Northwest News

See Ya! Washington Police Say Drivers Aren’t Stopping For Them; Cite Pursuit Restrictions

By Austin Jenkins
This Washington State Patrol dashcam video from April captures a white BMW with a stolen license plate failing to stop for a trooper in Olympia. The driver took off at a high rate of speed, but the trooper didn't give chase. Police in Washington say they're seeing a big spike in drivers failing to stop for their lights and sirens following passage of a law that severely restricts when police can engage in a pursuit.
Since January of this year, more than 900 drivers have failed to stop for a Washington State Patrol trooper trying to pull them over. The patrol and other police agencies around the state say they’ve never seen such blatant disregard for their lights and sirens. The change in driver behavior comes after state lawmakers passed strict new rules on when police can engage in Read More

To ‘Honor The Shoulders We Stand On:’ Big Band Premieres With Nod To History Of Native Jazz Musicians

By Tom Banse
The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band posed for a commemorative photo after their premiere in Olympia on May 19, 2022.
A scheme to entertain a 4-year-old youngster in Spokane by playing a jazz album nearly three decades ago produced a cascade of aftereffects that culminated on stage in Olympia, Washington, this month with crescendos of horns and multiple standing ovations. During the debut of a 16-piece, all-Indigenous big band, the performers on stage hearkened even further back in Read More

The Fight For Legacy Forests, Part Seven: Where Timber Goes, And The People Behind The Industry

By Lauren Gallup
Logs delivered from forested land across Washington State waits to begin its journey to wood product at the Sierra Pacific Industries Mill in Centraila, Washington on April 7, 2022.
Washington is the second largest producer of timber in the United States, according to the state department of commerce, and it is the third largest manufacturing industry in the state. In the seventh story of the Fight for Legacy Forests series, NWPB’s Lauren Gallup visits a timber mill in Centralia to find out what people working in the timber industry think of Read More

Rehearsing For ‘The Big One’ On A Room-Sized Chess Board

By Tom Banse
Emergency planners could move pins representing earthquake response resources during an exercise at Camp Murray, Washington, on May 4.
Close to 200 federal, state and tribal emergency preparedness planners gathered around a giant map of the Pacific Northwest this week to rehearse and critique the federal response plan for "The Big One." The three-day Cascadia earthquake discussion exercise partially replaced a much bigger planned dress rehearsal that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.Read More
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