Northwest News

Native American-themed sports mascots will no longer be allowed in Oregon public schools. That's the decision Thursday by the state Board of Education. The vote was 5 to 1.

Agriculture officials say fire season looks mild this year for Washington and Idaho, but that doesn’t mean they’re taking a backseat on preparedness.

The memorial service for University of Idaho football player Ken McRoyal is next Wednesday in Carson, California. McRoyal was shot to death last weekend in the Lincoln Heights section of Los Angeles. Northwest Public Radio’s Glenn Mosley has more.

The hand count continues for the wave of write-in ballots Republicans cast in Oregon's Attorney General and Treasurer's races. The party was not able to find a candidate willing to run in the primary, but suggested voters write in Tom Buchalfor AG and Tom Cox for Treasurer. Nineteen thousand Republican voters ultimately threw their support behind write-ins. Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown says the counties have twenty days to finish their tallies.

Doling out water in the arid western United States is tough to do. There’s not much to be had, and everyone wants a fair share. What’s fair? It depends who you ask. But as correspondent Courtney Flatt reports, one basin in central Washington is finding a way for fish, farmers and communities to have enough water.

Correspondent John Ryan of Seattle station KUOW has been investigating lead pollution in the Northwest. Lead has been known for centuries to be a powerful poison. Even small concentrations can lower children's IQs and cause permanent brain damage. As John reports, the federal government now says children's brains are even more sensitive to lead than previously thought.

Job creation is emerging as a top issue in Washington’s open race for governor. But the two leading candidates often cite different jobs figures. The state’s official unemployment rate is currently 8.1 percent. Republican candidate Rob McKenna though uses a much higher number.

Washington’s unemployment rate has been getting incrementally better. But that monthly snapshot only captures people who are out of work and actively looking for a job. There’s an alternative way to evaluate the employment situation in Washington. That’s to use the federal government’s so called U-6 rate. That figure is 17.6 percent. State economist Dave Wallace says part-time workers are the biggest driver behind that more grim number.

Results from Portland's Mayoral primary show a veteran city leader and a charismatic state legislator advancing to a November runoff.

Former City Commissioner Charlie Hales took a healthy lead early, finishing with 38 percent of the vote when the counting wrapped for the evening. State Representative Jefferson Smith and entrepreneur Eileen Brady engaged in a standoff, as vote tallies showed Smith consistently ahead by about five percentage points.