Daily Digest: Cascadia's economy kicks butt, people are killing more wolves, Seattle artist wins Pulitzer
Good morning! Welcome to your daily dose of news, environmental reporting, and culture from across the Cascadia bioregion. If you're new to this email newsletter, sign up for a free subscription. And if you like what you're reading, please help support me for just $5/month. Thanks!
Cascadia's economy kicks ass
Seattle Times business columnist Jon Talton, notes that in his first four months in office, Trump "has alienated our neighbor to the north and signed executive orders hurting Washington and Oregon," and observes that the "Cascadia movement is gaining urgency." Talton focuses on the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, a collaboration between governmental, higher education and corporate leaders in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to better cooperate and discuss projects like regional high speed rail. He notes that the combined economies of Oregon and Washington total $1.1 trillion, and if you add on British Columbia, the total GDP is $1.396 trillion. I Googled the Wikipedia, and determined that if Cascada were an independent nation, we would rank 16th in world, just above the Netherlands. Talton is quick to point out that for him, Cascadia is only "aspirational or inspirational," and not a movement for independence.
Get back to us a later this year, Jon.
Portland mayor backs austerity
OPB reports that Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat and business owner who has promised to end homelessness in the Rose City, is facing a $130 million shortfall in the city budget. Taking a page from the Seattle playbook, Wilson is taking a pass on significant revenue increases and is offering employee layoffs and cuts to programs. Meanwhile, King County, which includes the Seattle metropolitan area, is proposing a .1 percent sales tax hike (oh yay, more regressive taxes that impact mostly low income folks!) to deal with its $160 million deficit.
Indigenous women are disappearing and dying
Yesterday was Red Dress Day Monday, a day dedicated to drawing attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in North America. The Tyee looked into the cases of three young women who died in mysterious circumstances in the metro Vancouver area during a six-month period in 2022. KOIN notes that the problem is endemic in Oregon, and that 90 percent of Native women experience violence in their lifetime. Meanwhile, KIRO looks at a Washington's new Missing Indigenous Person Alert (MIPA) system.
People are killing wolves across Cascadia
Dawn Stover, writing for Columbia Insight, looks at a disturbing trend – human-caused mortalities of wolves are now on the rise across Cascadia. Though wolves had been making recovery in the region, they've been nearly wiped out in southwest Washington. To find out more about how you can help recovery efforts, visit Pacific Wolf Coalition.
Seattle author and artist wins Pulitzer
Cascade PBS profiles Seattle artist and author Tess Hulls, whose graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts won a 2025 Pulitzer in the memoir/autobiography category. It's her first book, the story of three generations of Chinese women. Congrats!
--Andrew Engelson