Northwest News

For the first time since 1994, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the Northwest. The eclipse will reach its peak at about 6:20 Sunday night. Amelia Templeton reports on how to watch the event safely.

For years now, the US military has flown unmanned drones over hotspots like Iraq and Afghanistan. Drones gather intelligence and at times conduct attacks on the battlefield. But here at home, drones have largely been absent from American skies. That however is about to change. The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to select 6 areas throughout the US for drone testing. And as OPB's David Nogueras reports, there’s an effort underway in Oregon to compete for one of those spots.

Washington state has auctioned off its liquor stores. And private retailers are set to take over the sale of spirits June 1st. But Thursday the state Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit aimed at putting a halt to the changeover.

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.