A longtime Portland drug treatment center is shuttering as similar programs for moms face trouble
The closure of the 37-year-old Letty Owings Center comes as substance use during pregnancy has increased
A longtime Portland drug treatment center is shuttering as similar programs for moms face trouble
The closure of the 37-year-old Letty Owings Center comes as substance use during pregnancy has increased
Oregon needs more youth ‘respite’ homes, but funding problems stand in the way
The closure of one Southern Oregon facility highlights barriers to expanding care for kids with complex behavioral health needs
Mercer Island School District settles sex abuse claim for $1.5M
A former student alleged district administrators failed to intervene and protect her from being sexually abused by an English teacher
As nonprofit takeover looms, Spokesman-Review union rebukes plan to keep embattled editor Rob Curley
Despite concerns newsroom staffers shared with InvestigateWest and RANGE, the nonprofit taking over Spokane’s daily paper plans to keep Curley in a leadership role
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What happens when local news disappears? Polluters pollute more. Governments become less accountable. Entire communities are left in the dark.
Since 2009, InvestigateWest has been building something the Pacific Northwest desperately needed: a nonprofit investigative newsroom — and the civic infrastructure to spread accountability journalism across the region.
While other states offer more pathways for early release, Washington abolished its parole system in 1984 for most prisoners and restricted earned “good time,” while other resentencing reforms meant to address harsh or excessive prison sentences are limited. Clemency has become a small yet critical relief valve for those behind bars — one that Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has thus far shut off entirely.
When Cyndy Piez's son overdosed, she took the bottle of pills she found in his bedroom and drove to the hospital.
In most states, Cyndy’s effort to help doctors understand what her son had taken might have ended with treatment. But this was Idaho — one of at least nine states that automatically treat fentanyl possession above a certain threshold as trafficking, stripping people who seek help for an overdose of protection from criminal punishment.
"Guarded by Predators" is a series by InvestigateWest exposing rape and abuse by Idaho’s prison guards and the system that shields them. The series launched on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at investigatewest.org.
Through court records, survivor accounts, and months of reporting, we uncover how Idaho’s broken system shields abusers and hides their crimes from the public. Until now.
Stories with Impact
Shoreline Community College quietly updates hiring rules after sexual misconduct vetting failure
The president of the college said in an email that they are updating their policies following an investigation into former Everett high school teacher
Award Winners
Washington courts rarely discipline guardians ad litem accused of misconduct in custody cases
Minimal oversight of court investigators makes it difficult for parents to challenge flawed reports without risking damage to their cases
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Immigration
Idaho county’s probation office compiles ‘foreign born list’ for ICE
Emails show how Canyon County probation officers are helping immigration authorities — including making a list of foreign-born individuals
Education
Climate
Washington has few paths to early prison release. Advocates fear Gov. Ferguson has closed off a critical one
Gov. Bob Ferguson has rejected everyone the state board recommended for commutation
Guarded by Predators
Idaho Legislature passes bill to expand prison sex abuse law
The bill, inspired by InvestigateWest reporting, was signed into law by Gov. Brad Little
Indigenous Affairs
Public Health
State of Democracy
As nonprofit takeover looms, Spokesman-Review union rebukes plan to keep embattled editor Rob Curley
Despite concerns newsroom staffers shared with InvestigateWest and RANGE, the nonprofit taking over Spokane’s daily paper plans to keep Curley in a leadership role
Human Trafficking
Criminal Justice
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