Breathing the world’s worst air Western Washington currently has some of the world’s dirtiest air due to smoke from wildfires in the Cascade Mountains. Fires have been burning for weeks, but people living close to the fire line say these past few days have been the worst conditions so far this year. Casey Martin Play AudioListen 2 mins
This Ivy League wages hand-to-leaf combat against an English strangler No hallowed halls in this ivy league: just hard, dirty labor against an ‘evil’ foe. John Ryan Play AudioListen 5 mins
The case of the dying newts: an Olympic Peninsula mystery I can’t tell you where I interviewed Max Lambert, but I can tell you what we saw. It wasn’t pretty. John Ryan Play AudioListen 5 mins
Could grizzly bears officially return to the North Cascades? The last confirmed grizzly bear sighting in the North Cascades was in 1996. But that could change. Libby Denkmann Noel Gasca Play AudioListen 22 mins
Murder kittens: Outdoor cats take heavy toll on wildlife Despite the wildlife hospital’s best efforts, 80% of cat-attack victims brought there do not survive. John Ryan Play AudioListen 2 mins
Mapping the spaghetti highways of the West Matthew Kauffman, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey, has been working along with many tribal and state officials over the last several years to create new maps that chart wildlife. They want to see where the deer, elk, and pronghorn highways are that run throughout America’s Western states. Anna King
Struggling Northwest kelp forests sending out an SOS. Help is coming There's a rallying cry at various bays and beaches up and down the West Coast; it's "Help the kelp!" The towering brown seaweed with the floating bulb on top is in steep decline. That's alarming because underwater kelp forests provide shelter and food for a wide variety of sea life. The crew answering the call runs the gamut from seaweed farmers to hammer-wielding scuba divers and might some day include sea otters and octopuses. Tom Banse Play AudioListen 5 mins
Kelp is having a moment Around here, when you think forest, you think towering Evergreen trees. But an equally important forest sits within Puget Sound. The state’s kelp forests play a critical role supporting fish and sea life in the Northwest, but they’ve been on the decline for the last 10 years. Northwest News Network correspondent Tom Banse is here to talk about how the state is working to restore kelp and eelgrass along the coastline. Patricia Murphy Jennie Cecil Moore Play AudioListen 14 mins
Spring killing: Smaller-than-a-penny Japanese beetle looms large for Northwest agriculture As spring wakes up in Oregon and Washington, so do invasive Japanese beetles. Larvae living among the roots of neighborhood lawns become adults and get up to the surface – ready for a meal, some mating and egg laying. Anna King
Week in Review: an orca is returning, name changes, and jail deaths Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Seattle Times Jonathan Martin, Publicola’s Erica Barnett, and Geekwire’s Mike Lewis Kevin Kniestedt Bill Radke Play AudioListen 52 mins
