Cascade PBS wins 10 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Awards

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump sent a request to Congress to rescind federal funding for public media. This is a grave threat. 

Right now, we are asking all our supporters to contact their elected officials and encourage them to preserve this critical funding. 

Cascade PBS is at risk of losing approximately $3.6 million in federal support annually. While much of our funding comes from community contributions, including individual donations, foundation grants and local underwriting, a shortfall of this magnitude presents a serious challenge. 

Public media funding represents just .01% of the federal budget. Cutting public media funding would have little impact on the federal deficit but would devastate our ability to serve our communities. 

Your support in this pivotal time is incredibly important. Here are a few ways you can make a difference: 

• Connect with Protect My Public Media to learn more about funding for public media in the U.S. federal budget, and contact your U.S. Senators and Representative. 

• Help spread the word about the importance of public media by talking with your family, friends and neighbors. 

• Follow @CascadePBS and @CascadePBSNewsroom on social media for our latest reporting, programs, events and more. 

I hope we can count on your continued support and that you will make your voice heard. 

The winning filmmaker for the fourth season of the Cascade PBS Origins series will be Andrew Inaba, who will create a short-form docuseries telling the story of Japanese American imprisonment following the attack on Pearl Harbor through the unique lens of Pacific Northwest communities. Inaba was announced as the winner Saturday at the closing ceremony of the Seattle International Film Festival. 

Inaba was one of several dozen directors who applied to work with Cascade PBS to create a video series that reflects the makeup of our region told from an insider’s perspective. A key requirement for the Origins grant is that the filmmaker be part of the community they are documenting. 

The project will receive $40,000 in grant funding to cover production costs for the five-part series, as well as technical and editing support. Their work has the potential to be broadcast and streamed by Cascade PBS. 

As a second-generation Japanese American filmmaker with deep regional roots, Inaba will bring a unique depth of knowledge to the series, documenting the historical trauma that forever altered our regional identity. Through intimate stories, archival materials, animations inspired by survivor testimonies and explorations of historical sites across Washington and Oregon, “Our Thousand Days” will reveal how this history continues to resonate today — offering urgent lessons about systematic dehumanization and community resilience. 

The docuseries is intended for release on Cascade PBS platforms in March 2026. 

The most recent season of Origins, “The Last Reefnetters,” examined the Native practice of reefnet fishing, an innovative method developed by the Lummi Nation and other Northern Straits Salish tribes thousands of years ago. Following punitive legislation, environmental damage and devastation caused by a budding cannery industry, they were all but removed from the practice. 

The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival is Saturday, May 31 at the Amazon Meeting Center, 2031 Seventh Ave. The day-long festival hosts nationally recognized podcasts like The Wall Street Journal’s The Journal and true-crime podcast Criminal in conversation with featured speakers such as Jake Tapper, Amanda Knox and Rick Steves.  

This year, the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival is expanding – the fifth floor of the Amazon Meeting Center will host the Northwest Reports Stage, dedicated to Cascade PBS podcasts.  

The fifth floor will also host the Share Your Story space, where attendees can talk with a Cascade PBS journalist about their favorite sessions, coverage ideas or other areas of interest. With permission, conversations will also be recorded on audio to use for potential coverage of the Festival. 

The Northwest Reports Stage will focus on leaders and change-makers from the Seattle area. Here is a full list of the Northwest Reports Stage sessions:  

1. 11:30 a.m.: Washington State Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal joins host Rachel Belle for a special live edition of the James Beard Award-finalist podcast Your Last Meal. Each episode, Belle asks a luminary what they would choose to eat for their last meal. Then she consults experts from around the world to uncover the history, science and culture of these dishes.  

2. 12:30 p.m.: Vanishing Seattle founder Cynthia Brothers joins Northwest Reports hosts Sara Bernard and Maleeha Syed for a live podcast taping. Launched via social media in 2016, Vanishing Seattle documents the disappearing institutions, businesses and cultures of the Emerald City. Brothers discusses the places that made her hometown what it is and once was – and why they matter.      

3. 2:10 p.m.: Seattle writer, musician and director Mindie Lind joins the Northwest Reports team to discuss ableism. A longtime Seattle resident, she’s aware of the disconnect when it comes to accessibility and disability rights around the city, including our music venues and the new Waterfront Park.   

4. 3:40 p.m.: Northwest Reports talks with Kiesha B. Free, a speaker, comedian and the founder of Hey, Black Seattle! The online resource and movement grew out of frustration with the notion that there isn’t a large Black population in Seattle, and helps connect and nurture the local community. 

5. 5:15 p.m.: For the final live podcast taping on the Northwest Reports Stage, Bernard and Syed are joined by Lex Vaughn, founder and editor-in-chief of The Needling. The Onion-style satirical news site dubs itself “Seattle’s only real fake news.” 

Tickets are still available at cascadepbs.org/festival.   

Gov. Bob Ferguson promised to fight federal legislation that would bring “draconian cuts” to Medicaid, the government-funded insurance program, after it passed the U.S. House early Wednesday.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a mix of tax cuts and cuts to several government programs. That includes a reduction of $700 billion in Medicaid payments over the next decade.

Democratic politicians, including Ferguson, are ringing the alarm bell on the House vote, stating the negative impact on health care that would ensue if the U.S. Senate passes the bill.

“In the middle of the night, Congress took an action that would be described as cruel and one that will harm hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians,” Ferguson said during a news conference Wednesday at Harborview Medical Center.

Joined by health care officials and workers, Ferguson said he anticipates the state losing $2 billion in federal Medicaid payments over the next four years, which would lead to an estimated 200,000 residents losing Medicaid insurance access by the end of next year.

"I’m not just throwing that word around. I want to be clear, I want to be crystal clear: It’s dire,” Ferguson said. “Hospitals will close; nursing homes will close. That will impact… not just folks on Medicaid, but Washingtonians across the state.”

Ferguson, without mentioning them by name, called out Republican U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse, WA-4, and Michael Baumgartner, WA-5, for their votes in support of the bill. All the Washington state Democratic House members voted against it.

Republicans maintain they are cutting waste in government programs that will translate to cost savings and a reduction in the federal deficit.

In a news release Wednesday, Newhouse promises the bill would reduce “reckless federal spending” and cut the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion, bringing it to the lowest level in nearly 30 years. The news release also says tax cuts would bring relief to U.S. families and small businesses.

Specifically with Medicaid, Newhouse said that by implementing work requirements and blocking Medicaid for undocumented people, "we are protecting Medicaid for those who truly need it most.” 

Gov. Bob Ferguson filed a brief Tuesday in support of a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s tariffs, which the Democratic governor argued are “unlawful, arbitrary” and disproportionately harmful to Washington.

Ferguson and two dozen politicians, labor unions, economic development organizations and local governments signed onto an amicus brief in support of a multistate lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade against four of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

The coalition argues that the tariffs would “wreak havoc on Washington-based interests” by disrupting supply chains and making goods and services more expensive. Washington is one of the most trade-dependent states in the country with nearly $120 billion in exports and imports moving through ports last year, according to the governor’s office.  

“The impacts could be profound for our state,” Ferguson said Wednesday. “They are profound for our state now.”

The coalition that signed onto the brief includes 10 Democratic state lawmakers, the mayors of Spokane and Seattle, Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, the Teamsters 117 labor union and business owners like North Cascades Builders Supply in Okanogan County.

“We are now facing very real and very deep economic impacts, serious interruptions to supply chains, job layoffs and potential revenue losses in the billions of dollars,” said Suzanne Dale Estey, executive director of the Washington Economic Development Association.

The multistate lawsuit argued that Trump’s executive orders are unconstitutional because Congress is the only branch with the power to impose tariffs.

Ferguson argued that the uncertainty was already causing disruptions for Washington businesses by pausing hiring and expansion plans and raising prices.

“The illegal tariffs imposed by President Trump will affect all Washingtonians through higher prices and disruption of businesses,” Ferguson said.

The brief also argued that the tariffs have interfered with Ferguson’s ability to shape and implement a state budget amid “significant uncertainty, chaos and adverse economic conditions.” On Tuesday, while signing a nearly $78 billion state spending plan, Ferguson pointed toward looming federal funding cuts and Trump’s economic policies as a reason to have a sustainable state budget with hefty reserves.

Following weeks of questions about how the new executive might respond to legislative Democrats’ approved tax increases, Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday signed a two-year almost $78 billion spending plan with new taxes and program cuts.

The plan, approved last month by the Legislature, includes $4 billion in new taxes on businesses, wealthy residents and some services; about $3 billion in cuts; and more than $7 billion in new spending on education, wage increases for state employees and long-term care.

After months of push-back on Democrats’ tax proposals, Ferguson signed off on what he called “a balanced approach.” In the end, he made only minor changes, vetoing about $25 million more in spending and promising to look more closely at approved taxes before the next legislative session begins in January 2026.  

“I understand very clearly that this will be a challenging budget for Washingtonians,” Ferguson said. “But I believe it’s a balanced approach that sets us up on a trajectory for a more sustainable future.”

Lawmakers came into the legislative session this year with a nearly $16 billion budget shortfall to fill over the next four years. Democrats’ initial funding plans relied on a suite of hefty new taxes, including a tax on the wealthiest residents, which Ferguson quickly nixed.

Despite his reservations, Ferguson ultimately approved $4 billion in taxes, including on businesses, financial assets and technology services. The budget also includes new fees on state parks’ passes, hunting and fishing licenses, and liquor permits.

Ferguson did veto one tax increase, choosing to keep a tax exemption for interest collected by community banks, which he said is important to keeping housing affordable.

The governor said he will be having more conversations with his team, lawmakers and the business community on the taxes to make sure there aren’t “unintended impacts.”

He said he may want to make changes to the budget in the next legislative session in January, which could upend the revenue lawmakers relied on when balancing the current spending plan. If that happens, lawmakers may need to make deeper cuts next year during a supplemental budget process, Ferguson said.

Already, the budget includes $2.7 billion in cuts to higher education, health care and the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

On Tuesday, Ferguson vetoed another $25 million in spending. Programs that support counseling and case management for teens, language services for low-income Afghan women and girls, supports for Spanish speakers accessing HIV treatment, stipends for sexual assault nurse examiner training and outdoor recreation access for underrepresented communities were all among the cuts.

Ferguson said he plans to look more closely at the approved spending cuts over the next few months in preparation for the next legislative session and his supplemental budget proposal, due in December.

The governor’s approval of the budget was welcome news to Democratic budget leaders but was met with harsh criticism from their Republican counterparts.

"Ultimately, the governor folded to his party and signed off on an irresponsible and unsustainable plan,” said House Republican Budget Leader Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn. “Washington taxpayers will pay the price."

This article was originally published by the Washington State Standard.

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed three bills to protect immigrant rights this week. 

These included measures to strengthen state power to inspect private detention facilities, prevent coercion in the workplace, and prohibit bail bond agents from enforcing immigration laws. 

Lawmakers put forward the legislation at a time when President Donald Trump is trying to crack down on people crossing into the country illegally and as his administration presses to deport immigrants already in the U.S. without legal authorization. 

Here’s a look at what the new state laws would do. 

Detention centers 

State lawmakers have been pushing for greater transparency at the Northwest ICE Processing Center, a for-profit immigrant detention center in Tacoma. Previous efforts on this front have landed the state in court battles with the company that operates the facility, The GEO Group.

House Bill 1232 is the latest attempt to pave the way for the state’s Department of Health to inspect the Center and enforce compliance with state and federal laws there. 

It establishes additional standards for such facilities in areas like sanitation, ventilation and medical care, along with new safeguards against abuse. 

The bill also expands the definition of private detention facilities to include those run by nonprofit organizations after The GEO Group claimed to be singled out under existing law. The nonprofit Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Facility near Spokane will now join the list of these facilities. 

Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, sponsor of the bill, said she hopes this legislation demonstrates that the state is not targeting a single facility. 

The law is effective immediately. 

Workplace coercion

There is often limited recourse for immigrant workers facing threats or being exploited by their employer. Senate Bill 5104, sponsored by Sen. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, intends to give immigrant workers better tools when facing coercion in the workplace. 

The bill would require the state’s Department of Labor and Industries to investigate complaints of coercion and would allow the agency to impose civil penalties when violations occur.

Coercion differs from retaliation because it happens before an employee raises an issue. Retaliation happens after the employee does so. 

During the complaint process, when a worker files a complaint, the department will notify the employer, but language in the bill was added to make a worker’s personal information confidential to anyone other than the department and the employee. 

“Every Washington worker can and should feel safe to report workplace injustices without fear of coercion or retaliation of any kind,” Ferguson said at the bill signing.

The bill would take effect on July 1. 

Bail bond agents

Following an incident in January during a public meeting in Sunnyside, Wash., a person claiming to be a “bounty hunter” said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would soon use bail bond agents to arrest people in the U.S. without legal authorization and pay them $1,000 for every arrest. ICE had detained two people in Sunnyside around this time.

Senate Bill 5714 would expand the list of unprofessional conduct for bail bond agents to include enforcement of a civil immigration warrant. The Department of Licensing could take disciplinary action against agents found to be in violation.

Bail bond agents already largely lacked the authority to get involved in immigration issues. But Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, said she introduced the bill because “people can operate right on the boundaries.” The law, she said, will provide clarification about those boundaries and the penalties for crossing them. 

It would also prevent agents from sharing a defendant’s immigration status with anyone outside their business. 

The bill would take effect on July 27. 

Other legislation

In addition to the laws the governor signed Monday, the Legislature approved a bill to allow immigrants to use paid sick time for immigration proceedings, which Ferguson signed in April, and a bill to have an expedited pardon process for those facing deportation, which is awaiting the governor’s signature.

Lawmakers also maintained approved funding in the budget for a state program that provides health care coverage that mirrors Medicaid to a limited number of immigrants without legal status. Ferguson has still not signed off on the budget legislation.

Jacqueline Jimenez-Romero is a WSU News Fellow who writes for the Washington State Standard, which originally published this story on May 14, 2025.

Eight people, including two current King County Council members, are vying to become the next King County Executive. The seat is open for the first time in more than a decade after former King County Executive Dow Constantine’s announcement last year that he would not run for reelection.

Earlier this year, Constantine vacated his position before the end of his term to become the new head of Sound Transit. The remainder of his term is being carried out by current King County Executive Shannon Braddock, whom the Council appointed temporarily to fill the seat. At the time of her appointment, Braddock told reporters she would not seek election.

The position is nonpartisan. Top fundraisers in the race so far are Girmay Zahilay ($698,379.27), Claudia Balducci ($552,720.29), John Wilson ($65,214.50) and Amiya Ingram ($6,028.51). Here’s what else to know about the slate of candidates who’ve filed to run.

Claudia Balducci

Balducci sits on the King County Council and has represented District 6 since she was elected in 2015. District 6 includes Bellevue, Kirkland, Mercer Island, the Points Communities and Redmond. Balducci announced her candidacy shortly after Constantine announced he would not run for reelection. Balducci formerly served on the Bellevue City Council and is one of two vice chairs of the Sound Transit board.

Derek Chartrand

Derek Chartrand is a Redmond resident who has worked for Rentar Environmental Solutions, a Florida company that develops technology to help companies save fuel costs and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Chartrand has challenged U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene twice, in 2024 and 2022, running as a Republican.

Bill Hirt

Bill Hirt is a familiar name on area ballots. The Bellevue resident has run for office at least a dozen times, including for governor in 2024, U.S. Senator in 2022, county executive in 2017 and more. This year, he says he will use his statement in the voter guide to bring attention to his criticisms of Sound Transit.

Amiya Ingram

Amiya Ingram is an AI policy strategist at Microsoft. Billing herself as a member of the next generation of leadership, Ingram lists housing, safety, education and small businesses as her campaign priorities.

Don L. Rivers

Don Rivers ran for governor as a Democrat in 2020 and 2024. Rivers has said he has advised elected officials, law enforcement agencies and others and has been a union worker for 50 years.

Rebecca Williamson

Rebecca Williamson is a previous candidate for Seattle City Council. Williamson lists Socialist newspaper The Militant as her campaign website.

John Wilson

Wilson is the King County assessor. He was first elected to that position in 2015. A former journalist who also served as chief of staff under former King County Executive Ron Sims, Wilson said he is prioritizing crime and public safety in his campaign.

Girmay Zahilay

Zahilay, a business attorney who also worked in President Barack Obama’s administration, has served on the County Council since 2020, after defeating longtime Councilmember Larry Gossett. Zahilay ran to the left of Gossett, an influential Seattle civil rights leader. Zahilay, who was born in a refugee settlement in Sudan and grew up in Seattle, represents District 2, which includes much of the eastern portion of Seattle south of the University District as well as Skyway.

The primary this year is Aug. 5.

Also up for election this year are five of the nine King County Councilmember positions, including the seat vacated by newly elected Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove.

Those who have filed to run for County Council are:

District No. 1

• Rod Dembowski

District No. 3

• Sarah Perry
• Rob Wotton

District No. 5

• Ahmad Corner
• Steffanie Fain
• Angela Henderson
• Peter Kwon
• Ryan McIrvin
• Kim-Khanh Van

District No. 7

• Pahaliyah Brown
• Maya Vengadasalam
• Pete von Reichbauer

District No. 9

• Jude Anthony
• Reagan Dunn

Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino, a farmworker and union organizer whose March arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement drew national outcry, will remain in detention after a judge announced Friday that she lacked jurisdiction to release him on bond.

Juarez’s case falls in line with what immigration lawyers have argued is a unique pattern of denying bonds over jurisdiction at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, a Seattle-based immigrant rights group, filed a class-action lawsuit in March to challenge those practices.

“It’s kind of a very complex legal argument, essentially, I don’t think that there’s merit to it,” Juarez’s attorney Larkin VanDerhoef said. “I think it’s very clear. And in fact, the Department of Homeland Security lawyer in the courtroom today also said they agreed there is jurisdiction here. And they’ve been saying that … since the beginning.”

Juarez helped found Familias Unidas por la Justicia, a Burlington-based union representing Indigenous and migrant farmworkers across the state. ICE arrested Juarez in Sedro-Woolley on his way to drop off his partner at work, and later took him to the NWIPC.

Inside the court on Thursday, an attorney for ICE contended Juarez would be a “flight risk.” 

VanDerhoef countered that Juarez has extensive support from community members and elected officials who could testify to his strong community involvement and political advocacy. He has no criminal charges on his record.

Activists called his arrest an act of retaliation for his labor organizing. Familias Unidas political director Edgar Franks said Juarez’s immigration hearing had been set for November until Thursday’s hearing  “sprung out of nowhere.”

Franks said he visited Juarez at the NWIPC a few weeks ago, an experience he described as “stressful” due to concerns he had about Juarez’s mental and physical well-being in ICE detention.

“Lelo still had a good spirit, we were joking around,” he said. “He’s a very caring person, doesn’t yell. … I don’t think I’ve ever even seen him swear.”

Juarez’s hearing also drew a crowd outside of the NWIPC’s gates of supporters and activists from Community to Community Development.

“Alfredo Juarez Zeferino is fearless,” C2C founder Rosalinda Guillen said. “He wouldn’t hide from anything, never have and he never will. So I think that’s the nature of this kind of repression … putting a characteristic to a person based on their color and the work that they do in this community is just blatantly wrong.”

VanDerhoef told Cascade PBS he plans to appeal the decision. 

Caps on yearly rent increases are officially law after Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the contentious bill on Wednesday.

Ferguson, who had remained silent on his position throughout the legislative session, said Wednesday that the new law will be “especially consequential” for Washington residents.  

Under the final version, property owners cannot raise most tenants’ rent by more than 7% plus inflation, not to exceed 10%. For mobile homeowners, increases are capped at 5% every year.

“This is a really positive piece of legislation that will help a really challenging situation for us,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson signed the rent cap bill and nine other housing-related bills at an event at Blake House in Seattle. The other policies included limits to parking minimums, reductions to the permit timeline for new housing and expansions of tax breaks for people who own accessory dwelling units and rent to low-income households.

The rent cap policy passed the House of Representatives 54-44 and the Senate 27-20, with a handful of Democrats voting with Republicans against it. It took a dramatic path through the legislative session, eventually ending up in a version even some of its original backers were hesitant to support. At the start of this session, the policy included a 7% cap on yearly rent increases with no adjustment for inflation.

The bill’s final version includes a host of exemptions for certain types of housing, including dwellings owned by nonprofits, housing that receives federal low-income housing credits, and new construction built in the past 12 years.

Still, supporters say the policy is an important step to help many renters across the state avoid steep unexpected increases. Opponents of the policy say it will stifle new development, which could worsen the state’s housing shortage and increase rents overall.

On Wednesday, Ferguson said that he believes legislators landed on a “balanced approach” with the final version of the policy, adding that it will help keep Washingtonians from being priced out of their homes.

“We’ve got a crisis here in Washington state,” Ferguson said. “Doing things business-as-usual is not going to work.”