She brought fentanyl to the hospital to save her son. Idaho treated him as a trafficker.

After Isaac Berger overdosed, his mother gave hospital staff the pills she found in his room. She says it became the biggest regret of her life.

Foster Care

Kids in Oregon’s rural counties more likely to spend time in foster care

Advocates and experts say that reflects the challenges rural families have getting health and social safety net services

Education

Edmonds schools awards former principal new contract amid criticism of sexual misconduct response

The school board said state law limits the district from taking action against the former principal, despite community demands to fire him.

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

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Human Trafficking

Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Idaho agency of retaliating against nonprofit for talking to reporters

Criminal Justice

A 2021 law expanded Washington’s power to decertify police officers. Records show cops still avoid consequences

Criminal Justice

Oregon woman opens up about alleged domestic violence before receiving 10-year sentence over baby's death

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Domestic Violence

Why sentencing reform for domestic violence survivors keeps falling short in Oregon

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Idaho Legislature commissions investigation of youth treatment homes, passes bills to increase oversight and regulations

Lawmakers cite InvestigateWest series that revealed abuse, neglect at youth facilities

How InvestigateWest sparks change

Two killings, no explanation: Families left reeling after Bureau of Indian Affairs shootings

Lack of transparency in BIA police killings leave families searching for answers

Our record of excellence

Climate

Developers’ tree-cutting pace surges under contested Seattle tree protection ordinance

Mayor Harrell promised law would get Seattle “back on track,” but new street-tree planting data raises doubts

Climate

In wildfire-prone Washington, ‘collaboration’ on forest management gives way to timber interests

Sandy Shettler, from Tree Action Seattle, speaks to a crowd in February 2024 in front of Astra, a 100-year-old Western Red

Climate

Seattle claims to ‘protect’ hundreds of trees that were never threatened

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will being recreating a key program meant to reduce the state’s overall

Climate

Oregon begins rewriting landmark climate program derailed by gas lawsuit

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Guarded by Predators

Idaho Legislature passes bill to expand prison sex abuse law

Guarded by Predators

Idaho lawmakers order investigation of sexual assault in women’s prisons

Guarded by Predators

Idaho records exposed officer misconduct. Then the state decided to conceal them.

Guarded by Predators

Two Idaho prison guards sexually assaulted her, witnesses said. Neither was charged

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Immigration

Idaho county’s probation office compiles ‘foreign born list’ for ICE

Immigration

Idaho Supreme Court: Judges can consider immigration status in probation decisions

Immigration

Rural Idaho sheriff’s office got at least $116,000 to help ICE

Immigration

Surveilled and Sold: Privacy and Sanctuary in Portland

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Newsroom Announcements

InvestigateWest, Invisible Institute sue Idaho for withholding police employment records

The lawsuit accuses Idaho State Police and the Idaho Department of Correction of concealing public records in response to critical reporting

Education

Edmonds schools awards former principal new contract amid criticism of sexual misconduct response

The school board said state law limits the district from taking action against the former principal, despite community demands to fire him.

Education

Washington schools chief seeks policy changes after teacher sexual misconduct reporting

Education

Before a student alleged sexual assault, Edmonds schools received years of warnings about her teacher

Education

Mercer Island superintendent knew of teacher sexual misconduct allegations despite public statements

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Indigenous Affairs

Fired officers in Washington disproportionately land at tribal police departments

Indigenous Affairs

Bill to establish statewide oversight of jails in Washington dies in Legislature

Indigenous Affairs

Two Colville women were booked into a rural Washington jail. It became a death sentence

Indigenous Affairs

Lawsuit alleges Bureau of Indian Affairs officers “executed” unarmed Shoshone-Paiute man in Idaho

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Public Health

As Idaho grows, ambulance agencies warn they need more funding to keep up

Public Health

Oregon Health & Science University president says neonatal ICU expansion is a top priority, but offers no timeline

Public Health

Oregon Health & Science University shelved plans to expand its overcrowded newborn intensive care unit. Nurses fear babies won’t get needed care

Public Health

Birth workers lay out opportunities to narrow Oregon maternal health care gaps

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State of Democracy

Washington scrambles to regulate license-plate cameras that could aid stalkers

As lawmakers debate how to rein in these cameras, sheriffs, civil rights groups and transparency advocates are clashing over how much access is too much

State of Democracy

Idaho’s latest anti-drag crusade began with a falsehood, lawsuit says

Idaho Family Policy Center president Blaine Conzatti discusses his efforts to end abortion in Idaho on an episode of pastor

State of Democracy

For and by Christians: How Idaho’s influential Christian Nationalist group wants to reshape the state

Department of Homeland Security officers deploy crowd control munitions, including tear gas, at a demonstration outside the

State of Democracy

Bullies or demonstrators? How court records are describing Portland’s ICE protests

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Human Trafficking

Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Idaho agency of retaliating against nonprofit for talking to reporters

Hannah Power was commercially sexually exploited by a man she met on Tinder when she was a minor, she said.

Human Trafficking

Seattle-area man who allegedly trawled dating sites for victims charged with sex trafficking

Jay is within a minority of sexual assault survivors whose abusers are held criminally accountable. But the plea deal that

Human Trafficking

King County woman’s chance to testify lost as prosecutors opt for plea deal, raising concerns about justice in sexual assault cases

Hannah Power, a survivor of what the police suspect to be child sex trafficking, looks out over the Puget Sound by her home

Human Trafficking

A Washington teen was trafficked by a man she met on Tinder, she says. Two years later, she’s still waiting for justice.

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Criminal Justice

She brought fentanyl to the hospital to save her son. Idaho treated him as a trafficker.

Criminal Justice

A 2021 law expanded Washington’s power to decertify police officers. Records show cops still avoid consequences

Criminal Justice

Oregon woman opens up about alleged domestic violence before receiving 10-year sentence over baby's death

Criminal Justice

Some states offer domestic violence defenses to parents charged with failing to prevent child abuse. Should Oregon?

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Our Team

Danielle Dawson is a collaborative investigative reporter and Report for America corps member for InvestigateWest, covering eastern and central Oregon.

Jacob Fries is InvestigateWest’s executive director. A lifelong journalist, he’s spent his career mentoring reporters, forging media partnerships and managing deep-dive investigations that exposed injustice and changed laws.

Kaylee Tornay is InvestigateWest's reporter covering labor, youth and health care. A reporter since 2017, she has dedicated herself to rigorous, revelatory journalism that scrutinizes power and equips local communities with knowledge they can use.

Kelsey Turner is an investigative reporter at InvestigateWest. Her reporting has stretched from her home state of New Jersey to Illinois, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Melanie Henshaw is the Indigenous affairs reporter at InvestigateWest. She covers Indigenous communities in the region, including coverage of tribal sovereignty, health care and the environment.

Moe K. Clark is a collaborative investigative reporter covering Washington state for InvestigateWest. Her position is supported by the Murrow News Fellowship, an initiative of Washington State University which aims to bolster coverage of civic issues in underserved communities around the state.

Rachel Spacek is an investigative reporter covering migrant labor for InvestigateWest through Report for America. She is based in Boise and has covered Latino affairs in Idaho for the last five years.

Thy Vo is an investigations editor with InvestigateWest. She has been a community journalist covering government, politics, courts and immigrant communities in the West for nearly a decade.

Whitney Bryen reports on injustice and vulnerable populations for InvestigateWest. A journalist since 2010, she is dedicated to raising marginalized voices and holding power to account especially at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice.

Wilson Criscione is an investigations editor with InvestigateWest. He’s spent more than a decade reporting and supervising major investigations that uncover corruption, misconduct and injustice in the Pacific Northwest.

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