Tom Banse
Regional Correspondent
Stories
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Washington may rope in ranchers to fight rural wildfires — as Oregon and Idaho already do
Washington state may soon copy a rural wildfire fighting strategy that Oregon, Idaho and Nevada already employ: letting private ranchers attack range fires before the blazes get big.
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Honey, please stop at the store to pick up some bread and ... bitcoin?
West Coasters may soon be able to pick up bread, milk and, yes, bitcoin, at their local supermarket.
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Would you want to be composted after you die? Washington lawmakers consider making it legal
A bipartisan effort to make Washington the first state to legalize human composting faced its first test in front of lawmakers on Tuesday — and the idea seemed to go over relatively well.
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Oregon State Parks workers to clean overflowing garbage on federal lands during ongoing shutdown
Some Oregon State Parks workers are now tending to federal recreation lands as the partial U.S. government shutdown continues with no end in sight.
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Affected by last month's 911 outage? Washington's attorney general wants you to email him
Washington state's attorney general wants to know if emergency response was delayed to anyone during a nearly statewide 911 outage late last month. The...
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Washington State Ferries reveals plan for younger, greener fleet
Washington State Ferries has come up with a plan to replace more than half of its fleet with new, electric-powered ferries. But the new plan faces...
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Last open Mount Rainier gate closes as government shutdown drags on
"There will be no public services including food, restrooms, or snow plowing sufficient for safe public travel anywhere in the park beginning late Sunday," said Tracy Swartout, deputy superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park.
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Local impacts from a partial government shutdown shouldn't be too bad — for now
If Congress and the Trump administration cannot broker a deal to fund the government, which looks increasingly possible late Friday, there's a solace...
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Changing climate, water flows impact bald eagles' feasts on the Skagit River
From mid-December to February, hundreds upon hundreds of bald eagles flock to the Skagit River in northwest Washington to feast on spawning salmon. It's...
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Another Amtrak Cascades train derailed almost exactly one year after DuPont wreck; no injuries
An Amtrak Cascades train arriving in Vancouver, B.C., from Seattle derailed at low speed Monday. Nobody was hurt, but the timing was unfortunate: The...