Washington state has already declared some areas in drought. There’s not enough snowpack in many areas, and as NWPB’s [Northwest Public Broadcasting’s] Senior Correspondent Anna King reports, much of it is melting out faster than expected.

This week Vancouver Public Schools moved closer to approving stricter cell phone rules for students. OPB's Erik Neumann reports.

Police have finished searching a roadside zoo in Bandon after serving multiple warrants at the property last week. Jefferson Public Radio's Justin Higginbottom reports authorities seized 310 animals in the raid.

[FEATURE: Tri-Cities welding students take on rebuilding a trailer 052125CF_CarolsTrailer_FEATURE.wav 3:54 feature 5/21/25 Courtney Flatt/JD]

HOST LEDE: If you’ve ever had a dream – but also a budget – you know it can be hard to make things happen. One Kennewick woman is making her dreams of renovating an old horse trailer a reality … while at the same time helping high school girls get a jump start on welding careers. [N-W-P-B's Courtney Flatt talks to her neighbor, Carol Taylor, about the project.] [SOQ 3:54]

The Trump Administration is proposing a fifty-five percent cut in National Science Foundation funding.

In Bend this week [WED MAY 28], student veterans are getting an updated space at Central Oregon Community College. Kathryn Styer Martínez reports.

Fixing a wheelchair can be difficult and expensive. A Eugene nonprofit is teaching bike mechanics and wheelchair users how to work on them. KLCC’s Sajina Shrestha reports.

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A contentious bill on wage theft is advancing through the Oregon legislature. OPB’s Bryce Dole reports.

We’re entering into a third year of drought conditions in Washington state. That has stressed forests. And experts say this year’s fire season could be rough.

The snowpack has dwindled more quickly than normal — in some places melting out more than a month early. Fire will follow those drying trends, says Matt Dehr [DEER], with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Still, he says much of fire season is hard to predict:

In cities like Portland and Spokane, the waitlists for Housing Choice vouchers — also known as Section 8 — have been mostly closed for years. And now, for the first time, the waitlist has closed in Walla Walla. N-W-P-B’s Susan Shain reports.