Oregon Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Forest Service Considers Rule Change That Prevented Logging Of Some Northwest Old-Growth Trees

By Courtney Flatt July 13, 2020

OSU scientists detect a tagged hermit warbler in the canopy of an old growth grove in the Oregon Cascades. Learning how the small song birds travel over the course of a day could provide insight into why bird populations are doing well in old growth forests while declining in other warming landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. CREDIT: GREG DAVIS

The land management plans, known as the “Eastside Screens,” came about in 1995 to protect old growth trees east of the Cascades. The rules were meant to be temporary. The Forest Service wants to amend a section of the policy called the “21-inch rule,” which prohibits harvesting trees that are greater than 21-inches in diameter.Read More

During Pandemic, Opponents Of Oregon Partisan Redistricting Pursue New Ballot Initiative Strategy

By NWPB News June 4, 2020

This package was sent to a half-million Oregon households containing petitions for an initiative that would take congressional and legislative redistricting out of the hands of the Oregon Legislature.

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed several would-be initiative campaigns in Oregon because organizers can’t send canvassers out to gather the tens of thousands of signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot.Read More

Oregon Emergency Measures Back On As State Supreme Court Holds Judge’s Ruling To Overturn

By Dirk VanderHart May 18, 2020

A protestor holds signs on the steps of the Oregon state capitol during a rally to reopen Oregon while health care workers counter demonstrate in the background CREDIT: Jonathan Levinson/OPB

A Baker County judge has invalidated Brown’s restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, along with every other executive order Brown has issued under a state of emergency she ordered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More

COVID-19 Considerations Sprout Confusion, Uncertainty To Northwest Family Farms

By NWPB News April 30, 2020

Liepold Farms in Boring, Ore., on Friday, April 3, 2020.

Across the Northwest, small and mid-sized farms are grappling with a range of challenges brought about by coronavirus.Read More

Reporter’s Notebook: A Drive-In Movie Gives A Much-Needed Reminder That Life Indeed Goes On

By Courtney Flatt April 25, 2020

Sunset at the Milton-Freewater Drive-IN brought the start of "Call of the Wild" as people stayed plenty socially distant in their surrounding cars. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

We felt a stroke of luck two weeks ago, when our local theater chain in Tri-Cities handed out bags of popcorn over the weekend. But that night, as we chowed down and watched one of the many movies we’ve streamed recently, we realized we really missed seeing movies with our friends. Little did we know, the Milton-Freewater Drive-IN would fulfill our wish. And that of about Read More

Portland’s Iconic Powell’s Books Is One Of Many Independent Sellers Facing An Uncertain Future

By PBS Newshour April 18, 2020

Powell' Books front room in Portland Oregon

The independent book business has been battered in recent decades, as locally owned sellers strained to compete with the online-giant Amazon. But the COVID-19 crisis has forced many to close their doors, depriving both readers and writers the spaces they thrive on.Read More

Surge In Unemployment Continues As Clunky State Systems Await Upgrades

By Tom Banse April 17, 2020

Shavonne Maes paints a mural onto the boarded up facade of Some Random Bar on March 26, 2020, in Seattle.

Fresh numbers of initial claims for jobless benefits showed some moderation in the past week in the staggering wave of layoffs across the Northwest caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But the level of unemployment claims continues to hover at record levels, as reported Thursday by the state labor and employment departments of Washington, Idaho and Oregon.Read More

The Northwest Cattle-Branding Show Goes On, With Cautious Eye Toward Coronavirus Safety

By Anna King April 16, 2020

Cattle brandings in the Northwest take a lot of people. One person vaccinates, another brands, another castrates the calves — all at the same time. Courtesy of Gary King

Around a million beef cattle are born each spring in the Northwest — about 228,000 in Washington, 533,000 in Oregon and 495,000 in Idaho last year. It takes a large crew working close to get through hundreds of cattle at a time, and ranchers say the job can’t wait — coronavirus or not. Read More

‘Dear Stranger’: Connecting People 1 Letter At A Time

By NPR News April 11, 2020

Letters submitted to the "Dear Stranger" project sponsored by Oregon Humanities. Martha Ann Overland/Courtesy Oregon Humanities

As the coronavirus forces people to keep their distance, a humanities program in Oregon brings residents together in an old-fashioned way.Read More

In Northwest States, Newly Jobless Wait For Unemployment Systems To Catch Up

By Tom Banse April 10, 2020

Laid-off restaurant worker Katrina Thiessen is frustrated by the weeks-long delay in having her unemployment claim approved.

There are hundreds of thousands of additional jobless workers waiting in the wings to file claims, including part-time and gig economy workers and self-employed who qualify under expanded federal benefits. But they are temporarily frozen out. The wait for overloaded unemployment systems to catch up is leaving some of them frustrated or anxious.Read More

Why Insurers May Not Cover Business’ Coronavirus Losses

By NWPB News April 3, 2020

Carlo Lamagna, the owner and chef of Magna Kusina in Portland, Ore., poses for a portrait inside his closed restaurant on Friday, March 27, 2020. Lamagna laid off his entire staff and closed the business following Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s order to halt dine-in eating at restaurants in response to the coronavirus outbreak. CREDIT: Bryan M. Vance/OPB

As coronavirus pandemic shutters small businesses across the Northwest, business owners are bracing for a wave of insurance denials. That’s because insurers have been telling businesses that coronavirus losses don’t count.Read More

Northeastern Oregon County Suspends Habeas Corpus Hearings Over Coronavirus Concerns

By Conrad Wilson April 1, 2020

Men incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution wait to re-enter the prison following a community event Aug. 24, 2019, in Umatilla, Ore.

Umatilla County is home to two large state prisons, which hold more than 3,500 inmates between them. The petitions are a last resort for inmates who need things like medical equipment and procedures that have been denied.Read More

Northwest States See Unprecedented Surge In Unemployment Claims

By NWPB News March 26, 2020

File photo. Porter Hahn makes an iced coffee drink in November 2019 in a Seattle coffee shop. U.S. services companies grew at a faster pace in February 2020 than the previous month. Then the coronavirus outbreak in the region shut down much of the service industry. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

Mirroring the national trend, Washington, Idaho and Oregon are experiencing an unprecedented spike in unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More

Distanciamento Social Continuará Después Del 4 De Mayo, Según Inslee

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 25, 2020

In an April 28, 2020, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said residents should prepare for current social distancing restrictions to continue past May 4. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3

Northwest Public Broadcasting ha creado esta página para mantener a lectores hispanohablantes al tanto de recomendaciones y medidas gubernamentales para combatir el coronavirus, también conocido como COVID-19. Esta página será […]Read More

Washington And Oregon Close State Parks Over…Well, You Know By Now

By Courtney Flatt March 24, 2020

The new entrance sign telegraphs the state-tribal partnership to manage the new state park. CREDIT: WA STATE PARKS

You’ll have to put off your favorite hike on Washington public lands for at least two weeks. State-managed parks and wildlife areas are closing starting Wednesday, March 25.Read More

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Promises Executive Action On Climate After GOP Legislative Walkout

By Dirk VanderHart March 9, 2020

People gather on the steps of the Oregon Capitol in Salem for a rally for climate action on Feb. 11, 2020. CREDIT: Kaylee Domzalski/OPB

For the second year in a row, Democrats’ signature bill for instituting a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was stymied by a Republican walkout. Now, the focus falls on Gov. Kate Brown.Read More

In Oregon, It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again As Republicans Stage Legislative Walkout — Just Like 2019

By Dirk VanderHart February 24, 2020

Democratic members of the Oregon Senate stand in the mostly empty Senate chambers at the Oregon Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Thursday, June 27, 2019. On the eighth day of a walkout by Republican senators, Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney adjourned the session shortly after it began due lacking the required number of senators to meet a quorum.

Cap and trade is on its way to the Senate floor in Oregon again — and Republicans are heading for the exits. They staged a similar protest last year — twice.Read More

Welcome To … Greater Idaho? Oregonians Could Be Asked To Join Proposal For Shifting State Lines

By NWPB News February 18, 2020

Proponents of the "Greater Idaho" proposal want to add eastern and southwestern Oregon, as well as northern California, to the existing boundaries of Idaho.

The “Greater Idaho Movement” is the latest separatist initiative to have some regions leave Oregon. If successful, the movement would rope in some parts of Northern California as well.Read More

2.5 Million Pounds Of Radioactive Waste Illegally Dumped In Oregon Landfill Near Columbia River

By Monica Samayoa February 15, 2020

Garbage, hauled in by train from long distances, is unloaded onto trucks for transfer to the landfill in the barren, rolling hills near Arlington, Ore., Aug. 3, 2004.

The Oregon Department of Energy has issued a notice of violation to a hazardous waste facility for accepting more than 2 million pounds of radioactive materials east of the Columbia River Gorge.Read More

Bringing Back Oregon’s Sea Otters Gets Federal Bucks For Feasibility Study

By Tom Banse February 14, 2020

Presently, the only places to see sea otters in Oregon are at the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where this guy lives. TOM BANSE / NW NEWS NETWORK

A group that wants to bring back wild sea otters to the Oregon Coast is taking a big step forward. The federal government has awarded them a grant to launch a feasibility study for a possible reintroduction effort.Read More

Odds Improving That Washington May Legalize Sports Betting, But Not Like Oregon

By Tom Banse February 11, 2020

At least in the near term, Washington state lawmakers do not want to have online sports betting as offered by the Oregon Lottery.

A couple of years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states beyond Nevada to have sports betting. Oregon dove in last year. Idaho, Washington and California have held back. Now, Washington state lawmakers are taking a hard look at legalizing sports betting. But they do not seem inclined to copy much from Oregon's playbook.Read More

Helicopter Rescues, Roads Closed, Sandbags Filled: SE Washington And NE Oregon Hit With Floods

By Anna King February 9, 2020

Many houses in Waitsburg, Washington, a small wheat town, are still sitting in lakes of trapped water. Residents were busy moving out their valuables, and accessing damage on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

Flood waters in southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon are starting to recede. But this relatively good news follows days of bad news and inundated towns – along with collapsed bridges, dozens of helicopter rescues and washed-out roads. It’s all caused by recent heavy rainfall and fast-melting snow.Read More

Areas Of The Northwest From Walla Walla To Umatilla To The Palouse Deal With Flooding, High Water

By NWPB News February 7, 2020

Mill Creek at Whitman College in Walla Walla was running high and brown with quick melt and agricultural runoff Friday, Feb. 2, 2020. CREDIT: Thomas Reese

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has issued an emergency proclamation for 20 counties as major flooding inundated Washington and Oregon.Read More

Trailer

By Kanale Rhoden February 6, 2020

Find out what we'll tackle on this season of HOW WE ENDED UP HERE. Listen or subscribe to this podcast.Read More

‘You’re Scared To Go Out Without A Gun’: Another Mutilated Cow In Central Oregon Rattles Ranchers

By Anna King February 6, 2020

A rancher is rattled by the recent slaying of one of his cows near Hampton, Oregon.Read More

What Time Is It Here? That Question Could Surface In Border Towns Thanks To Idaho Legislature

By Tom Banse January 29, 2020

"What time is it here?" is a question few people feel the need to ask when crossing state lines in the Northwest. But a committee vote Wednesday in the Idaho Legislature raises the possibility that border cities in the Inland Northwest may observe time differently than their close neighbors as soon as next year.Read More

Drones, Phones, Clothes: New Technology Helps Search Teams In Northwest Woods And Mountains

By Courtney Flatt January 22, 2020

Search and rescue team members search for victims Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Idaho. Courtesy of Hank Lunsford via Spokane Public Radio

When you get lost in the woods or are hurt and can’t make your way back to your car, the search and rescue teams who come looking for you may have to hike in, repel down steep cliffs, or fly through the air in helicopters. Recently, drone technology is also helping.Read More

What’s In Your Wallet? It’s Time For Travelers To Get Real About Getting Real ID

By Tom Banse January 20, 2020

You will need Real ID-compliant identification to go through TSA screening beginning Oct. 1, 2020.

Effective this October, a standard Washington, Oregon or Idaho driver's license won't pass muster with the Transportation Security Administration to board a domestic flight.Read More

Bundyville, Cattle Deaths, Salmon Return: Looking Back On Uniquely Northwest News In 2019

By Scott Leadingham December 31, 2019

The crumpled carcass of a once vibrant bull lays on Forest Service ground. It was killed along with several others in a strange way at Silvies Valley Ranch in eastern Oregon, and detectives have few leads. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

As 2019 comes to a close, and 2020 is upon us, we look back on a few Northwest stories we’ve discussed this year. Indeed, there are many, and many worth highlighting again. Here are three we’d like to revisit as we say goodbye to 2019. Read More

West Coast Scores Rare Conservation ‘Home Run’ As Fishery Rebounds From The Brink

By NWPB News December 28, 2019

Kevin Dunn, who fishes off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, holds a rockfish at a processing facility in Warrenton, Oregon. A rare environmental success story is unfolding in waters off the U.S. West Coast as regulators in January 2020 are scheduled to reopen a large area off the coasts of Oregon and California to groundfish bottom trawling fishing less than two decades after authorities closed huge stretches of the Pacific Ocean due to the species' depletion. CREDIT: Gillian Flaccus/AP

After years of fear and uncertainty, bottom trawler fishermen — those who use nets to scoop up rockfish, bocaccio, sole, Pacific Ocean perch and other deep-dwelling fish — are making a comeback here, reinventing themselves as a sustainable industry less than two decades after authorities closed huge stretches of the Pacific Ocean because of the species’ depletion.Read More

Hiking Wheelchair With Northwest Roots Opens Up Outdoor Lifestyle To People With Disabilities

By Emily Cureton December 11, 2019

Geoff Babb (seated) hasn't walked since he suffered two brainstem strokes 14 years ago. That prompted him to focus on helping people with serious disabilities access trails, and an outdoor lifestyle. CREDIT: Emily Cureton/OPB

AdvenChair resembles a mountain bike. It has handlebars, disc brakes, and a bright orange frame. Its purpose is to help people with serious disabilities access trail systems, because as developer and user Geoff Babb put it, "we need to celebrate that we're alive."Read More

Turning Pollution Into Art With A Purpose On The Oregon Coast

By NPR News December 5, 2019

Angela Haseltine Pozzi founded Washed Ashore in 2010. The nonprofit turns plastics taken from Oregon's beaches into eye-opening sculptures of threatened marine life. CREDIT: Kirk Siegler/NPR

This particular stretch of the Oregon coastline is famous for being pristine and wild. But train your eyes down a little closer to the beach and sand as Angela Haseltine Pozzi so often does, and even here you'll find bits of plastic.Read More

‘That ID Won’t Fly’: Deadline Looms For Washington And Oregon Travelers To Get Enhanced Licence

By Tom Banse November 21, 2019

The optional Enhanced Driver License issued by Washington state meets federal Real ID standards. CREDIT: WA DOL

The problem with regular driver licenses from Oregon and Washington is that both states have chosen not to verify the immigration status of applicants.Read More

Washington And Oregon Governors Revive Talks To Replace I-5 Bridge

By Lauren Dake November 18, 2019

The Interstate 5 bridge is seen here from the Washington side on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. The governors of Washington and Oregon are meeting to announce their joint plan to revive the Columbia River Crossing project. The project seeks to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River. CREDIT: Nathan Howard/The Columbian via AP

Govs. Kate Brown, of Oregon, and Jay Inslee, of Washington, met in Vancouver today to announce the first formal steps to develop a finance plan and reevaluate previous studies of replacing the bridge. They are allocating $44 million to the initial effort of what could eventually be a multibillion dollar bridge replacement project.Read More

Scientists Discover Microplastics In Northwest Oysters And Clams

By Erin Ross November 13, 2019

Microplastic fibers, like this one from an Oregon river, are less than 5mm and often show up in vivid color under the microscope. CREDIT: TODD SONFLIETH / OPB

Several studies have shown that microplastics, which are tiny pieces of plastic that make up other larger plastic items, can make their way into fish, crustaceans, clams, oysters and ultimately into us, the people that eat them. Read More

Greg Walden, Oregon’s Sole Republican In Congress, Won’t Run For Reelection

By Dirk VanderHart October 28, 2019

House Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce ranking member Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., speaks during a legislative hearing on “making prescription drugs more affordable” on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 25, 2019. CREDIT: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden announced Monday morning that he won’t run for reelection in 2020, possibly putting a close to more than two decades in the U.S. Capitol Building.Read More

Amazon To Expand Data Centers In Northeastern Oregon, Reaping More Tax Breaks

By Tom Banse October 23, 2019

This Amazon data center site outside Boardman is one of seven operating or planned complexes in northeastern Oregon.

Amazon’s ever-expanding footprint in Seattle — and the polarizing growing pains that accompany it — contrasts what’s currently happening in northeastern Oregon.Read More

All Aboard! Northwest Rail Buffs Get Steamed Up To Return Oregon Trail Amtrak Route To Boise

By Tom Banse October 22, 2019

Union Station in Portland could see lapsed train service to Boise revive if rail buffs can drum up enough support. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

The old Amtrak route started in Seattle, went south to Portland, then east through the Columbia River Gorge to Boise, and then to Salt Lake City, with an onward connection to Chicago. A volunteer-led nonprofit called the Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA) proposes to revive at least the Portland to Boise segment.Read More

Prepping For ‘The Big One’: Coastal Hospitals Get Creative With Disaster Planning

By Tom Banse October 17, 2019

Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital facilities director Chris Lemar shows flexible piping designed to withstand earthquake shaking in the new hospital. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

The state of Oregon is pushing the community hospitals along the Oregon Coast to improve their earthquake resilience. This comes after a state report predicted none of them would be able to sustain operations after the feared Big One -- a magnitude 9 offshore Cascadia earthquake and tsunami.Read More

Pumping Oxygen In A Lake To Try To Save Fish Facing Climate Change

By Jes Burns October 15, 2019

Mohammed Bawazeer and Ian Riley carry a battery that will power the aeration system on Upper Klamath Lake for 32 hours, even if the sun isn't shining.

As the climate warms, many U.S. lakes are seeing more algal blooms, low oxygen levels and stressed out fish species. One team in Oregon hopes that pumping oxygen into the water can help.Read More

‘It’s Cool And It’s Real’: More Than 100 Successful Test Flights Of Robo Air Taxi Over Eastern Oregon

By Tom Banse October 8, 2019

Vahana Project head of flight test Matt Deal. CREDIT: TOM BANSE/N3

Airbus, along with its rival Boeing and many others, is striving to make flying cars an option for your urban commute. The enthusiasm around the test flight hangar in Pendleton, Oregon, has to be leavened, though. Industry insiders said the technology is running years ahead of regulators and public acceptance.Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Case That Could End Non-Unanimous Juries In Oregon

By Conrad Wilson October 6, 2019

U.S. Supreme Court has ended a long legal fight by ruling that a Texas death row inmate is intellectually disabled and thus may not be executed.

The U.S. Supreme Court kicks off its new term Monday with a case that has potentially sweeping implications for Oregon, and could end the state’s non-unanimous jury system.Read More

Washington, Oregon Among 17 States Suing Feds Over Changes To Endangered Species Protections

By NWPB News September 26, 2019

a monarch butterfly rests on a plant at Abbott's Mill Nature Center in Milford, Del. Seventeen states sued the Trump administration Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, to block rules weakening the Endangered Species Act, saying the changes would make it tougher to protect wildlife even in the midst of a global extinction crisis. CREDIT: CAROLYN KASTER/AP

Seventeen states sued the Trump administration Wednesday to block rules weakening the Endangered Species Act, saying the changes would make it tougher to protect wildlife even in the midst of a global extinction crisis.Read More

U.S. House Passes Landmark Bill On Marijuana Business Banking, Fate Uncertain In Senate

By Jeff Mapes September 26, 2019

Thirty states have legalized some form of medical marijuana. Nine of those states and Washington, D.C., allow recreational sale of the drug.CREDIT: TED S. WARREN

The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a landmark bill aimed at helping the fast-growing legal cannabis industry. Backers of fully legalizing marijuana said the 321-103 vote in favor of the so-called “SAFE Banking Act” is a key victory in their drive to bring the drug out of the legal shadows.Read More

Study: Drinking Water Violations Are Higher For Communities Of Color, Including In Northwest

By Monica Samayoa September 25, 2019

Volunteer Emergency Manager Dorothea Thurby of Warm Springs takes inventory of bottled water Aug. 2, 2019. CREDIT: Emily Cureton/OPB

A new study on the nation’s Safe Drinking Water Act has found that low-income residents and communities of color are especially vulnerable to health-related problems because of unresolved drinking water violations. In the Northwest, 16 counties in Oregon and Washington were identified with the highest rate of drinking water violations Read More

A Push To Protect Spring Chinook Salmon Gets A Boost From Genetic Science

By Jes Burns September 25, 2019

USFS biologist Casey Baldwin stands just downstream of a restoration project that creates gravel for spawning spring chinook on the South Umpqua. Jes Burns/OPB

Recently, there’s been a significant shift in our understanding of salmon genetics. Researchers have found a distinct area in salmon DNA where the spring and fall chinook differ.Read More

‘Not One Drop Of Blood’: Cattle Are Being Mysteriously Mutilated And Killed In Eastern Oregon

By Anna King September 13, 2019

A fog of dust is kicked up from hooves as cowboys quietly push cattle into a corral from a big draw on Silvies Valley Ranch near Burns, Oregon. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

Right now in remote eastern Oregon, a serial crime spree is unfolding. Young purebred bulls are mysteriously showing up dead. Cowboys recently found several animals with body parts precisely removed -- and it’s happened just like this before in the West.Read More

Numbers Of Imperiled Sage Grouse Tumble Even Lower Across The West

By NWPB News September 12, 2019

Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming and other states are reporting population declines for the birds in 2019. CREDIT: Jerret Raffety/The Rawlins Daily Times via AP

Grouse numbers also continued to drop in 2019 in Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. Weather can affect populations from year to year, and wildlife officials say those short-term cycles are most directly responsible for the recent declines.Read More

Research Suggests Climate Change Is Reducing Snowfall In The Northwest

By NWPB News September 11, 2019

A snow-machine rider takes a snowpack reading as part of Community Snow Observations, a NASA-sponsored citizen science project. CREDIT: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

New research says climate change is decreasing the amount of snow in the Pacific Northwest. And that has implications for water resources in the region.Read More

Push For Permanent Daylight Saving Time Gets Nudge From British Columbia Residents

By Tom Banse September 11, 2019

File photo. A loosely coordinated effort is gaining steam to get all West Coast states to synchronize their clocks to year-round daylight saving time. CREDIT: HENRIQUE SIMPLICIO / FLICKR PHOTO HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/F1JXBL

The movement to “ditch the switch” — the twice-yearly ritual of changing our clocks between daylight and standard time — just got a push from British Columbia, where residents signaled they are keen to join Washington state and Oregon on permanent daylight saving time.Read More