[INTRO:]

The federal government shutdown passed the three-week mark this week.

Today, Washington State lawmakers argued about the best solution.

From Seattle, Joshua McNichols has more.

Seattle’s latest police contract will pay new officers $118,000 to start.

It also grants new freedom to the city’s unarmed crisis responders.

Environmental groups are divided over a bill that aims to prevent wildfires on national forests and other federal lands.

Environmental groups in Oregon and Washington say a wildfire bill making its way through Congress could ramp up logging and cattle grazing on federal lands. OPB's April Ehrlich [[ER-lick]] reports.

The ongoing federal government shutdown is threatening to delay November food benefits for more than 750-thousand Oregonians. The delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds, known as SNAP, would ripple through the state’s economy. Kyra [[KYE ruh]] Buckley reports.

Two members of Congress announced an investigation this week of the growing number of American citizens arrested by immigration officials.

As Holly Bartholomew reports, one recently arrested man from Milwaukie, Oregon hopes the probe leads to answers.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley ended his marathon speech this afternoon ((WED)) after speaking for almost 23 hours.

Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley has been speaking since yesterday ((TUES)) afternoon about President Donald Trump – and what Merkley sees as the administration’s threats to Democracy.

NOTE FOR EDITORS: this CC has TWO actualities, one nat sound near the beginning and a second quoting a participant. These are named in the order they are played: 102125-CC-1-HauntedPalouse-natsound first, followed by 102125-CC-2-HauntedPalouse second.

Every year, a tiny town in the inland Northwest reinvents itself for a spook-tacular weekend known as Haunted Palouse [puh-LOOS]. N-W-P-B’s Rachel Sun takes us there. :10

Optional host outro: details on tickets, prices, and times to go - head to N-W-P-B dot org.