Jessica Robinson

The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan may hinder the most likely avenue for bringing a captured Northwest soldier home safely. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, is the only known U.S. soldier in Taliban captivity.

PLUMMER, Idaho - Jazz aficionados know Mildred Bailey as the legendary singer who cleared the way for female jazz greats like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Less well known is the fact that Bailey was Native American. Now, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in Idaho has launched a campaign to bring the singer -- and her heritage -- into the spotlight. Jessica Robinson tells the story.

An over-enrolled technical high school opening for the first time this fall in north Idaho indicates an unmet hunger for practical job training. The mutli-district collaboration in Rathdrum doesn’t even have a roof yet, and enrollment already exceeds capacity. Now, the school is on the hunt for more instructors.

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho - A few months ago, two northwest soldiers returned from Iraq with their National Guard unit. Both started looking for new civilian jobs. Neither is satisfied with what they found. Correspondent Jessica Robinson recently checked in with them and discovered that both soldiers are now thinking about signing up for another overseas tour with the military.

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho - Mitt Romney took the state of Idaho Tuesday in the state’s first-ever presidential caucus. The former Massachusetts governor won with 61 percent of the vote. Correspondent Jessica Robinson has more.

SANDPOINT, Idaho - Republican presidential contender Ron Paul paid a visit to north Idaho Monday on the eve of the state’s Super Tuesday caucus. Political analysts expect Mitt Romney to do well in Idaho. But Paul’s campaign say their loyal supporters could garner a good share of Idaho’s 32 delegates.

EUGENE, Ore. - Environmental lawyers are trying a new legal tactic, hoping to force the government to take more aggressive steps against global warming. They’re bringing lawsuits on behalf of kids – including young plaintiffs in the Northwest. The cases use a legal theory put forth by a University of Oregon professor. Correspondent Jessica Robinson explains.

The federal agency that oversees the nation’s mines says it’s changing how it handles key documents designed to improve mine safety. The move was prompted in part by a public radio investigation on a fatal mine accident in north Idaho.

Federal mine investigators say a Northwest miner died by electrocution because the company that employed him failed to have proper safety procedures in place. The tragedy happened at a gravel pit last September near Pullman, Wash. Most Northwest mine accidents happen above ground.

SPIRIT LAKE, Idaho - Idaho is one of only three states that don’t consider animal cruelty a felony. That would change under a bill now in the Idaho House. The measure allows up to a year in jail and a $9,000 fine for the worst types of abuse. Yet the measure hasn’t drawn cheers from animal rescue groups.