These reforms could improve accountability for Washington teachers accused of sexual misconduct: www.investigatewest.org/these-reform...

SPJ Western Washington has announced the winners of the first-ever Evergreen State A‑Mark Award for Investigative Reporting. I was honored to be one of five judges and to read such impactful work from journalists across the state. Learn more via @spjwash.bsky.social: www.spjwash.org/2026/05/ever...

Washington was the first to enact “Don’t Pass the Trash” legislation two decades ago, but gaps remain. These reforms could hold more Washington teachers accountable for sexual misconduct - www.investigatewest.org/these-reform...

A girl caught in a custody battle said she was raped. The court-appointed investigator didn’t believe her. www.investigatewest.org/a-girl-caugh...

Idaho's incarceration rate is rising. As state prisons are running out of room, they've sent some women to "the hole" for temporary housing. www.investigatewest.org/overflowing-...

Oregon prosecutors said she didn’t protect her baby. She says she was surviving abuse. www.investigatewest.org/prosecutors-...

When a child caught in a custody battle said she was raped, the court-appointed investigator didn’t believe her. Though a Washington judge later found the investigator failed at her job, by then, the child’s mother said, the damage had already been done. www.investigatewest.org/a-girl-caugh...

As Idaho prisons run out of room, some inmates with good behavior have been sent to segregated housing - small cells that are usually reserved as punishment. “They’re treating us like we’re in trouble when we haven’t done anything." www.investigatewest.org/overflowing-...

Loopholes and failed investigations allowed a former Henry M. Jackson High School teacher to skirt accountability. From our partners @investigatewest.bsky.social

A review of thousands of text messages and investigation documents shows how school leaders and law enforcement failed to recognize and properly investigate common sexual grooming behaviors as the teacher grew closer and closer to the student. www.investigatewest.org/an-everett-t...

Text messages and investigation documents show how Everett Public Schools leaders and law enforcement failed to recognize and properly investigate common sexual grooming behaviors as the teacher grew closer and closer to the student. www.investigatewest.org/an-everett-t...

🏅The finalists for the Maynard award are Danielle Ohl, Spotlight PA, The Cost of Failing; Whitney Bryen and Wilson Criscione, InvestigateWest, Guarded by Predators 🏅

Owyhee County, Idaho is among hundreds of local law enforcement agencies getting paid by the Department of Homeland Security to help enforce immigration law - www.investigatewest.org/rural-idaho-...

Idaho law previously only protected inmates if the abuse included genital contact. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-legisl...

Washington courts appointed guardians ad litem to 7,000+ family law cases since 2020 to investigate how domestic violence and other issues impact kids. But there’s little independent oversight of the role: www.investigatewest.org/washington-c...

The new law expands the definition of unlawful sexual contact between prison staff and inmates, after InvestigateWest reported on how the previous state law made it difficult to punish prison guards for sexual abuse. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-legisl...

How effective are Portland’s sanctuary city policies when ICE can track and surveil immigrant communities with ease? @fi2w.org reports - www.investigatewest.org/surveilled-a...

Immigration attorneys, like Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock of @nilc.org, say they've seen detention derail what would otherwise be straightforward asylum cases — and even push people to give up their cases to avoid lengthy stays in detention centers. www.investigatewest.org/i-was-trying...

The reforms come roughly 2 ½ years after InvestigateWest’s “Cruelest Lie” series exposed child abuse and neglect at youth residential facilities. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-passes...

The Franklin County Sheriff is the second sheriff in the state to sign up for an ICE task force agreement - the most involved and controversial cooperative agreement because it allows local police to stop people to check their immigration status. www.investigatewest.org/franklin-she...

InvestigateWest reporters bring high-impact watchdog journalism to the Pacific Northwest and collaborate with other newsrooms to bring you stories that might otherwise go untold. On this inaugural Local News Day, show your support: www.investigatewest.org/donate

In many Washington counties, these family court investigators have limited training, aren’t required to have a professional license and have little independent oversight. But these reforms could help. www.investigatewest.org/washington-c...

@investigatewest.bsky.social examined the enforcement challenges and shortfalls in cases of domestic-violence-related firearm confiscations.

Former residents of an Oregon homeless encampment said when they called the Forest Service to reclaim belongings, their calls went unanswered, appointments never happened or they weren't given enough time to gather belongings. www.investigatewest.org/oregon-homel...

A bill that would make it easier for prosecutors to charge prison staff accused of sexually abusing inmates passed the Idaho Senate on Tuesday and is now awaiting final approval from Gov. Brad Little. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-legisl...

Washington courts appoint guardians ad litem to look out for kids' interests in custody cases, especially when abuse or domestic violence is alleged. But there’s little independent oversight of these court investigators, and discipline is rare. www.investigatewest.org/washington-c...

Asylum seekers whose cases are before an immigration court can’t be deported until their case has been decided. But a growing number of asylum seekers are being detained for allegedly missing immigration check-ins - often without evidence of those violations. https://ow.ly/krcq50Yx6np

Idaho lawmakers ordered an independent probe into how the state handles allegations of sexual abuse by Idaho prison staff. It comes after InvestigateWest exposed misconduct allegations against dozens of women's prison guards. https://ow.ly/YLYh50Yx6mc

Wilfredo Castillo was detained at what he thought was a routine appointment for his asylum case. During the 11 months he spent in detention, Castillo was stabbed by another detainee and struggled to collect evidence to back his asylum claims. www.investigatewest.org/i-was-trying...

ICE is now increasingly detaining asylum seekers for allegedly missing required appointments and check-ins on a phone app — often without providing evidence, according to lawyers and a review of federal court rulings. www.investigatewest.org/i-was-trying...

Lawmakers ordered the audit after InvestigateWest uncovered sexual misconduct allegations against dozens of women’s prison guards that were inconsistently tracked, frequently dismissed without a thorough investigation and rarely prosecuted. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-lawmak...

School leaders received numerous reports that former high school English teacher Curtis Johnston was “dating” a student but failed to intervene, complaint says www.investigatewest.org/former-stude...

Former prosecutors say Idaho’s narrow definition of illegal sexual contact between prison staff and inmates is partly why accountability for guards accused of sexual abuse — even when a guard seemingly confesses to it — remains rare. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-lawmak...

Today's the start of our spring fundraising campaign! In 2026, we’re working as hard as ever to meet the growing needs of underserved communities. How do we do more? Only with your help. Your gift today sets us up strong for another year of telling truth to power. www.investigatewest.org/donate

The bill died after it was amended to remove any mandatory inspection requirements. It faced opposition from law enforcement groups and city and county officials. www.investigatewest.org/bill-to-esta...

Join us and @investigatewest.bsky.social on March 12 to learn how to find police employment and misconduct data in Idaho, Oregon and Washington — and how to use it in real accountability reporting. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

A Washington state database tracks teachers that have faced discipline for alleged misconduct, but doesn't say why educators lost their license. So we made a database filling in some of those blanks: www.investigatewest.org/these-washin...

Less than four months after @investigatewest.bsky.social used public records to expose alleged sexual misconduct by dozens of Idaho prison guards, state agencies will now conceal information about officers’ employment histories.

NEW: After @investigatewest.bsky.social used records from the IDOC & POST Council to report on sexual abuse in Idaho prisons, and @invisible.institute published police employment history data in the state, authorities are now changing policies to conceal both sources of information from the public.

Idaho’s prison system will no longer release information about whether an officer retired, resigned or was fired. It comes after we used those records to expose alleged sexual misconduct by dozens of prison guards. w/ the @invisible.institute - www.investigatewest.org/idaho-record...

157 teachers, or nearly 45% of all teachers who appear in the database since 2015, voluntarily surrendered their licenses, shielding their files — and misconduct — from public view. https://ow.ly/K8M450YgJlo

Federal judges in Washington ruled that the government violated immigrants’ due process rights in more than half of cases so far. But the rulings have not deterred the Department of Homeland Security from spending millions on detention beds and attorneys. https://ow.ly/nKtE50YgJhf

Two Colville citizens, both moms, died in jail awaiting trial after complaining of opioid withdrawal symptoms. Their families say the Okanogan County jail repeatedly failed to provide appropriate care for opioid withdrawal and suicide prevention. https://ow.ly/9n7X50Ye6sb

Birth workers said they see missed opportunities in the healthcare system to get pregnant people connected to substance use treatment and other support that can help them have healthier births www.investigatewest.org/birth-worker...

“There continues to be barriers for people with opioid use disorder to receive the care that they want and should get.” — Mandy Owens, Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute at UW. Part of UW Psychiatry and @uwmedicine.bsky.social @investigatewest.bsky.social reports on opioid treatment in WA jails.

We analyzed a decade's worth of cases from a Washington teacher misconduct database and found 46% involved sexual misconduct.But the records available in a public-facing database are limited, and shroud details of some of the most troubling cases. www.investigatewest.org/wa-agency-di...

An Oregon town is stepping up testing of the river that supplies some of its drinking water after concerns about a local wood treater's releases of stormwater tainted with toxic preservatives. https://ow.ly/SNsC50Ye1HF

For my latest story I reviewed over 100 cases where immigrants challenged their ICE detention in federal court in Washington. In most of those cases, judges determined ICE was holding people illegally.

License plate images are hypothetically in everybody’s hands after a WA judge ruled they are a public record - raising debate among transparency advocates, sheriffs and civil rights groups about how much access is too much https://ow.ly/nWBP50Ye18u

Immigrants are increasingly turning to federal district courts to challenge their detentions. In 2025, Washington federal judges ruled that the government violated immigrants’ due process rights in more than half of cases so far. www.investigatewest.org/rulings-foun...