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Northwest News

‘He’s In Our Soul’: Sisters Remember Their Dad’s Legacy On Father’s Day

By NPR News June 15, 2019

Candi and Estela Reyes shared memories of their father during a 2012 StoryCorps interview in El Paso, Texas. CREDIT: Anaid Reyes/StoryCorps

"Very formidable. Very strong-willed. Very commanding figure. His nickname was el canillón — the big-wristed man," Estela Reyes said. "I remember being a little kid — Papi just reaching down and lifting me up like I was tissue paper, this delicate little weightless thing." Read More

How Are Schools Securing Classrooms? Colorado Is A Model Based On Past Tragedies

By PBS Newshour June 15, 2019

Columbine High School sign in Littleton, Colorado

School shootings have become a tragic reality of modern American life. How can school administrators prepare for the worst-case scenario? Continue Reading How Are Schools Securing Classrooms? Colorado Is A Model Based On Past Read More

Commission Recommends Major Overhaul Of Washington Sentencing Laws

By Austin Jenkins June 15, 2019

THOMAS HAWK / FLICKR - TINYURL.COM/HA5H3WP

Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission, tasked with promoting accountability and equity in sentencing, has adopted a report to the state Legislature that urges lawmakers to consider two options for modernizing the grid with the twin goals of simplifying sentencing and increasing judicial discretion. Read More

Trial Begins In 1987 Case Of Victoria, BC Couple Killed In Northwestern Washington

By NWPB News June 14, 2019

In this April 11, 2018 photo, Snohomish County Cold Case Detective Jim Scharf, right, shares details of the unsolved case of the 1987 double homicide of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg. William Earl Talbott II is charged. CREDIT: Ian Terry/The Herald via AP

On Friday, jurors heard about the mysterious final days of a young Canadian couple killed in 1987 — as well as the novel method authorities used to finally make an arrest three decades later. Continue Reading Trial Begins In Read More

Mind If We Drop Off A Dead Whale On Your Beach? Asking For A friend.

By Tom Banse June 14, 2019

This 40-foot gray whale drifted ashore north of Port Ludlow, Washington, on May 28 before being towed to a more isolated beach at the invitation of the landowners there. CREDIT: MARIO RIVERA

The tally of dead gray whales washing up on Pacific Northwest beaches during this year's northbound migration keeps going up. That's prompting an unusual request for volunteers from a federal agency. Continue Reading Mind If We Drop Off A Read More

Jay Inslee Makes The Cut: Slate Announced For June 26 – 27 Democratic Debates

By NPR News June 14, 2019

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has reported raising $112,000 for a federal PAC that will allow him to explore running for president. CREDIT: OFFICE OF GOV. JAY INSLEE

Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will all be on the debate stage together on June 27. Washington Gov. Jay Inlee will be in the June 26 group. Scott Eisen; Kimberly White; Mark Makela; Scott Olson/Getty Images Read More

Oregon State University Gets Hemp Research Center Amid Surge In Farmer Interest

By Tom Banse June 14, 2019

Industrial hemp seedlings grow at an Oregon State University research plot near Aurora, Oregon. CREDIT: OSU

Oregon State University has established what it considers to be the nation's largest hemp research center. This comes amid a surge of farmer interest in the Northwest to grow the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana. Continue Read More

Canada Wants To Ban Single-Use Plastics. Would It Make A Difference?

By PBS Newshour June 13, 2019

A Canadian ban on single-use plastics products could go into effect as early as 2021. CREDIT: COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT PUBLIC WORKS

From Vancouver to Halifax, plastic plates, plastic bags and plastic straws may be on their way out. But a possible country-wide prohibition on certain single-use plastic products may not address the spread of the most insidious plastic litter, some scientists say. Read More

In Astoria, Cormorant Birds Take Over Iconic Bridge, And Salmon Below Are On The Menu

By Tom Banse June 13, 2019

Cormorants returned to the Astoria Bridge to roost at nightfall on June 3, 2019.

Cormorants by the thousands have taken up residence under the landmark Astoria-Megler Bridge over the Columbia River. Their poop can corrode the bridge and that is unacceptable to the Oregon and Washington transportation departments. But what actions to take against the protected birds and whose responsibility that is are up in the air. Read More

U.S. Forest Service Seeks To Overhaul Timber Management Rules

By NPR News June 12, 2019

A logger cuts a large fir tree in the Umpqua National Forest near Oakridge, Ore. Federal land managers are proposing a sweeping rule change that could expand commercial logging on Forest Service land. Don Ryan/AP

Federal land managers have proposed sweeping rule changes to a landmark environmental law that would allow them to fast-track certain forest management projects, including logging and prescribed burning. Continue Reading U.S. Forest Service Seeks Read More

Oregon Wave Energy Testing Project Moves Forward

By Jes Burns June 12, 2019

Permitting is underway for a new wave energy test facility off Oregon’s coast. CREDIT: U.S. Department of Energy

A renewable energy project planned off the coast of Newport is taking a step forward. Oregon State University has submitted a final license application for a wave energy testing facility with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If built, it would be the largest of its kind in the U.S. Read More

Rural Health: Financial Insecurity Plagues Many Who Live With Disability

By NPR News June 12, 2019

Having good access to transportation — or not — has a huge impact on the health of people living in rural parts of the country. Without that transportation — or ready access to other basics like healthy food or good housing — people can get into a vicious cycle. That cycle of poor health and poverty hits people with disabilities particularly hard. Read More

Tribes Say Fish Passage Above Grand Coulee Dam Is Possible

By Courtney Flatt June 12, 2019

Grand Coulee Dam File Photo - CREDIT Bureau of Reclamation

A team of researchers presented their findings on Tuesday to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. In short, they said, salmon can survive in the upper reaches of the Columbia Basin, and fish passage needs to happen above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams. Read More

Legal Marijuana For All Takes A Toll On Medical Users, Analysis Shows

By NWPB News June 11, 2019

Scott Donnelly, assisted by his wife and licensed caregiver, Vicki Poppen, leaves Western Oregon Dispensary in Sherwood, Ore., after buying medical marijuana to treat muscle spasms caused by his multiple sclerosis. Donnelly visits the medical-only dispensary once a week and relies on it for the cannabis that eases his tremors long enough that he can fall asleep. The dispensary is one of two medical-only shops left in Oregon. CREDIT: GILLIAN FLACCUS/AP

When states legalize pot for all adults, long-standing medical marijuana programs take a big hit, in some cases losing more than half their registered patients in just a few years, according to a data analysis by The Associated Press. Continue Read More

Federal Judge To Hear Arguments Over Admission Delays At Oregon State Psychiatric Hospital

By Conrad Wilson June 11, 2019

The Oregon State Hospital in Salem. CREDIT: Josh Partee CC BY-SA 2.5 - creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5

A federal judge is set to hear arguments Portland this week from mental health advocates who say the state is failing dozens of criminal defendants in need of treatment. Continue Reading Federal Judge To Hear Arguments Read More

Timeline: A History Of Grizzly Bear Recovery In The Lower 48 States

By NWPB News June 10, 2019

A sow grizzly bear spotted near Camas in northwestern Montana. Wildlife officials endorsed a plan in August to keep northwestern Montana's grizzly population at roughly 1,000 bears as the state seeks to bolster its case that lifting federal protections will not lead to the bruins' demise. CREDIT: MONTANA FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARK

At their peak, grizzly bears numbered more than 50,000 in the Lower 48. Facing threats from habitat loss, hunting and conflicts with people and livestock, their numbers dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in the lower 48 by the time the Endangered Species Act was implemented in 1975. Here's a timeline of the management actions, court cases and notable events that have shaped Read More

Cracking The Tab On Summer: Northwest Wine Brands Increasingly Pour Into Cans

By Anna King June 10, 2019

Pallets of 14 Hands canned wines are ready to ship at Columbia Crest winery near Paterson, Wash.

Just in the last year, the wine-in-can category has grown by more than 100 percent across the nation, measured by volume of units sold. The third largest winery in the nation is Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, based in Woodinville, Wash. Now, it’s pouring huge amounts of juice into aluminum cans under its 14 Hands brand. Read More

Oregon Approves New Plan For Managing Gray Wolves

By Tony Schick June 9, 2019

This Feb. 2017, file photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a gray wolf of the Wenaha Pack captured on a remote camera on U.S. Forest Service land in Oregon's northern Wallowa County. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE/AP

Oregon fish and wildlife commissioners approved a new management plan Friday for gray wolves, a long-awaited document that sets protocols for potential hunts and new thresholds for when the agency may kill wolves after attacks on cattle and sheep. Continue Read More

West Coast Rockfish Populations Rebound Faster Than Expected

By Cassandra Profita June 8, 2019

Widow rockfish pour onto the deck of the Winona J fishing trawler.

Too much fishing with trawl nets led to a devastating collapse in fish populations in the 1990s. Widow rockfish were one of 10 different groundfish species that were declared overfished, and trawl boats were restricted from catching them. Continue Read More

Oregon Joins Washington In Passing Bill For Permanent Daylight Saving Time

By Lauren Dake June 7, 2019

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

Oregon lawmakers approved a measure on Thursday that could allow the state to adopt daylight saving time year-round. Washington legislators approved the change this year. In California, voters have approved year-round daylight saving time, but legislators have not signed off yet. Read More

Organic Farming Has A Plastic Problem. One Solution Is Controversial

By NPR News June 7, 2019

Lettuce sprouts amid rows of plastic covering the ground at One Straw Farm, an organic operation north of Baltimore. Although conventional farmers also use plastic mulch, organic produce farms like One Straw rely on the material even more because they must avoid chemical weed killers, which are banned in organic farming. CREDIT: LISA ELAINE HELD/NPR

Plastic is under attack these days for the environmental problems it causes. But sustainability-minded shoppers might not be aware that many organic farmers — like their conventional farming neighbors — also rely on plastic. It's spread over the ground as a form of mulch to suppress weeds, conserve water and aid plant growth. Read More

Western Forest Fires Release Less Carbon Than Thought, Study Shows

By NWPB News June 7, 2019

An air tanker makes a retardant drop on the South Umpqua Complex fires. CREDIT: U.S. FOREST SERVICE

The amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere from forest fires in the U.S. West is being greatly overestimated, possibly leading to poor land management decisions, researchers at the University of Idaho said. Continue Read More

Apple Capital And Jewel Of Columbia? Hydropower Deal Clears Way For Wenatchee Diamond Making

By Tom Banse June 6, 2019

Lab-created diamonds produced by Diamond Foundry

When you think of made-in-the-Northwest products, diamonds are probably not on your list. But soon, they could be. A contract signed Thursday for Columbia River hydropower clears the way for a foundry to make lab-created diamonds in Wenatchee. Read More

Jay Inslee Not Happy Over National Party’s Refusal To Have Climate-Themed Debate

By Austin Jenkins June 6, 2019

Gov. Jay Inslee speaks with reporters following a talk on climate change at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester, Jan. 22, 2019. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is stoking outrage and taking on his own party after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) unequivocally quashed his proposal for a debate centered on climate change. He's also refusing to take "no" for an answer. Read More

Washington Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Against Florist Who Declined To Serve Same-Sex Wedding

By Anna King June 6, 2019

In a unanimous decision Thursday, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld its earlier decision against a Richland florist who refused to sell wedding flowers to a gay couple. Continue Reading Washington Supreme Read More

Washington May Extends Overtime Rules To Thousands Of Previously Exempt Workers

By Paige Browning June 6, 2019

Isaiah McDaniel bags groceries into a customer's cloth bags at PCC Natural Market Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, in Seattle. CREDIT: ELAINE THOMPSON/AP

A sweeping proposal by the state Department of Labor and Industries could grant overtime pay to thousands more workers in Washington. Currently, workers are guaranteed overtime pay if their salary is under $24,000 a year. The proposal would gradually raise that threshold to about $80,000 by 2026. Read More

D-Day: Allies Commemorate Pivotal World War II Invasion, 75 Years Later

By NPR News June 5, 2019

Veterans stand in front of a 1944 image of their comrades wading onto the beaches of France during D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth, England. Leaders of 16 countries involved in World War II joined Queen Elizabeth II at the ceremony on Wednesday. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

"The wartime generation — my generation — is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today," Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said Wednesday, as she kicked off a two-day commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France that reshaped World War II. Read More

Suicides In Northwest Jails Highlight Risk For Native American Inmates

By Austin Jenkins June 5, 2019

Vicky Jefferson holds a framed montage of photos of her daughter Shannon who died by suicide in the Whatcom County Jail. CREDIT: SARAH WALLACE

Deaths in the Whatcom County Jail highlight two stark realities: Native Americans are disproportionately more likely to be in Northwest jails. As a result, they are also more likely to die in jail. Continue Reading Suicides In Northwest Read More

1 Billion Acres At Risk For Catastrophic Wildfires, U.S. Forest Service Warns

By NPR News June 5, 2019

Crews tend to a prescribed fire in April 2016 northeast of Silver City, N.M. In line with a controversial Trump administration executive order pushing for "active forest management," the U.S. Forest Service is aiming to perform thinning, brush clearing, prescribed burns and other treatments on 3.5 million of its 80 million acres this year. CREDIT: NATIONAL FOREST/AP

The chief of the U.S. Forest Service is warning that a billion acres of land across America are at risk of catastrophic wildfires like last fall's deadly Camp Fire that destroyed most of Paradise, Calif. Continue Reading 1 Billion Read More

Federal Judge Blocks Grazing Permits To Oregon Family At Heart Of Malheur Occupation

By Rob Manning June 5, 2019

Dwight Hammond Jr. greets protesters outside his home in Burns, Oregon in January 2016. Hammond was convicted of arson on federal charges in 2012. The case sparked the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Occupation led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy. CREDIT: AMELIA TEMPLETON/OPB

U.S. Judge Michael H. Simon issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the grazing permits issued to Dwight and Steven Hammond by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke before he left the Trump administration at the beginning of this year. Read More

Navy Hovercrafts Could Be Hulking Lifesavers After ‘The Big One’ Hits Northwest

By Tom Banse June 4, 2019

The Navy hovercraft involved in Monday's demonstration are known as LCACs in military lingo. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

People visiting or living along the Pacific Northwest coast may be completely cut off after "The Big One" —the feared magnitude 9.0 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami. For that reason, the U.S. Navy has been scouting landing sites along the coast for disaster relief delivery by sea. The quake preparations ticked up a notch on Monday, with a practice delivery of supplies using Read More

Firefighters Tackle Central Washington Fire Near Wanapum Dam, Expecting Growth Overnight

By Anna King June 4, 2019

The 243 Fire, named for the state highway near which it started, burned near Mattawa Tuesday, June 4, 2019. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

Firefighters continued to attack a growing fire today in Grant County. It’s burning near the Wanapum Dam between the Columbia River and Royal City. Afternoon estimates had the so-called 2-4-3 Fire at nearly 5,000 acres, with that number expected to rise in windy conditions this afternoon and overnight. Read More

Clean Fuels Proponents Move Forward With Plans In Washington State Despite Legislative Setback

By Courtney Flatt June 4, 2019

Tailpipe exhaust is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state and nationwide. CREDIT: RICK BOWMER/AP

Plans for a low carbon fuel standard in Washington didn’t work out this legislative session. Now, advocates are figuring out what to do next to reduce gasoline and diesel emissions in the Evergreen State. Continue Read More

‘Genocide’ Has Been Committed Against Indigenous Women And Girls, Canadian Panel Says

By NPR News June 4, 2019

Women attend the closing ceremony of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on Monday in Gatineau, Quebec. Chris Wattie/Reuters

A years-long government inquiry says human rights abuses "perpetrated historically and maintained today by the Canadian state" has led to violence against Indigenous women and girls that amounts to genocide. Continue Reading Read More

A Sea Of Sagebrush Disappears, Making Way For Fire-Prone Cheatgrass

By NPR News June 3, 2019

Jon Griggs has been ranching in northern Nevada for more than 30 years. Fires have always been a part of this landscape, he says, but in the past 20 years, he has seen a significant increase. CREDIT: ASHLEY AHEARN/NPR

It may seem, to anyone who has driven long stretches of highway across the West, that there is plenty — maybe even more than enough — sagebrush. Sagebrush once covered 250 million acres of western North America, but today that ecosystem is half the size it once was and it's burning more frequently. Read More

Alaska Or Bust! Racers Set Out On Paddleboards, Canoes, Skifts From Port Townsend

By Tom Banse June 3, 2019

Supporters of Team Sail Like A Girl held a dockside blessing ceremony in Port Townsend Sunday for the defending champions before racing started Monday.

The starting horn echoed bright and early Monday morning across Port Townsend Bay to launch the fifth annual running of a madcap maritime marathon. The 750-mile Race to Alaska has been compared by its organizers to the Iditarod sled dog race, but with a chance of drowning or getting eaten by a bear. Read More

Pushback Against Superfast 5G Wireless Spreads To At Least 7 Northwest Cities

By Tom Banse June 2, 2019

A typical small cell antenna for 5G wireless networks as seen in Eugene, this one not yet operational.

Activists are asking city or county governments of at least seven Pacific Northwest communities to defy the federal government. They want to stop the deployment of next-generation 5G cellular service. Continue Reading Pushback Read More

Don’t Get Too Ticked Off, But… There’s Another Tick-Borne Illness To Worry About

By NPR News June 2, 2019

This photo depicts two Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks, commonly known as the longhorned tick. It has been linked to the spread of a hemorrhagic fever in China. The smaller of the two ticks on the left is a nymph. The larger tick is an adult female. Science Source

Various kinds of ticks have been shown to carry at least 16 diseases in the U.S alone that can infect humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now add one more to the global list of ills that a tick bite can bring about, according to a study in the May 30 New England Journal of Medicine. Read More

To Drive Eagles Away From Deadly Wind Turbines, Researchers Turn To Sound

By Courtney Flatt June 1, 2019

A bald eagle shot north of Gaston, Oregon, received treatment at the Audubon Society of Portland before being euthanized.

When a wind turbine blade strikes a bird, the bird usually doesn’t survive. Now, researchers are working on new ways to keep birds — particularly eagles – away from wind farms using audio and visual signals. Continue Reading To Drive Read More

In ‘Opening Argument’ For 2020 Campaign, Jay Inslee Says Washington Is A ‘Template For Success’

By NPR News May 31, 2019

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announces his run for the 2020 presidency at A&R Solar on March 1 in Seattle. He says tackling climate change should be "Job 1" for the next president. CREDIT: Karen Ducey/Getty Images

Inslee says the policies he's enacted in his state on the environment, the economy and health care are the same progressive actions he'd take if elected president. Continue Reading In ‘Opening Argument’ For Read More

What Was Our Air Like Before Industry? A Scientist In Richland Is Sniffing The Amazon To Find Out

By Anna King May 31, 2019

This image from an explanatory video shows how scientists from Pacific Northwest National Lab collected air samples near Manaus, Brazil.

As a U.S. Department of Energy plane flew over the Amazon rainforest, it sipped and sampled air in real time. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist Manish Shrivastava sampled the air over the Amazon to come up with a scientifically accurate baseline of pre-industrial air. Read More

President Trump Announces New Tariffs On Mexico To Force Cooperation On Illegal Immigration

By NPR News May 30, 2019

President Trump has announced plans to impose escalating tariffs on goods imported from Mexico in an attempt to stop migrants from entering the U.S. over the southern border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection released this photo, taken on Wednesday at El Paso, Texas. CREDIT: AP

President Trump announced that he will begin imposing tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico beginning June 10 unless that country does more to help reduce illegal immigration from Central America. Continue Reading Read More

Oregon Has A Big Oversupply Of Legal Marijuana. Now It’s Curbing Production

By NWPB News May 30, 2019

In this Feb. 7, 2019, file photo, a bud tender shows a top cannabis strain at Serra, a dispensary in Portland, Ore. In an attempt to reduce the marijuana inventory in Oregon, the state is moving toward allowing the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to refuse to issue initial marijuana production licenses, based on supply and demand. CREDIT: RICHARD VOGEL/AP

Oregon is awash in pot, glutted with so much legal weed that if growing were to stop today, it could take more than six years by one estimate to smoke or eat it all. Now, the state is looking to curb production. Continue Reading Oregon Read More

Not Enough Is Known About Smoke’s Effect On Wildland Firefighters’ Health

By Jes Burns May 30, 2019

A line of wildland firefighters marches through the woods during the Yellowstone fires of 1988. The massive complex of fires, which burned more than 790,000 acres, was a transformative moment in the country's view of wildfire. CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Over the past few years, Northwest communities have been getting better acquainted with wildfire smoke. But even in the most affected places, people can get some relief by limiting time outside and using air filters and inexpensive masks. These aren’t options for wildland firefighters. Read More