PNW
What's happening in the Pacific Northwest? For information and details regarding Northwest news, see our articles below.
Sheriffs warn new state law could harm public safety, decrease prosecution rate
(The Center Square) - Sheriffs and police chiefs across Washington state are turning off their agencies’ automatic…
County exec pitches diversion program, sheriff’s office cuts
SEATTLE (AP) — King County Executive Dow Constantine in Seattle this week proposed several initiatives that would reduce funding to the county Sheriff’s Office, shift resources from the traditional criminal system …
Storms in Oregon's forecast could suppress or spread fires
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters have made “significant progress” in containing the wildfires in Oregon, but officials warned Thursday the next 24 hours of weather could play a critical part in suppressing or spread…
Latest: Yosemite closes to visitors over wildfire smoke
The Latest on wildfires in the U.S. West (all times local):
Fish in Oregon hatcheries die, released early as fires rage
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — As wildfires raged through Oregon, staff at fish hatcheries around the state raced to try to save – or prematurely release – millions of chinook salmon, steelhead and trout being raised in cap…
Justice Dept.: Sedition charge may apply to protest violence
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a memo to U.S. attorneys Thursday obtained by The Associated Press, the Justice Department emphasized that federal prosecutors should aggressively go after demonstrators who cause violence — an…
Police: Woman killed in Seattle park, man found dead nearby
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle police detectives are investigating two deaths Wednesday in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
A U.S. judge has blocked Postal Service changes that slowed mail and prompted concerns about absentee voting
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A U.S. judge has blocked Postal Service changes that slowed mail and prompted concerns about absentee voting.
US judge blocks Postal Service changes that slowed mail
SEATTLE (AP) — A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before th…
Idaho initial and continuing unemployment claims drop again
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The number of Idaho residents applying for unemployment dropped by 4% last week, officials said Thursday, as Idaho's economy continues recovering during the coronavirus pandemic.
Yellowstone has second-busiest August, tourism still down
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park had its second-busiest August on record but tourism is still down substantially this year, park officials said Thursday.
Lightning storm, easterly wind: How the wildfires got so bad
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — It began as a stunning light show on a mid-August weekend — lightning bolts crackling in the skies over Northern and Central California, touching down in grasslands and vineyards.
Man shelters from wildfire flames in Oregon river
LYONS, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man says he used a green plastic chair as a shield from a huge, deadly wildfire as he sheltered from the flames on a rock in the middle of a river.
Inslee broke law by bringing apples to fire-ravaged areas
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee thought it would be a nice gesture to bring some apples from his own tree when he visited communities ravaged by wildfire last week.
Group appeals US judge's Idaho transgender sports ban ruling
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A conservative Christian group is appealing a federal judge's ruling that temporarily blocked an Idaho law banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
Feds explored possibly charging Portland officials in unrest
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges against city officials in Portland, Oregon, after clashes erupted there night after night between la…