Underscore News

Underscore.news is a dedicated public service reporting team located in Portland, Oregon. Our team size varies based on available funding and the collaborations we form with other journalists and media organizations. Initially, Underscore.news served as the Oregon reporting division for InvestigateWest. In 2019, we transitioned to become an independent nonprofit organization managed locally. We focus on producing original and independent news stories, particularly highlighting issues related to Indian Country. Our reporting is driven by the principle of equity, addressing the voices that often go unheard and exploring the reasons behind it. This approach influences all aspects of our coverage.

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Articles

Two Killings, No Explanation: Families Left Reeling After Bureau of Indian Affairs Shootings

2 weeks ago | underscore.news | Melanie Henshaw

Cody Whiterock was running for his life — the Bureau of Indian Affairs police had come for him again. He’d been drinking at a friend’s bunkhouse on a farm in Owyhee County, Idaho, south of Boise, but the farm’s owner wanted him out and called 911. When BIA police came, Whiterock did what he’d done before — he fled in his car, a BIA officer confronting him at gunpoint. But this time, his car became stuck in the snow.
‘Release the Pain We Carry:’ Scenes from MMIR Day of Awareness and Action

1 month ago | underscore.news | Nika Bartoo-Smith

Content warning: domestic violence, Missing and Murdered Indigenous RelativesOn May 5, crowds gathered throughout the day at the Oregon Convention Center Plaza in Portland to bring attention to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives and create space for remembering those who have been impacted.
Reporter’s Notebook: A Week at the AP Climate Storytelling Workshop

1 month ago | underscore.news | Jarrette Werk

During the first week of April, I had the opportunity to participate in a climate storytelling workshop organized by the Associated Press at the 2025 Skoll World Forum in Oxford, United Kingdom. To start, I never imagined my first trip overseas would be for something I love so much — storytelling.
New Center Providing Comprehensive Youth Services Opens in Spokane

2 months ago | underscore.news | Nika Bartoo-Smith

Toni Lodge, CEO of The NATIVE Project, beamed as she introduced a new four-story children’s health center in Spokane, a crowning achievement for an organization that started with $100 nearly 40 years ago and was now unveiling a $12 million centerpiece of community pride. Speaking at the March 21 grand opening of The NATIVE Project’s Children and Youth Services Center, Lodge expressed her appreciation for both the moment and the future.
Northwest Tribes Sound Alarm About Cuts to Health Care, Education and Other Key Services

2 months ago | underscore.news | Melanie Henshaw

A cascade of actions from the Trump administration represents a “grave threat” to health care, social, educational and other critical services in Indian Country, including for Native American communities in the Northwest, tribal leaders say.
‘He Didn’t Deserve What Happened:’ Community, Family of Madras Man Killed by Police Speak Out

2 months ago | underscore.news | Nika Bartoo-Smith

Content warning: This story contains descriptions of violence and death at the hands of law enforcement. Allan Dale Warner Jr., a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, dreamed about one day getting a house big enough for his parents and five siblings to all live under the same roof — to bring his family together again. “He loved his music,” his mom, Kristi Gilbert, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, told Underscore Native News + ICT.
How the Klamath Dams Came Down

2 months ago | underscore.news | Anita Hofschneider |Jake Bittle

This story was produced by Grist and co-published with Underscore Native News. At 17 years old, Jeff Mitchell couldn’t have known that an evening of deer hunting would change his life — and the history of the Klamath River — forever.
Pressure Builds on Army Corps to Produce Years-Late Reports on Willamette River Basin Dams

2 months ago | underscore.news | Melanie Henshaw

Last June, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates a series of dams in Oregon’s Willamette River Basin, missed a deadline set by Congress to produce a report on how the dams are affecting endangered fish. Eight months later, the report is nowhere in sight, with the Army Corps stating it remains under “administrative review.”For tribal nations and others who want to save dwindling salmon and steelhead runs on the Willamette, the missed deadline came as no surprise.
Tenants Speak Out Amid Wave of Evictions at NAYA Affordable Housing

Feb 28, 2025 | underscore.news | Jarrette Werk

On Christmas Eve, Buzz Berry, a Siletz tribal elder and disabled veteran living at an affordable housing complex owned by the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) in Portland, was served an eviction notice along with a blanket as a gift. Two months later, after court hearings and prolonged uncertainty, he had to move out of his apartment. As a Siletz citizen utilizing Section 8 housing assistance, Berry said the experience has been destabilizing.
‘Hello, Everybody’: Leonard Peltier Gets a Warrior’s Welcome

Feb 20, 2025 | underscore.news | Kevin Abourezk

BELCOURT, N.D. – An event 49 years in the making erupted inside a casino event center Wednesday on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. As drummers sang, 80-year-old Chippewa and Lakota activist Leonard Peltier walked into a room full of nearly 500 supporters and family members during a welcome home celebration. Led by Native dancers in regalia, he walked past banners that read “Rise up. Free Leonard Peltier,” “Enough is enough.