It may still be wet and muddy out there, but it’s also the time of year when wildland firefighters start to gear up for hot, dry weather and wildfires. This year, the Washington Legislature approved $1.7 million in preventative fire management money (different from fire fighting) for the upcoming season. Fire managers are also waiting to see how much, if any, federal Read More
A youth detention case in Oregon could prove significant for immigration policy, possibly giving ICE more power over local jails. Or it could undercut their efforts to arrest people in the country illegally, especially in jurisdictions that are reluctant to cooperate with the agency.Read More
Most of Washington has had above average snow this winter, but the situation gets more dicey the farther south you travel. About half of Oregon is experiencing moderate drought already, and it looks like the Klamath Basin is once again going to be a focal point of water conflict in the West.Read More
There’s a lot less snow in the western U.S. than there was a century ago. That’s according to new research that found dramatic declines in snowpack as the seasons have gotten warmer.Read More
Ryan Payne, one of the leaders of the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, was sentenced Monday in Portland to three years and one month in prison and three years probation.Read More
An industrial mining explosives manufacturing company pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Friday for failing to notify authorities of the release of 13,000 pounds (6.6 tons) of ammonia into the air at its St. Helens, Oregon plant.Read More
Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber allegedly violated state ethics laws 11 times during his third and fourth terms as governor, according to an investigative report.Read More
The whales off the West Coast depend on sound to communicate, navigate and find food. So, what happens to their health when we fill their habitat with noisy ship traffic?Read More
Oregon Health and Science University announced an immediate change to its transplant policy late Tuesday night that allows immigrants in the country illegally to receive life-saving medical care.Read More
Law enforcement from around country convened in downtown Portland last week with one goal in mind: figure out how to regulate marijuana during the Trump administration.Read More
Oregon lawmakers held a joint committee hearing Monday on a bill that would create a cap and trade program to reduce the state’s carbon emissions.Read More
A regulatory snafu in Washington has industrial hemp farmers in limbo over planting a crop in 2018. Some of them are looking to shift acreage to Oregon.Read More
Justice Department officials sent letters to nearly two dozen jurisdictions demanding documentation proving they're complying with federal immigration law and threatening the use of subpoenas.Read More
A group seeking to repeal an Oregon law on immigration says it will have to toss about 8,000 petition signatures. But the group's leader says that won’t deter them from moving forward with putting a measure on the November ballot that would overturn Oregon’s sanctuary law. The statute essentially prohibits local police from helping enforce federal immigration law.Read More
It took the threat of a lawsuit, but a federal agency is no longer killing the Beaver State’s beavers. Environmental groups had challenged the practice in Oregon because, they said, it’s a threat to more than just the state animal. Like much in the Northwest, it touches on salmon.Read More
Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden is calling for an investigation into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s use of wildfire preparedness funds after news reports revealed Zinke used the funds for unrelated travel.Read More
Oregon is suing the agro-chemical company Monsanto to help clean up toxic chemicals in the environment. The Attorney General’s Office filed suit last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court.Read More
Northwest states are among the fastest growing in the country. And according to the latest census figures, it’s gaining people more than twice as fast as the national average.Read More
Now that the fall rains have begun, the fire danger at Multnomah Falls has declined. But Oregon’s popular gem still won’t open anytime soon.Read More
Thelma Fernandez is passing the time before the eclipse by playing dominos on a card table with her family. RAJAH BOSE Listen Hundreds of eclipse revelers from all over […]Read More
Hundreds of people gathered at the Atlas Obscura Eclipse Festival in Durkee, Oregon, to witnesss the total solar eclipse. RAJAH BOSE Listen Eclipse revelers whooped and hollered as the […]Read More
Raeann Van Arsdall says her mother angus cows don’t know what’s coming to Durkee, Oregon. Hundreds of eclipse visitors are starting to descend on their ranch. ANNA KING / […]Read More
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon’s 2010 water quality report has earned a mixed review from the U.S. EPA. This week, the EPA gave the report a thumbs up for listing nine-hundred […]Read More
DeFazio and Walden want to allow for more logging in Oregon Cascade forests such as the Santiam State Fores, pictured here. JASON MCARTHUR / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Listen GRANT’S PASS, […]Read More
Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio ONLINE GUIDE TO HOUSE MEMBERS AND SENATORS / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio is hoping he’ll soon be able to introduce […]Read More