The fires in Washington are largely under control now, but the state has been experiencing dangerous, even deadly, wildfires for years, something Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee says are only made worse by climate change.Read More
Northwest News
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in July, "Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting."Read More
Skagit County Sheriff's Office Detective Anne Weed broached the idea for a partnership months before the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police ignited the national debate about reform. Weed said two existing mental health clinicians from Compass Health are now being "embedded" with regular patrol deputies. They get assigned the 911 calls involving people acting out Read More
There is probably no better place to social distance than on a small boat in the ocean. But you do have to go into port occasionally, provided it's not closed. The risks and unknowns created by the ongoing pandemic have put off some people's plans to sail around the world right now. But not for one Northwest couple.Read More
ICYMI: Stream the night two of our four debates for races that impact the Benton Franklin Counties. #NWPBVote2020Read More
A Facebook page called “Baby Yoda fights fires” has been documenting his journey and spreading joy far beyond the fire lines. More than 30,000 people and counting are following the page as he travels from crew to crew.Read More
Sarah Deer, citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and University of Kansas professor, discusses the measures to strengthen investigation procedures and why it's taken so long to address the issue.Read More
Boeing is expected to announce this week that it will consolidate 787 Dreamliner assembly in South Carolina, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move would be a major blow to the company's Everett workforce.Read More
ICYMI: Stream the first of four debates for races that impact the Benton Franklin Counties. #NWPBVote2020Read More
Nearly 150 years ago, the McGregor family started ranching and farming on the Palouse region of southeastern Washington and north-central Idaho. The family passed down an appreciation for rural life and a love of small towns.Read More
“Now basically, we have Mexican fruit coming in from March all the way to June. We start getting Peruvian fruit come August,” says Rob Dhaliwal, a blueberry grower from Lynden, Washington. “Even in July. Then we start getting fruit from British Columbia. So there is a good 10 months of foreign product coming into the country.”Read More
Some Washington counties hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic are now looking toward the possibility of reopening schools for in-person classes. It’s thanks to metrics like hospital bed capacity and the virus incidence rate that continue to improve in Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties.Read More
After four years of study, the Record of Decision makes the federal agencies’ preferred option official. Managers and dam supporters say it will benefit salmon, reliable hydropower and the economy. Wild salmon advocates, tribal representatives and renewable energy advocates say this decision will hurt salmon and the orcas that depend on them for food.Read More
The Yakama Nation seeks to stop gravel mining near a historic village and burial ground near Selah, Washington. The litigation could change the way tribal sites can be developed.Read More
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will debate each other for the first time Tuesday evening, Oct. 29, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT in the first of three presidential debates.Read More
Across the country as American schools struggle with whether to reopen or stay virtual, many rural districts are worried their students will fall even further behind than their city peers.Read More
The U.S. reported more than 55,000 infections Friday, pushing the total number of cases to more than 7 million. Some two dozen states saw new cases continue to rise this past week.Read More
The ruling blocks William Perry Pendley from continuing as the temporary head of the Bureau of Land Management, a post he has held for more than a year without being confirmed by the Senate.Read More
A new distillery will soon begin making whiskey, vodka and gin on Chehalis tribal land in southwest Washington state. It's the first legal, Native-owned distillery to open on tribal land in the nation. The Chehalis Tribe's effort to diversify its economy by joining the craft spirits boom had to first overcome a nearly two century old prohibition on liquor production in Read More
The $49.4 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money will only go so far on Idaho’s college campuses. It won’t cover all of the schools’ COVID-related losses — or the revenue the schools have lost to the pandemic.Read More
Faced with the threat of forced removal or worse, in 1855 leaders of the Warm Springs and Wasco Tribes forfeited their claim to roughly ten million acres, and moved to a reservation. In exchange for land to offer white settlers, brokers for the United States government made promises. Among those: Tribal members would not be stopped from traveling off the reservation to Read More
ICYMI: Stream the debate for Whitman County Commissioner between incumbent Dean Kinzer and challenger Tom Handy. Join the election-year social conversation using #NWPBVote2020Read More
Online classes and no fall college sports spell trouble for Washington college towns like Pullman, Ellensburg and Bellingham that lean on a higher education-fueled economy.Read More
Last year, a couple who lives near Port Townsend, Washington, agreed to let the federal government drop off a dead gray whale to decompose on their semi-isolated beach. Now, the couple has a permit to keep the whale skeleton and will soon assemble the most amazing yard art.Read More
Maia Espinoza, who is challenging incumbent Chris Reykdal in the November election to become the state superintendent of public instruction, made the clarification Wednesday after repeated inquiries from The Associated Press.Read More
As the final few ballots are counted following this month’s primary, it has become clear that this election was of major interest to voters in Washington. State primaries typically sees about 35% of registered voters cast their ballots. In 2020, that number has not topped 54%, the biggest number since the 1964 presidential primary. With more than 2.5M ballots counted, “How Read More
NWPB is proud to present this year's Vote 2020 Debate Series. We'll hear from candidates vying for a spot for state offices along with those running for positions in our cities. Join us to learn more about the candidates.Read More
Under the settlement, Bechtel Corp. and Aecom will pay nearly $58 million over allegations from current or former Hanford employees. The workers said they were retaliated against for blowing the whistle over how labor hours were billed. Read More
Jose Riera is a survivor of electric shock therapy. Before coming to Washington State University, he had the corporate office and all of life’s conveniences. But it all unraveled.Read More
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is lying in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday, a two-day event honoring a justice who was both a cultural and legal icon.Read More
Even if a wildfire doesn’t burn a vineyard, smoke can get into grapes. Smoke taint tastes like a small bit of ashtray, creosote post or burnt tires — so it’s not desirable in your pinot or merlot. Read More
Outside the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had another life in pop culture as a symbol of dissent and feminism. The Notorious RBG was celebrated in memes, movies, T-shirts and tote bagsRead More
The U.S. death toll has doubled since May. Some experts predict it could nearly double again before 2020 ends. "We are experiencing a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering," one researcher says.Read More
The move comes after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month denied Kelley’s request for a rehearing of his case by all of the judges on that court. Previously, a three-judge panel rejected Kelley’s appeal seeking to overturn his convictions.Read More
One thing that has improved a lot over the course of the pandemic is treatment of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. Here's one man's success story.Read More
As President Donald Trump intensifies his attacks on the security of vote-by-mail, county auditors and state election officials sought Friday to reassure voters the state of Washington is well prepared to pull off the 2020 vote-by-mail election.Read More
Back in May, Culp was one of three dozen candidates running for Washington governor. A first-time candidate, he lacked the statewide name recognition of Tim Eyman, the anti-tax initiative promoter who was also running. But the police chief of Republic, population 1,100, in the northeast corner of the state seemed to have something the other candidates didn’t: a fired-up Read More
Close communication with the Forest Service helped save one Mount Hood ski resort on Labor Day, when fire danger was critical and fires sparked and grew fast all round the Northwest. Employees at Mount Hood Meadows saw a social media post of a plume of smoke. Read More
Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died from complications from cancer. Her death will set in motion what promises to be a tumultuous political battle over who will succeed her.Read More
The first Native American woman elected to the Washington State House of Representatives says she is drafting legislation to retire Native-themed mascots and team names at public schools. This has been a goal of Native American leaders for a while, but has new-found momentum in the wake of the Washington, DC, NFL football team’s name change.Read More
According to community members in Bridgeport and Brewster, and farmworkers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, orchard supervisors told workers they needed to evacuate with little to no warning. Workers said they were told to grab their documents and quickly board company buses. Then, they were taken to a city park in Brewster, across the Columbia River. Read More
ICYMI: Stream the Washington state Treasurer's debate. Join the conversation using #NWPBVote2020Read More
Nearly 300,000 acres in Washington burned in just one day over Labor Day weekend. That is almost unfathomable. But it happened. Why? What were the conditions that made for that explosive situation? Read More
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
There's just not enough PPE to satisfy demand. Medics are re-using masks and small practices can't even find supplies they can afford. Some domestic manufacturers could help, but it's a risky move.Read More
Thurston County, where Inslee lives in the governor’s mansion, is under apple maggot quarantine, whereas Douglas County is not. It’s illegal to bring apples to Douglas County, apple country, from Thurston County.Read More
Labor Day 2020 lived up to its name if you’re a firefighter. It was a day that set up for numerous fires in central and eastern Washington that have burned tens of thousands of acres, and possibly many more. At least 80 fires started in Washington in what officials call a historic fire event. 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
On Tuesday night, the Pullman City Council updated municipal code to allow police to ticket individual party attendees – not just hosts. A first offense will cost $250. A second will be $500 with a mandatory court appearance. (See the full ordinance change here.)Read More
Farmworkers continue to pick Washington apples in the height of the state's harvest – even as the sustained smoke makes it hazardous to be outside, especially while doing strenuous work or exercise.Read More
