Katie Wilson was sworn in as the new Mayor of Seattle today [FRIDAY].

Wilson made national news when she beat incumbent Bruce Harrell by around 2-thousand [2,000] votes in the November election. It was one of Seattle’s tightest mayoral races.

A child advocacy center which helps support abused children has closed its doors following set-backs in funding.

A Douglas County organization that helps abused children is pausing services. Jefferson Public Radio’s Justin Higginbottom reports on financial pressures for the only resource of its kind in this rural area.

Ten years ago today ((FRI Jan 2)), a group of anti-government militants took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County (Oregon).

INTRO: Ten years ago <> a group of anti-government militants took over a federal wildlife refuge in Harney County, Oregon. As Conrad Wilson reports, for some it was a protest against the government, the role it plays in managing public lands, and how its policies affect rural communities.

Skagit Valley businesses lost tens of thousands of dollars when much of the region evacuated earlier this month due to flood risk.

INTRO: The Skagit Valley is home to the largest tulip festival in North America.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the candy-colored fields each spring, bringing millions in revenue.

And the bulbs for next year’s festival were already in the ground when record flooding hit last month.

A transportation tax hike is headed to the Oregon ballot later this year. That’s after Republican organizers stopped it from becoming law this month. As Kathryn Styer Martinez reports, this political fight is already having impacts on local public transit across the state.

Portland is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a drone display. But as OPB's Erik Neumann reports, across the river in Clark County some cities will still allow fireworks to ring in 2026.

The skies above Portland are more likely to be filled with drones than fireworks this New Year’s Eve.