Courtney Flatt

1 month ago | spokanepublicradio.org | Amy Radil |Courtney Flatt |Doug Nadvornick |Owen Henderson

Birthright citizenship case that began in WA heads to SCOTUSLater this week, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the Trump administration’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. The case is the result of legal challenges from states including Washington. Attorney General Nick Brown said he’ll attend the hearing at the high court. The Trump administration is using this case to ask the supreme court to limit the use of nationwide injunctions or judicial orders.

1 month ago | nwpb.org | Courtney Flatt

Pumped storage hydropower has been around for decades. It acts as a battery and stores energy for when it’s needed on the grid. But Washington lawmakers wanted to know more about it. So, they asked for an informational study. The study, led by Washington State University, looked at issues and interests with pumped storage hydropower, including concerns with tribal cultural resources, wildlife and land. Now, a new draft report is out from the informational study.

1 month ago | opb.org | Courtney Flatt

Taneum Creek runs through Springwood Ranch, just behind the “party barn.”Taneum Creek runs just behind what’s known as the “party barn” at Springwood Ranch in Central Washington. Recently, it’s been a place for weddings and birthdays. However, these lands hold much more importance to the Yakama Nation. As part of their ancestral homelands, bands and tribes met from all over the state to trade and make connections, said Caseymac Wallahee, a member of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council.

1 month ago | nwpb.org | Courtney Flatt

Lots of wind turbines built in the 1990s are getting old, which means their parts can end up in landfills. Researchers have discovered a process that could be used  to recycle the giant blades – and repurpose the leftovers to create plastic. The process is simple, said Jinwen Zhang, a Washington State University professor and co-author of the paper, published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling. First, they chop the massive blades into 2-inch blocks.

1 month ago | nwpb.org | Courtney Flatt

UPDATE 4/30/25:Second Substitute House Bill 1154 is headed to Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk. The bill was delivered to the governor on April 23. That will mean the state Department of Ecology will sign off on landfill permits. That’s in addition to local health departments. Permits will still be issued by local health departments. But, the state can take over if it deems that local health departments aren’t doing their job monitoring landfills.