Northwest (OR WA)

"A pair of storms brought strong winds and heavy rain to parts of Washington state and Oregon this weekend."

"Washington residents will have the chance to vote on a carbon tax at the polls this November. The proposed tax, which is the first of its kind in the nation, could set a precedent for how other states handle greenhouse gas emissions."

"The trial for the militants who seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon this year is close to wrapping up. The standoff traumatized the rural ranching communities around Burns, Ore."

"Just south of Johnson Creek sits an abandoned landfill that time, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, forgot."

"Oregon State Police and Parks officials watched the viral video showing the toppling of a popular sandstone pedestal at Cape Kiwanda earlier this week, and the agencies said Monday they would "review the incident immediately" and decide how to respond to the apparent vandalism."

"Wildlife agents authorized to eradicate a group of 11 wolves for repeated attacks on cattle in Washington state have hunted down and killed six animals from the condemned pack and are searching for the rest, a state game official said on Monday."

"Once abundant throughout the Pacific Northwest, Oregon silverspot butterflies have dwindled because of habitat loss and extended drought. Zookeepers have been lending the species a hand."

"The Chinook salmon that Randy Settler and other Yakama tribal fishermen are pulling from the Columbia River are large and plentiful this summer, part of one of the biggest spawning runs since the 1960s. It is a sign, they say, of the river’s revitalization, through pollution regulations and ambitious fish hatchery programs. But barely four miles upstream from the fishermen’s nets, state workers are still cleaning up after a major oil train derailment in June."

"Rushing to stop a fire that never came, Forest Service logged miles of big trees, critical habitat"