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Articles from the March 28, 2024 edition


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  • Big-rig parking shortage across the US spells juggernaut problems

    Stacker, Cassidy Grom, Data Work By Emma Rubin|Updated Mar 28, 2024

    You may have seen them precariously parked alongside highway ramps or clustered in big-box store parking lots. There are millions of big-rig trucks on United States roadways daily, and often, there is nowhere to park them overnight or during mandated driver breaks. In a Federal Highway Administration survey of more than 11,000 drivers, almost every (98%) driver responded that they have problems finding safe parking, with nearly 3 in 4 drivers reporting it is a regular problem...

  • April Fools' Day: The roots of our silliest holiday

    Stacker, Andrea Vale|Updated Mar 28, 2024

    People have always been stymied about the origins of April Fools' Day, dating all the way back to the late Middle Ages (as far as academics could confidently say). In 1760, the parody periodical Poor Robin's Almanac astutely asked a question on everyone's mind, including the line: "The First of April some do say/ Is set apart for all Fool's Day/ But why the people call it so/ Nor I nor they themselves do know." From its origins—whether in Ancient Rome, medieval England, or Ren...

  • ZIP codes that have donated the most money to Donald Trump this year

    Stacker, Elena Cox|Updated Mar 28, 2024

    The 2024 presidential election is underway, and voters are getting ready to choose between two familiar candidates. President Joe Biden is once again set to face former president Donald J. Trump, and both teams are fighting for every available vote—and every campaign dollar. So far this year, Trump has raised $403,415 from individual donors. The amount is a far cry from the more than $75 million he received before the 2016 general election; however, that's mostly due to the l...

  • Small farms declining

    Madilynne Clark, Washington Policy Center|Updated Mar 28, 2024

    Farm numbers across the U.S. are dwindling and the mountain states are no exception. Our country lost 7% of farms from 2017-2022, and all of the mountain states were above the national average. As a farmer in the region, I understand the stress of this profession, and if our country continues on its current trajectory our region's agricultural future looks bleak – more consolidation and less food security. From 2017-2022, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming all experienced a decrease in the total number of farms. Wyoming s...

  • Torres' Senate Bill 5780 signed into law

    Franklin Connectino|Updated Mar 28, 2024

    OLYMPIA - A bill sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres to help improve public defenders and prosecuting attorneys has been signed into law. Senate Bill 5780 was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 26. "Our state has a public-safety crisis, and reducing the lawlessness in our communities must be one of the Legislature's top priorities," Torres, R-Pasco, said after the signing. "My measure to increase training for public defenders and prosecutors will go a long way toward...