A 2021 law expanded Washington’s power to decertify police officers. Records show cops still avoid consequences
An InvestigateWest review shows how Washington police agencies keep hiring cops accused of serious misconduct
Government
Mayoral emails, collision reports, body-cam footage and firefighter thank-you’s: Public records tell a wide range of tales
A few of the other stories we stumbled across while testing the Pacific Northwest’s records’ systems
After Supreme Court ruling, some Oregon Democrats join Republicans in calling for changes to state camping laws
The issue could demand attention when lawmakers meet next year.
Experts say a teen needs psychiatric residential care. Idaho still won’t pay for it.
Idaho funded less than one-third of requests for youths to receive the highest level psychiatric care since 2019, data reveals
Four-year-old Oregon report identifies missing Native American women as an ‘emergency’ — but progress has been limited
Main recommendations remain unfinished, governor has not read the report, and critics say Indigenous voices have been left out
The Federal Government Just Acknowledged the Harm Its Dams Have Caused Tribes. Here’s What It Left Out.
The Biden administration said officials historically gave “little, if any, consideration” to impacts on tribal fishing. But some sought deliberately to upend the harvest, according to documents obtained by ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcast
Pierce deputy drove 83 mph in wrong lane during deadly 2020 crash
Records show the county settled for $3.5M after deeming the collision highly preventable, demonstrating the vague legal standards for officer driving.
What Idaho’s Republican Primary Tells Us About America’s Culture Wars
The heavily Republican state booted 15 incumbents across the party’s ideological spectrum. While the election led to net gains for hard-line members of the right, it also underscores how divided Idaho’s party remains.
Oregon patients needed fentanyl but got tap water — and it went unchecked for nearly two years
Poor data and coordination between regulatory agencies contribute to hospital drug thefts, experts say
Secret recording shows how a right-wing Idaho lobbyist tried to keep a legislator in lockstep
Freedom Caucus Network power broker Maria Nate blasted controversial state Rep. Heather Scott for support of “moderate” House speaker
State Agency Met with Oil-by-Rail Firm in Private Ahead of Permit Application
A 2023 DeSmog investigation uncovered a “backroom deal” between Portland city officials and Zenith Energy. New documents show the state environmental regulator also met with the company.
As ‘empowered’ cities ban them from public spaces, homeless people in WA scatter in search of refuge
Attorneys say bans could become more common following U.S. Supreme Court decision in June