Grays Harbor Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Case Of Missing Washington 5-Year-Old Highlights Secrecy Around CPS Cases

By Austin Jenkins May 12, 2022

Missing 5-year-old Oakley Carlson, left, next to an image of her former foster parents Erik and Jamie Jo Hiles of Elma, Washington. The couple has concerns about how Washington's Department of Children Youth and Families handled Oakley's child welfare case and the decision to return the girl to her biological parents.

There are more questions than answers in the case of a missing former foster child from Grays Harbor County. Five-year-old Oakley Carlson has been unaccounted for since February of last year. Police say her parents aren’t cooperating with the investigation. Oakley’s former foster mom questions why Oakley was sent back to live with her parents after more than two years in Read More

Yes, There Are Mermaids In The Pacific Northwest. And They Now Have Their Own Museum

By Tom Banse April 7, 2021

From left, Mermaid Siren Ophelia of Seattle, Mermaid Asherah and Mermaid Merina both of Portland, at the opening of the new International Mermaid Museum near Aberdeen, Washington.

The Pacific Northwest might seem like an unlikely place for mermaids and mermaid culture to catch on given the cold water here. Yet, putting on an eye-catching tail and pretending to be a mythical sea being is a thing across the Northwest. There's even a brand new mermaid museum near Aberdeen, Washington.Read More

They Had A Beachcombing Blast On The Washington Coast After Old Munitions Washed Ashore

By Tom Banse February 13, 2020

Military anti-aircraft rounds like these are washing up by the small town of Pacific Beach, Washington.

Beachcombing was a blast for soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord earlier this week. An ordnance disposal unit was called out after unexploded military munitions washed up on the beach north of Ocean Shores, Washington.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

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

Washington Coast Residents Slept Through Tsunami Watch

By Austin Jenkins January 23, 2018

A 7.9 earthquake off the coast of Alaska triggered a tsunami watch that stretched from Washington to California early Tuesday morning. But many coastal residents slumbered right through it.Read More