Lewis County Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Battery-powered mining trucks to see test run in Lewis County

By Lauren Gallup February 24, 2023

A hydrogen powered haul truck, the largest emissions free vehicle in the world, will soon be demonstrated on an old mining site in Lewis County. Image credit of Anglo American / First Mode

The site of the last coal-fired power plant in Washington state will soon be home to proving grounds for a carbon-emissions free mining truck. The truck is a battery and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle, developed by Seattle-based First Mode, and it's the largest emissions free vehicle in the world. Chris Voorhees, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at Read More

Lewis County Sheriff’s Response To Washington Governor’s Mask Directive: ‘Don’t Be A Sheep’

By Austin Jenkins June 25, 2020

In this screenshot from a YouTube video, Lewis County Sheriff Robert Snaza tells a crowd "Don't be a sheep" when it comes to following Gov. Jay Inslee's face covering order.

Hours after Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide mandate for people to wear masks in public, a Republican sheriff in southwest Washington appeared to urge open defiance of the order. “Don’t be a sheep,” Lewis County Sheriff Robert Snaza said to loud applause from a mostly mask-less crowd gathered in a church parking lot. Read More

Cases In Chelan And Douglas Counties Challenge Governor’s Statewide Coronavirus Measures

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa May 29, 2020

The Chelan County Courthouse in Wentachee, Washington. Courtesy of Chelan County

Residents of Chelan and Douglas counties have filed lawsuits against Gov. Jay Inslee, demanding an injunction on his emergency measures to address coronavirus in Washington.Read More

Lewis County Pushback Leads Washington Lawmakers To Consider Bottling Plant Restrictions

By Tom Banse February 27, 2020

Craig Jasmer co-founded the Lewis County Water Alliance to fight a proposed water bottling plant near Randle, Washington. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

Uproar in Lewis County has pushed the Washington Legislature to the verge of closing the tap for water permits for new water bottling plants statewide. Business groups are mounting an 11th-hour push to stop what they consider to be an overreaction in Olympia that they say could cost jobs and unfairly tarnishes a healthy product.Read More

Wildlife Managers Look To Save Salmon Habitat In Washington’s Chehalis Basin

By Courtney Flatt November 27, 2019

Adult fall Chinook salmon in the Priest Rapids Hatchery. CREDIT: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

Biologists say, if things continue, salmon may be extinct from the basin by next century. That’s why they’re coming up with a plan to help restore the area’s 3,400 miles of streams and rivers – which are also home to the largest diversity of amphibians in the state.Read More