Courtney Flatt | KNKX

Courtney Flatt

Northwest Public Radio

Six years, two missed deadlines, and still Yakima Valley’s water needs cleanup

By & Esmy Jimenez • Dec 31, 2018
Martin Yanez and his sister Rosalinda Guillen live in the Yakima Valley, near a large dairy. Their well water has high levels of nitrates, which can cause health problems. Boiling water with high levels of nitrates actually concentrates the contamination.
Esmy Jimenez / NWPB

Rosalinda Guillen sits at the kitchen table in her childhood home, and wrinkles her nose. “Hey, this water stinks,” Guillen said.

Fire Evacuees Find Help With Donation Centers, Shelters

By • Jul 22, 2014
Courtney Flatt

The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Department ordered more homeowners to evacuate Monday afternoon after firefighters saw a brief relief from high winds and hot weather Sunday.

Donations are coming in by the truckload to the Pateros High School in central Washington. Piles of clothes hip-deep fill the gym. Stacks of food, water and pet food line the hallways.

Most Destructive Wildfire In Wash. Leaves Thousands Without AC, Gas, ATMs

By • Jul 21, 2014
Elaine Thompson / AP Photo

The most destructive wildfire currently burning in the Northwest has left thousands of people without air conditioning and refrigeration. The so-called Carlton Complex fire has closed gas stations and shut down ATMs in north-central Washington.

Okanogan County currently estimates 150 to 200 homes burned to the ground. The Okanogan County Utility District says its electrical system is almost a complete loss.

A Greener Way To Cool Your Foods On The Way To The Grocery Store

By • Sep 4, 2013

Your produce and frozen foods could soon arrive at grocery stores in trucks that release fewer emissions. Researchers are developing a clean technology to keep your food cool while it travels.

Grant will expand use of ‘sensor fish’ in dams

By • Sep 14, 2011
Carol Munro / Flickr

RICHLAND, Wash. – As salmon wind their way through dams on the Columbia River, a small percentage ultimately end up passing through turbines. A project that helps fish move more safely through turbines recently received a grant to expand its scope.

Electric vehicles could help store NW wind power

By • Sep 13, 2011
U.S. Army / Flickr

RICHLAND, Wash. – As the Pacific Northwest begins to integrate more renewable energy, grid operators sometimes have trouble predicting the variability that comes with it. Researchers have found a way to use electric vehicles to help balance wind power’s inconsistency.

Pine white butterflies flit to new homes in Washington desert

By • Sep 7, 2011
Lynette Schimming / Flickr

RICHLAND, Wash. – It's been 30 years since the last outbreak, but now white butterflies are flitting between pine trees across areas of eastern Oregon and Washington.

Grants awarded to improve hydropower generation in Wash.

By • Sep 6, 2011

RICHLAND, Wash. – New projects in the Pacific Northwest may soon improve the efficiency and reduce costs of hydropower generation, thanks to a new round of federal spending announced today.

Two projects in Washington received grants to help improve hydropower generation.

Battelle researchers study efficient carbon capture

By • Aug 25, 2011

RICHLAND, Wash. – Researchers recently received a grant to develop a better process to capture carbon dioxide that could save more than half of what coal-fired power plants now spend on the technology.

Roman artifact helps nuclear storage research

By • Aug 17, 2011
Northwest News Network

Scientists are experimenting with 1,800-year-old glass to better understand how nuclear waste storage will hold up for millennia to come.

Northwest businesses seek new salmon policy

By • Aug 10, 2011

Northwest business, fishing and food industry leaders are asking for a new approach to salmon policy. From Richland, Courtney Flatt has more.

A group of one thousand businesses is using a ruling recently issued by federal judge James Redden to call for a new look at salmon policy.

In a news conference, business owners and fishermen say they hope to bring key regional stakeholders to the table to restore all salmon runs to the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Spokane outdoor retailer Paul Fish says a healthy environment goes hand-in-hand with a healthy economy.

Catalyst may lead to more ethanol options

By • Aug 5, 2011
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Ethanol may soon have more uses than just as a fuel additive. Researchers have accidentally discovered an easier, more environmentally friendly biofuel catalyst.

Researchers hope a new catalyst called isobutene will lead to more ways to use ethanol –- from making rubber to solvents to aviation fuel.