large-scale Northwest farmer allegedly stole Snake River irrigation water during this past summer. And Washington state has clamped down hard with an unusually-large fine. Continue Reading State Of Washington And Read More
Ninety two percent of Washington state employees are vaccinated against COVID-19. Continue Reading Vaccine Rate Is 92% For WA State EmployeesRead More
Washington State University's new football coach Jake Dickert began his new responsibilities Tuesday as interim head coach. That's after the school fired Nick Rolovich and four assistants for not complying with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Read More
The Washington State Patrol says it’s lost 127 employees as a result of Governor Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. That’s about six percent of the workforce. And it includes more than 70 troopers and other sworn members of the agency. Read More
Washington’s eight-billion-dollar wine industry relies heavily on its workers, many of whom do not have easy access to healthcare. A non-profit winery called Vital Wines is looking to change that. Ashley Trout founded the non-profit in 2016. Continue Read More
Researchers at Washington State University are developing a new way to measure soil health that could be a game changer in agriculture. Continue Reading WSU Researchers Measure Electrical Currents To Determine Soil HealthRead More
A literature review from Washington State University of 296 studies shows that access to nature can significantly benefit children’s health, especially for kids in marginalized communities. Continue Reading Nature Can Significantly Benefit Children’s Read More
A new exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of art at Washington State University is shining a light on racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement with the works of 20 artists from around Washington. Continue Reading Read More
Good news for parents of kids that are between five and eleven. Dr. Person, the Health Officer for Benton Franklin Health Department believes by the middle of November kids should be able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Continue Reading Read More
Residents in the Methow Valley are hoping to prevent future devastating fires by creating BioChar. Fire scorching the forests of the Methow Valley in North Central Washington has become a devastating yearly event. Continue Reading How BioChar Can Read More
A geological survey in Idaho could pave the way for future mining of cobalt, which is considered a critical mineral for defense and electronics. The survey is funded through a partnership with The Idaho Geological Survey, U.S. Geological survey, and funds from the Idaho Cobalt Company, New Jersey Mining Company and Idaho’s Revival Gold Incorporated Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate has survived an 11th hour court challenge. On Monday, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy denied a motion for an injunction to block the mandate from taking effect. Continue Reading Read More
An Olympic torch lighting ceremony in (Ancient Olympia,) Greece on Monday started the countdown to the next Winter Olympics. Those games will unfold in Beijing three-and-a-half months from now. Olympic hopefuls from the Northwest are undeterred by controversies swirling around the host country. Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate is now in effect. But it may be several days before we know how many people in state government, health care and education lost their jobs because they didn’t get vaccinated. Continue Read More
Washington State University head football coach Nick Rolovich was terminated Monday after he failed to comply with Governor Jay Inslee's vaccine mandate. Continue Reading WSU Fires Head Football Coach Nick Rolovich For Failing To Read More