Cascadia today: OR seeks to limit ICE in hospitals + Seattle negligent in CHOP death + playwright talks about backing out of Kennedy Center

OR bill seeks to limit ICE access to hospitals

In response to hospitals in the Portland area granting ICE access to patients in order to make arrests, Oregon state senator Wlnsvey Campos (D-Aloha) will introduce a bill in the legislature to regulate immigration operations in medical centers, Willamette Week reports. The bill includes four provisions, including one requiring designation of private and public health care space, and requiring a warrant for access to the former. In related news, Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that some legislators are urging modifications to a bill that would ban police face coverings, fearing the law may not survive a federal court challenge. And the South Seattle Emerald reports on a request in this year's Washington state budget that would grant $5 million to the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) to operate its ICE monitoring hotline, which sends legal observers to record confirmed ICE kidnappings. The hotline is active from 6 am - 6 pm Monday through Friday: 1-844-724-3737.

Lawsuit finds Seattle negligent in teen's death in CHOP

KUOW reports that a jury agreed to award $30.5 million to the father of Antonio Mays, Jr., who was fatally shot inside Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in Seattle in 2020 and did not have access to an ambulance. On key piece of evidence that might have been valuable in the trial were former mayor Jenny Durkan's texts to then police chief Carmen Best. Durkan deleted texts sent during the time of 2020 CHOP protests, which included an occupation of the east precinct by protesters, but the mayor wasn't charged with destroying critical public records.

Oregon hits a record graduation rate of 83%

Oregon's high school graduation rate hit a level of 83% in 2025, a new record after hitting a low point of 69% in 2013. This comes after more than decade of efforts to increase education spending and working to improve rates for affected communities, especially migrants and disabled students. In related news, ProPublica reports that two rural school districts are suing the state of Alaska for years of inadequate education funding. In 2025, the legislature voted to override Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy's veto of $700 million increase in the state's education budget.

Western red cedars are dying here but Europe plants them

Columbia Insight reports on how one of Cascadia's iconic native trees – the western red cedar – is in crisis due to climate change, but in central Europe forestry officials are looking at planting red cedars to replace other native trees hit by warming, drier temperatures. The European strategy is part of a controversial movement known as "assisted migration," – also happening in Cascadia – which plants non-native, resilient plants to replace those dying from warming climate.

Seattle playwright talks about saying no to Kennedy Center

The Stranger has an interview with Seattle playwright Keiko Green on the decision to pull her play about the early life of martial arts movie star Bruce Lee from a performance at the Kennedy Center. Green and Seattle Children's Theater agreed to back out of the production of Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story from the center, which US president Donald Trump has taken over, fired the board of, and slapped his name on the building.

"I also think that this was really an opportunity for us to tell the country and the world morally where we stand with this play." --Keiko Green

Thanks for reading. Keep loving and keep fighting! --Andrew