Curtis Bearchum, a member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, in regalia demonstrating a Native dance. CREDIT: Courtesy of Curtis Bearchum Listen (Runtime 3:35) Read For over 30… Continue Reading Native American Read More
Read By Ally Pang When Erin Iverson heard about the proposed removal of books from the Walla Walla High School Library, the high school junior did not initially have a… Continue Reading In Walla Walla, Students Push Back Against Proposed Read More
Walla Walla public schools have heard from community members for several months to remove books from the district. In order to continue to respond to complaints the school district developed a new review policy Continue Reading Read More
For generations Marcus Whitman has been widely viewed as an iconic figure from early Pacific Northwest history, a venerated Protestant missionary who was among 13 people killed by the Cayuse tribe near modern-day Walla Walla, Washington, in 1847. Read More
The Billy Frank Jr. statue would replace one of Oregon Trail pioneer Marcus Whitman. The larger-than-life bronze of Whitman has stood in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall for nearly 70 years. Continue Reading It’s Read More
A measure to honor the late Billy Frank Jr. with a statue at the U.S. Capitol cleared the Legislature Monday. On a 44-5 bipartisan vote, the Democratic-led Senate approved the bill that seeks to replace Washington’s Marcus Whitman statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection with a statue of Frank, a Nisqually tribal member who championed treaty rights. Read More
The south-central region of Washington's 8-region area for coronavirus restrictions can immediately reopen. That news came Sunday from the state Department of Health. It means the counties encompassing Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Ellensburg can advance to Phase 2. Read More
A winter storm blanketed the Pacific Northwest with ice and snow Saturday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and disrupting travel across the region. Continue Reading Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power As Read More
Leaders of seven Northwest tribes testified this week in favor of replacing a statue of Oregon Trail pioneer and missionary Marcus Whitman in the U.S. Capitol. A proposal pending in the Washington Legislature would install a statue of the late Native rights activist Billy Frank, Jr. in Whitman's place of honor. Read More
Cassandra Tate’s recent book on the storied white missionaries sheds light on a poorly understood chapter of our state’s settler past. Continue Reading Sifting Through ‘Unsettled Ground’ Of The Whitman Read More
In the weeks leading up to the election, residents in five smaller areas around eastern Washington and Oregon spoke about how they were feeling. Now, as people are awaiting results, we checked in with a few. Continue Reading ‘Dry Read More
In total, Anna King saw five sunrises and drove more than 1,000 miles on her way to five towns spanning both sides of the Columbia in eastern Washington and Oregon. She listened hard to the worries and hopes of as many as 100 hundred residents in the region. Read More
This new work, composed by Duncan Neilson, tells the story of Frankenstein's monster from the perspective of the creature himself, with text extracted from Mary Shelly's classic novel. Listen to a special presentation of "The Monster," Saturday, October 31, at 8:00 PM. Continue Read More
Robert Norwood of Walla Walla went to a one-room school then joined the Navy on a whim. After service he enjoyed a rewarding career as a school counselor. He talked to his son, Mike, about his schooling experience for StoryCorps Northwest, recorded virtually. Read More
In 1918 Walla Walla, the chief of police, refused to enforce a state mask mandate. He pointed out that he was going to meet heavy resistance and, anyway, that he had no authority to carry out a state directive, only city ordinances. Still, he also openly defied the instructions of the city’s health officer, J.E. Vanderpool, to follow the state health officer’s guidance. Read More
An iconic, but disappearing American institution -- the drive-in movie theater -- came to the rescue of the senior classes in several Pacific Northwest communities this month. As luck would have it, a drive-in cinema is well suited for a socially-distanced graduation ceremony. Read More
Despite the coronavirus pandemic that closed schools nationwide, students from 46 states and the District of Columbia submitted entries. We've narrowed those down to 25 finalists. Continue Reading Here Are The Read More
While some elements of a farmers market are allowed — selling food and soap — other parts are not considered an “essential business” under Washington and Idaho’s orders. That means no more live music. No more kids’ activities. No seats. No touching the produce. Read More
Find out what's on the ballot for this election, where to drop off ballots and more. Continue Reading Walla Walla County Special Election InformationRead More
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
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has issued an emergency proclamation for 20 counties as major flooding inundated Washington and Oregon. Continue Reading Areas Of The Northwest From Walla Walla To Umatilla To The Read More
Fallen soldiers, outlaws, bankers, a madame, and maybe even a couple of witches all reside in one place now. It isn’t the set up for a bad bar joke, though.
Mountain View Cemetery in Walla Walla is the earthly home to these and other deceased figures. Read More
Washington's Department of Corrections has agreed to improve conditions for inmates with mental illness at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Under a court-approved settlement reached last week, the agency will open a new minimum- and medium-security unit for these inmates, with the goal of reducing the amount of time they spend locked up in their cells. Read More
New technology could help a wind farm in Eastern Oregon work more efficiently. Officials are voting Friday on the updates to the wind farm. Wind turbines are expected to last about 20 years. Oregon’s Stateline Wind Farm is getting up there – construction started way back in 2001. That’s why the farm’s owners are asking to update part of the facility. Read More
Aisha Fukushima has a story to tell about hip-hop and rap, but it’s not the only story there is. Fukushima, a 2009 graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, returns May 19 to share this story and her world-wide journey as an artist and activist as Whitman’s 2019 commencement speaker. Read More
Children's writer, Patrick Carman, self publishes his latest book, Towervale, which is LitRPG. Continue Reading The Quest for Children’s Literacy with LitRPG and Patrick CarmanRead More
Jeanne Southall lived were her friend Catherine Galvin in Walla Walla. Then Jeanne ended up in the hospital for an injury. What happened after that changed both of their lives -- and made for a long, complicated and painful legal fight neither one wanted. Read More
A proposal to remove the larger-than-life statues of pioneer missionary Marcus Whitman from the Washington state capitol and the U.S. Capitol drew angry responses during an initial legislative hearing in Olympia. Continue Read More
In the 20 years since "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was released in the U.S., educators of all levels have used J.K. Rowling's series to bring magic to their own classrooms. Continue Reading Walla Walla Read More
Whitman College’s Because You Are Here is community theater but not in the way we usually think of it. Performers in this production met with members of the Walla Walla community—particularly the migrant population—to learn their stories and bring them to life. Read More
Need a good scare or just something to do with the family this fall? Check out this list of Halloween activities happening around the Northwest. Continue Reading Check Out These Northwest Haunted Attractions For A Spooky Good TimeRead More
The ordinary becomes extraordinary — and sometimes the offensive every Saturday in Walla Walla when Gerald Matthews opens his curiously creative Museum of Un-Natural History. Continue Reading A Curator As Intriguing As His Museum Of Un-Natural Read More
The second annual Adam West Day in Walla Walla is September 19th. This year's event features more activities including a showing of the Bat-mobile, an actor portraying Batman and a gathering at Adam West's childhood home. Continue Reading Holy Read More
Walla Walla County might just be the only place on Earth where you have to brake for bees. Continue Reading Native Bees And Alfalfa Seeds: A Northwest Love StoryRead More
Many composers were inspired to write music after their travels, leaving us a taste of the sights and sounds of their adventures. But many of the far off lands they visited have similar counterparts right here in the Northwest. Read More
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is lobbying for a bipartisan prison reform bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. The Republican made the pitch in Spokane this week. Continue Reading Cathy McMorris Rodgers Touts Read More
At the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, inmates with mental illness are locked down in their cells for up to 16 hours a day, even if they pose little risk. That’s one of the allegations in a lawsuit Disability Rights Washington plans to file in federal court in Spokane on Monday. Read More
Earlier this month, nearly half the inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla staged a hunger strike. It ended after five days. The inmates were protesting the quality of prison food. It’s an issue that has been simmering in Washington prisons for years. Read More
Susan Pickett’s Marion and Emilie Frances Bauer: From the Wild West to American Musical Modernism delivers exactly what the title suggests: adventures of two women in an exciting era of… Continue Reading Musicians, Critics, Composers: Read More
