Mossback Mossback's Northwest: Roll on, Columbia! From its beginnings at a bucolic Canadian lake to shipwreck dangers at its mouth, the Columbia River has defined the region's history and culture. by Knute Berger / April 3, 2025
News Tokitae’s death surfaced orcas’ complicated history in the PNW The death of the whale at a Miami amusement park just before her planned release highlighted the species’ fraught relationship with humans. by Knute Berger / December 4, 2023
Environment Podcast | How a wayward whale foretold decades of exploitation People flocked to see a young orca lost in a river near Portland. Then she was killed, pickled and left in a tank on a mountainside. by Knute Berger & Stephen Hegg / April 14, 2023
Environment In 1931, an orca swam to Portland — and caused a stir A recent beluga whale sighting had Puget Sound agog. It wasn't the first time a whale visited a Northwest city. by Knute Berger / October 29, 2021
Opinion 50 years later, the fight for Pike Place Market resonates Once cast as an obstacle to a more modern Seattle, the downtown destination has become the kind of multi-layered urban environment we strive for. by Knute Berger / October 21, 2021 / Updated at 10:16 a.m.
Opinion We’re living in the age of the megafire We have a long history of wildfire in the PNW. But megafires are a new thing entirely. by Knute Berger / October 13, 2021
Culture In Seattle, public health resisters have always pushed back From sewage to milk to vaccinations, naysayers have always obstructed mandates and measures. by Knute Berger / September 21, 2021
Opinion The legacy of racism built into Northwest highways and roads From the Oregon Trail to the Lake Washington Bridge, transportation infrastructure has often driven growth while promoting exclusion. by Knute Berger / April 27, 2021
Culture From art to infrastructure, the New Deal shaped Seattle’s future Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan takes inspiration from the massive public works effort that helped shape the Emerald City, and America, for generations. by Knute Berger / April 6, 2021
Culture Mossback’s Northwest: The ancient bison hunters of the San Juans The discovery of 14,000-year-old bones on Orcas Island means humans were BBQing a lot earlier than previously thought. by Knute Berger & Stephen Hegg / January 8, 2021