Friday, May 20
Drought likely to persist across most of Northwest
While a cool and wet spring has aided drought recovery in parts of the Northwest, climate experts in Oregon, Washington and Idaho say conditions remain critically dry in other areas with little chance of bouncing back before summer. Nearly 70% of the region is in some stage of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with 20% in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought, the two driest categories. The most severe drought continues to be in central and southern Oregon, eastern Washington and southern Idaho. In contrast, all of western Washington and Oregon’s Willamette Valley were pulled out of drought thanks to record April rainfall. Continue reading at the Capital Press. (Ryan Brennecke/EO Media Group)
Here’s how abortion clinics are preparing for Roe to fall
Leaders of a Tennessee abortion clinic calculated driving distances and studied passenger rail routes as they scanned the map for another place to offer services if the U.S. Supreme Court lets states restrict or eliminate abortion rights. They chose Carbondale in Illinois — a state that has easy abortion access but is surrounded by more restrictive states in the Midwest and South. It will be the southernmost clinic in Illinois when it opens in August. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald.
As interest rates rise, WA preps state-run student loan program
As the federal government debates student loan forgiveness and increases interest rates on future loans, the Washington State Legislature is stepping in to make borrowing for school more affordable for students here. Gov. Jay Inslee in March signed House Bill 1736, establishing a low-interest student loan program to make higher education more manageable for college students in Washington. State Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, who sponsored the legislation, has pushed this idea in the past. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Paul Christian Gordon for Crosscut)
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