Archive - Northwest
Alaska Says It’s Now Legal “in Some Instances” to Discriminate Against LGBTQ Individuals
On the advice of the state’s attorney general, Alaska’s civil rights agency quietly deleted language promising equal protections for LGBTQ Alaskans against most categories of discrimination, and it began refusing to investigate complaints.
How One Mom Fought Washington’s Special Education System — and Won
The state’s failure to monitor private special education schools forces parents to take extraordinary and sometimes expensive measures to get their kids into the best programs— or keep them out of the worst.
From Penis Cookies to Spying: A Growing List of Allegations at Anchorage City Hall
Here’s a timeline of some of the scandals and accusations that have hit the seat of government in Alaska’s largest city since Mayor Dave Bronson took office in July 2021.
It Was Good to Be Friends With the Mayor. Then the Investigations Began.
An influential friend of the mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, is at the center of a burgeoning scandal at City Hall.
Judge Orders Washington State Private Special Education School to Turn Over Records
A recent Seattle Times and ProPublica investigation of the Northwest School of Innovative Learning found complaints of abuse and minimal instruction. The school argued it wasn’t subject to public records laws. A King County judge disagrees.
Washington State Launches Investigation of Private Special Education Schools
The inquiry and a sweeping reform bill follow a Seattle Times and ProPublica investigation that found allegations of abuse, overuse of isolation rooms and pressure to skimp on staffing and resources at the Northwest School of Innovative Learning.
The Fight of the Salmon People
Randy Settler’s family has spent generations fighting for their right to harvest salmon. But the federal government squandered its chance to recover the endangered fish before the onset of climate change. Now, Settler sees it all slipping away again.
“Salmon People”: A Native Fishing Family’s Fight to Preserve a Way of Life
This short documentary features the plight of the salmon of the Columbia River and the Native people whose lives revolve around them.
Salmon People: A Native Fishing Family’s Fight to Preserve a Way of Life
This documentary film features the plight of the salmon of the Columbia River and the Native people whose lives revolve around them.
Toxic Salmon Reporting “Deeply Troubling,” Lawmaker Says, Demanding Changes to Protect Pacific Northwest Tribal Health
Citing a ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting investigation into toxic contamination in salmon, state and federal lawmakers across the Pacific Northwest are calling for policy changes and more funding but are lacking details on next steps.
Washington State Proposes Reforms for Special Education Schools
Education officials cite Seattle Times/ProPublica investigation that showed state failed to address complaints about abuse, lack of academics.
“Kids Seem to Be a Paycheck”: How a Billion-Dollar Corporation Exploits Washington’s Special Education System
Universal Health Services collected more than $38 million in tax dollars for special education services that families and former teachers say it largely didn’t provide.
At Washington State Special Education Schools, Years of Abuse Complaints and Lack of Academics
Northwest SOIL promised to help students with serious disabilities. But when school districts urged action, the state let the private school stay open and receive millions in tax dollars.
The U.S. Promised Tribes They Would Always Have Fish, but the Fish They Have Pose Toxic Risks
For decades, the U.S. government has failed to test for chemicals and metals in fish. So, we did. What we found was alarming for tribes.
Rent Going Up? One Company’s Algorithm Could Be Why.
Texas-based RealPage’s YieldStar software helps landlords set prices for apartments across the U.S. With rents soaring, critics are concerned that the company’s proprietary algorithm is hurting competition.
The Racism, and Resilience, Behind Today’s Salmon Crisis
Salmon have been endangered my entire life. Here’s what I didn’t realize until I started reporting.
How a Federal Agency Is Contributing to Salmon’s Decline in the Northwest
Damming the powerful waters of the Columbia River was a boon for cheap, clean electricity. But the fish that swam those waters are dying out. And the agency in charge isn’t stopping that.
The Other Cancel Culture: How a Public University Is Bowing to a Conservative Crusade
With a rising national profile and donor base and relatively little state funding, Boise State University should be able to resist pressure by the Idaho Legislature. Instead the university, led by a liberal transplant, has repeatedly capitulated.
Yes, We Fact-Checked These Watercolors
For a project about salmon hatcheries, ProPublica data reporter Irena Hwang wanted to exercise a different part of her brain. She learned that there are many ways of looking at a fish.
How Not to Count Salmon
Data reporter Irena Hwang thought counting fish to evaluate the hatchery system in the Pacific Northwest sounded like a fun project. That was before she started asking biologists about what the publicly available data could really tell us.
