Despite a small staff at the Lolo Pass Visitor Center — on the border between Idaho and Montana — the ground squirrel “high school” exhibit is bigger than ever.

Thousands of U-S Forest Service employees have been laid off or left their jobs since the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce. N-W-P-B’s Lauren Paterson reports on how fewer staff are dealing with strained resources amid the busy summer tourist season.

Washington is in the midst of its third consecutive year of drought. Farms in the Yakima River valley have been hit hardest. Some are getting just half of their normal water allotment. ...

Washington is facing a deepening drought. The entire state has been drier than normal since January. Seattle has received about six inches less rain than normal – and the outlook for the rest of the year isn’t any better. More from KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp.

Transit agencies in three counties around western Washington are testing hydrogen-powered buses… as they transition to zero-emissions fleets. KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp has the story.

The Oregon Department of Transportation says it will lay off roughly 10% of its employees at the end of July. As Dirk VanderHart reports, the announcement comes after state lawmakers failed to agree on a major road-funding bill this year.

Olympia-Based Intercity Transit is taking delivery of five new hydrogen-powered buses, starting this month. The Thurston-county transit agency has also awarded a $4-point-6 million-dollar contract for a hydrogen fueling station in Olympia.

There are big changes happening at the Grand Cinema in Tacoma… the only arthouse theater in Pierce County.

KNKX Arts and Culture Reporter Freddy Monares has that story.

Pierce County's only arthouse theater has named a new leader.

The Grand Cinema has picked Elizabeth Calhoun as its next Executive Director.

A non-profit commercial kitchen in Cottage Grove will receive a half a million dollar federal grant to help it expand. KLCC’s Zac Ziegler reports: