WA audit: Just 16% of veteran officers have finished required police training The training is mandated by Initiative 940, which went on to become the 2019 Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act.

The training is mandated by Initiative 940, which went on to become the 2019 Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act.

Live: Senate voting on reopening mining near Boundary Waters Sen. Tina Smith spoke for hours to oppose the measure Wednesday night. If passed, the legislation would head to the president’s desk.

The U.S. Senate has voted, 50-49, to repeal the ban on mining near the Boundary Waters.

‘Everyone is Replaceable’: Death Rattles Oregon Amazon Facility A worker died at Amazon’s Troutdale warehouse last week. Employees were told to look away.

Amazon has reached out to The Western Edge with an additional statement. The company acknowledged work continued after a 46-year-old man died at an Oregon distribution center on April 6. Amazon says staff were too focused on life-saving efforts to stop work across the building.

‘Everyone is Replaceable’: Death Rattles Oregon Amazon Facility A worker died at Amazon’s Troutdale warehouse last week. Employees were told to look away.

We've now obtained the 911 calls related to this death. They indicate the injured man possibly had a head injury of some type.

Forest Service axes most research stations as severe fire season builds in Pacific Northwest The U.S. Forest Service is shutting down research stations around the country, including centers in Portland, Seattle, and Wenatchee, Washington.

The U.S. Forest Service is shutting down research stations around the country, including centers in Portland, Seattle, and Wenatchee, Washington.

Despite court ruling, WA still blocked from inspecting immigrant detention center Washington state health inspectors have been trying for months to enter the Tacoma immigrant detention center amid longstanding concerns about the conditions there.

Washington state health inspectors have been trying for months to enter the Tacoma immigrant detention center amid longstanding concerns about the conditions there.

via @washingtonstatestandard.com

Famed mountaineer Jim Whittaker, first American atop Mount Everest, dies at 97 | Cascadia Daily News Longtime Port Townsend resident inspired generations of alpinists, defined an active NW outdoor lifestyle

Extraordinary obituary of one of the PNW players (along with Fred Beckey, of course, and his twin brother Lou) who put U.S. mountaineering on the map—Seattle native "Big Jim" Whittaker, the first American to summit Everest.

What a life. www.cascadiadaily.com/2026/apr/08/...

To analogize the Al information-collapse scenario: It's like if the modern information economy was a bee farm, where journalists are the honeybees. (We do sting people from time to time). Information is honey, and society loves honey! You don't even need to meet a bee to eat it. But making honey is so slow... Then a new Al-powered robot arrives that makes it a lot cheaper and faster to get the honey to consumers — by driving over the flowers, smashing open the beehive and killing all the bees in the process. There's no more honey to collect next time, and the robot is left to scrape up whatever is left in the debris. One day you get to the grocery store, and crud is the only thing on the shelves. Suddenly dinner is less appetizing but you don't know why. Oh, and society has gotten addicted to riding around on the bee-smashing machine.

Wherein I write about the step beyond Google Zero and imagine the AI information ecosystem collapse:

mattdpearce.substack.com/p/who-really...

always read the footnotes in government reports. it's the best source of fascinating documents to FOIA.

A Journalist Security Checklist: Preparing Devices for Travel Through a US Border We wrote this checklist to help journalists prepare for transit through a U.S. port of entry while preserving the confidentiality of your most sensitive information, such as unpublished reporting mate...

For people who are concerned about having their devices seized at US airports starting Monday when ICE "assists" the TSA, EFF has this guide: www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

this is why I PDFed my own archive immediately after the layoffs were announced

also a reminder that the vast majority of my A+ news team is still unemployed. snap us up while you can!

happy sunshine week! go file an open records request. you do not have to be a journalist to do it and i highly recommend that everyone file at least one at some point and learn about how your government (federal, state, local, all of the above) works!

The WA income tax on annual incomes over $1M per year has passed the state Senate. It now heads to the governor, and he has said he looks forward to signing it. #waleg

The Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics

NEW: We just published a deep dive into just how much billionaires are now dominating U.S. politics.

We found 300 billionaire families accounted for 19% of federal donations in 2024. The deluge was even larger in many state and local races.

1/7

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

GREAT new resource from us:

You can now flip through the financial disclosures of Trump officials.

See what they own --and how much they're worth.

See who's worked where-- and how much they banked.

Want the folks connected to Palintir? Please enjoy.

projects.propublica.org/trump-team-f...

PacifiCorp officially owes Oregonians more than $1 billion for 2020 fires A Tuesday court verdict pushed the Warren Buffet-owned utility beyond the remarkable figure.

Oregonians who had their lives upended by the 2020 Labor Day wildfires continue to see large paydays in court.

PacifiCorp owns $1 billion so far -- but that's likely just a fraction of the total potential liability.

When people die in WA prisons, many don’t get an autopsy Autopsies offer the best chance at flagging whether mistreatment contributed to an incarcerated person’s death. But state officials often skip them.

Last year a state Corrections employee told me she was troubled by prison officials’ failure to request autopsies after people died in custody. I looked into it for @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

For my latest story I reviewed over 100 cases where immigrants challenged their ICE detention in federal court in Washington. In most of those cases, judges determined ICE was holding people illegally.

Firefighters Wore Gear Containing “Forever Chemicals.” The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years. As early as 2021, government officials were alerted to the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals known as PFAS in pants used by wildland firefighters, according to emails obtained by ProPublica.

SCOOP from @abestreep.bsky.social: Firefighters Wore Gear Containing “Forever Chemicals.” The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years.

Today, in partnership with murrowcollege.bsky.social, we are proud to announce a groundbreaking initiative to ensure that every county in Washington state has access to reliable, local journalism.

Learn more: www.reportforamerica.org/2026/02/04/wsu-report-fo...

‘I Can’t Breathe.’ Police Use Restraint With Fatal Results A Bloomberg Law exclusive investigation has revealed that 41 people across the country have died after police or jails used a full-body restraint called The Wrap to subdue people.

"You’re suffocating me"..."I’m fucking dying"..."I can’t breathe." We found 41 people who died after officers put them in this mummy-like restraint called The Wrap. Watching body cam videos was heart wrenching. w/ @farooqumar.bsky.social news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Our Reporting Showed Washington Ranks Last in Green Energy Growth. Now the State Is Working to Speed It Up. The state’s departing commerce director said there’s added urgency to get the projects done after an Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica investigation showed states like Iowa and Texas have made...

NEW: Washington’s departing commerce director said there’s added urgency to get the projects done after an @opb.org and ProPublica investigation showed states like Iowa and Texas have made more progress in renewable energy growth.

The latest on ICE in Minnesota Live updates on ICE enforcement in Minnesota, with the latest developments and links to deeper reporting as events unfold.

Follow live updates from @mprnews.org www.mprnews.org/live-updates

Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas on deconstructing ‘true crime’ in podcasting and journalism - Nieman Storyboard The team behind ‘Hush’ discuss the ethics of narrative journalism and creating a serialized podcast that's sensitive to victims and families

Loved sitting down with @leahsottile.bsky.social and @ryanjhaas.bsky.social for the @niemanstoryboard.org podcast to talk about the second season of their series "Hush" — and I'm so excited they're launching their own independent publication.

niemanstoryboard.org/2026/01/22/l...

#longreads

Are Tri-Cities Flock traffic cameras being misused by ICE, others? A report revealed a Texas sheriff tracked a woman from Tri-Cities suspected of travelling to WA after an abortion.

A report revealed a Texas sheriff tracked a woman from Tri-Cities suspected of travelling to WA after an abortion.

SpaceX shrugged off toxic exposure complaints at Starlink lab Workers say exposure caused serious health issues including a hospitalization and a miscarriage

Customer support employees reported health issues and SpaceX safety managers flagged ventilation problems. But records show the company did not improve ventilation at a Washington office for nearly a year, until the state began investigating.

www.investigatewest.org/a-starlink-l...

"Teresa Wippel, the president and CEO of the My Neighborhood News Group nonprofit that runs My Edmonds News, said Steves contacted Angelica Relente, the housing reporter who wrote the story. He also contacted the Jean Kim Foundation, which runs the center."

Feds order WA power plant to keep burning coal, setting up clash with state • Washington State Standard The Trump administration has ordered Washington’s last coal-fired power station to continue burning coal, just weeks before it was scheduled to shut down and convert to natural gas fuel.

NEW: Feds order WA power plant to keep burning coal, setting up clash with state-

The TransAlta facility in Centralia was on track to switch to natural gas.

For @washingtonstatestandard.com: washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/12/18/f... #waleg #environment

Washington US Rep. Dan Newhouse not running for reelection • Washington State Standard U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of two Republicans representing Washington state in Congress, will not run for reelection next year.

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of two Republicans representing Washington state in Congress, will not run for reelection next year. washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/12/17/w...

The 12 Best Novels About the Pacific Northwest The books that best capture the spirit of the region.

After teaching a one-day class on Tom Robbins, here is my syllabus for the 12 novels about the Pacific Northwest you should read (and Snow Falling on Cedars is not one) ryanbeckwith.medium.com/the-12-best-...