Public News Service

Workers harvest a field before the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. (Jeff Huth/Adobe Stock)

Friday, April 19, 2024

Annual farmworkers march supports WA tulip harvesters

An annual march for farmworkers' rights is being held Sunday in northwest Washington. This year, marchers are focusing on the conditions for local …

Laborers marked a decade of Farmworkers Tribunals in Olympia in 2023. (Community to Community Development)

Farmworkers Tribunal provides 'critical' platform in Olympia

Washington state farmworkers are converging on Olympia this week to call for better working conditions. The 11th annual Farmworkers Tribunal is …

Farmworkers have organized in the Bellingham area every year since Honesto Silva Ibarra died in 2017. (Community to Community Development)

Walk Remembers Farmworker's Death, Hiroshima Bombing

An event is being held this weekend to honor a farmworker who died on the job in Bellingham. It also coincides with the anniversary of the dropping …

Ilwaco, Wash., is a town in the state's southwest corner with a population of about 1,000. (Bob/Adobe Stock)

Congress Holds Hearing on Challenges for Rural Small Businesses

Rural small business owners are testifying before Congress on Wednesday about the unique challenges they face. Josh Phillips, owner of Spawn Fly …

Controlled burns were part of the practices of the indigenous people to Washington state for maintaining the landscape. (heidi/Adobe Stock)

Prescribed Burns Bring Back Natural Way to Maintain WA Landscape

Wildfire season has arrived in Washington state, but prescribed burns during other parts of the year could help reduce the impact of the most …

States across the country are working to bring broadband to rural areas. (Pink Badger/Adobe Stock)

State Grants Bring High Speed Internet to Rural Washingtonians

State grants could bring high-speed internet access to nearly 15,000 Washingtonians. The State Broadband Office is awarding $121 million to 19 …

Washington state implemented rules to prevent farmworkers from the hot summer weather. (Armstrong Photo/Adobe Stock)

WA Workers March Ahead of May Day

Workers in Washington state are holding a march this weekend ahead of May Day, which commemorates the workers' rights movement around the world…

Overtime pay for Washington state farmworkers began phasing in starting in 2022. (Oksana Perkins/Adobe Stock)

Overtime Gains for WA Farmworkers Threatened in Olympia

Legislation in Olympia would roll back recent gains farmworkers have made to receive overtime pay in Washington state. Senate Bill 5476 would allow …

Sunburned apples hurt their quality and can lead to a 40% yield loss. (Guzel/Adobe Stock)

Extreme Heat Prompts NW Farmers to Consider Climate-Change Mitigation

By Michael Crowe for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washingon News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

Washington and five other states accounted for half of the H-2A jobs certified in 2021. (F Armstrong Photo/Adobe Stock)

Farmworkers Tour WA to Demand Better Labor Conditions

Farmworkers are touring Washington state to call for better conditions in agriculture. The union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, based in northwest …

Wildfires near farms in Whatcom and Skagit counties have made work in the fields hazardous for workers. (Alfredo Juarez)

Amid Wildfires, Heat, WA Farmworkers Call for Greater Protections

Washington state farmworkers are facing harsh conditions in the midst of wildfires and late-summer heat. They're calling for greater protections from …

The timber industry has nearly disappeared in Washington state in the past three decades, creating challenges for communities. (Leslie C Saber/Adobe Stock)

$1 Billion Pilot Program from Congress Aims to Help Distressed Communities

A program approved by Congress aims to give rural Washington communities a boost when applying for federal dollars. The CHIPS Act, passed last …

Residents of Bellingham, Wash., studied other cities' immigrant resource centers and have proposed one for Whatcom County. (CascadeCreatives/Adobe Stock)

Call for Immigrant Resource Center on Anniversary of WA Farmworker Death

People in northwest Washington are holding a vigil at Bellingham City Hall for an immigrant farmworker who died five years ago, and calling for a …

Save the Children's elementary school-age literacy programs reached more than 12,500 children across rural America, including in Washington state. (Save the Children)

Ed Program Helps WA Kids Falling Behind from School Disruptions

School disruptions from the pandemic have threatened to leave Washington students behind, but there are efforts to ensure they stay on track…

Visitors to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April might also notice workers with picket signs, protesting working conditions in the tulip fields. (Community to Community Development)

Tulips Aren't Blooming for Farmworkers in WA's Skagit Valley

The tulips in Skagit Valley may be blooming, but the farmworkers tending to them say there are serious issues with working conditions. About 70 …

Radio Tierra has been on the air in the Columbia River Gorge since 2004. (yooranpark/Adobe Stock)

Bilingual Station Keeps Columbia Gorge Farmworkers Up to Date

A unique radio station in the Columbia River Gorge provides information in English and Spanish, on topics ranging from the environment to immigration…

Puget Sound Agrarian Commons started in 2020 after a gift of land from Caroline Gardener on Whidbey Island. (Northwest Meadowscapes)

Land Trust Agreement Provides Step Toward Food Justice in WA

CORRECTION: A description of this land has been changed to "land trust agreement," rather than "leased farmland." (1:19 p.m. PST, Feb 22, 2022) A 99-…

Puget Sound Agrarian Commons' property on Whidbey Island is about an hour north of Seattle. (Northwest Meadowscapes)

WA Project Aims to Reshape Access to Farmland

WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. - A farming project on a Puget Sound island is looking to reshape agriculture and access to land. The nonprofit Agrarian …

Work of WA Artist Who Depicted Farmworkers' Lives Recognized

LA CONNER, Wash. - The exhibit of an artist who depicted the lives of farmworkers in northwest Washington has been recognized for its quality…

Washington state farmworker Honesto Silva Ibarra died in hot conditions in 2017. (Edgar Franks)

In Olympia, Calls for Greater Safeguards Against Heat for Farmworkers

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Farmworkers are in Olympia today, calling for stronger protections from extreme heat. The farmworkers union Familias Unidas por la …

Washington state produces 70% of the country's apples. (Michele Benoy Westmorland, Danita Delimont/Adobe Stock)

In Heat Wave's Wake, WA Advocates Call for Farmworker Protections

SEATTLE - Washington state farmworkers were among the most vulnerable during the Northwest's deadly heat wave. As the state feels more effects from …

Washington state has classified farm and agriculture workers as essential during the pandemic. (JackF/Adobe Stock)

Farmworker Groups Concerned Citizenship Bill Favors Growers

SEATTLE -- The U.S. House has passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, setting up a path to citizenship for immigrant farmworkers, but some …

Washington state is expecting more wildfires as the effects from climate change get worse. (Chris/Adobe Stock)

WA Bill on Equitable Climate Response Nears Finish Line

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The impacts from climate change fall disproportionately on some people, but a bill in the Washington state Legislature aims to put …

Farmworkers can work 80-hour weeks, but aren't eligible for overtime pay. (David/Adobe Stock)

Farmworkers Could Get Overtime Pay Under WA Bill

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington state farmworkers could be poised to receive overtime pay under a measure in the Legislature. Senate Bill 5172 would …

Some Seattle restaurants secure their salmon supplies months in advance, to ensure they can serve this iconic Northwest fish. (Aldo/Adobe Stock)

NW Infrastructure Plan Could Bolster WA Restaurants

SEATTLE -- If the Pacific Northwest has a taste, it's for the region's salmon, but as the iconic fish species dwindles, it also effects a food chain …

Workers are on strike at four of the six fruit packing warehouses in Yakima Valley. (Shauri Tello)

Marchers Mark Yakima Warehouse Packer's Death to COVID-19

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Workers in Yakima's fruit packing warehouses are mourning the loss of a colleague to COVID-19. The virus has hit Yakima County …

Researchers at Washington State University are studying a protein that could make plants more tolerant to drought. (Scott/Adobe Stock)

WA Research Could Help Crops Endure Climate Change

SPOKANE, Wash. - Researchers at Washington State University may have found a way to help crops adapt to a warming climate. Phytologist Karen …

Workers at seven fruit-packing companies in the Yakima Valley are on strike. (Edgar Franks/Familias Unidas por la Justicia)

WA Farm, Fruit-Packing Workers in Fight for Health Protections

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Farm and fruit-packing workers are considered essential. And in Washington state, they're roiled in struggles for better working …

Some farmworkers say they've struggled to get access to protective gear to keep working safely during the pandemic. (littlewolf1989/Adobe Stock)

WA Farmworkers Feel 'Forgotten' During COVID-19 Crisis

SEATTLE -- Many farmworkers in Washington state say they feel left behind and in the dark in the coronavirus pandemic. Considered essential …

Nonprofit contractors that hire farmworkers would have to comply with farm labor laws under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate. (Kakisky/Morguefile)

Advocates Applaud State Senate Passage of Farmworker Rights Bill

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Farmworker advocacy groups say a bill on farmworkers' rights that just passed the state Senate is a good first step. SB 6261 …

Lawmakers in Olympia are considering a bill that would regulate water-rights sales to water banks. (Steve Voght/Flickr)

WA Lawmakers Look to Dampen Water-Use Price Gouging

OLYMPIA, Wash -- Washington state lawmakers are taking up an issue that has vexed western states for decades - how to manage water resources…

Farmworkers were at the State Capitol in Olympia this week, pushing for an update to the Washington Farm Labor Contractor Act. (Community to Community Development)

WA Bill Would Update Protections for Farmworkers on Contract

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The landscape for farms and farmworkers has changed significantly in the past 70 years, so farm workers' advocates want the …

A bill in Congress would protect the Olympic Peninsula's Queets River. (Sam Beebe/Flickr)

Bill to Keep Olympics 'Wild' Passes Out of House Committee

ABERDEEN, Wash. – A bill a decade in the making to protect parts of the Olympic National Forest passed out of committee in Congress yesterday…

A bill creating a path to legal status for farmworkers would also require farms to adopt E-Verify, a controversial system used to check employment eligibility. (ablokhin/Adobe Stock)

WA Farmworkers: Congress' Path-to-Citizenship Bill Flawed

SEATTLE – Farm-industry leaders are cheering a bill in Congress that would provide a path to legal status for the workers they hire. But those …

The Tilth Alliance, its Seattle community garden seen above, is bringing together farmers and farmworkers in Yakima this weekend. (CAJC: in the PNW/Flickr)

Farmers Meet Up in WA as Harvest Season Winds Down

YAKIMA, Wash. – Washingtonians who work the land to provide their neighbors with food are coming together, as the production season slows down…

Community to Community Development helped pass legislation in Washington state this year that provides more oversight to a federal guest-worker program. (Community to Community Development)

WA Grassroots Immigrant Rights Group 'Making the Road by Walking'

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A unique grassroots organization that supports immigrant and farmworkers' rights in Washington state is celebrating 15 …

The Farmworker March for Dignity will start at a Customs and Border Patrol station in Ferndale, Wash. (Edgar Franks/Community to Community Development)

Farmworkers March for Dignity in Northern WA

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Farmworkers and their supporters are marching in northern Washington this weekend. Environmental and racial justice groups …

WA Farmworkers Strike Over Intimidation, Threats

MATTAWA, Wash. – Workers on a farm in south central Washington state have gone on strike over what they see as threats from management to meet …

Alliances between rural communities and Native tribes have sprung up across the West and Midwest to protect local lands and waters. (Zolt�n Grossman)

'Unlikely Alliance' of Native, Rural Americans Defends Environment

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Native American and non-Native communities have joined forces across the country to form what could be the base of a new …

A southern Washington community is managing nearby forestland. (Jeff Hollett/Flickr)

Wash. Forest Bill Would 'Empower' Local Communities

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill in the Washington State Legislature could give communities more control over local forests. Senate Bill 5873 would …

Farmworkers will discuss workplace retaliation and health hazards from pesticide use at the Farmworker Tribunal in Olympia on Monday. (Community to Community Development)

Farmworker Tribunal Sets Legislative Agenda from 'Bottom Up'

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Farmworkers will be in Olympia next week to discuss workplace conditions. For the sixth year, laborers from across the state of …

Washington state farmworkers testified in favor of a bill to give more oversight to a federal guest worker program this week. (Community 2 Community Development)

Wash. Bill on Guest-Worker Program Oversight Moves Ahead

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington state lawmakers have advanced a bill that would give more oversight to the federal guest farmworker program…

Washington state expects 30,000 guest workers from the H-2A program this year. (Brenda Bentley/Community to Community Development)

Legislation Could Bring More Oversight to Guest Farmworker Program

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A measure in the Washington State Legislature would establish more oversight for a federal program that allows farms to …

The Yakima Valley Farm Worker's Clinic provides a safe place for 1,400 young people in eastern Washington to go after school. (Yakima Valley Farm Worker's Clinic)

Youth Program Advocates Make Their Case to WA Legislature

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Advocates for youth development and learning programs outside the classroom will be in Olympia on Tuesday. One priority is …

The Washington Legislature has funded a pilot program to turn the Chimacum Ridge into a community forest. (Courtesy of Phil Vogelzang)

Community Forest Provides Example of Wash. Carbon Fee's Potential

CHIMACUM, Wash. – Under the carbon fee initiative on the November ballot, part of the revenue collected from large carbon polluters would be …

Only about 7,500 marbled murrelets remain in Washington state. (ALAN SCHMIERER/Flickr)

Groups Want Washington to Go Further to Protect Murrelets

SEATTLE — Washington state is asking for public comments on seven alternatives for conserving marbled murrelets - seabirds that nest in the Nort…

Some farmworkers' rights groups say the H-2A work visa program is exploitive. (Edgar Franks/Community to Community Development)

Wash. Groups March One Year After Farmworker's Death

LYNDEN, Wash. – This weekend, marchers are honoring the one-year anniversary of a farmworker's death in northern Washington. On Sunday, faith…

Washington joins six other states asking a federal court to overturn the EPA's decision not to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos. (jetsandzeppelins/Flickr)

Final Arguments in Court on EPA's Refusal to Ban Dangerous Pesticide

SEATTLE — Labor, civil rights and public health groups, as well as seven states, will make their final arguments in court today challenging the …

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PNS Daily Newscast - April 19, 2024

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WA: Rural/Farming