Susan Shain

Walla Walla

Walla Walla Community Reporter at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Reporter at @NWPBroadcasting. Previously @nytimes @highcountrynews. Send tips and dog pix to [email protected].

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Articles

Walla Walla closes housing voucher waitlist for the first time

1 month ago | nwpb.org | Susan Shain

The Walla Walla Housing Authority closed its waitlist for Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8, earlier this month. Though other cities, like Portland and Spokane, have had their waitlists mostly closed for years, this is the first time Walla Walla has done so. The housing authority said that rising rents are mainly to blame. The agency has a limited pool of money — and given that area rents have roughly doubled over the past decade, it’s been able to house fewer people.
A ‘garden’ where everyone grows: ‘Inside-out’ classes bloom bonds between inmates and Whitman College students

1 month ago | opb.org | Susan Shain

In a beige classroom on a hill in Walla Walla, two dozen college students milled about a room. Half of them attend Whitman College, which has the greatest percentage of students from very wealthy families and the lowest percentage of students from poor families of any college in Washington state. The other half live here, steps away from the classroom, at the Washington State Penitentiary. They have all been convicted of felonies. Most have at least six years left on their sentences.
Profits Are Stagnant. But the Funeral Industry Is Not Dead Yet.

1 month ago | myheraldreview.com | Susan Shain

When a young hunter died, Lanae Strovers didn’t plan a funeral service with organ music and the Lord’s Prayer. After Strovers, a director at Hamilton’s Funeral Home in Des Moines, Iowa, heard the man’s family wish for one last hunt with him, she asked a gunsmith to put his cremated remains into some shotgun shells. Then she helped the family plan a hunt in his honor.
Inside a ‘life changing’ class at the Washington State Penitentiary

1 month ago | nwpb.org | Susan Shain

In a beige classroom on a hill in Walla Walla, two dozen college students milled about a room. Half of them attend Whitman College, which at one time had the greatest percentage of students from very wealthy families and the lowest percentage of students from poor families of any college in Washington state.
Why affordable housing providers say they’re facing an ‘existential’ crisis

2 months ago | nwpb.org | Susan Shain

Jeff Guyett was sitting at his computer last May when he opened an email from his insurance broker. It revealed his new premium: over $400,000 annually. More than double the year before. “I really didn’t even know how to respond at first,” Guyett said. “I was flabbergasted.” Guyett is the executive director of the Community Action Center in Pullman. His organization owns about 200 affordable housing units across Whitman County. For years, the agency broke even on them.
Washington’s state library just lost federal funding — here’s what that means - Northwest Public Broadcasting

2 months ago | nwpb.org | Susan Shain

Both the American Library Association and 20 state attorneys general are suing the Trump administration for its efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS. The plaintiffs claim that an executive order calling for the agency’s elimination is unconstitutional, because its funding was already approved by Congress. The IMLS has already placed its roughly 70 employees on administrative leave.
What should I wear to work out while keeping the planet healthy?

2 months ago | straitstimes.com | Susan Shain

NEW YORK – Chances are, your favourite exercise attire is synthetic, made from petroleum-based fibres like nylon, spandex and polyester. Materials that do not exactly scream “climate friendly”. Natural fibres have issues too. Growing cotton can use huge amounts of water and pesticides, the sheep that give wool emit methane, and processing bamboo can produce a lot of pollution. Altogether, the apparel and footwear industries account for more than 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
What’s fuzzy, cute and sold out? Chicks

Mar 26, 2025 | nwpb.org | Susan Shain

The first person showed up at 6:50 a.m., more than an hour before the store opened. The third person to arrive was Steve Irwin. “You gotta get in line or get an early number,” Irwin said. “If you don’t, it’s over with. You might as well go home.” By 7:45 a.m., a line of people had gathered outside the Tractor Supply Co. in Walla Walla. What were they waiting for? Baby chicks. The birds, unaware of their celebrity status, huddled in silver tubs, basking under the red light of heat lamps.
Unpacked: Addressing homelessness in Walla Walla

Mar 18, 2025 | nwpb.org | Phineas Pope |Susan Shain

By Phineas Pope and Susan ShainPhineas Pope: Walla Walla County has found permanent housing for 74% of the people who exited its homeless services system. That’s data from the last fiscal year, according to the Washington Department of Commerce. And it’s nearly twice the rate of the state as a whole. NWPB’s Susan Shain joins me now from Walla Walla to discuss more. What’s the key to the success in Walla Walla?
What Kind of Workout Clothes Are Best for the Environment?

Mar 10, 2025 | nytimes.com | Susan Shain

Chances are, your favorite exercise attire is synthetic, made from petroleum-based fibers like nylon, spandex and polyester. Materials that don't exactly scream "climate friendly."Natural fibers have issues, too: Growing cotton can use huge amounts of water and pesticides, the sheep that give us wool emit methane, and processing bamboo can produce a lot of pollution. Altogether, the apparel and footwear industries account for more than 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.