Anna King
Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.
The South Sound was her girlhood backyard and she knows its rocky beaches, mountain trails and cities well. She left the west side to attend Washington State University and went abroad to study language and culture in Italy.
While not on the job, Anna enjoys trail running, clam digging, hiking and wine tasting with friends. She's most at peace on top a Northwest mountain with her husband Andy Plymale and their muddy Aussie-dog Poa.
In 2016 Washington State University named Anna Woman of the Year, and the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Pro Chapter named her Journalist of the Year. Her many journalism awards include two Gracies, a Sigma Delta Chi medal and the David Douglas Award from the Washington State Historical Society.
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It’s peak cherry season in the Northwest. The fruits are typically grown outdoors in an orchard. This business in southeast Washington is doing things a little differently. -
What's now the Hanford radioactive cleanup site in Washington state was long the salmon-rich territory of native peoples. Now, Yakama Nation youth are touring the site to connect with its legacy.
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Long before the U.S. government made plutonium for bombs at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington [state], the land belonged to native peoples. For the Yakama Nation, the area was vital for hunting and fishing. Tribal leaders want young people to know about their legacy, and the fight that lies ahead. -
Across the Northwest crops are late. Cool spring weather has held back asparagus, potatoes and alfalfa. Even tree fruit blooms were late to flush open. Then, record-warm weather hit. -
At issue are fertilizer leaks at the former Lost Valley Farm. The Easterdays, who now own the site, say they’re not responsible. -
During spring’s prime calving season, lots of newborn calves have been dying from the cold. -
As spring wakes up in Oregon and Washington, so do invasive Japanese beetles. Larvae living among the roots of neighborhood lawns become adults and get up to the surface – ready for a meal, some mating and egg laying. -
Even with all the rain and snow in California this winter, it’s been pretty dry in our region, especially in much of eastern Oregon and parts of eastern Washington. For wheat farmers, that means there could be some nail-biting months ahead. Chris Herron owns an eight-square-mile dryland farm in north Franklin County, Washington. Correspondent Anna King spent the day with him and produced this audio postcard. This transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity. -
In March, women and girls from the Umatilla tribes gather wild celery. The tradition connects them to their ancestors and heralds the arrival of spring. But collecting the plant is getting harder.
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An update of the classic '80s video game Oregon Trail places a greater focus on the lives of the Native Americans you meet on the trail westward. (This story originally aired on ATC on May 12, 2021.)
