Two Colville women were booked into a rural Washington jail. It became a death sentence
Critics say WA jails are letting opioid users suffer from withdrawals, leading to preventable deaths
State of Democracy
Idaho lawmakers consider requiring employers to verify immigration status of workers, as program shows little impact in other states
E-Verify program draws opposition from congressman and Idaho farmers, as border politics clash with economic realities
Toys, Tots and Votes: How a controversial Boise-area nonprofit leader tangles up toy giveaways with political consulting
Free toys sent home with kids in Idaho’s Valley County, along with flyers boosting the sheriff in days before election
Recordings reveal Oregon port contractor praising Hitler, using slurs — now officials face a quandary
Laws protecting free speech, along with challenging economic circumstances, make it difficult to cut ties
AI slop is already invading Oregon’s local journalism
Silicon Valley’s latest hot technology is being used to further degrade the news available to Oregonians
The University of Washington is trying to weather a storm of setbacks for misinformation researchers
Political pressure, loss of access to data from social media sites have made it harder to study how falsehoods spread
In a rural stretch of Washington, a ‘constitutional sheriff’ and his growing volunteer posse provoke controversy
Where some see a “rural neighborhood watch” that saves money, others worry about liability and ties to extremism
Spokane now requires a notary for some public records requests — ‘a waste of tax dollars,’ critics say
New barrier highlights difficulty of Washington’s law limiting use of public records for commercial purposes
Among Idaho lawmakers, it’s Freedom Caucus vs. Freedom Caucus
The coalition of conservative legislators has fractured — and its brand is heading for a custody battle
‘Devolving into a democracy’: What’s behind the Washington GOP’s messy, inconsistent stand against American democracy
GOP resolution fuels concerns about threats to democracy; state party leader dismisses criticisms as “hair-on-fire rhetoric”
WA GOP chairman says party ‘lost a lot of talent’ to sanctions and infighting
Jim Walsh decries actions against lawmakers accused of “domestic terrorism,” sexual harassment and other misbehavior
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
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.