Northwest Reports

One group with a loud voice in the debate over renewable energy development in Washington is farmers. Since so many of these conflicts are rooted in land-use decisions, a major question remains: Should the state prioritize land for agriculture or energy development?

Brandon Block explains how some farmers believe these new energy facilities could threaten their way of life, while others are surviving by leasing land to a solar dev...

What is the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, anyway? While so many of Washington’s proposed renewable energy projects are mired in controversy, one thing all sides can agree on is their criticism of EFSEC.

The state body, which is empowered to override local laws and recommend permits for new energy projects, is routinely critiqued by everyone from clean energy developers to Indigenous nations to even the state l...

As originally proposed, the Horse Heaven Hills wind farm would have built more than 200 wind turbines on a prominent ridgeline just south of Washington’s Tri-Cities. After years of community backlash, litigation and former Governor Inslee’s veto of a controversial state council’s permitting decision, the project is still in limbo.

Cascade PBS investigative reporter Brandon Block explains how a slew of resistance – including from h...

In the final episode of the series, three Washington Republicans react to Donald Trump’s reelection and ponder the future of the state’s GOP.

Donald Trump’s reelection to the country’s highest office elicited a range of reactions ... even among Republicans in Washington state.  

Some on the right have distanced themselves from Trump, which listeners heard in the first episode of “The Elephant in the Room” — a three-part series f...

Follow the team as they head to Bellevue for a Republican election night watch party. As results roll in, attendees share their thoughts.

Washington state, as expected, went blue in this year’s election – showing up for Kamala Harris and electing Democrats in statewide races. Still, Republicans here had a lot of enthusiasm on election night ... and it turned out to be warranted. 

The GOP clinched major victories on the national sta...

A Northwest Reports limited series examines the present and future of Washington’s GOP. In this episode, moderate Republicans talk internal divisions.

Republicans won big in this year’s election. Republicans in Washington state, however ... That's a different story.  

In November, the country voted to reelect Donald Trump to the nation’s highest office; Republicans gained control of Congress; and most states experienced significant...

In the finale of our three-part series, we hear from professionals who help those affected by gun violence find recovery beyond the hospital bed.

Getting stitched up is just one part of a gunshot wound patient’s recovery. People face a long line of stressors after getting out of surgery.  

That’s where Harborview Medical Center’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Program comes in, to ease the burden on patients as they figure ou...

In the second episode of our three-part series, we look at Harborview Medical Center's initiative to treat the long-term impacts of gunshot wounds.

There’s been a shift in how medical professionals think about gun violence: Many of them aren’t focused only on making sure a patient lives after being shot ... they’re also thinking about how to help these individuals recover and rebuild beyond the operating table. 

This trend of looki...

In the first episode of our three-part podcast series, two surgeons, a nurse and a paramedic describe the impact of seeing gun violence up close.

Medical professionals in Washington have gotten used to treating people affected by gun violence -- especially in recent years.  

A few months ago, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis at a time when tens of thousands of Americans are dying from firearm-re...

Stay tuned for a new, scripted series from Northwest Reports, launching September 25.

Harborview Medical Center in Seattle is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Washington. As a result, it has become ground zero for the major crises of our time, including a rise in gun violence.

In this three-part series, we hear what it’s like to be a surgeon, nurse or paramedic in our region amid a historic rise in gun-related injuries – and what...

Lizz Giordano and Lauren Gallup discuss their reporting on Puget Sound Veterans Affairs clinic complaints. Plus, what’s changing with Northwest Reports.

Patients and staff have navigated a myriad of concerning conditions in a building on the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System campus in South Seattle.    

Earlier this month, Northwest Public Broadcasting reporter Lauren Gallup and Cascade PBS reporter Lizz Giordano publ...

After being forced to move from Seattle and, this year, Snohomish, Sandra Mears and her partner are still searching for a place to call home as renters.

Sandra Mears rented in Seattle for years – until she and her partner had to leave their home because it was getting torn down. 

They moved to a spot in Snohomish, where they could go to the farmers market, walk to restaurants and feel a sense of community.  

They lived there for ye...

Ahead of World UFO Day, we spoke with Carole Williams about the community she’s found with others who share her interest in extraterrestrials.

We’re talking aliens – and community – ahead of World UFO Day.  

People generally celebrate World UFO Day on July 2 – though historically the celebration has also been held on June 24, thanks to a 1947 event involving a pilot’s report of nine flying objects near Mount Rainier.   

This incide...

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander month. KEXP host Kevin Sur shares why broad terms don’t always speak to communities like his own.

AANHPI Heritage Month is coming to a close. 

May is widely recognized as a time to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, or AANHPI, communities. There have been different versions of this acronym over the years – from Asian Pacific American (APA) to...

Wolfe and his team will focus the five-part docuseries on reefnet fishing and its significance to PNW Indigenous communities.

Cascade PBS has just revealed what’s to come in the third season of Origins. 

The company recently announced Samuel Wolfe as the director chosen to take on the newest season of Origins, a project that awards regional filmmakers $40,000 to create a docuseries on communities they belong to. Previous seasons ha...

After taking steps to affirm his gender, Torrey Stephenson decided to take a plunge – and became a triathlete in the process.

Torrey Stephenson was born biologically female.  

Over the years he realized that he identifies as a man, and took measures to align with his gender — for example, getting top surgery in 2020.  

As he grew more comfortable in his body, he wanted to try something new: swimming.  

In this episode of Northwest ...

Cascade PBS anchor Paris Jackson hears from the mayor about key issues facing his administration, such as public safety and Downtown revitalization.

The mayor of Seattle talked all things Emerald City in his recent conversation with Cascade PBS.  

Bruce Harrell was first elected to lead the city in 2021, though he had served as interim mayor in 2017. He also spent years on Seattle’s City Council, including as its president.  

Since...

Phillips, one of the advocates behind the Cascade PBS project that highlights Black artists in Seattle, discusses its origins — and the new season.

Black Arts Legacies has returned for its third season.  

The project dedicated to documenting the impact and stories of Black artists in Seattle has showcased dozens of people — from dancers and musicians to architects and curators — through written and video profiles, podcast episodes ...

Producer Sara Bernard offers a peek into how the moss is made and teases what lies in wait for listeners in the podcast’s fifth season.

Mossback’s back!  

The beloved video series has returned, and host Knute Berger continues to explore Pacific Northwest history. The fifth season of the companion podcast that Knute co-hosts with Stephen Hegg is back, too.  

A couple of episodes are already out – about deadly avalanches and the effo...