Jessica Robinson

Fairchild Loses First Round In Competition For Tankers

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:31:26 +0000

People living near Fairchild Air Force Base say they’re not worried by news they won’t get a brand new fleet of Boeing-built Air Force refueling tankers. The Air Force made the announcement Wednesday following a process that pitted Spokane against other other communities around the country.

McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas got the nod to be the first to house the new KC-46A refueling tankers. That dismayed Washington Sen.

School Brings Back Swim Requirement After Pool Tragedy

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:55:55 +0000

A tragedy in Wenatchee, Wash., is prompting educators there to bring back a high school aquatics program. Starting this fall, high school freshmen in the central Washington city will have to demonstrate they know how to swim.

Formal swimming lessons in Wenatchee had gone by the wayside, as is frequently the case lately in public schools.

Boise Man Arrested On Terrorism Charges

Jessica Robinson — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:44:14 +0000

Federal agents arrested a man in Idaho Thursday suspected of conspiring to support a terrorist organization in Central Asia. Thirty-year-old Fazliddin Kurbanov is from Uzbekistan and lives in Boise.

Two federal grand juries – one in Idaho and one in Utah – handed down a total of four terrorism-related charges against Kurbanov. Federal authorities say he attempted to help the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan with money and computer software between August 2012 and May 2013.

Federal Sequester Turns Employment Workers Into Job Seekers

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:47:20 +0000

In the next couple of months, many employment office workers in the Northwest will join the unemployed. State labor agencies are having to make cutbacks in staffing. It's due to a combination of the economy getting better and federal budget cuts known as the “sequester” setting in.

Staffing at the local employment office usually moves in the exact opposite direction as the rest of the economy.

Northwest Town Rides Ups And Downs Of "Broken" Immigration System

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:15:00 +0000

BREWSTER, Wash. - There's one word that politicians almost always use when they talk about the U.S. immigration system. That word is “broken.” But what does that really mean? Residents of the small town of Brewster, Wash., know. For decades, immigrants have come from Mexico, often illegally, to work the surrounding apple and cherry orchards.

Study: Private Prisons Lead To Fewer Jobs

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:04:21 +0000

Researchers say the economic benefits of prisons often don't materialize for rural communities. That's according to a new paper by Northwest sociologists. In fact, they found communities with private prisons fare worse than they did before.

Washington State University sociologist Gregory Hook says rural areas that opt to build prisons, even courting them with tax breaks, have one main goal in mind: jobs.

“You know, you look across the way and you say 'Oh there's a prison.

Silver Boom Brings Historic Sunshine Mine Back Online

Jessica Robinson — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:58:32 +0000

The high price of silver is bringing one of the Northwest's oldest silver mines back online. The Sunshine Mine in north Idaho is known for one of the worst mining disasters in the nation’s history. It will resume production in late 2014.

The new owner, Sunshine Silver Mines Corp., bought the mine after the previous owner went bankrupt. It happened just in time for silver prices to hit $30 an ounce, and mostly stayed there.

Search For Victims Lives On After Killer's Death

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:50:32 +0000

SPOKANE, Wash. - In December, a suspected serial killer from Washington killed himself in a jail cell in Anchorage, Alaska. Israel Keyes’ suicide abruptly halted progress into uncovering one of the widest-ranging serial killing sprees in the U.S.

Now, the FBI is trying to piece together exactly what he did. Investigators are struggling to connect seemingly random dots that they hope will lead them to other victims.

In February of 2012, Israel Keyes murdered Samantha Koenig.

Landing One Job No Longer Sufficient For Many In Idaho

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:51:11 +0000

POST FALLS, Idaho - Personal incomes took a hit in the economic downturn across the nation. But according to the latest figures, no state has lower median earnings than Idaho.

A few years ago, James Drennen and his family left Lancaster, Penn., to start a new life in north Idaho.

“We figured we could come out here and live on a whole lot less money and my wife could stay home," he says.

Northwest Wheat Growers Hope For Resolution At Grain Terminals

Jessica Robinson — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:58:22 +0000

Northwest wheat growers are hoping for a swift resolution to a labor dispute that could keep their grain from reaching the world market. Grain terminals remain open in Portland, Vancouver and Seattle, even though the terminals' owners have implemented a contract offer unionized longshoremen rejected.

Most of the wheat that grows on the rolling hills of eastern Washington is bound for the international market.