News

WildWilTHORP, Wash. – As snow blankets the mountains around Ellensburg, Washington, elk herds traditionally make their way to the valley below. Now that farmers have planted their roots near the Yakima River, elk are not able to graze there during winter months.

SILVER VALLEY, Idaho -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to scale back plans for cleaning up Idaho’s Silver Valley. The region has been the site of a Superfund clean-up of mining waste since the 1980s. Steve Jackson has more on the story.

BalaOLYMPIA, Wash. – Democrats in the Washington legislature are suddenly hopeful they can rebalance the state budget without asking voters to approve a tax hike. Their optimism comes even before they see the latest revenue forecast out Thursday.

This year, women will box for the gold for the first time ever at the Summer Olympics in London. One of the top contenders is a boxer from the Northwest named Queen Underwood. Jessica Robinson reports.

PolRICHLAND, Wash. – State regulators have fined a port-o-john operator in southeast Washington for illegally dumping raw sewage down a manhole at least five times. Some of the $50,000 in fines will go to the city of Kennewick, which had to clean up waste that backed up into streets.

 Romantic relationships can be difficult to maintain, especially if they're long distance relationships. Avery Green and Tim Toerber of Tacoma share how they met, and how they manage to keep their relationship going during Tim's many deployments to Afghanistan. 
 

MT. HOOD, Ore. -- Researchers at Oregon State University think they have figured out why Mt. Hood doesn’t erupt with the same bang and violence as other Cascade volcanoes. Amelia Templeton reports.

SEATTLE, Wash. -- A bill aimed at improving the safety of workers in mental hospitals passed the Washington state senate on Monday. KUOW's John Ryan reports from Seattle.

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Washington restaurateurs are preparing for a new option that begins March first: They’ll be able to buy liquor directly from distilleries and out-of-state distributors. It’s one part of the new roll out of Initiative 1183, passed by voters in November. As correspondent Anna King reports, Some restaurants are waiting to see how the new marketplace shapes up, others are aggressively hunting down deals.

SKYKOMISH RIVER, Wash. -- The Skykomish is one of the only major rivers in Washington that has not been dammed for hydropower. The river runs from the Cascade Mountains and empties into Northern Puget Sound. It’s a hot spot for wildlife and outdoor recreation. It could also be a hotspot for hydropower. Ashley Ahearn reports.