Washington Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

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Nearly 20 years after Washington voters passed Initiative 695, which repealed Washington's motor vehicle excise tax, anti-tax activist Tim Eyman says he's close to qualifying a new initiative to repeal taxes to support Sound Transit and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

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

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

Washington Supreme Court Upholds Most Of Charter School Law

By NWPB News October 25, 2018

children hold signs during a rally in support of charter schools at the Capitol in Olympia . CREDIT: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File

The Washington Supreme Court upheld most of the state's charter school law Thursday, eliminating the specter that a dozen schools serving about 3,400 students might have to close. Continue Reading Washington Supreme Court Upholds Most Of Charter Read More

Opponents Of Washington Carbon Fee Ballot Measure Break Initiative Fundraising Record

By NWPB News October 23, 2018

In this 2016, file photo, piles of wood chips sit near the RockTenn paper mill in Tacoma, Wash. Another ambitious effort to pass a carbon tax in Washington state has faltered as both Gov. Jay Inslee and the bill's prime sponsor conceded Thursday. CREDIT: TED S. WARREN, FILE / AP PHOTO

The campaign against a ballot measure creating a carbon pollution fee has set a fundraising record for statewide initiatives. Continue Reading Opponents Of Washington Carbon Fee Ballot Measure Break Initiative Fundraising Read More

Report Describes ‘Abusive Restraint Practices’ For Washington Foster Youth Sent Out Of State

By Austin Jenkins October 18, 2018

A new report by Disability Rights Washington finds that Washington foster youth sent to Clarinda Academy in Iowa were subjected to abusive restraint practices. CREDIT: DISABILITY RIGHTS WASHINGTON

The state of Washington sent high-needs foster youth to a residential facility in Iowa where they were isolated, held in a restrictive setting and at times subject to “abusive restraint practices," according to a scathing report released Wednesday by the advocacy group Disability Rights Washington. Read More

Public Lands Grazing Helps Ranchers, Sage Grouse, Study Says

By Courtney Flatt October 6, 2018

A male greater sage grouse struts its stuff on Bureau of Land Management land in this April 21, 2012, photo. Bureau of Land Management

Grazing restrictions on public lands may have unintended consequences for greater sage grouse, according to a recent study. The imperiled birds depend on habitat on both public and private lands, and much of that habitat can be lost when ranching operations go under. Read More

Does Washington Need New Guardianship Rules For Adults With Severe Mental Illness Or Addiction?

By Austin Jenkins October 4, 2018

Western State is one of the largest psychiatric hospitals west of the Mississippi River. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS

A Washington state senator who says he’s heard from “literally hundreds of parents” of adult children who are struggling with mental illness or addiction wants to allow families to petition for temporary guardianship. Read More

New U.S. – Mexico – Canada Trade Deal Helps Northwest Agriculture, With Much Uncertainty Remaining

By Anna King October 1, 2018

Winter wheat is harvested in a field farmed by Dalton and Carson North near McCracken, Kansas. CREDIT: CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP PHOTO

The new trade agreement signed Sunday at midnight called the USMCA short for the U.S. Mexico, Canada Agreement by the Trump Administration, could change things on some Northwest farms. Farmers are hopeful this new agreement will lift their commodity prices -- many of which are low right now. Read More

‘Done Being Silent’: Former Seattle Official Accuses Washington State Sen. Joe Fain Of Rape

By NWPB News September 28, 2018

Candace Faber, pictured here in the office of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, the weekend she says she was raped by Sen. Joe Fain. CREDIT: CANDACE FABER

Washington state Sen. Joe Fain denied Faber’s written allegations to The Seattle Times. “Any allegation of this serious nature deserves to be heard and investigated for all parties involved,” Fain told the Times. Continue Read More

Pasco Dairy Workers Take Labor Case – And A Motor Coach – To Seattle For Hunger Demonstration

By Esmy Jimenez September 20, 2018

Miguel Cuevas was on the bus in Pasco early Thursday, Sept. 20, heading to Seattle for a five-day hunger demonstration with his fellow "Darigold Dozen." CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

Dairy workers and members of the United Farm Workers union boarded a coach bus on their way to Seattle this week. It’s all for the start of a five-day fast to bring awareness to their Darigold Dozen campaign against the Ruby Ridge Dairy near Pasco. Read More

Washington’s Biggest Toxic Waste Polluter: A Mine (With Hanford Not Far Behind)

By Esmy Jimenez September 8, 2018

The Pend Oreille Mine operated by Teck is located in northeastern Washington near Metaline Falls. CREDIT: GOOGLE EARTH

Since the late 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been keeping track of big polluters through their Toxic Waste Inventory or TRI. The EPA has released their latest data for 2017. We crunched some numbers for Washington, and here are the results. Read More

Washington Teachers Union Alleges ‘Wage Theft’ By Districts As Strikes Go On

By Austin Jenkins September 7, 2018

With 1,318 voting members in attendance at Thursday evening’s Evergreen Education Association union meeting, 95.9 percent voted to strike, starting Tuesday, Aug. 28, the first scheduled day of school. CREDIT: MOLLY SOLOMON

As teachers in a record number of Washington school districts strike this week, a top official with their union says the unwillingness of superintendents and school boards to negotiate higher pay raises for teachers is a crime. Continue Reading Read More

Insects Could Eat Twice As Much Wheat By The End Of The Century

By NWPB News August 30, 2018

A burn scar near Moro, Oregon, from the Substation Fire. CREDIT: ERICKA CRUZ GUEVARRA

Climate change might lead to bigger populations of hungrier insects. This could have serious consequences for grain-growing regions in the Northwest and across the world. Continue Reading Insects Could Eat Twice As Much Wheat By The End Of The Read More

Recycling Washington Ghost Ships Could Turn Trash Into Treasure

By NWPB News August 29, 2018

R/V Hero, a 125-foot wooden-hulled Antarctic research vessel, sank in March 2017 on the Palix River near Bay Center, Washington. Built in 1968, she was fitted with sails and labs for wildlife research but now poses a threat to oysters, other wildlife and navigation. CREDIT: MATT M. MCKNIGH

There’s an old saying that a boat is simply a hole in the water into which you dump your cash. They can be cheap to buy, but are expensive to maintain, insure, berth, repair and operate. They age, they weather, they often sink. When they do, they create another kind of money hole. The solution? Recycling. Read More

As Wildfire Seasons Worsen, Scientists Point To Summer Precipitation As Major Driving Factor

By Emily Schwing August 20, 2018

Washington fire managers responded to nearly 70 new fire starts August 11, 2018, including the Grass Valley Fire that threatened the Grand Coulee Dam area and forced hundreds of evacuations. CREDIT: INCIWEB

Wildfire activity in the American West is likely to get worse in coming years. A new study out in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences points to the lack of precipitation in the summer as the major driving factor when it comes to increasing fire severity. Read More

Listening For The Sound Of Silence In Washington’s Hoh Rain Forest

By NPR News August 16, 2018

Matt Mikkelsen carries "Fritz," his microphone system, to the path in the Hoh Rain Forest that leads to One Square Inch of Silence in Washington's Olympic National Park. CREDIT: SAMIR S. PATEL

In 2005, when Gordon Hempton founded One Square Inch of Silence, he designated a spot, a few miles up the Hoh River Trail into the rain forest, the quietest place in the U.S. and marked it with a small, red stone. "In a place like this your auditory horizon isn't just 1 or 2 miles," he says. "You can hear everything that's happening in this valley. Read More

Fires In Canada And California Add To Northwest’s Smoky Haze

By Emily Schwing August 14, 2018

Fires across the region have blanketed the Northwest in smoke. Blazes in California and British Columbia are also adding to the thick, reddish-gray haze. Continue Reading Fires In Canada And California Add To Northwest’s Smoky HazeRead More

A History Teacher, An Obsession With A Sunken Ship, And The Crew Searching For Its Wreck

By Tom Banse August 10, 2018

Shipwreck hunters Jeff Groth, right, and Scott Williams methodically towed a magnetometer back and forth over a search grid -- "mowing the lawn," as they called it. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NW NEWS NETWORK

An Oregon-based group of shipwreck hunters wants to find the historic remains of the first steamship to provide service in the Puget Sound in the 1800's. The shipwreck search was inspired by one Port Townsend, Wash., man's obsession. Read More

The Entire Northwest Is Abnormally Dry, With Severe Drought In Parts Of Washington And Oregon

By Emily Schwing August 9, 2018

Washington map of U.S. Drought Monitor conditions for August 7, 2018.

The U.S. Drought Monitor says the entire state of Washington is abnormally dry. In Oregon, nearly 90 percent of the state is facing moderate to severe drought. Continue Reading The Entire Northwest Is Abnormally Dry, Read More

High Temps Across The Northwest Could Break Records, Add To Wildfire Concern

By Emily Schwing August 7, 2018

Firefighters from a Washington state Department of Natural Resources crew took this photo of the Boylston Fire Thursday, July 19, 2018.

Weather predictions across the West are calling for excessive heat and more dry weather this week. That forecast is anything but good news in the Northwest, where significant risk of wildfire continues to increase. Continue Reading Read More

When It Comes To Wildfire, Politics Lag Behind Science

By Cassandra Profita August 6, 2018

In this May 23, 2017 photo provided by Chelan County Fire District 3, logs burn near Leavenworth, Wash. The wildfire prompted evacuation orders for homes and cabins at a popular Washington state hiking and skiing destination. CREDIT: BEN TORKELSON

A variety of forest experts say that one of the best ways to reduce the threat of these mega-blazes is to use fire itself. They say we need to increase the pace of prescribed fire and let some wildfires continue to burn when it’s safe to do so.Of course, there’s not nearly as much political support for letting fires burn as there is for putting fires out. Read More

Resources Stretched Thin As Northwest Fire Season Intensifies; Pacific Crest Trail Closed In Places

By Emily Schwing August 1, 2018

The Ryegrass Coulee Fire began late Monday, July 9 and quickly spread between Ellensburg and Vantage, closing Interstate 90. CREDIT: WASHINGTON STATE DOT

Fire officials say this year is on par with 2014 and 2015 – two of the worst seasons on record in the Northwest. Things are ramping up nearly a month earlier than previous years, and resources are stretched thin. Continue Reading Resources Read More

Washington 5th District Race Draws Criticism For McMorris Rodgers Ads

By Zachary Garner July 28, 2018

The campaign of Cathy McMorris Rodgers sent this and similar ads to Washington 5th Congressional District voters ahead of the Aug. 7, 2018 primary.

The race for U.S. House in eastern Washington has taken a negative turn. Despite criticism, 5th District Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers has doubled down on a controversial ad campaign attacking her Democratic opponent, Lisa Brown, using information proven to be misleading and false. Read More

Efforts To Reduce Wildfire Risk Fall Short, Buck Science

By Tony Schick July 26, 2018

A member of the Wolf Creek Hotshots uses a drip torch to ignite the forest floor during a prescribed burn near Sisters, Oregon. CREDIT: JES BURNS

The West is way behind on reducing the buildup of hazardous fuels we created. And much of the work we do to reduce those fuels is missing the key ingredient: fire. Continue Reading Efforts To Reduce Wildfire Risk Fall Short, Buck ScienceRead More

Cougars In The News: Shift In Range Brings More Reported Encounters

By NWPB News July 26, 2018

Northwesterners are hearing a lot about mountain lions lately. Since May, an extremely rare fatal attack in the Washington Cascades, a Willamette Valley pool party interrupted by a wandering cat and a viral Facebook video of a mountain lion lounging in a southern Oregon woman’s living room have made headlines across the region. Are the Northwest’s mountain lions acting Read More

Backers Of Washington Gun Control Measure Submit Petitions For Ballot Initiative

By Austin Jenkins July 6, 2018

Washington legislature Gun Legislation Hearing - 011518

Backers of a proposed gun-control initiative in Washington plan to deliver their final batch of petitions July 6th to the Secretary of State. Continue Reading Backers Of Washington Gun Control Measure Submit Petitions For Read More

Big Wildfire Season And Summer Of Drought Await The Northwest

By Tony Schick June 26, 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

Federal officials anticipate a big wildfire season in the Northwest throughout July, August and possibly into September. Continue Reading Big Wildfire Season And Summer Of Drought Await The NorthwestRead More

Western State, Washington’s Largest Psychiatric Hospital, To Lose Certification And Federal Funds

By Austin Jenkins June 25, 2018

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

Despite a two year turnaround effort, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday that it will strip Washington’s Western State Hospital of federal certification for failing to comply with standards. Read More

Today’s Northwest Wolves Have Roots In Coastal Rainforests And Rocky Mountains

By Courtney Flatt June 18, 2018

A wolf of the Wenaha Pack captured ona remote camera on U.S. Forest Service land in northern Wallowa County. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

New genetic research on the Northwest’s wolves finds they descended from a mix of two different types — some from the northern Rocky Mountains and some from coastal rain forests. That means the packs that form in our region have more genetic diversity — a key to survival. Read More

Changes Coming To Northwest Driver’s Licenses To Meet Federal Standards

By Tom Banse June 15, 2018

After July 1, standard Washington state driver's licenses will be marked as seen here. CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING

Beginning next month, driver’s licenses in Washington state will be changing. Regular licenses and ID cards will be marked with the words “federal limits apply.” Oregon is going down this path too, but not until mid-2020. Continue Reading Read More

Supreme Court Gives Tribes A Victory Over Washington State In Salmon Case

By Eilís O'Neil June 11, 2018

A fish-friendly culvert in Washington state. CREDIT: FLICKR PHOTO/WASHINGTON DNR (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)/HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/CCUMVY

A tie in the U.S. Supreme Court may cost Washington state $2 billion. The court split 4-4 June 11 in a long-running court battle between tribes and the state over salmon-blocking road culverts. Continue Reading Supreme Court Gives Read More

Grizzlies Coming Back To North Cascades? What Washington Can Learn From Montana

By Courtney Flatt June 7, 2018

Montana officials immobilization and processing a male grizzly bear that they’re transporting to a remote location. The 3-year-old bear had been wandering close to homes and eating bird seed and garbage. Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

People in Montana say what’s happened with grizzlies in their state could be a guide for Washington, where the bears are in big trouble but on the verge of getting reinforcements. Continue Reading Grizzlies Coming Back To North Cascades? What Washington Can Read More

A Year’s Worth Of Controversy Hasn’t Put This Oregon Dairy Under … Yet

By Courtney Flatt June 1, 2018

A controversial dairy in Oregon has been cited for numerous manure and waste violations. Many people are wondering how problems at Lost Valley Farms got so bad. Courtesy of Friends of Family Farmers

One of the Northwest’s largest dairies has faced some big troubles in its first year of operation. The rise and rapid fall of Lost Valley Farm has deeply frustrated environmentalists and has shocked neighboring farms and fellow dairy operators. Read More

This Orca Was Stolen From Puget Sound. The Lummi Nation Want Her Back

By Eilís O'Neil May 10, 2018

Tokitae, the performing orca known as 'Lolita' at Miami's Seaquarium, with a trainer in 2011. CREDIT: ANDY BLACKLEDGE

They threw noisemakers into the water to drive pods of orcas into the narrow cove, then blocked the way out and pulled the baby whales out of the water.Nearly 50 orcas from the Salish Sea’s population were captured this way. Today, only one of those whales is still alive. Read More

Rare Find: Wolverine Mother In Washington’s South Cascades

By Courtney Flatt May 8, 2018

For the first time in recent history, a mother wolverine has been spotted in the southern part of Washington's Cascade Mountains. Courtesy of the Cascades Carnivore Project

For the first time in recent history, a mother wolverine has been spotted in the southern part of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. The carnivores had been wiped out of the region after excessive hunting and trapping in the mid-1900s. Continue Reading Read More

175 Years On, Vote To Form ‘Oregon Country’ Highlights Differences In Northwest States

By Tom Banse May 3, 2018

A 1920 painting and newer interpretive displays at Champoeg State Park recreate the historic 1843 vote to establish the first government in the Oregon Territory. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

Before there was an Oregon, Idaho and Washington state, there was the Oregon Country. Early settlers and pioneers voted to form a provisional territorial government 175 years ago this week. The vote was close and featured arguments that may sound surprisingly familiar today. Read More

Washington Shuts Down Care Provider For Disabled Adults; Now Families Face Tough Decisions

By Austin Jenkins April 29, 2018

Deborah Davis, Christopher's sister, took this photo in July 2016. “When Chris is at our mom's house, he likes to lay on the floor surrounded by his favorite things: basketballs, footballs, and old 80's thermos bottles." Courtesy of the Davis Family

In an unprecedented move, the state of Washington is shutting down a major provider of in-home care for developmentally disabled adults in King, Spokane and Yakima counties because of repeated serious violations of care standards. Read More

Butterfly Found Only In Washington’s San Juan Islands Headed To Endangered Species List

By Courtney Flatt April 12, 2018

The island marble butterfly is one of the rarest butterflies in North America. The federal government wants to add it to the Endangered Species List. CREDIT: KAREN REAGAN

There’s only one place you can find one of North America’s rarest butterflies: on a small patch of an island in Washington’s Puget Sound. And it’s in trouble.That’s why the federal government wants to add the island marble butterfly to the endangered species list. Read More

Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke Downplays Possibility Of Drilling Off Washington, Oregon Coasts

By Tom Banse April 11, 2018

File photo of an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke expressed doubt drilling would ever happen along the Pacific Northwest coast. CREDIT: BERARDO62 / TINYURL.COM/Y8KHPH57

In congressional testimony Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said he has heard the strong opposition from the West Coast to the Trump administration's plan for offshore oil and gas drilling. He expressed doubt drilling would ever happen along the Pacific Northwest coast. Read More

Washington Says No To Poisoning Native Shrimp To Protect Oyster Beds

By Jes Burns April 10, 2018

A parasitic isopod with white legs under the shell of a mud shrimp. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

Washington regulators have tentatively denied a controversial request by shellfish growers to poison burrowing shrimp that damage commercial oyster beds. Growers say controlling the shrimp is vital to the shellfish industry in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Read More

Oregon, Washington Sue EPA Head Over Alleged Clean Air Act Violations

By Courtney Flatt April 5, 2018

Construction of the Carty Generating Station as seen in August 2015. CREDIT: MICHAEL DURHAM

Washington and Oregon have joined a lawsuit alleging U.S. Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt is violating the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit says the government needs to limit methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities. Read More

Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke Coming To Washington To Talk Grizzly Bear Recovery

By Courtney Flatt March 22, 2018

This undated file photo provided by the National Park Service shows a grizzly bear walking along a ridge in Montana.CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is heading to the North Cascades Friday to speak on reintroducing grizzly bears in that part of Washington. His agency had previously suspended controversial efforts to bolster the bears in the area. Continue Read More

Gray Whale Sightings Up Off Northwest Coast

By Jes Burns March 22, 2018

Western gray whale off the northeast coast of Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk taken during the 2011 tagging season under the joint effort of A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS) and Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute in collaboration with the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and Kronotsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve. CREDIT: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Gray whale sightings are up on the Oregon and Washington coast in recent weeks. Continue Reading Gray Whale Sightings Up Off Northwest CoastRead More

New Washington Laws Aim To Address Workplace Sexual Harassment And Gender Pay Gap

By Austin Jenkins March 21, 2018

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee poses with state Sen. Karen Keiser at a bill signing ceremony on Wednesday.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed several measures into law aimed at tackling sexual harassment in the workplace and an update to the Equal Pay Act to help address gender pay gap in the state. Continue Reading New Read More

Spring Is In The Air, And With It The 2018 Northwest Wildfire Season

By Emily Schwing March 20, 2018

File photo. Fire danger in the Northwest heats up with the arrival of spring. CREDIT: EMILY SCHWING/N3

It may still be wet and muddy out there, but it’s also the time of year when wildland firefighters start to gear up for hot, dry weather and wildfires. This year, the Washington Legislature approved $1.7 million in preventative fire management money (different from fire fighting) for the upcoming season. Fire managers are also waiting to see how much, if any, federal Read More