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Pacific Northwest refineries have been getting their crude oil for years from tankers and pipelines. Last September, trains began shipping crude oil into the region by rail. EarthFix reporter Courtney Flatt explains what that means for emergency crews.

An effort to streamline the regulatory process for small hydropower dams is generating a rare moment of bipartisanship in Congress. Two bills sailed through a Senate committee Wednesday. They've already passed the House. Correspondent Jessica Robinson has more.

High school students across Washington will be learning how to save a life, starting next fall. A new law requires schools to teach basic C-P-R in health classes. Governor Jay Inslee signed the measure into law. The main advocates were with the American Heart Association, including volunteer Eric Rothenberg who survived cardiac arrest because a bystander performed CPR on him. Rothenberg says the new mandate means more people will be willing to use chest compressions:

The number of coal export terminals under consideration in the Northwest has dropped to three, that’s from a high of six last year.

Some Washington residents who receive unemployment benefits will soon get significantly less money from the government.

It’s a result of the federal sequestration. In Washington state, regular benefits last about six months. After that, recipients can get those benefits extended for another nine months. Those extended benefits are completely funded on the federal level. And they’re the ones getting slashed. Not dropped, but reduced by 21%.

In its latest report, the Department of Defense says more than 2,700 service members reported being sexually assaulted in 2012. Tuesday, Washington Senator Patty Murray introduced a new bill she says will help better protect victims of military sexual assault from intimidation and systemic challenges.

The feeling is somber at Spokane-area airfields Monday as details emerge about a plane crash Friday in Kyrgyzstan. Three Fairchild Air Force Base crew members died, including a mother, a father, and a plane enthusiast.

Fire season appears to be off to an early start in Central Oregon. Fire crews spent the weekend battling a wildfire near La Pine.

This month, voters will decide whether to approve a plan to fluoridate Portland's water. Supporters say Portland children - especially in low-income families - suffer aggravated dental problems because the city has chosen not to add fluoride. Opponents say water fluoridation is the wrong way to address a public health problem. And so a battle that has played out before at the state level is now going on in Portland. From Oregon Public Broadcasting, April Baer reports.

Three weeks after the Boston bombings, one of the iconic figures of that tragedy was racing again in Spokane. Bill Iffrig of Lake Stevens, Wash., joined more than 50-thousand runners on Sunday for the Bloomsday Run. You might remember the images of Iffrig on the ground immediately following a blast at the Boston marathon. Jessica Robinson has this story.