Even before being convicted of a crime, Indigenous youth in Washington state are 6.4 times more likely to be kept in detention than white children. www.investigatewest.org/native-ameri...

Gov. Brad Little said in a statement that he's asked the Board of Corrections to look into complaints of sexual abuse uncovered by our reporting. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-leader...

In a letter to Gov. Little, @now4idaho.bsky.social condemned the state’s “shameful” failure to protect women from sexual abuse by prison staff & called for an independent investigation & "immediate" action - prompted by @investigatewest.bsky.social reporting. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-leader...

"In Idaho prisons, more than two dozen women say guards prey on them with little fear of consequences — and those who speak up are often punished." The U.S. is a leader in women's incarceration, and behind bars, women are anything but safe. 🧵

For example: last summer, seven women accused Idaho prison staff of sexual abuse, but criminal probes didn't happen in four of those cases, and police only contacted 1 of the 7 alleged perpetrators. www.investigatewest.org/case-closed-...

39 people died in WA prisons last year, a number that rose during the pandemic. At least three other prisoners died of infections during FY 2024, one of whom was 45 years old. Read this story by @brandonblock.bsky.social - www.investigatewest.org/how-a-wa-pri...

When an alleged domestic abuser in Washington state is ordered to surrender their guns, state law lays out a process to ensure guns are actually turned over. It's straightforward in theory - but people lie. www.investigatewest.org/many-wa-coun...

Idaho incarcerates more women per capita than any other state, driven largely by harsh drug charges with mandatory minimum sentences. The law barring prison staff from sexual contact with inmates has no mandatory minimum - most offenders avoid prison. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-law-ch...

Alex Kuhnhausen developed a bacterial infection while in solitary confinement. The repeated failures that followed offer a rare look at how decisions made by prison officials can turn treatable ailments deadly, @brandonblock.bsky.social reports. www.investigatewest.org/how-a-wa-pri...

Washington state requires certain alleged domestic abusers to surrender their guns, but many counties lack mechanisms to actually verify if guns are turned over, relying on the honor system instead. www.investigatewest.org/many-wa-coun...

Mercer Island School District said it is investigating former English teacher Curtis Johnston hours after InvestigateWest reported how the district had previously dismissed allegations that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a student in 2011 www.investigatewest.org/investigatio...

The teacher was called to an Aug. 2011 personnel meeting over the allegations. The goal, according to school district records: "To protect Curtis and the District." bit.ly/43uI0Ev

Read the story: www.investigatewest.org/allegations-...

InvestigateWest has found that since Idaho State Police took over investigating alleged sex abuse by prison staff, detectives have dismissed evidence, ignored leads and treated survivors as suspects, allowing abusers to escape justice - www.investigatewest.org/case-closed-...

Check out @wbryen.bsky.social on City Cast Boise discussing our series on sexual abuse in Idaho's women's prisons - boise.citycast.fm/podcasts/how...

A woman's decision to report Idaho prison guards who had sexually abused her spurred others to speak out. In a state that incarcerates more women per capita than any other, never before have so many of them spoken up about sexual abuse behind bars www.investigatewest.org/from-one-voi...

"For the next five minutes, the woman listened as four men — a prosecutor, defense attorney, judge and police detective — debated what, exactly, Rogers meant by vagina." Hard to say what's the most shocking part of this @investigatewest.bsky.social series. But this courtroom dialogue is up there.

Idaho's prison sex abuse law only protects inmates when genital contact is involved, making it hard to prosecute prison staff. Even when charges are filed, plea deals allow accused guards to escape prison time while victims serve years for drug offenses, DUIs and parole violations bit.ly/42CqXQE

Running for sheriff in Wahkiakum County, Joshua Grasseth has been accused of domestic violence and found guilty of lying to the police, according to new documents obtained by @investigatewest.bsky.social. www.investigatewest.org/sheriff-cand...

In Washington state, the only requirement for sheriff candidates is that they complete basic law enforcement training within 12 months of taking office www.investigatewest.org/sheriff-cand...

In summer 2024, 7 women accused Idaho prison workers of sexual misconduct. The allegations spanned decades, took place at various facilities and involved different perpetrators. One thread connects the claims: none were thoroughly investigated by state police. www.investigatewest.org/case-closed-...

The Spokane Diocese says there's “overwhelming evidence” to back five women's allegations against the priest — but parishioners question Bishop Thomas Daly’s motivations www.investigatewest.org/allegations-...

Women in Idaho prisons face this reality: The guards who control every aspect of their lives can harass and sexually assault them with confidence that it will be kept quiet. If caught, guards receive a kind of leniency that they could only dream of. www.investigatewest.org/in-idaho-wom...

Today we're excited to share a new series, Guarded by Predators, that we've been working on on for nearly a year investigating how sexual abuse by staff at Idaho's women's prisons has gone largely unchecked - www.investigatewest.org/guarded-by-p...

Oregon Health Authority announced this week that it will no longer pursue the program, pinning their decision on federal changes to Medicaid. www.investigatewest.org/oregon-aband...

Police accountability advocates say his candidacy underscores a larger issue in Washington: The state’s only requirement for sheriff candidates is to complete basic law enforcement training within a year of taking office. www.investigatewest.org/sheriff-cand...

Rape. Abuse. Cover-ups. Inside Idaho’s prisons, guards preyed on women — and the state hid it. "Guarded by Predators," a new series, coming Sunday, Oct. 12, at investigatewest.org. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33K...

Ayúdenos a investigar cómo las órdenes de inmigración de Trump están afectando al noroeste del Pacífico - es.investigatewest.org/help-investi...

In June President Trump froze a program allowing Ukrainian immigrants to temporarily stay and work in the US. Now many must choose between waiting for a government response, working illegally, surviving on charity or leaving America entirely - www.investigatewest.org/ukrainian-im...

InvestigateWest seeks Oregon collaboration partners www.investigatewest.org/investigatew...

A Christian Nationalist-led group with powerful allies in the pulpit and the Pentagon wants to reshape Idaho. Read more from @danielwalters.bsky.social - www.investigatewest.org/for-and-by-c...

Some Washington state judges aren't ordering domestic abusers to turn over their guns, but a recent court ruling could resolve constitutional concerns about a firearm surrender law: www.investigatewest.org/some-washing...

Denys and his family made a new life in Washington away from the chaos of the war in Ukraine. But he and other Ukrainian immigrants are now stuck in limbo after the Trump admin froze a program giving them temporary legal status. bit.ly/47IzFQD

After the maternity ward in Baker City, Oregon closed in 2023, Teela Banister and her husband had to drive nearly an hour to get to a hospital with an obstetrics unit. She ended up giving birth in this car, about halfway to the hospital. investigatewest.org/rural-oregon-t

Seattle activists seeking to preserve the city's tree canopy contend changes to a tree preservation ordinance are driving an escalation in the number of trees being removed by builders. www.investigatewest.org/developers-t...

NEW: Two years into Seattle's updated tree protection ordinance, the number of trees toppled for development escalated markedly in 2025, an analysis of city data shows.

The state levied the seven-figure penalty days after we reported on how regulators failed to take steps to immediately stop the company from releasing more polluted stormwater into the South Yamhill River. www.investigatewest.org/oregon-fine-...

Following our investigation last week, the editorial board of Yamhill County, Oregon's News-Register called for reform and dismissed state officials who claimed to be keeping the public aware of ongoing pollution issues around a water treatment facility. newsregister.com/article?arti...

Outstanding work from @investigatewest.bsky.social: A wood treatment facility on the South Yamhill river in Oregon has polluted a town’s drinking water source for years with a now-banned chemical. State and federal regulators who knew didn't stop it. www.investigatewest.org/oregon-wood-...

NEW: InvestigateWest reporting shows how Oregon regulators kept potential contamination of a town's water supply hidden from the public while failing to take measures to stop a treatment facility from releasing more contaminated water.

UPDATE: Local officials aren’t concerned about accusations of racism against an Idaho sheriff, despite calls for accountability

UPDATE: Mercer Island schools assessing sexual abuse protocols after an investigation by InvestigateWest and the Mercer Island Reporter.

LABOR: 'This is a wonderful way to make six figures saying no’: Retired docs earn millions examining injured Washington workers (via Cascade PBS)

NEW: For some attorneys, the courts’ decisions not to issue firearm surrender orders seem to have more to do with political will than with upholding the law.

Just as bad journalism hurts journalism at large, good journalism — hard-hitting, expensive, ambitious reporting that holds power accountable — raises the bar for everyone.

UPDATE: After InvestigateWest published a story earlier this month, Idaho’s Vallivue School District changed its policy to require officers to run any inquiries from federal immigration authorities past district administrators.

NEW: A new investigation by InvestigateWest reveals that Idaho’s push to ban “sexually provocative” performances was built on a deceptively blurred image, promoted by the state’s leading Christian Nationalist group.