Mosquito Spray at dusk Listen (Runtime 1:56) Read Mosquito control is serious business in Eastern Washington. And the office in charge is the Benton County Mosquito District. Steve Ingalls has been in the mosquito control industry for over 40 years. Ingalls has trained the recent temporary hires on how to run the fog trucks so… Read More
Northwest News
Small live show Listen (Runtime 2:40) Read In the eighties and nineties the Tri-Cities played a unique role in the alternative music scene. The All Ages Show documentary features music and musicians from that time. Tony Moser decided to make the documentary about the early days of alternative music and how the Tri Cities played… Read More
Yakima County Sheriff Robert Udell, Yakima County Sheriff, held a press conference to discuss the ptalk about the Regional Criminal Intelligence Center proposal. Photo from live streaming via Facebook. Read The Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, law enforcement and local agencies are working to create a Regional Crime Intelligence Center-RCIC, in the Yakima Valley. Read More
Governor Inslee hopes to embed those rights in the state constitution. Continue Reading Washington Officials Vow To Protect Abortion RightsRead More
Northwest Abortion providers and access funds say they’re already accommodating patients who have lost access to the procedure in their home states. Continue Reading Northwest Abortion Clinics, Funds Read More
Both states are known for liberal and robust legal frameworks protecting the right to abortion with few restrictions, but advocates on both sides point out that laws can change Continue Reading Abortion Access In Oregon And Washington Read More
A receptionist at Planned Parenthood Spokane talks to a coworker Listen: Reporter Rachel Sun on the impact of planned restrictive abortion laws in Idaho / Runtime: 1:56 READ This piece was originally published March 11, 2022. In continued efforts to limit abortions in Idaho, state Legislators are taking another cue from Texas lawmakers on the private… Read More
Hannah George poses for a photo with one of her children | Courtesy Hannah George Listen [3:43min] In Idaho, some women are looking at these long-term birth control options and sterilization as they approach a future without legal abortion past six weeks. Rachel Sun reports. Read This piece was originally published on May 24, 2022. This… Read More
The Bell M. Shimada is designed to gather scientific information. But the collaborative effort of the crew and officers makes scientific endeavors at sea possible. Continue Reading More Than Work: Living On A Ship, Crew, Officers Become Read More
One single-celled oceanic organism could provide big answers to questions about climate change. Continue Reading This Single-Celled Sea Critter Could Help Scientists Learn About Climate ChangeRead More
StoryCorps has a simple, but powerful mission.
“Basically what we wanted to do was provide a space for people to have meaningful conversations, meaningful recorded conversations with people that they care about, and have access to those conversations,” says Danielle Andersen, director of the StoryCorps mobile tour.
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Phytoplankton make up an extremely important part of the ocean’s food chain, serving as food for organisms that feed young salmon and other fish in the ocean. Continue Reading Growing Phytoplankton To Learn More About The Ocean’s Food Read More
Mason County Auditor Paddy McGuire has spent nearly two decades helping run elections, including stints as Oregon deputy secretary of state and at the Department of Defense, ensuring military service members overseas could vote. Read More
A cargo ship arrives at the port of Seattle. Food meant for export has been left at Northwest ports, says Senator Cantwell. (AP Photo) Listen New federal funding from a recently-approved bill will be used to investigate high shipping costs and produce left to rot in US ports. Correspondent Lauren Paterson reports. (Runtime :53) Read… Read More
Listen (Runtime 1:11) Read Ellie Zeron Martinez is owner and winemaker of Zeron Vineyards near Benton City. She predicts 2022 will be a good year for wine. Grapes have benefitted from the wet spring. The Red Mountain American Viticultural Area growers are predicting a good vintage for 2022. A crowd of over 100 people gathered… Read More
WSU researchers and an eco-building startup in Tacoma are teaming up to create affordable and sustainable roofing for consumers across the world. They have a goal— to make roofing material that is sustainable, adaptable to different parts of the world, and affordable for people living on less than $5 a day.
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Scientists aboard the Bell M. Shimada keep an eye out for whales. One scientist hopes to help predict where whales will show up by studying the food they eat. Continue Reading Watching For Whales – And Their FoodRead More
At least twice a year, a team of scientists on NOAA's research vessel Bell M. Shimada survey waters along the Washington and Oregon coast. Continue Reading To Unravel Some Of The Ocean’s Mysteries, Scientists Head To SeaRead More
Solar power installations on home rooftops are surging in Oregon and Washington state. Alongside, you may have noticed an uptick in ads pitching rooftop solar, or even gotten an in-person solicitation. Some of the sales pitches contain dubious or potentially misleading claims. And now, consumer watchdogs are urging homeowners to do their homework before signing any Read More
The top Democrat and the top Republican in the Washington state Senate called Thursday for elected Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, a 78-year-old, six-term Democrat, to resign. Continue Reading Top State Senators Call On Washington Read More
The office of Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has fired a top aide who in February formally complained that Kreidler had bullied him, used crass language and was increasingly “antagonizing staff.” Read More
There are lots of ways to celebrate Juneteenth weekend in Tacoma this year.
“There's no excuse for anyone not to celebrate Juneteenth because our city is going to be full of festivities,” says Candace Wesley, one of the organizers of Tacoma’s Juneteenth 253 Celebration. Read More
Kimberly Starr’s son, Tom, died by suicide when he was in high school. Kimberly now does prevention outreach to help others. Listen (Runtime 2:26) Read It is common for people to be trained to perform CPR. Advocates say suicide awareness and Mental Health First Aid should also be common practice. Kimberly Starr’s son, Tom, died… Read More
As prices continue to climb across the country, the Northwest is seeing big price hikes for rentals, too. Listen Correspondent Lauren Paterson reports on what the latest data on average rent reveals. (Runtime :54) Read Rent prices for a one-bedroom apartment have increased by an average of 46% in Oregon, 31% in Washington, and 45%… Read More
Family and Friends Celebrating Juneteenth Listen (Runtime 1:24) Read The longest running Juneteenth celebration in Washington is in Pasco. Back in 1978 there was a reunion for family and friends called Fun Day after the school year ended on June 19th. Edmon Daniels started Fun Day and was reminded by his cousin from Texas that… Read More
Georgia On My Mind-Margot Massey Listen (Runtime 1:00) Read In the Tri Cities, a Kamiakin High School rising senior won a statewide art award. Margot Massey’s painting is titled “Georgia On My Mind,” and Massey found out her work won the award when the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction shared a video about… Read More
Scottish Festival and Highland Games Listen (Runtime :58) Read The Scottish Festival and Highland Games have been a tradition in Prosser for 20 years. The festival includes music, food, and exhibitions. John-Paul Estey is the Executive Director of the Prosser Chamber of Commerce, and wants to make sure people know one thing before they head… Read More
As the housing crisis continues across the Northwest, only three counties in Washington are affordable for first time homebuyers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Listen What does “taking care of your own” look like for small Northwest towns after COVID relief expired six months ago? Correspondent Lauren Paterson reports on what a sociologist who studies rural… Read More
The labor shortage among Northwest farms is nothing new, but Mike Gempler of the Washington Growers’ League is hopeful agriculture tech could help. Listen (Runtime 1:03) Read It’s no secret labor is scarce when it comes to farm work. It has been for the last 10 years, says Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington… Read More
A Northwest adventure race that some call "the best worst idea" has returned after a long, pandemic hiatus. The 2022 running of the Race to Alaska for engineless boats cast off at the first light of dawn Monday amid high winds in the Strait of Juan de Fuca that the organizers characterized as “between seasick and dangerous.” Read More
Authorities arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho Pride event Saturday after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear. The men were standing inside the truck wearing khakis, navy blue shirts and beige hats with white balaclavas covering their faces when Coeur… Read More
Breaching the dams would be the best way to remove Snake River salmon runs from the Endangered Species List and the best way to maintain treaty and trust obligations with tribes, according to the report. It could cost from $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion. Read More
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
CREDIT: Allen4names Listen (Runtime 2:41) Read Residents of Benton and Franklin counties are going to have fewer transportation options if the Ben Franklin Transit Board approves a plan to cut the amount of taxes they collect. Dori Luzzo Gilmour reports on this vote happening tonight. The Ben Franklin Transit Board, or B-F-T, voting on two… Read More
First time homebuyers in Washington are struggling to afford their first house. Listen Housing prices were ticking up in the Northwest before the pandemic as COVID removed reasons to be in the city. Lauren Paterson reports on how current real estate trends are especially tricky for first time homebuyers in Washington. (Runtime :52) Read If… Read More
Poster about heat related illness. Credit: www.weather.gov. Listen NWPB’s Johanna Bejarano reports on heat prevention (Runtime 0:52) Read High temperatures are expected across the country but not as severe in Washington. Still, farmworkers in Central Washington will receive kits that will prepare them for any heat stress. WashMask is an organization supporting migrant and Read More
A new report by the pharmaceutical provider NiceRx ranked Washington and Idaho sixth and seventh respectively for states with the highest prevalence of mental health problems. It ranked each state based on a report from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services from 2019 through 2020. It includes data on drug use and people who were… Read More
A photo of the new dental operatory at the Snake River Community Clinic in Lewiston. Courtesy of the Snake River Community Clinic. Read The Snake River Community Clinic in Lewiston is opening a new dental operating space to expand its services in the Lewis Clark Valley. The clinic provides free medical, dental and behavioral health… Read More
Travis Myklebust pulls out different components of what he calls the “big three” for overdose responses: the drug box, which includes injectable Naloxone, the airway bank, and the cardiac and monitor defibrillator. Photo by Rachel Sun Listen Overdoses and deaths related to the fentanyl-laced street drugs have been increasing. Last year, the city of Lewiston… Read More
For artist RYAN! Feddersen, art is a form of communication; a way to understand the world and a catalyst for meditation.
“A lot of my interest in art was about making things for community, as a way to interpret our world,” Feddersen says. Continue Read More
Rainier cherries in the Northwest bloomed after the snow, so the crop should be stronger. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Fruit Commission) Listen Snow fell throughout the Northwest in early April just as the cherries were blooming. That has had an effect. Correspondent Lauren Paterson reports on projections for the cherry harvest. (Runtime 1:04)… Read More
How do you grow plants in space? Soil from the Lower Yakima Valley could help provide some key answers. Continue Reading Lower Yakima Valley Dirt To Hitch A Ride To Space Next WeekRead More
Four members of the U.S. Congress recently got a close look at Washington’s Snake River dams. Continue Reading Members Of The Congressional Western Caucus Get A Close Look At Snake River DamsRead More
Umi Wagoner says he’s not a scone guy.
Wagoner is, however, a lifelong fan of The Taste of Tacoma, an event traditionally held over a summer weekend, in Point Defiance Park, with food vendors, arts and knick knacks for perusing and live music. Read More
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visit a memorial at Robb Elementary School to pay their respects to the victims of the mass shooting, Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Evan Vucci/AP. From NPR.org Listen Members of community organizations expressed their thoughts after the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. (Runtime 3:30) Read The… Read More
In an effort to bring awareness with art, artists have been creating portraits of people detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma since 2020. The portraits are posted on La Resistencia’s social media accounts, an organization working to end detentions and deportations. Read More
Red cheat grass blooming between vineyard rows, Tapteil Vineyard, Red Mountain AVA, Washington Andrea Johnson Listen (Runtime 1:21) Read Red Mountain Washington is world-renowned for its wine grape production. It’s unique character made it designated as an American Viticultural Area — known as A-V-A. And now the A-V-A Alliance is welcoming folks back to Red… Read More
An ultrasound machine sits beside an exam table at WISH Medical in Moscow. Photo by Rachel Sun Listen As Idaho — and the nation — approach restricting abortion rights, two faith-based sexual health clinics, often referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers” talked to NWPB about what services they do — and do not — offer.… Read More
Paula Swedeen, a forest policy specialist for the Washington Environmental Council, walks through forest land adjacent to Mount Rainier National Park. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Listen Reporter Lauren Paterson tells us how now is the time to prepare for wildfire season. (Runtime 1:00) Read Jason Spadaro is the executive director of the Washington Forest Protection… Read More
Carol Miles and volunteers assist with a harvest of this year’s cantaloupes in Mount Vernon, Wash. Listen Correspondent Lauren Paterson tells us how a bit of elegant plant science is used to make cantaloupes a more viable crop. (Runtime :51) Read Growing cantaloupes in the northwest’s coldest areas is tough enough. Plant diseases like fungi… Read More