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Dread The Dark? West Coast Lawmakers Say It’s Time To Stop The Clock ‘Fall Back’ Routine

By Tom Banse November 20, 2018

Changing the clock for the first Daylight Saving Time in 1918. CREDIT: U.S. SENATE HISTORICAL OFFICE

According to some Oregon and Washington legislators, it's high time to get rid of the twice-yearly ritual of changing clocks. This past month, 60 percent of California voters approved Proposition 7, a ballot proposition to make daylight saving time permanent. Read More

Beware The Thanksgiving Salad: CDC Says No Romaine Lettuce Is Safe

By NPR News November 20, 2018

Romaine lettuce is displayed on a shelf at a supermarket in California in April, during an E. coli outbreak traced to contaminated lettuce. The CDC says a new outbreak has made lettuce dangerous to eat, just in time for America's most foodcentric holiday. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Cut Caesar salad off the menu this week: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a multistate E. coli outbreak is underway, and romaine lettuce is to blame. 32 people are sick, including 13 who were hospitalized; no deaths have been reported. An additional 18 people were sickened in Canada. Read More

‘A Necessary Precaution.’ Washington’s Blind Lieutenant Governor Wants Security At Public Events

By Austin Jenkins November 20, 2018

Lt. Gov Cyrus Habib is requesting money in the next two year state budget to hire security. JEANIE LINDSAY / N3

Washington Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, who is blind and has faced vitriol online, is requesting funding in the next two-year state budget to hire security when he attends large, public events. The request is contained in an agency "decision package" submitted by Habib's office to the Office of Financial Management as part of the lead-up to the budget writing process. Read More

New Research Says Northwest Forests Will Weather Climate Change Better Than Others In The West

By Jes Burns November 19, 2018

A roadside reminder in southwest Washington's Gifford Pinchot National Forest that homes in the "wildlands urban interface" need special landscaping, building materials and maintenance to reduce the risk of being destroyed by a wildfire. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

Climate change is expected to increase drought and wildfire vulnerability in forests across the West. But new research out of Oregon State University shows that some places will fare better than others. Continue Reading New Research Read More

China-Based Cryptocurrency Firm Establishes Foothold In Central Washington

By Tom Banse November 19, 2018

Dignitaries cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Bitmain's new East Wenatchee bitcoin mine -- in other words, a data center that earns cryptocurrency. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

One of the biggest players in the global cryptocurrency space has established a foothold in the Pacific Northwest. China-based Bitmain Technologies held a ribbon cutting for a $20 million data center near the Wenatchee airport on Friday. A celebratory mood ran through the grand opening despite headwinds besetting the virtual currency sector. Read More

Costs Grow For Jay Inslee’s Out-Of-State Travel, With Speculation Of His 2020 Plans

By Austin Jenkins November 18, 2018

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visits Grinnell, Iowa to support gubernatorial Democratic candidate Fred Hubbell. Inslee is seen as a potential presidential candidate for 2020. CREDIT: CLAY MASTER / IOWA PUBLIC RADIO

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's busy out-of-state travel schedule has put a strain on the state troopers who protect him and resulted in a spike in overtime costs. As a result, the Washington State Patrol has requested an additional $1.3 million to protect the governor and first lady over the next two years. Read More

Serving Time, Dodging Tumbling Boulders, And Fighting Wildfires For $2 A Day

By NPR News November 18, 2018

Inmate firefighters battle a California wildfire in July. Qualified inmates can volunteer to be trained in firefighting; in exchange, they are paid $2 a day and an extra $1 per hour when fighting fires. The inmate firefighters also receive sentence reductions. CREDIT: Noah Berger/AFP/Getty Images

As flames consume parts of California, an unexpected group of firefighters has put their lives at risk to protect communities: prison inmates. For $2 per day — and another $1 an hour when battling fires — qualified inmates can volunteer to help authorities combat fires. Read More

Officials Worry ‘World’s Smallest Harbor’ In Depoe Bay Could Shrivel Unless Dredged

By Tom Banse November 17, 2018

City leaders in Depoe Bay are anxiously awaiting word if silt accumulating at the south side (image right) of their harbor will be dredged in 2019. CREDIT: CITY OF DEPOE BAY

If you've traveled the central Oregon coast, you might remember the signs marking Depoe Bay's claim to fame: the "World's Smallest Harbor." But now that harbor is getting even smaller because of accumulating silt. City officials are on tenterhooks because of the problem. Silt buildup renders the fuel dock inaccessible at low tide. Read More

Conservationists Worry As U.S. House Votes To End Wolf Protections, Senate to Consider

By Courtney Flatt November 16, 2018

The U.S. House passed a bill Friday that would end federal protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states. For wolves in the Northwest, that would mean protections fall to state agencies. Continue Reading Read More

StoryCorps: ‘I Found The Treasure When I Found You.’ Vietnam Vets Rekindle Bond Forged By War

By NPR News November 16, 2018

Kay Lee and John Nordeen last month, after their StoryCorps interview in San Francisco. The pair keeps in touch and sees each other frequently. CREDIT: Susan Lee/StoryCorps

John Nordeen and Kay Lee served in the same Army platoon during the Vietnam War. Nordeen and Lee had very different personalities, but in the life-or-death setting of war, the two bonded. Nordeen, a soldier from Seattle, was one of the first people that Lee, a combat medic from San Francisco, talked to. But after the war, they lost touch. Read More

Report Finds Seattle Has Most Missing And Murdered Native Women

By Amy Radil November 16, 2018

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Washington group members start the Women's March on Saturday, January 20, 2018, on Pine St., in Seattle. CREDIT: MEGAN FARMER/KUOW

More than 500 Native American women have disappeared or been murdered in U.S. cities, many since the year 2000, according to a new report from Seattle’s Urban Indian Health Institute. Continue Reading Report Finds Seattle Has Most Missing And Read More

California Camp Fire: Confirmed Deaths Above 70 As Missing List Balloons Over 1,000

By NPR News November 15, 2018

A fire truck drives through an area burned by the Camp Fire in Paradise on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2018. CREDIT: John Locher/AP

Authorities say at least 63 people died in the Northern California wildfire known as the Camp Fire, which has burned through at least 218 square miles of land and consumed the town of Paradise. Seven sets of remains were discovered on Thursday. Read More

In Season Of Christmas Peace, There’s A Serious Tree-Marketing War Over Your Family

By Anna King November 15, 2018

The American Christmas Tree Association, which represents manufacturers and retailers of real and artificial trees, says there are a lot of fun trends with artificial trees these days. And the trees are getting more realistic looking every year. CREDIT: COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN CHRISTMAS TREE ASSOCIATION

The Christmas holiday is centered around peace. But an escalating marketing war for families’ hearts is developing between the real and fake tree industries. Continue Reading In Season Of Christmas Peace, There’s A Serious Read More

Washington Had High Voter Turnout This Year, But Lower In Counties Like Yakima. Why?

By Esmy Jimenez November 15, 2018

If Washington voters don't mail in ballots, they can return them in person to drop boxes like this one at the Yakima County Elections Office. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

This year, nearly half of eligible U.S. voters cast ballots. That may not sound like much but it is the highest voter turnout for a midterm election since the 1960s. In Washington, most counties saw higher than average voter turnout this year. Except two… Read More

Professional Initiative Sponsor Tim Eyman Is Back With Another Proposed $30 Car Tabs Measure

By Austin Jenkins November 14, 2018

Professional initiative sponsor Tim Eyman, right, holds a photo from his first successful $30 car tabs initiative in 1999. Eyman says he has collected almost enough signatures to qualify a 2019 car tabs rollback initiative to the 2019 Legislature. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3

Nearly 20 years after Washington voters passed Initiative 695, which repealed Washington's motor vehicle excise tax, anti-tax activist Tim Eyman says he's close to qualifying a new initiative to repeal taxes to support Sound Transit and restrict car tabs to $30. Read More

Analysis Reveals Northwest Communities Most Threatened By Wildfire

By Tony Schick November 14, 2018

A wildfire burns near homes in the Cleveland National Forest in Lake Elsinore, California. CREDIT: RINGO H.W./AP

A small number of Northwest communities have an outsized level of exposure to wildfire, according to data released by the Forest Service. Continue Reading Analysis Reveals Northwest Communities Most Threatened By WildfireRead More

Otter Fans Float Plan To Bring Sea Otters Back To Oregon Coast

By Tom Banse November 14, 2018

Presently, the only places to see sea otters in Oregon are at the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where this guy lives. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

It's been more than a century since sea otters were hunted to near extinction along the U.S. West Coast. The cute animals were successfully reintroduced along the Washington, British Columbia and California coasts, but an attempt to bring them back to Oregon in the early 1970s failed. Now a new nonprofit has formed to try again. Read More

A Personal And Harrowing Account Of How The Camp Fire Devastated Paradise

By NWPB News November 14, 2018

The burned remains of Paradise Elementary School is seen Friday, in Paradise, Calif. Authorities say a wildfire has all but destroyed the Northern California town. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The Camp Fire tore through Paradise, Calif., the morning of Nov. 8, 2018. Paul Weingartner, a nurse at the Adventist Health Feather River hospital in Paradise, recounts how it unfolded, and how he narrowly escaped, to return to the hospital and treat patients. Read More

Seattle Catholic Archdiocese Pays $7 Million In Priest Sex Abuse Cases

By NWPB News November 13, 2018

Father Theodore Marmo, accused of sexual abuse, in a photo from a brochure for St. Edward Hall, a seminary that was part of the John F. Kennedy Catholic High School campus in Burien, Wash.

The Seattle Archdiocese has paid nearly $7 million to settle claims by six men that former priests abused them when they were children. The men said the archdiocese “knew or should have known that the priests posed a danger to children” and failed to protect them. Read More

Cases Of Mysterious Paralyzing Condition Continue To Increase, CDC Says

By NPR News November 13, 2018

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 252 cases of acute flaccid myelitis and has confirmed 90 cases. One or more viruses is suspected, but CDC says the cause is unknown. Continue Reading Cases Of Mysterious Read More

From I-90 To North-Central Washington, Bridges And Tunnels Save Animals And Prevent Wrecks

By Courtney Flatt November 12, 2018

A 12-mile stretch of Highway 97 in north-central Washington outside Omak is one of the state’s most dangerous corridors for wildlife collisions. More than 350 deer are hit each year. New wildlife crossings like those seen over Interstate 90 and Snoqualmie Pass may help. Read More

In Eastern Oregon, Pendleton Has Become A Drone-Testing Hub, With Hopes For More

By Tom Banse November 12, 2018

The latest variant of the Cubic Ares unmanned reconnaissance drone during flight testing at Pendleton on October 28. CREDIT: CUBIC CORP.

A dream to make rural Pendleton, Oregon into a drone testing mecca is becoming very real. It's so real, in fact, that the city-owned airport has run out of hangar space to rent to global aerospace companies. Now, the Pendleton airport is seeking millions more in public funding to help expand. Read More

Getting To Know Logan Wheeler, A Washington State Veteran And Alum Who Died A Century Ago

By Katherine Barner November 11, 2018

Sometimes we grieve for people we’ve never met. Walking through a cemetery, looking at the graves of people who exist to you only as names in stone, it’s easy to wonder at the loss. It’s a shallow grief, not the long-term grief for a friend lost, but the fleeting interjection of some unknowable person into your periphery. Read More

Yakima Valley Filipino WWII Vets Honored Decades After Losing Compensation For Service

By Esmy Jimenez November 11, 2018

Gregorio Ochoa Azurin was one of 17 Filipino WWII veterans honored in the Yakima Valley for their service. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

Recently, 18 Filipino veterans received Congressional Gold Medal replicas at the Filipino Community Hall in Wapato, Wash. All but two were awarded posthumously. Continue Reading Yakima Valley Filipino WWII Vets Honored Read More

100 Years Ago, A U.S. Pilot Saw An ‘End To The Sorrow’ On Armistice Day

By NPR News November 11, 2018

Fenton Caldwell was an Army Air Corps pilot in World War I.

Fenton Caldwell was a reconnaissance pilot who was flying over France on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918. His niece, Joy Panagides, shared an audio recording of his memories of the day. Continue Reading 100 Years Ago, A U.S. Pilot Saw An Read More

Study: A Common Insecticide Is Harming Bees And Their Ability To Pollinate Crops

By NPR News November 11, 2018

A bumblebee outfitted with a unique tracking tag forages outdoors. CREDIT: James Crall /Science

Bees exposed to a type of insecticides called neonicotinoids dramatically changed their behavior — becoming sluggish, antisocial and spending less time caring for the colony's young, researchers say. Continue Reading Study: A Read More

Paradise Lost: Northern California Town Destroyed By Fire, At Least 29 Dead, 6,000+ Structures Burned

By NPR News November 10, 2018

A home burns as the Camp Fire moves through the area on Thursday in Paradise, Calif. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading Camp Fire has ripped through the town of Paradise. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The entire town of 27,000 people was evacuated in front of the wildfire in Northern California. The fire is the latest in a string of disastrous wildfires to hit the state in the past year. Continue Reading Paradise Lost: Northern Read More

Washington State Sen. Joe Fain Concedes Tight Re-Election Race Amid Rape Accusation

By NWPB News November 9, 2018

Senate Republican floor leader Joe Fain, R-Auburn. CREDIT: TED WARREN

Washington State Senator Joe Fain conceded to his opponent, Mona Das, Friday night. It came after the latest vote tally, and an expected outside investigation into a rape accusation made in September. Continue Reading Read More

To Save Money And Resources, Replanting Trees After Wildfires May Not Be Necessary

By Jes Burns November 9, 2018

The Chetco Bar Fire remained relatively quiet for its first month before exploding into Oregon's largest wildfire. Courtesy of Chetco Bar Fire incident command team

After wildfire season ends each year, land managers start planning what comes next for the areas that burned. Often, the strategy used to ensure the forests return is to salvage log and then replant. But a recent study suggests that in some areas, it might be just as effective to leave the forest alone. Read More

Oregon May Be Over-Hunting Cougars — Which Could Cause More Conflicts

By Erin Ross November 9, 2018

Problem encounters with cougars have increased in Oregon's Willamette Valley. CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Groups of Oregonians, particularly hound hunters, say that Oregon’s cougar population is growing out of control. Cougar advocates, on the other hand, say that Oregon is over-hunting cougars, which research suggests can lead to an increase in problem encounters. Read More

Two Washington Lawmakers Accused Of Sexual Misconduct: Manweller Wins; Fain In Tight Race

By NWPB News November 8, 2018

Washington state legislators Rep. Matt Manweller (R-Cle Elum), left, and Sen. Joe Fain (R-Auburn).

Matt Manweller and Joe Fain, two Washington legislators accused of sexual misconduct during their re-election campaigns, are seeing very different outcomes in their races this week. Continue Reading Two Washington Read More

Helicoptering Logs In Yakima Valley For The Northwest’s Largest River Restoration

By Courtney Flatt November 8, 2018

A helicopter is used to fly logs from a staging area to streams that need restoration but are no longer reached by roads. This is the largest stream restoration effort ever in the Northwest. CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT

Almost 40 years ago, Scott Nicolai started his stream restoration career taking logs out of the water. A project that’s putting more than 6,000 logs back into remote streams across Central Washington. Continue Reading Helicoptering Logs In Read More

More Wolf Kills Authorized By Wildlife Managers In Northeastern Washington

By Courtney Flatt November 8, 2018

This Togo pack wolf, an adult male shown when he was radio-collared in early June, is now marked for death by Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife. CREDIT: WDFW

Washington officials have authorized the killing of wolves in two more of the state’s packs. Conservationists oppose the move. They say it could only worsen wolf-livestock conflicts. The order comes after wildlife officials confirmed wolves preyed on four cows in one attack and six in another this past fall. Read More

Motel 6 Pays Fine For Giving Lists Of Washington Guests To Immigration Authorities

By NPR News November 7, 2018

Motel 6 has acknowledged that guest lists were given to authorities but denied that senior management was aware of the practice. CREDIT: ANITA SNOW/AP

The hotel chain has reached a tentative $7.6 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit. Motel 6 employees in multiple locations provided guests' names to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Read More

Democrats Make Gains In Washington Legislature, Many Races Too Close To Call

By Austin Jenkins November 7, 2018

Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen was among the Republicans fighting to keep his seat after Tuesday’s election. AUSTIN JENKINS / N3 Listen It wasn’t a sweeping blue wave, but Democrats were poised to pick up several seats in the Washington Legislature based on the first tally of ballots Tuesday evening as many of the most… Read More

Federal Watchdog Report Says Hanford ‘Plagued With Mismanagement … Fraudulent Activities’

By Anna King November 7, 2018

TOBIN FRICKE / WIKIMEDIA - TINYURL.COM/H99DL7H

A fresh federal watchdog report about Hanford says after a major review, systemic fraud and inadequate oversight keep happening at the site, and it’s costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Continue Reading Read More

Washington 5th District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers Cruises to Victory, Claims Eighth Term

By Emily Schwing November 7, 2018

Cathy McMorris Rodgers gives her victory speech after claiming an eighth term as a US Representative for Washington's 5th District. Credit Emily Schwing/N3

Washington 5th Congressional District Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers beat Democratic challenger Lisa Brown in the 2018 Midterm election to claim her eighth term in the U.S. House. Continue Reading Washington 5th Read More

Oregon Re-Elects Kate Brown As Governor

By Lauren Dake November 7, 2018

Gov. Kate Brown celebrates her Election Night victory at the Democratic Party of Oregon 2018 election party on Nov. 6, 2018 in Portland. CREDIT: JONATHAN LEVINSON/OPB

Democratic Gov. Kate Brown defeated Republican state Rep. Knute Buehler in the race to see who will hold Oregon’s highest office. Continue Reading Oregon Re-Elects Kate Brown As GovernorRead More

With Control Of U.S House At Stake, Eastern Washington Race Could Hinge On College Students

By Ryan Blake November 6, 2018

WSU Pullman students return ballots to an on-campus drop box Nov. 6, 2018. CREDIT: SCOTT LEADINGHAM/NWPB

Lisa Brown fell about 8,000 votes short of incumbent and fourth-ranking Republican House leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers in August’s primary. But that was before roughly 60,000 students returned to campuses across the district. Read More

Black Coffee Served With Anticipation On Election Day In Eastern Washington Wheat County

By Anna King November 6, 2018

The Top Notch Cafe in Colfax is the site of good food and plenty of political discussion from the regular group of retired farmers on Nov. 6, 2018. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

At the Top Notch Café in Colfax, Wash., eight retired farmers and small-town guys drink black coffee every morning. Some travel near 100 miles round-trip just for the caffeine and chatter. On election day, plates overloaded with eggs, sausages, biscuits and waffles clatter onto a long table -- and the guys dig in. Read More

How Does Your Ballot Get Counted In Washington? Veeeery Carefully

By Esmy Jimenez November 5, 2018

Workers in the Yakima County Elections Office work to open ballots and verify information. Their work is done within public view behind a glass wall, for anyone to monitor. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

The 2018 Midterm election is upon us, and now it’s time to wait and make sure all the ballots are counted. But how does that process actually work? Continue Reading How Does Your Ballot Get Counted In Washington? Veeeery CarefullyRead More

Washington’s I-1631 Is Latest In Long Line Of Attempts At Nation’s First-Ever Carbon Tax

By Ashley Ahearn November 5, 2018

Rancher Dave Creveling believes the cost of a new Washington state carbon fee would be passed along to rural people like him if voters approve it. CREDIT: ASHLEY AHEARN

Ballot Initiative 1631 is the latest in a string of failed legislative efforts in the state to charge polluters for the carbon they are emitting. This initiative is the first of its kind nationally because of the billions of dollars it would generate—and it's become one of the most expensive ballot initiative fights in Washington history. Read More

Key Questions The 2018 Election Will Answer

By NPR News November 5, 2018

A volunteer stands in front of an American flag before President Trump speaks at a rally last week in Indianapolis. Indiana is a key Senate battleground state for the GOP.

Voters will give the final judgment on Tuesday, determining not just the control of Congress — but also the very future of American politics. Continue Reading Key Questions The 2018 Election Will AnswerRead More

The Washington Election (And Others) Decided By A Single Vote (Or A Little More)

By NPR News November 4, 2018

Ballot drop boxes are stored for future use in a warehouse area of the King County Elections office in Renton, Wash. While Washington is one of just three states that conduct all of their elections by mail, it's the only one of those three that allows ballots to be postmarked by election day. CREDIT: ELAINE THOMPSON

Many Americans say they are disaffected with the system of politics and sit on the sidelines, especially in midterms. But not voting can have consequences: Just look at these races. Continue Reading The Washington Election (And Read More

Idaho’s Proposition 2 Puts Medicaid Expansion To Voters After State Lawmakers Refused

By NWPB News November 3, 2018

Amy Pratt personally collected more than 1,000 signatures to help get Proposition 2 on the ballot. It's the first time she's been politically active and she has no plans of stopping. CREDIT: JAMES DAWSON / BSPR

After years of inaction by the Idaho legislature on the state's healthcare gap, Proposition 2 on the state ballot gives Idahoans the chance to say whether they want Medicaid expansion -- a proposal endorsed by outgoing Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. Read More

Judge Rules Native Americans In North Dakota Must Comply With Voter ID Law

By NPR News November 2, 2018

Residential roads with no street name or number signs, such as this one in Belcourt, N.D., are common on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Under recently tightened state rules, voters in North Dakota are required to present identification with a street address, which is a hurdle for Native Americans. CREDIT: Blake Nicholson/AP

A federal judge has ruled that Native Americans in North Dakota must comply with the state's recently tightened voter ID law. At the same time, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland acknowledged that the law had raised concerns. Continue Read More

Lost No More: Coho Salmon Return To Oregon’s Lostine River After 40 Years

By Courtney Flatt November 2, 2018

Coho salmon have returned to Oregon's Lostine River in late 2018. CREDIT: RICK SWART/OREGON DEPT. OF FISH & WILDLIFE

For the last 40 years, something has been missing from Oregon’s Lostine River: coho salmon. Now, 42 coho have made it to the waters in the last two weeks. Continue Reading Lost No More: Coho Salmon Return To Oregon’s Lostine River Read More

Western State Hospital Nurses Sign No-Confidence Petition Over Attacks By Psychiatric Patients

By Austin Jenkins November 2, 2018

Western State Hospital is Washington state's largest psychiatric facility. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

In the wake of three serious patient-on-staff assaults, more than 150 nurses at Washington's Western State Hospital have signed a "no-confidence" letter calling for the replacement of the psychiatric hospital's chief nursing officer Karen Pitman and her deputies. Read More

Idaho School District In Hot Water After ‘Insensitive And Inappropriate’ Photos Of Staff As Border Wall

By NWPB News November 2, 2018

In another photo put on social media by the Middleton School District, educators can be seen posing with segments of a wall emblazoned with "Make America Great Again." CREDIT: FACEBOOK

Photos of teachers wearing Halloween costumes at Middleton Heights Elementary in Idaho are going viral and causing controversy. Continue Reading Idaho School District In Hot Water After ‘Insensitive And Read More

Health Of Columbia River Draws Crowd To Rare Hanford Public Meeting In Hood River

By Anna King November 2, 2018

Many people drove as much as three hours to attend a rare public meeting about Hanford in Hood River Thursday night, Nov. 1. The common thread: concern about the Columbia River, and the health of their communities. Continue Read More