Austin Jenkins
Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."
Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise.
Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. In 2019, he received his Master of Communication in Digital Media from the University of Washington Communication Leadership program.
Austin's reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists. Austin was part of a team that won a 2018 national Edward R. Murrow award for breaking news coverage.
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Renters who are behind on their rent in Washington will get a few more months of protection from eviction. On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new eviction moratorium that will run through September 30. The current moratorium expires June 30 — the same day the state is set to fully reopen. -
A former caregiver for people with developmental disabilities has been criminally charged in connection with the 2019 death of a client who ingested a... -
While Washington’s system has been strained for years, state officials and disability rights advocates say it effectively ground to a halt during the... -
At Washington’s Capitol Campus, a post-legislative session calm has settled in. Gone are the State Patrol checkpoints and National Guard troops that... -
A former sergeant in the Washington State Patrol was stripped of his state peace officer certification on Wednesday over allegations he carried out a...
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It was the Friday before Memorial Day weekend 36 years ago and Washington State Patrol Trooper Glenda Thomas was patrolling I-5 through Seattle. A call... -
A second lawsuit has been filed to overturn a newly passed capital gains tax in Washington. The lawsuit by the Opportunity for All Coalition (OFAC),... -
Calling it a "moral mandate,” Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed into law a dozen bills that backers hope will improve policing in Washington, reduce the... -
The state of Washington will soon offer an alternative to prison for people with a serious mental illness who commit a crime. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the... -
For the second time in less than a year, Washington’s Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is warning that the state’s prison system needs to do more to prevent...
