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Soft and juicy and fragile like a fruit, sweets are as synonymous with the Walla Walla Valley as is wine. And they’re federally protected: Only onions grown in the area can officially be sold as a Walla Walla sweet.
‘Nature’s pretty cool’: Local farm winds down Walla Walla sweet onion field as harvest endsThe onions are farmed by about a dozen growers in the Walla Walla Valley, which straddles southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. www.opb.orgAccording to Race Director Stacey Newman Weldon, a kinetic sculpture race is something you have to see to believe. It’s two days of humans steering art vehicles over land and sand, through mud and water. "They’re like Frankenstein bicycles with New Orleans-style floats on top,” Newman Weldon said.
The Graand Kinetic Challenge returns to Corvallis, and racers compete for the gloryThe Graand Kinetic Challenge — spelled that way as a tribute to the spelling of the race’s founder, Raan Young — began in Corvallis in 1993 as a part of a science and arts festival called Da Vinci Days.www.opb.orgThe Art Hop was created by local artist Sarah Bush, who owns Fripp Jewelry and works out of the Pinebox warehouse studio. After years of selling her jewelry online, wholesale, and at markets, Bush realized she most enjoyed welcoming people into her own creative space.
Eugene Warehouse District Art Hop celebrates first anniversaryOn the first Saturday of every month, artists and small businesses across the Warehouse District open their doors, inviting visitors to tour working studios, meet artists and experience everything from live music to pop-up markets.www.opb.orgThe National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of Central and Eastern Oregon on Saturday, as hot and windy conditions pose an extreme wildfire risk for a region already hit hard by multiple large fires.
Dangerous conditions for wildfires in Oregon, as weather officials issue red flag warningParts of Central and Eastern Oregon could see hot and windy conditions on Saturday, increasing the risk of wildfires spreading.www.opb.orgSophie Cunningham says she’s unconcerned that the rallies against transgender participation in women’s sports that have accompanied the Indiana’s Fever’s recent games are a distraction for the WNBA team.
Fever beat Fire 112-98 as rallies over transgender athletes unfold outside Portland’s Moda CenterIndiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in recent interviews. www.opb.orgThis fast-moving Fox Fire led to three days of Level 3 “Go Now!” evacuation of Huntington itself, a town of roughly 500 residents.
3 homes razed, a firefighter hurt and a town spared: Eastern Oregon community faces Fox Fire aftermathLike most people told to evacuate from rural Baker County, Dave Jeter stayed. But as the fire closed in, a sheriff's deputy showed up at his door. www.opb.orgEleven candidates are vying for a longstanding Republican stronghold. They’re running to represent Central Washington state after U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse retires at the end of his current term.
What could happen in the hotly contested Central Washington US House raceCongressman Dan Newhouse, who represents Central Washington in the U.S. House, is retiring. His district is a longstanding Republican stronghold. And now, 11 candidates say they want to take his seat.www.opb.orgRowan told arresting deputies he was “completely sober” after he landed in custody for swerving on Interstate 84 and, ultimately, recorded a 0.19% blood-alcohol level. His arrest occurred May 16, 2025.
Umatilla County sheriff arrested for drunk driving last year broke state policing standards, report saysTerry Rowan’s May 2025 arrest will go before a panel of investigators later this summer.www.opb.orgThe Salem-Keizer School District is the third-largest school district in Oregon, but, like even larger districts, it has seen declining enrollment for several years. On Friday, Salem-Keizer announced a plan to close up to eight elementary schools before the 2027-2028 school year begins.
Salem-Keizer to close up to 8 elementary schools in 2027-2028 school yearThe superintendent of the Salem-Keizer School District announced Friday that the district will be closing as many as 8 elementary schools by the 2027-2028 school year.www.opb.orgAs dozens of wildfires blaze across Oregon, Gov. Tina Kotek is asking federal agencies to release emergency aid to farmers and ranchers impacted by wildfires this summer.
Gov. Kotek seeks federal aid for Oregon farmers, ranchers caught in throes of wildfiresAs dozens of wildfires burn across Oregon, Gov. Tina Kotek is asking federal agencies to release emergency aid to farmers and ranchers caught in the throes of the flames.www.opb.orgThe advocacy group Black Unity helped organize the event, which was one of many similar demonstrations across the country that summer following the killings of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor that year.
Springfield agrees to pay $700,000 settlement over police response to 2020 protestDemonstrators gathered in Springfield’s Thurston area on July 29, 2020 in protest of a noose that was hanging from a tree in a nearby yard.www.opb.org“Whenever there’s gun violence, there is danger to the public,” said Sayles. “It would be reckless of me to say that it’s not. … But we know that this situation was amongst two factions of people, and we’re continuing to look for those individuals involved in [the shooting].”
Seattle police closing in on another suspect in Seattle Center mass shootingSeattle's new Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles, appearing with Mayor Katie Wilson at Friday’s media briefing, promised he would unite the Seattle Police Department after his predecessor resigned days after the shooting.www.opb.org“This is a particularly dangerous situation as extreme fire weather concerns will be present,” the National Weather Service's red flag warning reads. “Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly.”
Red flag warnings issued in Central and Eastern Oregon for SaturdayThe National Weather Service warns that nearly all of Oregon and Washington east of the Cascades could see critical fire weather Saturday.www.opb.orgPortland’s largest electric company is proposing to raise its residential rates by nearly 4% next summer. That means an average household could see its electric utility bill increase by $8.33 a month if Oregon utility regulators approve the request.
Portland General Electric proposes to raise residential rates by nearly 4% next yearPortland's largest electric company says it is investing in technologies to strengthen the grid and asking regulators for a 3.9% rate increase. That means an average household could see its electric utility bill increase by $8.33 a month.www.opb.orgAutonomous underwater vehicles called gliders monitor important oceanographic data like low oxygen levels, which Oregon State University oceanographer Ed Dever said can threaten high-value species like Dungeness crab.
Northwest’s yanked ocean observatories start to return to seaScientists have begun to re-deploy ocean monitoring equipment yanked from Pacific Northwest waters by the Trump administration in September.www.opb.orgSouthern Oregon University has adopted a budget it says will put it in the black through fiscal year 2029.
In fiscal crisis, Southern Oregon University adopts budget to plan for major cutsThe institution's almost $90 million budget was approved Wednesday night and relies on $15 million in emergency state funding to ensure revenues are greater than expenses.www.opb.orgJust weeks after opening a brand new $40 million engineering hub, Daimler Truck, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, said it will move truck manufacturing out of Portland. The move will affect 375 Portland-area employees. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Daimler to move truck manufacturing from Portland to CarolinasThe company said about 375 of 3,000 Portland area employees will be affected.www.opb.orgJosefina — one of the family members, who was five months pregnant at the time — asked officials for help because the cell was so hot that she was getting dizzy and had trouble breathing. Eventually, she had to be taken to a hospital.
Washington ACLU sues feds after asylum-seeking family was held in windowless cell for 4 weeksThe ACLU of Washington, along with 17 other state affiliates, filed a series of claims against federal immigration officials for damages to immigrants — and U.S. citizens — who have faced physical and emotional damage due to recent enforcement efforts.www.opb.orgA fire weather watch for Saturday has expanded to cover nearly all of Oregon and Washington east of the Cascades.
Fire weather watch expands in Central and Eastern OregonThe National Weather Service warns that nearly all of Oregon and Washington east of the Cascades could see critical fire weather Saturday.www.opb.org