[WRAP: Bateman Island causeway breached in the Tri-Cities, ‘a huge step’ for salmon 011326CF_BatemanBreach_WRAP.wav 0:48 01/13/26 Courtney Flatt/JD]

HOST LEDE: Water is now flowing past a land bridge in the Tri-Cities that slowed salmon migration for over 80 years. [N-W-P-B’s senior environmental correspondent Courtney Flatt was there.] [SOQ 0:48]

[OPTIONAL HOST OUTRO: Crews are expected to remove strips of dirt and the boulders through mid-February.]

Amid turmoil in the Bandon School District, the School Board voted to dismiss some formal complaints while forwarding others to a private investigator.

As the Bandon school district superintendent faces misconduct investigations, she requested a contract amendment to receive a lower salary increase.

LEDE: The Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center is hosting an event ahead of Martin Luther King Junior Day. N-W-P-B’s Renee Diaz has more.

NON Optional host out: Reneé Dìaz reports for N-W-P-B and The Wenatchee World as a Murrow News Fellow.

Some communities are pushing back against the AI-driven data center boom.

Today [TUESDAY] Microsoft announced new commitments to address some of those concerns.

KUOW’s Monica Nickelsburg has more.

Washington state is known nationally as a leader in clean energy and climate policy. But recent reporting showed it ranked dead last [50th] among US states in renewable energy growth. A big reason for this is an extensive backlog of clean energy projects.

Despite leading the nation in climate policy, Washington has fallen behind in renewable energy growth. A new report from two non-profits shows more than 250 projects worth tens of billions of dollars stuck in the clean energy pipeline. KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp has the story.

In a rural southeastern Washington town, families are driving 30 minutes for childcare. But a community led effort is changing that. SPR’s rural affairs reporter and Murrow News Fellow Monica Carrillo-Casas has more.

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Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson says Eugene needs to change the way it provides fire services this year. That message was part of her second annual State of the City Address on Monday evening.

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In her second, annual State of the City Address Monday evening, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson [CAR-inn k-NEWT-son] highlighted the city’s successes in improving public safety downtown. She said in 2026, Eugene needs to focus more attention on the Highway 99 corridor.

KLCC’s Rebecca Hansen-White reports.