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 Contentious Pike Place Market totem poles to be restored, returned The poles — which are not part of Coast Salish tradition — sparked a mini-culture war in Seattle around Indigenous representation and historic preservation. by Eric Scigliano / November 12, 2024
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
Environment Inside the tumultuous debate behind Seattle’s tree ordinance The debate over more density or more tree canopy got personal as developers clashed with the city’s Urban Forestry Commission. by Eric Scigliano / September 1, 2023 / Updated at 9:40 a.m. on Sept. 3
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
Environment How politics have stalled tsunami prep efforts on the WA coast It’s not a matter of if but when the tsunami comes. Whether Washington is prepared depends a lot on the will of voters. by Eric Scigliano / May 26, 2022 / Updated at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 16
News In WA, a ‘black box’ of practices hides civil forfeiture from oversight The state ranks near worst in the nation for constraints on civil asset forfeiture. by Eric Scigliano / July 14, 2021
News The strange, failed fight to rein in civil forfeiture in Washington Washington police sell or use millions of dollars’ worth of seized property each year. Legislators haven’t managed to change the rules. by Eric Scigliano / July 13, 2021