Eastern Washington Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

‘I Regret That.’ Governor Sorry For Apple Gift Mistake; Agent Tracks Down Maggot-Laden Fruit

By NWPB News September 17, 2020

Signs along highways throughout Washington mark where apple maggot quarantine areas begin. It is illegal to transport home-grown tree fruit into these areas, largely from western Washington into the state's apple-growing eastern counties. CREDIT: Washington Dept. of Agriculture

In Washington, bringing a home-grown apple from west to east is a misdemeanor. There are road signs and posters. The penalty can cost 90 days in jail. But the Washington Department of Agriculture has never enforced the law. Sources at the department say it’s more about education. Read More

Rule Protecting The Northwest’s Old-Growth Trees Is Under The Federal Government’s Ax

By Monica Samayoa August 12, 2020

Beyond the borders of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness are as much as 200,000 acres of undeveloped forest.

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

Census Canvassers Fan Out In The Inland Northwest Ahead Of September Deadline

By Doug Nadvornick August 11, 2020

About 3,000 census "enumerators" began knocking on doors recently in eastern Washington. CREDIT: U.S. Census Bureau

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

Helicopter Rescues, Roads Closed, Sandbags Filled: SE Washington And NE Oregon Hit With Floods

By Anna King February 9, 2020

Many houses in Waitsburg, Washington, a small wheat town, are still sitting in lakes of trapped water. Residents were busy moving out their valuables, and accessing damage on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

Flood waters in southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon are starting to recede. But this relatively good news follows days of bad news and inundated towns – along with collapsed bridges, dozens of helicopter rescues and washed-out roads. It’s all caused by recent heavy rainfall and fast-melting snow. Read More

In Southeastern Washington, Geologists Dig Into The Past To Find Fault Signs Of Future Shaking

By Courtney Flatt December 6, 2019

USGS volunteer John Lasher helps dig volcanic ash out of the trench in this dig area southeast of Pasco. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Unlike the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the faults in eastern Washington are in the upper crust, (the outermost layer of the earth). That means they’re closer to the surface and to communities. They may not produce as large of an earthquake as the subduction zone off the coast, but the earthquakes these inland faults can produce could significantly damage infrastructure in Read More

Inland Northwest Sees Early Snow; Western Montana Hit By ‘Unprecedented’ 4 Feet

By NPR News September 30, 2019

A highway webcam shows a snowy portion of U.S. Highway 89 near Pendroy, Mont., on Monday morning after a record-setting winter storm dumped snow on the northern Rockies. Montana Department of Transportation

Despite coming in September, the amount of snow that just fell over two days in Great Falls is second to only one other two-day total in the city, in any month. Continue Reading Inland Northwest Sees Early Snow; Western Montana Hit Read 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