Erika J. Schultz

4 things to know about climate change and flooding in Seattle’s South Park The issue is likely to get worse with sea-level rise

Four things to know about climate change and flooding in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood.

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A flood in 2022 signaled how bad things can get in a Seattle neighborhood staring down even more sea level rise in the decades to come.

✍️ by Amanda Zhou

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The Columbia River is critical for fish, energy, commerce and identity. But it faces an uncertain future. How much more can it take?

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✍️ Lynda V. Mapes 🎨 Fiona Martin 📽️ Lauren Frohne

Thank you, Kyle. Really appreciated.

Beautiful photography and indepth reporting on this critical topic by @erikajschultz.bsky.social and @isabellabreda.bsky.social for @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social

Over the past year, tracing the path of the Columbia from the Similkameen River in British Columbia to the Owyhee in Duck Valley, communities shared their stories about this new mining boom and its complex balance of influences.

✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

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WA state is in many ways a leader in efforts to combat the climate emergency.

For the earth to run on power from solar, wind, with battery storage & electric vehicles by 2050, humanity would need a lot more mining.

Today we published a ‘New Mining Boom’ photo page, linking the series’ stories.

Can the rush for clean energy overcome a legacy of pollution?

"More clean energy technology means more materials — and more mining. It cannot yet be done by recycling alone."

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✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

A mine in the northern reaches of the Columbia Basin produces a metal the world needs to phase out fossil fuels. It holds promise — and danger.

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✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

Washington's need for EVs comes at a cost for mining towns:

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✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

Can the rush for clean energy overcome a legacy of pollution?

"More clean energy technology means more materials — and more mining. It cannot yet be done by recycling alone."

✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

A mine in the northern reaches of the Columbia Basin produces a metal the world needs to phase out fossil fuels. It holds promise — and danger.

✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

First WA prison podcast launches at penitentiary An eight-episode season brings the realities of prison life — past and present — to listeners beyond the Walla Walla penitentiary’s fortress-like walls.

First Washington prison podcast, ‘Concrete Mama,’ launches at Walla Walla penitentiary.

Washington state is a hotbed for carbon capture research. What is it anyway? ✍️ @conradswanson.bsky.social

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

WA fire crews head to California to help battle blazes:

"King, Pierce, Thurston, Snohomish and Mason counties are sending a total of six structure engine strike teams, 30 engines total, to Southern California."

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

Thank you for sharing, Ryan!

As the days grow shorter and colder, thousands of winter waterfowl migrate to Washington's Skagit valley, drawn to the region’s intertidal estuaries, marshes and rich agricultural lands.

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All of WA’s top climate polluters hand in emission allowances — except one A defunct mill in Cosmopolis, holding hazardous and corrosive chemicals, has failed to submit its emission allowances to the state and now faces penalties.

The bills are due for Washington’s top polluters, which must buy allowances for the greenhouse gases they emit into the atmosphere, and every company paid up — but one. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

WA area listed as Superfund site by EPA Historic discharges of wastes and emissions from smelters have contaminated portions of the upper Columbia River, the 150 miles upstream of Grand Coulee Dam.

“As kids, we spent all our time down there. We rode bikes, horses, fished — I mean, we lived on the river. … really not knowing about those legacy pollution issues,” said DR Michel, one of the two Colville citizens to sue Teck.

✍️ @isabellabreda.bsky.social

“We want to govern ourselves, and look after our own lands; we don’t want to shut industries down, but we want more say in what is done,” said Chief Jerry Jack of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.

B.C. First Nation sues to reclaim title to traditional land:
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Stand with Daily Herald journalists I just sent a letter in support of the journalists at the Daily Herald in Everett. They need our help in their fight for a fair contract. Can you join me? These journalists work tirelessly every day ...

These union members are demanding better, but they need your help. Use this form to send an email to Herald management letting them know journalists—and readers—deserve a fair contract: actionnetwork.org/letters/stan...

2024 saw some good news for Pacific Northwest salmon This year has seen the biggest return of kokanee salmon in the Lake Sammamish watershed in a decade. What's made the difference?

Partnerships, largely led by Native nations, have led to the restoration of historic habitat that can help provide a buffer from the impacts of climate change and poor ocean conditions.

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Bomb cyclone shows cracks in WA’s electrical grid Resources are spread thin as utilities scramble to shore up their perforated transmission lines and grid experts say their work will increase in the future.

The bomb cyclone perforated Washington's grid in thousands of places. Hundreds of thousands sat in the dark (and cold) for days. This storm has exposed the weaknesses in our system.

The electrical grid needs an overhaul.

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

NYT Reporters Look Back on the Lady Jaguars Basketball Team When we met them a dozen years ago, they were teenagers in trouble, playing for a basketball team that always lost. Did they find a way to win at life?

It was a privilege to spend time with these women and I encourage reading every word of @JohnBranch’s beautiful writing
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/24/u...

My book’s beautiful cover is out in the world today! It’s a literary rom-com set partly in a bookstore (a twin to the wonderful Third Place Books), and it’s a dream come true to have it published 5/27/25 by Dutton Books at Penguin Random House. Preorder info here! sites.prh.com/storybook-ending 📚💙

“I pursue art because it helps me grow and learn,” said Ryan Feddersen. “I want others to grow and learn through art as well.”

This WA artist brings subtle beauty to everyday life: www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...

How a powerful bomb cyclone ravaged WA The bomb cyclone swirled with such intensity off the coast that it ravaged the region Tuesday, downing trees, toppling power lines and killing at least two.

Okay so, to be classified as a Bomb Cyclone™️ the pressure of a storm has to drop 24 millibars in 24 hours.

This one did that (and more) in just 6 hours.

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Judge strikes down Wyoming abortion laws, including an explicit ban on pills to end pregnancy A judge has struck down Wyoming’s overall ban on abortion and its first-in-the nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy.

Judge strikes down Wyoming abortion laws, including an explicit ban on pills to end pregnancy

Finding Focus: How a Visual Storyteller Gets the Right Image — and the Right Tone Photography is a powerful journalistic tool, providing visual evidence and evoking emotions that urge us to understand the experiences of others. Here, ProPublica’s Sarahbeth Maney offers suggestions ...

Ask “Why Does This Story Need to be Told?”

Sarahbeth Maney is @propublica.org's first visual fellow. I'm hugely lucky for getting to collaborate with her and see firsthand her generous, intentional and persistent approach.

Now, you can get a peek at it too.

www.propublica.org/article/tips...

"So far, the tribe has built about 80 logjams here, returning wood obstructions to the river’s life cycle 10 years since two hydroelectric dams were removed from the watershed. The jams further rebuild the resilience of the river, especially in consideration of the effects of climate change."