AP Idaho

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Spokane medical doctor accused of hiring someone on the dark web to kidnap his estranged wife pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of threats in interstate commerce as part of a plea deal. Ronald Ilg, who has been a licensed physician in Washington state since 2003, originally pleaded not guilty

SEATTLE (AP) — Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler has become the third congressperson who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump to be ousted in a primary. Herrera Beutler fell to Trump-backed Joe Kent, a former Green Beret, in the 3rd Congressional District contest. The district is in southwest Washington state, across the border from Portland,

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — The Washington State University police chief and his two top subordinates say they will retire following an internal investigation that concluded they mishandled a complaint and subsequent punitive action against an officer accused of having sexual relations while on duty. Chief of Police Bill Gardner, Assistant Chief Steve Hansen and Capt.

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press Jada Riley thought she had beaten homelessness. The 26-year-old New Orleans resident was finally making a steady income cleaning houses during the pandemic to afford a $700-a-month, one-bedroom apartment. But she lost nearly all her clients after Hurricane Ida hit last year. Then she was fired from a grocery store

SEATTLE (AP) — It will soon be illegal in Seattle to discriminate against people for seeking or receiving an abortion, part of the city’s efforts to preserve reproductive rights locally. The Seattle City Council on Tuesday passed a measure making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their actual or perceived pregnancy outcome, The

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Until Democratic state Sen. Steve Hobbs was appointed as Washington’s secretary of state last November, Republicans had a hold on the office for 56 years. Now, they’ve been shut out of the general election. Hobbs captured about 40% of the vote and easily advanced to

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Sixteen Idaho cities have rejected a combined $700,000 in federal coronavirus rescue money, and one city that accepted $550,000 might have to return it if it doesn’t approve spending it. It’s a small part of the $5.74 billion Idaho received in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife advocates sued federal officials Tuesday after the government missed a deadline to decide if protections for gray wolves should be restored across the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains, where Republican-led states have made it easier to kill the predators. The Biden administration said in a preliminary finding last September that protections

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Republican candidate for governor, Christine Drazan, on Monday called for declaring a state of emergency on homelessness in Oregon as she seeks to distinguish herself in a three-way race. Drazan’s unveiling of her state of emergency proposal was included in a campaign issue

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, CLAUDIA LAUER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Five years after Brian Spaulding’s parents found him fatally shot, his slaying remains a mystery that seems increasingly unlikely to be solved as Portland, Oregon, police confront a spike in killings and more than 100 officer vacancies. Portland’s homicide rate surged

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, CLAUDIA LAUER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Five years after Brian Spaulding’s parents found him fatally shot in the home he shared with roommates, his slaying remains a mystery that seems increasingly unlikely to be solved as Portland, Oregon, police confront a spike in killings and more than

By SHERAZ SADIQ Oregon Public Broadcasting Scientists at the Oregon Institute of Technology were recently awarded a $1 million grant from the federal government that could result in research that improves health outcomes in Southern Oregon due to wildfire smoke. Since 2019, a team of Oregon Tech scientists has been studying the capacity of hospitals

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A new map in Oregon that rated the wildfire risk of every tax lot in the state — labeling nearly 80,000 structures as high-risk — generated so much pushback from angry homeowners that officials abruptly retracted it, saying they had not done enough local outreach before

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Research at an eastern Idaho nuclear facility is key to boosting nuclear energy to meet President Joe Biden’s goals of 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050, Energy Department Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. Granholm on Wednesday toured facilities at the 890-square-mile (2,300-square-kilometer)

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — A lightning strike at an outdoors educator course in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming killed one student and injured another, officials said Thursday. The group with the National Outdoor Leadership School was just days into their trip and had set up camp near Enos Lake, south of Yellowstone National Park,

LIND, Wash. (AP) — An entire eastern Washington town was evacuated Thursday because of a growing wildfire south of town that was burning homes, officials said. At about 1:30 p.m. Thursday the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that about 10 homes in Lind had burned. “At this time all residents of the town

By TODD RICHMOND and DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — As Wisconsin’s longest-serving Assembly speaker, Republican Robin Vos has presided over efforts to restrict abortions, weaken unions, expand gun rights and push back against COVID-19 mandates. Despite that, he’s facing a primary challenger who claims he’s not conservative enough. The challenger’s argument:

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The two Republican members of Congress from Washington who drew interparty challenges due to their vote to impeach former President Donald Trump were leading other Republicans in the state’s top two primary Wednesday. Under Washington’s primary system, all candidates run on the same ballot, and

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has filed its first legal challenge to a state abortion ban since the end of Roe v. Wade, arguing Idaho’s restrictive abortion law leaves doctors facing criminal penalties for providing abortion-related medical care to women in life-threatening medical situations. The Justice Department may have

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle City Council has voted to end COVID-19 hazard pay for grocery store workers. The Seattle Times reports the council voted 5-2 on Tuesday, with Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Teresa Mosqueda absent, to repeal a policy passed in early 2021 which required grocery stores to pay employees an additional $4 per

By REBECCA BOONE and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — It’s likely that virtually all abortions will be banned eventually in deeply conservative Idaho, along with most other Republican-dominated states, but there are still battles to play out in court and maybe the legislature as abortion rights advocates continue to try to resist

By HAVEN DALEY and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — A week ago, the scenic Northern California hamlet of Klamath River was home to about 200 people and had a community center, post office and a corner grocery store. Now, after a wildfire raged through the forested region near the Oregon state

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer caught on camera throwing a pepper spray can and slapping a woman after a protest in Northeast Portland has been sentenced to three days in jail. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Benjamin Souede on Monday also sentenced 32-year-old Mackenzie Lewis to three years of

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Climate change could make it more challenging to conserve and manage the state’s most at-risk fish, wildlife and plants, Idaho officials said. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game on Monday released its draft Idaho State Wildlife Action Plan that will guide its management actions for

SEATTLE (AP) — The medical examiner’s office in Washington state’s most populous county, which includes Seattle, has reported six heat-related deaths following a heat wave that encompassed much of the Pacific Northwest last week. In Oregon, the state medical examiner’s office has said it was investigating 14 deaths as possibly heat-related during the hot spell.

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit that challenges Idaho’s restrictive abortion law, arguing that it conflicts with a federal law requiring doctors to provide pregnant women medically necessary treatment that could include abortion. The federal government brought the lawsuit seeking to

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Dept. files lawsuit challenging Idaho’s restrictive abortion law, arguing it violates federal law.

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington voters on Tuesday were deciding the top two candidates in races for the U.S. Senate, Congress and the secretary of state’s office. A key match is the 8th Congressional District race, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier easily advanced with about 50% of the

By CHRIS GRYGIEL Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray advanced Tuesday to the fall election in her quest for a sixth term after the longtime incumbent highlighted her support for abortion rights in the run up to Washington’s primary election. Murray will face Republican Tiffany Smiley, who is trying to become

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America SEATTLE (AP) — Oregon authorities are investigating four additional deaths potentially linked to last week’s scorching heat wave, bringing the total number of suspected hyperthermia deaths to 14. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday the designation of heat-related death is preliminary and requires further investigation. Multnomah

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A proposed set of conduct and discipline standards applicable to all law enforcement agencies in Oregon were published Monday. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports in several instances, the commission charged with establishing the new rules left room for officers found to have committed serious, often illegal offenses to keep their jobs. For

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington voters will winnow the field of candidates in dozens of races in the state’s primary Tuesday. Washington is a vote-by-mail state, and ballots were sent to nearly 4.8 million registered voters weeks ago. Voters must have their ballots postmarked and in the mail by

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle and Portland, Oregon, set records Sunday for most consecutive days of high temperatures and authorities in Oregon investigated more possible heat-related deaths. In Seattle, the temperature rose to 91 Fahrenheit (32.8 Celsius) by early afternoon, the record sixth straight day the mercury rose above 90 F (32.2 C). In Portland, Oregon,

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Authorities in the Portland, Oregon, region said they would keep cooling shelters open through Sunday night as a likely record-breaking heat wave brought scorching weather to the normally temperate region. At least seven people are suspected to have died from hyperthermia since the hot spell began

By JULIE WATSON and REBECCA BOONE Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was spreading. In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving McKinney fire, which

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Hundreds of miles apart, but still connected by the same stubborn weather system, urban St. Louis and rural Appalachia are showing how devastating flash flooding can be when souped-up storms dump massive amounts of rain with no place to go. In St. Louis, the paved city environment couldn’t soak

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A judge on Friday overturned a Washington state rule prohibiting insurers from using credit scoring to set rates for auto, homeowner and renter insurance. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler adopted the rule in February, immediately drawing a legal challenge from insurer groups. The rule, which was

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A heat wave that’s been scorching the Pacific Northwest and is suspected in several deaths will create dangerous weather conditions in the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains this weekend. Heat warnings and advisories were in effect for north central Idaho and western Montana through Sunday. Forecasters said temperatures could top 105 degrees

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Public health officials say a southwestern Idaho resident has contracted monkeypox, marking the state’s fourth reported case. Southwest District Health made the announcement in a press release on Friday, saying the resident was from Canyon County. Local and state officials are working to identify any close contacts of the patient so

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, warned the Pacific Northwest could see the most dangerous part of an extended heat wave this weekend as Portland and Seattle appear to be on track to break records for extended scorching temperatures. As the Northwest nears the sixth

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — The federal government is pledging $401 million in grants and loans to expand the reach and improve the speed of internet for rural residents, tribes and businesses in remote parts of 11 states from Alaska to Arkansas. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters Wednesday, ahead

SEATTLE (AP) — Authorities say an automobile and passenger ferry crashed into a dock Thursday in Seattle, damaging the vessel. Washington State Ferries tweeted that no injuries were reported but passengers said some vehicles were damaged. The state agency said the Cathlamet ferry, which was travelling from Vashon Island to a dock in the West

By CLAIRE RUSH and GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Triple-digit heat was being investigated Thursday as the cause of death for four people in Oregon as a sweltering heat wave enveloped the Pacific Northwest — and the forecast showed no sign of letting up soon in a region unaccustomed to

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho has been selected as the site for a proposed nuclear test reactor that would dramatically reduce the time needed to develop nuclear fuels and components for a new generation of nuclear reactors that could help reduce global warming, the U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday.

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The scorching heat spell in the Pacific Northwest is now expected to last longer than forecasters had initially predicted, setting parts of the normally temperate region on course to break heat wave duration records. “We warmed up the forecast for the latter part of

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A man who reportedly ignited wildfires in a remote, forested corner of Oregon was apprehended by three local residents and tied to a tree until police arrived, a sheriff said Tuesday. Federal, state and county authorities responded to a radio call Monday from a U.S. Bureau

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Three Republican challengers are mounting energetic campaigns to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier in Washington’s 8th Congressional District, a key target of GOP efforts to retake control of the House. Washington’s 8th District includes wealthy Seattle exurbs populated by tech workers. It stretches across the Cascade

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The company that bought a troubled mega dairy plant in northern Oregon several years ago may be ready to give up their efforts toward reopening it, according to new documents that show repeated setbacks. Easterday Dairy has been repeatedly cited for failing to bring nitrate levels in water at the site

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Under the sweltering heat, Matthew Carr spent his lunch break in a fountain in downtown Portland, Oregon. The 57-year-old works outside picking up trash for the city and had to find a way to cool off. “This is pretty hot,” Carr said. “I can

By JIM MORRIS Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Police tried to learn why a man gunned down four people in a Vancouver suburb as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he is broken-hearted over the shootings that left the community shaken. Two people were killed and two were wounded — one critically

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The invasive hornet found in Washington state that has been referred to as the Asian giant hornet or murder hornet has a new name. Washington state Department of Agriculture officials said Monday that the Entomological Society of America (ESA) has adopted “northern giant hornet” for the species Vespa mandarinia in its

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration on Monday said the government will plant more than one billion trees across millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands in the U.S. West, as officials struggle to counter the increasing toll on the nation’s forests from wildfires, insects and other manifestations

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — As one of two Republican members of Congress from Washington to have voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler faces one of her toughest primaries since she was first elected to represent the southwest region of the state in 2010. The

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave just as the Northeastern part of the United States will soon see a slight break in extreme temperatures. In Washington state and Oregon temperatures are forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) in

By JIM MORRIS Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A gunman who roamed for hours through a sleeping Vancouver suburb shot four people early Monday, two of them fatally, as he opened fire at a casino, a center for the homeless and other locations before being killed by police, authorities said. The attacks began

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Authorities on Sunday issued an excessive heat watch for the U.S. Pacific Northwest region for coming days as potential record-breaking temperatures were forecast to settle in and linger until next weekend. Temperatures could break daily records in Seattle, Portland and areas of Northern California by Tuesday, potentially reaching their highest levels

PORTLAND (AP) — An armed suspect in a domestic violence case in east Portland was shot and killed by police as officers were attempting to arrest the man, authorities said Sunday. Officers responded just after midnight on Sunday to a report of a man and a woman fighting in a neighborhood in east Portland, the

By MEERAH POWELL Oregon Public Broadcasting PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland State University announced Thursday a tuition discount for any student from a federally-recognized Native American tribe. Starting this upcoming fall, students who are members of the country’s nearly 600 federally recognized tribes across the country will receive in-state tuition, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. “Portland

SALMON, Idaho. (AP) — A firefighting helicopter with two people aboard crashed Thursday afternoon in the Salmon River in Idaho, officials said. “It is with heavy hearts that we confirm … a CH-47D Series ‘Chinook’ helicopter operated by ROTAK Helicopter Services with two pilots on board was involved in an accident in the area near

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gripped by gun violence that’s affecting cities across the nation, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, on Thursday issued a new emergency declaration with the goal of reducing gun killings by at least 10% over the next two years. The initiative directs $2.4 million to

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Longtime Idaho lawmaker Sen. Mark Nye has died. He was 76. Nye, a Democrat from Pocatello, died at a hospital on Saturday after an extended illness, the Idaho State Journal reported. Nye was elected to the Idaho House in 2014, and two years later was elected to the state Senate, where

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer CVS Health is asking pharmacists in some states to verify that a few of the prescriptions they provide will not be used end a pregnancy. A spokesman said Thursday that the drugstore chain recently started doing this for methotrexate and misoprostol, two drugs used in medication abortions but also

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane is leaving to become the executive director of the National Association of Attorneys General. The group said Thursday that 10 state attorneys general, five Republicans and five Democrats, chose Kane following a national search. The U.S. Army veteran spent

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday ruled the Department of Natural Resources can continue to manage state trust lands for the financial benefit of schools and other institutions, but can also look at other ways to ensure that such lands are managed to benefit

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Patty Murray was first elected to the U.S. Senate from Washington state in 1992 during the “Year of the Woman,” motivated to run for higher office in part by the contentious Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings. At that time, Murray was the self-professed “Mom

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — An Oregon man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison in connection with a stolen firearms trafficking scheme that led to the shooting death of Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Jeremy Brown in southwest Washington. Brian Clement, 51, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court Tuesday to second-degree burglary

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — The number of murders, robberies, serious assaults and other violent crimes rose significantly in Washington last year while the number of officers available to respond to them continued to plummet, the head of the organization that collects the data said Wednesday. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and

By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Democrats regained hold of Washington’s secretary of state office for the first time in more than five decades when Sen. Steve Hobbs was sworn into the position last November, following an appointment by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee to fill the seat. Now, Hobbs faces challengers

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Eastern Oregon couple has been sentenced for hunting offenses after shooting into a fleeing herd of elk and leaving five animals to rot, according to state Fish and Wildlife Department officials. Chris and Stephanie Lardy, residents of Hines, were sentenced last week to jail time, fines and suspended hunting licenses

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A driver accused of causing a triple-fatal DUI crash in Nevada’s Nye County has been sentenced to up to 60 years in prison. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday that Tyler Kennedy received 8 to 20 years for each of three counts of DUI causing death, with the sentences to run

SEATTLE (AP) — An elections director in Washington state’s most populous county says her office is asking the sheriff’s office to investigate people who planted signs near ballot boxes warning voters they were “under surveillance.” In a statement Tuesday evening, King County Elections Director Julie Wise blasted what she called an effort to scare voters,

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state Department of Ecology has canceled the drought declaration for Central and Eastern Washington because of unanticipated cool, wet weather in May and June. Water supply conditions have been much better than expected and as a result no part of the state is experiencing drought conditions, Ecology officials said