Environment Pacific Northwest forests fit trifecta for curbing climate change — if we stop logging them Study shows trees along the coast and in the Cascade and Olympic mountains have the most potential to sequester carbon. by Cassandra Profita Oregon Public Broadcasting / January 1, 2020
Culture Can Rainier Beach's Kubota Garden remain a refuge for all? The South Seattle sanctuary is a testament to the power of public space and the promise of racial integration. by Alex Gallo-Brown / November 29, 2019
Opinion The collective power of the pandemic's essential workers As COVID-19 continues claiming lives, many workers remain vulnerable to exposure. Will they fight back by withholding their labor? by Alex Gallo-Brown / May 12, 2020
Environment ‘Rife with flawed science’: OR and WA fight Trump’s emissions rollback The states join 26 others to argue the president's plan increases public health risks and violates the federal Clean Air Act. by Cassandra Profita Oregon Public Broadcasting / June 4, 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
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