Indigenous Affairs Native nations lead salmon restoration efforts in Columbia Basin The number of returning adult salmon and steelhead has doubled since the 1990s, but is still only halfway to the NWPCC’s goal of 5 million. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore + ICT / February 10, 2025
Indigenous Affairs Cowlitz Tribe youth help lead this year’s First Salmon Ceremony “It’s what we do to thank the salmon for what they give,” said Lydia Hodges, 15, part of the new generation carrying on the sacred ritual. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore + ICT / June 24, 2024
Indigenous Affairs Yakama Nation’s new public safety campus gives justice room to grow The tribal court system, which had occupied a cluster of trailers since the ’50s, plans to add services like a mental health or a veterans court. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore News and ICT / January 9, 2024
Equity Snoqualmie Tribe starts land protection sales tax at Salish Lodge The 2% tax will preserve ancestral sites such as Snoqualmie Falls, and could be a model for other Indigenous nations. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore/ICT / July 17, 2023
News The Washington mental health lifeline made for and by Native people The Native and Strong Lifeline provides connection and culturally specific care to callers in crisis. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Indian Country Today and Underscore News / June 19, 2023
Opinion Notes on being useful after dying in Washington state From medical studies to compost, here's how my body can be used up after I die. by Judy Lightfoot / April 13, 2021
Politics Social workers fleeing troubled foster care system Lousy pay, a toxic workplace and excessive workloads are driving away the people who serve vulnerable kids and their families. by Susanna Ray for InvestigateWest / December 7, 2016
Politics Foster parents abandoning troubled system Washington state lost nearly one in five foster homes between 2008 and 2015 amid complaints of discord and disarray. by Susanna Ray for InvestigateWest / October 27, 2016
Politics 4 fixes for Washington’s foster-care crisis Brandon Fogg, who has experience both as a foster child and foster parent, says foster care needs a celebrity champion. by Susanna Ray for InvestigateWest / September 21, 2016
Equity State’s foster system sets kids up for failure When foster children spend the night in a hotel or in a foster home that agrees to keep them for only one night at a time, they typically don’t make it to school the next day. by Susanna Ray for InvestigateWest / September 20, 2016
