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1 month ago | 
spokanepublicradio.org | John Ryan |Scott Greenstone |Owen Henderson |Lauren Paterson
Trump has denied half of disaster aid requests so farPresident Trump has been denying requests for federal aid following major disasters, including November’s bomb cyclone storm in Washington state. In his first hundred days, Trump has turned down half the disaster requests that have crossed his desk. Reporting by KUOW public radio found that presidents before Trump approved the vast majority of requests for major disaster aid. Now, it’s hit or miss.
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1 month ago | 
spokanepublicradio.org | Doug Nadvornick |Owen Henderson |Lauren Paterson |Steve Jackson
Striking workers in WA one step closer to benefitsThe Washington House has voted to allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits. The vote was 52-43, with seven Democrats joining every Republican in voting against. The bill originally called for strikers to qualify for up to 12 weeks of benefits, but that was amended to four weeks. Rep. Jeremie Dufault (R-Yakima) argued people who strike choose to do so and shouldn’t be rewarded.
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2 months ago | 
spokanepublicradio.org | Owen Henderson |Lauren Paterson |Doug Nadvornick |James Dawson
WA aims to support federal workers after mass layoffsAs of last week, Washington was home to about a thousand laid-off federal employees. But more workers are expected to be cut after yesterday’s deadline for agencies to come up with workforce reduction plans. "About half of the National Weather Service offices were already understaffed," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
spokanepublicradio.org | Kyra Buckley |Doug Nadvornick |Lauren Paterson |Owen Henderson
More frequent blackouts could result from BPA job cuts, experts sayExperts warn that job cuts initiated by the Trump administration at Bonneville Power Administration will have negative long-term impacts on the region's electricity system. So far, more than 400 positions have been cut. Bonneville manages 75% of the transmission lines in the region crucial to delivering electricity to more than 3 million people.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
nwpb.org | Lauren Paterson
The library in Post Falls, Idaho, will soon have an adults-only room in light of a recent Idaho law passed last year. That law requires school and public libraries in the state to restrict access to books that are considered “harmful” to minors. If libraries don’t do so, they could face lawsuits.
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Jan 19, 2025 | 
opb.org | Lauren Paterson
People stand in RoseMary's Place, a child care agency on the Columbia County Health System campus in Dayton, Washington. Courtesy of Columbia County Health SystemThis year, Washington state faces a significant budget shortfall somewhere between $10 billion and $12 billion. As lawmakers meet for the legislative session, they’re deciding what to cut, and day care subsidies could be impacted.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
nwpb.org | Lauren Paterson
This year, Washington state faces a significant budget shortfall somewhere between $10 and $12 billion. As lawmakers meet for the legislative session, they’re deciding what to cut, and day care subsidies could be impacted. “If we shortchange child care now, we will see long term harm to the economy and long term harm to families,” said Genevieve Stokes, the director of government relations at Child Care Aware of Washington.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
nwpb.org | Lauren Paterson
After two years of fighting rent increases, residents of four mobile home parks in Latah County have had their past due balances reversed — for now. “They tried to charge me $180 more for lot rent, and that accrued over time,” said Suzy James, a resident of Woodland Heights Community in Moscow, Idaho. She said the new owners tried to raise her lot rent from $340 per month to $525. “I continued paying the same rent because they didn’t properly notify us of the rent increases,” James said.
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Sep 9, 2024 | 
nwpb.org | Lauren Paterson
Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, made a request to hold his trial in a different Idaho county earlier this year. Judge John Judge has granted his request. The judge gave multiple reasons for granting Kohberger’s motion to change venue. Judge said he is concerned local residents already assume Kohberger is guilty.
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Aug 30, 2024 | 
nwpb.org | Lauren Paterson
The defense team for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in November 2022, is trying to move the trial out of Latah County. Kohberger’s murder trial is scheduled for June 2025, and the state of Idaho has made it clear it intends to pursue the death penalty. His lawyers spent the Thursday hearing arguing the trial should be moved from the college town of Moscow, where the crime occurred, to Ada County, the home of Idaho’s largest city, Boise.
