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 Seattle police had a chance to prove abolitionists wrong. They didn’t. The department's inability to change over the past year has shown that its problems are hardwired into policing, and reform is not working. by Shaun Scott / May 25, 2021
Opinion A tragic Seattle story explains the decline of American welfare The legacy of Linda “Welfare Queen” Taylor lives on in Washington state. by Shaun Scott / January 26, 2021
Opinion In Washington state, housing is the question and the answer The pandemic reminds us that home is central to civic life. It's time we made housing security a social right for all. by Shaun Scott / November 25, 2020
Opinion Durkan, Seattle police, and the undermining of civil liberties Subverting the law to uphold it is nothing new for Seattle’s 'troops.' by Shaun Scott / July 15, 2020
Opinion The time to abolish Seattle police was yesterday Historical efforts to reform the city’s police department and rid it of racism have all failed. Now is the time to change the narrative. by Shaun Scott / June 26, 2020
