InvestigateWest

InvestigateWest Nonprofit investigative newsroom keeping an eye on decision-makers in the Pacific Northwest.

Our mission is to engage Pacific Northwest residents in social issues by providing compelling, change making investigative and explanatory journalism.

UPDATE: The charge is the latest development in an ongoing battle between Sharilyn Lux and Snoqualmie, raising questions...
03/06/2025

UPDATE: The charge is the latest development in an ongoing battle between Sharilyn Lux and Snoqualmie, raising questions about Lux’s right to free speech in the wake of a brutal crime that police failed to solve.

Charges stem from vulgar emails sent to Snoqualmie police chief and mayor

NEW: The last week of contradictory directives from the Trump administration has created an atmosphere of confusion for ...
02/28/2025

NEW: The last week of contradictory directives from the Trump administration has created an atmosphere of confusion for unaccompanied migrant children.

Attorneys for unaccompanied minors ordered to stop work without explanation, followed by sudden reversal

NEW: A new bill in the Oregon Legislature seeks to address the state’s crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people....
02/27/2025

NEW: A new bill in the Oregon Legislature seeks to address the state’s crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The proposal comes six years after previous legislation yielded limited results — something that InvestigateWest previously documented.

Proposal would provide resources, form partnerships and improve data collection among agencies

NEW: One Oregon student’s story of alleged discrimination by her driving instructors is sparking fresh concerns about ge...
02/25/2025

NEW: One Oregon student’s story of alleged discrimination by her driving instructors is sparking fresh concerns about gender bias in the trucking industry.

Chemeketa Community College student said that instructors offered less drive time, disparaged drivers of color and women

NEW: Washington bill aims to give judges more guidance in high-conflict custody cases
02/24/2025

NEW: Washington bill aims to give judges more guidance in high-conflict custody cases

Supporters say it will help prevent dangerous parents from getting custody. Opponents fear it will do the opposite

NEW INVESTIGATION: An InvestigateWest analysis of Canyon County jail policies, video footage and investigative files has...
02/22/2025

NEW INVESTIGATION: An InvestigateWest analysis of Canyon County jail policies, video footage and investigative files has found that staff violated internal safety protocols that could have prevented detainee deaths.

InvestigateWest review finds deputies violated policies that could have saved detainees

NEW LEGISLATION: Racial disparities in stops and searches have been a persistent pattern for the Washington State Patrol...
02/19/2025

NEW LEGISLATION: Racial disparities in stops and searches have been a persistent pattern for the Washington State Patrol. An InvestigateWest analysis of more than 7,000 high-discretion searches between 2018 and 2023 found that the patrol searched Native Americans at a rate five times higher than white Washingtonians.

Bill would limit when police can stop motorists for traffic violations

NEW: Lawmaker says proposal to require the use of E-Verify will fit into Trump administration’s nationwide immigration c...
02/14/2025

NEW: Lawmaker says proposal to require the use of E-Verify will fit into Trump administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown

Lawmaker says proposal to require the use of E-Verify will fit into Trump administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown

NEW: Conservationists and tribal officials say the Army Corps is dragging its feet on producing realistic, cost-effectiv...
02/14/2025

NEW: Conservationists and tribal officials say the Army Corps is dragging its feet on producing realistic, cost-effective solutions for endangered Willamette River salmon and steelhead as their populations move toward extinction.

New federal study shows dams harming endangered salmon as Congress pushed for action

NEW: Over 700 incarcerated people in Washington state prisons were “left behind” by a 2023 reform that eliminated juveni...
02/08/2025

NEW: Over 700 incarcerated people in Washington state prisons were “left behind” by a 2023 reform that eliminated juvenile crimes from being automatically tacked on to adult sentences.

Opponents say it would re-traumatize victims and burden the courts

NEW: Inside Washington’s slow, arduous process to fix hundreds of thousands of illegal convictions.
02/07/2025

NEW: Inside Washington’s slow, arduous process to fix hundreds of thousands of illegal convictions.

Less than one-fifth of eligible cases have been vacated thus far

NEW: State funding that counties have been using to upgrade ballot box security is set to expire, meaning election offic...
02/06/2025

NEW: State funding that counties have been using to upgrade ballot box security is set to expire, meaning election offices may soon have even fewer options to bolster security to prevent future attacks.

Clark County auditor wants Legislature to treat the issue more seriously

Don't miss our latest investigation, co-published by Mother Jones: In a small Seattle suburb, a r**e investigation spark...
02/06/2025

Don't miss our latest investigation, co-published by Mother Jones: In a small Seattle suburb, a r**e investigation sparks a war over speech and power.

In a small Seattle suburb, a r**e investigation sparks a war over speech and power

NEW: The legislation comes two months after InvestigateWest profiled Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer and his posse o...
01/31/2025

NEW: The legislation comes two months after InvestigateWest profiled Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer and his posse of over 100 volunteers who assist with anything from administrative tasks to controversial cougar hunts.

The bill also seeks to standardize eligibility and certification requirements for law enforcement leaders

In an effort to strengthen local investigative journalism and ensure underrepresented communities have reporters looking...
01/29/2025

In an effort to strengthen local investigative journalism and ensure underrepresented communities have reporters looking out for their interests, InvestigateWest is issuing a call for new collaboration partners across the Pacific Northwest.

The nonprofit news organization makes collaboration and resource sharing central to its mission

NEW: Congressman Mike Simpson hopes that one day Idaho can surpass Wisconsin as the No. 2 dairy-producing state. But he ...
01/23/2025

NEW: Congressman Mike Simpson hopes that one day Idaho can surpass Wisconsin as the No. 2 dairy-producing state. But he doesn’t think it can get there without thousands of undocumented workers now facing the prospect of deportation.

E-Verify program draws opposition from congressman and Idaho farmers, as border politics clash with economic realities

NEW INVESTIGATION: “I thought I’d find a handful of cases. I didn’t realize 97 percent of the cases would be lies.” Less...
01/20/2025

NEW INVESTIGATION: “I thought I’d find a handful of cases. I didn’t realize 97 percent of the cases would be lies.” Less than 3% of the trees classified in Seattle’s database as “protected” had actually been preserved under the terms of the ordinance, according to an analysis.

Analysis shows fewer than 3% of “protected” trees were actually preserved under the city’s controversial 2023 ordinance

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InvestigateWest is a nonprofit journalism studio that produces change-making investigative reporting for the Pacific Northwest. www.invw.org