Northwest News

Seattle City Councilman Richard Conlin sent an e-mail to some of his constituents Tuesday. He told them he doesn’t believe the proposed NBA arena in the Seattle SODO area deserves public funds. The backers of the arena proposal have asked the city and the county for up to $200 million in public bonds. But Conlin says that money is better kept in the general fund.

Washington state played a key role in helping the U.S. develop nuclear weapons. The Department of Energy hails the Hanford site as an “engineering marvel.” It was the first large scale plutonium production facility in the world and was erected in a mere thirteen months. Now lawmakers want to make part of the site a national park, along with nuclear facilities in Tennessee and New Mexico.

Bailey-Boushay House turns 20 this year. The residential care facility in Seattle’s Madison Valley was the first of its kind in the country. It focused on the health care needs of people with AIDS. It was born out of a crisis. Over the years the patients’ medical needs have changed. The facility has evolved, too. Ruby de Luna traces the history of Bailey-Boushay.

Nearly 100 inmates of the Lane County Jail will be released this week. Not because they've served their time, but because the county can't afford to keep them. This after commissioners cut nearly $100 million from the general fund.

Currently you can walk out of a tobacco shop with a pack of roll-your-own cigarettes for about $5.50. A pack of Marlboros will put you back almost twice that much. That’s because tobacco shops don’t charge the same tax on roll-your-own cigarettes as they would for pre-packaged cigarettes.

Before Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire leaves office in January, she will decide whether to commute the life sentence of convicted killer Barry Massey. His attorneys hope this week’s Supreme Court ruling on life without parole for juveniles will bolster their case for clemency.

A new lawsuit alleges sexual abuse by workers at Oregon's only prison for women. It's the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by female inmates at the institution in Wilsonville.

Construction on large sections of a waste treatment plant at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation will slow down because of major new testing that’s required. That’s the announcement Tuesday from top managers at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Every summer millions of Americans take to the open road and head to National Parks. But some road warriors are louder than others. Motorcycles are one of the largest contributors to noise pollution in the parks. EarthFix's Ashley Ahearn reports.