firefighting

Summer is slowly fading, but it’s still hot. Especially in North Idaho.

The Yakima City Council is trying to fill a substantial budget gap. According to a March statement from the city, Yakima City Manager Vicki Baker said that by 2026, Yakima will bring in about $9 million less in tax revenue than it will cost to provide basic services. Washington state law requires cities to pass a balanced budget, meaning council members have to determine whether to make cuts, bring in more revenue or a mix of both to fill the hole.

The Tacoma City Council adopted its next two-year budget, after months of working with city staff to balance for a predicted $24 million structural deficit.

(Runtime 0:57)A controversial wind farm that was set to be the largest in Washington has been slashed in half. The proposed project outside the Tri-Cities…

By: Rebecca White / Spokane Public RadioUpdate: Interstate 90 has re-opened. Washington State Department of Transportation officials say crews have…

As new, large fires have started in Oregon and Washington this past week, lightning has started fewer fires this season, according to the Washington…

Severe drought has turned forests and grasslands into dry fuels, ready to ignite from a careless camper or a lightning strike. More people are building in areas bordering wildlands, expanding the so-called wildland-urban interface, an area where wildfires impact people the most. Invasive, highly flammable vegetation is spreading uncontrolled across the West.

U.S. officials said Thursday they will try to stamp out wildfires as quickly as possible this year as severe drought tightens its grip across the West and sets the stage for another destructive summer of blazes.

As the company weighs its options, two Washington state legislators sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. Congress members in Western states, urging them to find a solution to continue the SuperTanker’s operations, which they described as the “biggest and one of the best weapons in battling the catastrophic fires.”

Crews have fought fire with fire to help secure the containment lines. One method you may not have heard of uses ping pong balls and helicopters. They’re officially called PSDs, or plastic spherical devices.