The Columbian

Northwest

Moscow Police Capt. Roger Lanier speaks at a press conference, on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho, about a quadruple homicide investigation involving four University of Idaho students. Ten days after four students were stabbed to death in their rooms, police said Wednesday they still have not identified a suspect or found a murder weapon, and they continued asking for tips and surveillance video.

Idaho dedicates $1M to University of Idaho killing investigation as police plead for more leads

November 24, 2022, 1:44pm Latest News

Police on Wednesday implored the public for tips on the unsolved killings of four University of Idaho students as Idaho Gov. Brad Little promised up to $1 million to boost the investigation into last week’s stabbings . Read story

Man shot by Portland police dies of gunshot wound

November 24, 2022, 1:43pm Northwest

Officials say a 30-year-old man has died after Portland police shot him Saturday in Southeast Portland. Read story

Police chase ends Wednesday with arrest in Kelso

November 24, 2022, 12:48pm Northwest

One person was arrested Wednesday afternoon after a police pursuit of a reported stolen vehicle ended in the Kelso area. Read story

Air pollution monitoring to increase for Oregon communities

November 24, 2022, 12:47pm Northwest

Two of Oregon’s most economically disadvantaged and racially diverse communities — one in Portland and the other on the south coast — are getting a boost in their fight against air pollution. Read story

Two Walla Walla City snowplow clears a road of snow in Walla Walla, Wash., Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. Snow fell throughout Western Washington and parts of Oregon.

Oregon faces snow-plow driver shortage heading into winter

November 24, 2022, 12:46pm Latest News

A shortage of snow plow drivers has made clearing the roads in Oregon a challenge, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Read story

Dr. Katie Sharff, chief of Infectious Disease at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

Washington confirms first pediatric flu death of season as ERs enter ‘crisis mode’

November 24, 2022, 12:44pm Health Updated 1 day ago

Washington state has confirmed its first pediatric flu death of the 2022-23 influenza season, pushing public health leaders to more urgently sound the alarm on the region’s steep rise of respiratory infections this fall. Read story

Alaska firefighters help rescue a moose trapped in a home

November 24, 2022, 10:23am Northwest

Firefighters in Alaska got an unusual request for assistance last weekend from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, but it wasn’t your mundane cat-stuck-in-a-tree situation. Read story

LaCrosse residents unite to revitalize downtown and preserve tiny southeast Whitman County community

November 24, 2022, 6:05am Northwest

After losing its only grocery store more than a dozen years ago, a tiny town in southeast Whitman County is making a comeback. Read story

FILE - Public defender Drew Flood with the nonprofit law firm Metropolitan Public Defender looks over his files for a criminal cases he is currently working on in Portland, Ore., on May 5, 2022. Courts in Oregon have dismissed nearly 300 cases this year, including felonies, due to a shortage of public defenders for low-income defendants who can't afford an attorney.

Oregon public defender shortage: nearly 300 cases dismissed

November 24, 2022, 6:02am Latest News

District attorneys in Oregon are once again sounding the alarm over the state's critical shortage of court-provided attorneys for low-income defendants. The lack of public defenders has strained the criminal justice system and left more than 700 people statewide without legal representation. Read story

Pediatric respiratory cases, flu strain Pacific NW hospitals

November 24, 2022, 6:02am Health

Children’s hospitals in the Pacific Northwest are struggling to maintain enough space for their young patients, and some report being over capacity amid increasing strain due to a surge in respiratory illness and hospitalizations. Read story