Today's headlines:
- Former acting Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney Richard Barker questions outcome of 'Spokane 3' trial.
- Death toll rises to 11 in Longview ahead of funding debate over chemical disaster investigation agency.
- Maternal health providers in Idaho could see federal grant money this week.
- Spokane County is trying to renegotiate operations costs with the Spokane Indians to make minor league baseball a win-win for everyone.
- Hosting the Egyptian national team before the World Cup is a big deal for Gonzaga University.
Plus, Rachel Miller-Howard takes us to the Pacific coast, where rising diesel prices are squeezing Northwest fishermen by cutting into profits and adding new uncertainty to an already challenging industry.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting was contributed by Owen Henderson, James Dawson, Eliza Billingham, Doug Nadvornick and Rachel Miller-Howard.
Owen Henderson hosts and produces the show. Eliza Billingham provides digital support.
TRANSCRIPT
[THEME MUSIC]
OWEN HENDERSON: From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today.
I’m Owen Henderson. It’s Monday, June 1, 2026.
On today’s show, eastern Washington’s former acting U.S. attorney says he’s not convinced “justice was truly served” in the federal case against three Spokane protestors.
Plus, Idaho groups looking to boost maternal and child health in rural areas could apply for federal money as soon as this week
And we visit the Pacific coast, where the northwest’s fishing industry is feeling the squeeze of high diesel prices as the war with Iran continues to keep fuel costs up.
Those stories and more, coming up on SPR News Today.
[FADE OUT THEME]
The former acting U.S. attorney for eastern Washington is questioning whether the case against three Spokane protestors was decided correctly.
Richard Barker resigned rather than bring charges against the protestors for their actions during an anti-immigration enforcement demonstration last summer.
A jury late last week found Bajun Mavawalla the second, Jac Archer and Justice Forral guilty on federal conspiracy charges—the first such prosecution in eastern Washington.
In a statement, Barker said he respects the judicial process and the jury’s verdict but asked “whether justice was truly served.”
Others, like Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, have called the case an attack on free speech.
Pete Serrano, who currently serves as the region’s top prosecutor, defended the case.
He wrote in a press release that his office’s motivation in charging the protestors was solely “to hold them accountable to the law.”
— — —
Cowlitz County officials say they’ve recovered the bodies of the last two missing victims from a chemical tank rupture in southwest Washington.
This brings the implosion’s confirmed death toll to 11.
As the U.S. Chemical Safety Board continues to investigate the incident, a congressional committee is set to consider funding for that agency.
President Donald Trump’s proposed spending plan would defund the CSB.
The administration says it duplicates work done by other agencies.
Congressional Republicans’ plan would keep the CSB open but slash its funding by 40%.
CSB staff say theirs is the only federal agency that investigates chemical disasters.
The House Appropriations Committee will consider a bill that includes the agency’s funding Wednesday.
— — —
Idaho medical providers may get their first bite at federal rural health grants as early as this week. James Dawson reports.
JAMES DAWSON: State health officials say they just need a legislative committee to sign off on the first round of grants, which will focus on boosting maternal and child health in rural Idaho.
The money comes from the more than $185 million Idaho got for its first year as part of the federal Rural Health Transformation Program passed last summer.
The state health department says it’s also ready to solicit bids for analysis and compliance contractors to prop up the program over the next five years.
Kate Sapra, the acting director for the federal program, says these kinds of criteria are what her office will use when awarding states the next round of funding come October.
KATE SAPRA: “Do they have a good governance structure? Have they been able to obligate their funds?”
JD: She says the final three years of funding will be based on results.
KS: “Have the states been able to achieve concrete milestones in the implementation? What metrics have they been able to hit in terms of those health outcomes?”
JD: State health officials say they’ll make grants available later this year for chronic disease prevention and mental health support.
James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio News.
— — —
OH: Spokane County and the Spokane Indians have spent years bringing the baseball team’s stadium up to the MLB’s higher standards.
Now, as SPR’s Eliza Billingham reports, the County is renegotiating operating contracts to make sure it can continue to afford hosting minor league baseball in Spokane.
ELIZA BILLINGHAM: Spokane County and the Spokane Indians signed lease and expense agreements in 2023.
The team’s rent was low and the county was 100 percent responsible for major repairs.
But county parks director Doug Chase says that could change.
DOUG CHASE: “Upon completion of MLB mandated improvements and free-identified spectator improvements, the new terms will go into effect, which shift substantially more responsibility to the Spokane Indians.”
EB: Chase says the new terms—like a higher base rent and parking staff for events like the Fair—are great for the County.
But when Chase presented to County Commissioners last week, Commissioner Josh Kerns wasn’t convinced.
JOSH KERNS: “Every step of this has been the most sweetheart deal for this baseball team. I mean, my Lord.”
EB: Commissioners need to approve the new terms. They’re set to vote tomorrow.
I’m Eliza Billingham, reporting.
— — —
Gonzaga University officials are eagerly awaiting the impending arrival of the Egyptian World Cup team.
Gonzaga will serve as the team’s base camp while the Egyptians prepare for their three matches in the Northwest.
President Katia Passerini says soccer’s governing body required the university to make some changes to its field in order to serve as a host.
KATIA PASSERINI: “So we have a brand new soccer field that we are excited about and we will have an opportunity to be invited to one or two practices and I think there is one that is open to the community.”
OH: Passerini says Gonzaga is one of only a handful of American universities with the distinction of hosting a national team.
KP: “It continues to bring forward the fact that athletics is really a great propeller for growth and for getting the Gonzaga name all over the world.”
OH: Passerini says Gonzaga will only be responsible for providing training facilities, not housing.
She says the school, police department and city have worked together to ensure Gonzaga has adequate security in place for the team.
Egypt plays Belgium in Seattle June 15; New Zealand in Vancouver, British Columbia June 21; and Iran in Seattle June 26.
[SHORT MUSIC BED]
Rising diesel prices are squeezing Northwest fishermen.
They're cutting into profits and adding new uncertainty to an already challenging industry. Rachel Miller-Howard reports.
[PORT AMBI]
RACHEL MILLER HOWARD: Gulls circle over the port in Garibaldi, Oregon, as Jesse Coon offloads his catch.
RMH: What kind is it?
JESSE COON: It’s a chinook salmon
RMH: He’s a fourth-generation fisherman, born and raised in Tillamook county
JC: “I guess it's in the blood now.”
RMH: But early in the season, the numbers aren’t adding up. Since the war in Iran began in late February, fuel costs have surged, cutting thousands of dollars from Coon’s already thin margins.
JC: “It really makes it feel like you're just gambling.”
RMH: Salmon fishing is fuel-intensive, involving long offshore runs to find the fish.
JC: “We've probably made a few thousand dollars is all, um, after the, after the fuel costs. I could do that working at Home Depot or McDonald's or something.”
RMH: He considered tying the boat up and waiting for the season to kick into higher gear, but decided to keep fishing. Chris Anderson is a fisheries economist at the University of Washington. He says many might be less willing to fish during transition seasons due to high costs.
CHRIS ANDERSON: “That's gonna impact their revenue overall, and of course, it's gonna impact whether or not that fish is a-available for us in the market to eat.”
RMH: Anderson says when fishermen tie up their boats, it cuts off supply and strains long-standing international buyers, like Japan and China. It creates long term problems at home, too.
CA: “The processor also doesn't-- isn't able to provide work for their crews. The shippers, um, who trade it, the retailers don't have that product to sell. And all these have sort of, uh, we kind of lose the economic multiplier of the post-harvest fishing sector locally.”
RMH: Anderson says trawl vessels—boats that drag nets for harvesting shrimp and ground fish—have the highest fuel burden because they need bigger engines.
In Brookings, on the Southern Oregon Coast, Brad Pettinger runs a trawl operation with two 80-foot boats, each with 10,000 gallon fuel tanks.
He pays his crew a percentage of the catch value. He says he typically covers fuel costs—roughly 10% of his revenue. This year, it’s different.
BRAD PETTINGER: “I may have a discussion with my crew about how we're gonna do this… the increase we'll probably take it off the top, I'm guessing.”
RMH: More money for fuel. Less for the crew.
In Ilwaco, Washington, the impact is already reaching some customers.
At Shake N Bake Sportfishing, Captain Mike Colbach is passing fuel costs on to clients who book trips.
MIKE COLBACH: “ This year we have a, we have a $300 a day surcharge, that's a buck-fifty a gallon, because we burn about 200 gallons a day to make up for some of it. And if it keeps going up, I guess we could have a bigger surcharge.”
RMH: Colbach blames high fuel prices on the Trump administration. He says most other fishermen don’t share his politics. But he thinks the war is starting to sway minds.
MC: “Now all of a sudden they're like, "Hey, wait a minute. Nothing got cheaper. Everything got more expensive.”
RMH: Pettinger sees it differently. He supports the administration, and says fishermen have seen its benefits.
This April, the administration announced a new Office of Seafood under the U.S Department of Agriculture.
It’s aimed at expanding access to loans, grants, and markets for fishermen.
BP: “It’s gonna get better. It's gonna get better for fishermen across this country.”
RMH: In Garibaldi, Captain Hank Slavens is unloading after a three-day salmon trip
HANK SLAVENS: “$1,500 worth of fuel on this trip. And, um. And we found probably seven grand worth of fish.”
RMH: Fuel alone ate up roughly 20% of the trip’s value. Slavens worries about his bottom line.
HS: “Hopefully Trump's doing what he—something for us that we don't realize at the moment. You know? That's what I'm thinking. Just gotta sit back and wait, see.”
RMH: For now, he’s just going to keep on fishing.
HS: “We're just gonna do it until we're broke.”
RMH: In Garibaldi, I’m Rachel Miller-Howard.
OH: Rachel Miller-Howard is a freelance reporter for the Northwest News Network, a partnership of public radio stations in Washington and Oregon.
[SHORT MUSIC BED]
OH: SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting today was contributed by James Dawson, Eliza Billingham, Doug Nadvorick, Rachel Miller-Howard and me Owen Henderson
I’m also your host and producer. Eliza Billingham provides digital support.
Thanks for listening.
It’s SPR.
