Today is primary Election Day in Idaho.
So far, about 70,000 Idahoans have voted early or returned absentee ballots.
For those voting today in person, polling places and county clerks offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You can find your assigned polling location here.
Be prepared to show an ID, and don’t wear or bring anything that promotes a candidate, issue, or party on the ballot.
Absentee ballots must also be received by 8 p.m.
It’s also primary Election Day in Oregon. Voters will decide on the Republican candidate for governor. That person will run against the incumbent Democrat, Tina Kotek, in November. They’ll also pick the state’s next labor commissioner. Voters will also decide a proposal that would raise the state’s gas tax for road and bridge maintenance.
Voters have until 8 p.m. to submit their ballots at local drop boxes or county elections offices.
___________________________
Spokane police officers will get a new training facility this summer.
It will be paid for with nearly two million dollars from the state legislature and the Department of Commerce.
Spokane City Council president Betsy Wilkerson says the failing police infrastructure was an important issue to solve.
"It was a challenging environment. The locker room needed some help…And just to reiterate, this allows officers to train here at home without having to leave and go somewhere else. That was a big part of the expansion of the academy," she said.
Many policing agencies send their recruits to the state training academy in Burien, but there are several other regional campuses around the state, including Spokane.
The Spokane City Council voted last night to formally accept the relevant grants. Construction will start on the new facility around mid-July.
__________________________
Jury selection has begun in the case of three people charged with participating in a protest against federal immigration actions in Spokane last summer. The judge and attorneys in a Spokane federal courtroom are expected to narrow the pool to a group of 15 – 12 jurors and three alternates—today.
Spokane media with journalists in the courtroom report Judge Rebecca Pennell ruled body cam footage is admissible in court during the federal trial against three protesters.
One Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy was captured on body cam footage saying he wanted to hit protesters with a stick during the protest against immigration detainments. The deputy, Brittan Morgan, is scheduled to be called as a witness by prosecution.
The three protesters on trial have pled not guilty to charges of conspiracy brought against them by federal prosecutors.
___________________________________
Washington’s new Supreme Court justice, Theo Angelis, is now officially on the job.
The Seattle lawyer took the oath of office in front of family and friends yesterday in Olympia. Angelis replaces Justice Barbara Madsen, who retired last month after 33 years on the high court, the second-longest tenure in the court’s history.
This is Angelis’s first time as a judge. As a private attorney, he focused on intellectual property cases and had many international clients. Now, he will expand his legal palette and hear a wide variety of cases.
“At a time when the rule of law is under attack, I can think of no greater guide to what it means to be the right kind of judge than to always prioritize justice, mercy, and humility, and I pledge to bring that to every day that I'm here on the bench," he said.
Angelis will have to win an election to keep his seat beyond this year. He has three opponents, including Dave Larson, who narrowly lost a 2024 race to current Justice Sal Mungia.
__________________________
Hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world are expected to flock to Seattle and surrounding communities this summer for six FIFA World Cup soccer matches.
Ahead of these events the city of SeaTac is making sure local hotels are prepared to respond to opioid overdoses.
KNKX reporter Mitch Borden has the story.
The city of SeaTac expects that its approximately 30 hotels will be filled with international visitors this summer who are here for the World Cup.
But that could mean hospitality workers may encounter foreign guests who have overdosed on opioids.
That’s why the city is distributing the opioid reversal medication, naloxone, to local hotels along with instructions on how to use it.
Will Lugo is the city’s emergency management administrator. He says hotel workers could be the first to respond to a guest who’s overdosing.
“Front desk workers are going to see them in and out every day. Housekeeping making up the rooms, they could stumble on to someone who’s overdosed and not know what to do. So, I think educating and training the front line workers is valuable to save lives.”
Along with naloxone kits, SeaTac hotels will have resources for foreign guests such as how to call 9-1-1. I’m Mitch Borden reporting.
________________________________
For years, the Yakama Nation has fought to protect a sacred area in south central Washington from development. Tribal leaders say a proposed energy storage project will destroy this area, which they call “mother of all roots.”
Courtney Flatt from Northwest Public Broadcasting went to a ceremony there.
High above the Columbia River, a group of young girls from the Yakama Nation perform a welcome dance. They flow together around in a line, occasionally extending a foot to the side and reaching their hands toward the ground.
This area—near Goldendale—is called Pushpum, or “mother of all roots.” Elaine Harvey is a member of the Rock Creek Band of the Yakama Nation. She’s fought to protect Pushpum for years.
“On a good day, on a clear day, you can see all the way down Sisters mountains. And on a good day, you can see Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens over here. This is a really high point,” she said.
Pushpum is home to a seed bank for traditional medicines and roots. It’s also a spiritually important spot for the tribe. Bronsco Jim Junior, or “BJ,” is the Chief of the Rock Creek Band.
“ Nobody planted these foods. Nobody brought it here. It was intended for us to be here," he said.
Yakama Nation members are gathering here – along with other tribes and environmental activists – to stand against an energy storage site that could soon be built nearby. It’s called the Goldendale Energy Storage Project. Developers say it’s needed more than ever as the Northwest uses more carbon-free power.
Erik Steimle is with Rye Development — which is getting the project off the ground. He says they’re working to mitigate damage from the potential project. In earlier interviews, Steimle said he believes this is one of the best places to build this type of project in North America.
”This particular site has been studied for pump storage for more than 30 years," he said.
The tribe has pushed back against two similar proposals at this same spot in the past. Harvey says: just don’t build it here.
"I believe we can go green, but in a responsible manner and not destroying shrubsteppe," she said.
Recently, the project got a key federal license. That means construction could start very soon. Simone Anter is a senior attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper. The environmental nonprofit is helping fight the Goldendale Energy Storage Project.
“It's not built yet. There are no shovels in the ground, and so there's a real possibility that there won't be," she said.
Anter says Columbia Riverkeeper plans to ask a federal court to review this license.
The Yakama Nation says it has lost land to dams and wind turbines. And tribal leaders say they’re tracking more than proposed 80 projects on ceded lands. That includes renewable energy projects, new transmission lines and more data centers.
“ And I feel like it's coming too fast. And our people are pushed aside," Harvey said.
To show support, members from tribes across Washington and Oregon came to Pushpum, often joining together in intertribal dances.
The Klamath Tribes in south central Oregon are fighting a similar project. It’s called Swan Lake Energy Storage. They say it would destroy sacred rock stack features and culturally important foods.
William Ray Jr. is the Klamath Tribe’s chair.
“ The struggles between our nations in Indian country, it crosses every border of Indian country since the coming of the non-Indian, and it's been a battle for literally our survival," he said.
Tribes say they’d like to be at the table when energy projects are first proposed. They say that could avoid these sorts of high-stakes conflicts.
On Pushpum, near Goldendale, I'm Courtney Flatt.
Today's SPR News Today features reporting from Eliza Billingham, Bryce Dole, Mitch Borden, Courtney Flatt and Doug Nadvornick.
The program is hosted and produced by Doug Nadvornick. Eliza Billingham provides digital support.
