How wildfires in the American West hurt the entire country As smoke travels, it can cause illness and economic hardship thousands of miles away. by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / October 1, 2020
As wildfires break records, firefighters face growing health risks Emerging scientific evidence shows they may be at risk of respiratory and heart illness, and maybe even cancer. by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / September 28, 2020
How British Columbia protects its people from wildfire smoke The Canadian province is well ahead of Washington and Oregon in protecting people’s health from wildfires. by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / September 22, 2020
Wildfire smoke’s health impacts have only just begun A growing body of evidence shows smoke sickens and can even kill. Is the government doing enough to protect residents? by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / September 21, 2020
During wildfires, West Coast farmworkers forced to put harvest over health Little is done to protect the workers’ health, and many feel powerless to hold employers accountable. by Mara Kardas-Nelson & Jess Alvarenga & Rosa Amanda Tuirán InvestigateWest / October 6, 2020
News Labor shortages, heat bring tough tides for WA shellfish farm At Taylor Shellfish Farms, hiring is increasingly a challenge as skyrocketing housing costs and difficult working conditions make it hard to recruit. by Mara Kardas-Nelson High Country News / October 17, 2022
Opinion Western State: a broken place in a broken system A look at the broken mental health system through the experience of one woman. by Sinan Demirel / June 28, 2018
Tech Can mushrooms save the honeybee? Certain mushrooms produce anti-viral compounds that could protect threatened honeybees. by Sylvia Kantor / February 15, 2015
Politics Did port slowdowns bust our hay export boom? Hay languished in the fields this year while farmers waited for dockworkers to settle their contract dispute with West Coast port operators. by Sylvia Kantor / March 15, 2015
Equity Seattle's Hotel de Gink Before Tent City, before Nickelsville, the city had a self-managed, self-policed, sustainable room-and-boarding house for homeless men. by Sinan Demirel / November 25, 2013