Northwest News

Renewable energy is growing on trees in Washington, and right now, much of it is going up in smoke.

That’s the word from Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, who has released the results of a study on forest biomass. Goldmark says industry is currently using only about a third of the woody biomass that could be sustainably harvested and then converted into liquid fuel or heat for electricity generation.

Washington state lawmakers continue to talk about how to solve a disagreement over the state budget. A special overtime session started this week. They’re trying to close a budget gap of about $500 million.

RICHLAND, Wash. -- A Northwest student is among the top 40 contenders in a national science fair. The gala finale of the Intel Science Talent Search is Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. The student’s invention? A motor so small it runs off of the surface tension of water.

An over-enrolled technical high school opening for the first time this fall in north Idaho indicates an unmet hunger for practical job training. The mutli-district collaboration in Rathdrum doesn’t even have a roof yet, and enrollment already exceeds capacity. Now, the school is on the hunt for more instructors.

Both US and European officials are claiming victory after a global trade court ruled in a long-standing dispute over claims of illegal government subsidies to Boeing and European rival Airbus. From France, Liam Moriarty has more.

High winds knocked out power for tens of thousands of people in northwest Oregon and western Washington Monday. The National Weather Service reported gusts of more than 80 miles-per-hour on the Oregon coast.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Over the next few months in Washington, someone may approach you with a petition. Opponents of same-sex marriage are trying to force a referendum vote on Washington’s new marriage equality law. There’s also a separate initiative to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Meanwhile, gay rights supporters are also collecting signatures for their own non-binding pledge. Confused? Azusa Uchikura has this voter’s guide.