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Good morning, Northwest.
Next week, Pacific Northwesterners will receive (another) update on costs to replace the Interstate Bridge between Oregon and Washington. That new price tag could add billions to a project that’s been in the works for years.
This morning, OPB’s Southwest Washington Bureau Chief Erik Neumann outlines where things stand now.
In other news, newly released data from September — delayed due to the government shutdown — revealed a milestone increase in Oregon’s unemployment rate.
Here’s your First Look at Thursday’s news.
— Sukhjot Sal
The Interstate-5 bridge in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
What to know about the Interstate Bridge Replacement’s rising price tag
Planners on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program are expected to announce an updated price estimate on Monday during a committee hearing of the Washington state Legislature.
The cost of the megaproject could rise by millions – or billions – of dollars since the last estimate was released in 2022.
The I-5 bridge replacement is facing a variety of headwinds, including rising material and labor costs, challenging budget climates in both Oregon and Washington, and a presidential administration that has, at times, been hostile to both Democratic-led states. (Erik Neumann)
A sign seeking workers is displayed at a fast food restaurant in Portland, Ore., Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.
Jenny Kane / AP
3 things to know this morning
- Oregon’s unemployment rate has climbed one percentage point over the last year to hit 5.2% in September, one of the highest rates the state has seen in years. The data for September was delayed due to the longest federal government shutdown in history. (Kyra Buckley)
- Yesterday, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted to extend an investigation into whether state Rep. Greg Smith violated ethics laws when he applied for a federal grant that raised his salary as the executive director of the Columbia Development Authority. (Antonio Sierra)
- After months of input and review, the U.S. Forest Service has decided to open 161 miles of trails in Central Oregon for certain e-bike riders. Years in the making, the move goes into effect for most of the popular biking areas in April. (Kathryn Styer-Martinez)
‘OPB Politics Now’: Deschutes County political maps spark debate; plus groundwater contamination in Eastern Oregon
On this week’s “OPB Politics Now,” we’re heading east of the Cascades. We’ll discuss the redrawing of the Deschutes County maps and the contaminated groundwater in Eastern Oregon. Find the show wherever you get your podcasts. (Kathryn Styer Martínez, Antonio Sierra, Lauren Dake and Andrew Theen)
Rescue workers with Chehalis Fire venture into a flooded neighborhood to pick up evacuees after heavy rains, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Chehalis, Wash.
Lindsey Wasson / AP
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Record flooding threatens Washington, Governor declares statewide emergency (Associated Press)
- Washington’s last coal power plant will transition to natural gas (Joseph O’Sullivan)
- Washington erred in granting hundreds of commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens (Jake Goldstein-Street)
- Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products (Associated Press)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- Oregon Christmas tree specialist on helping protect state’s dominance as nation’s top producer
Arlene Wagner founded the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in 1995 with her late husband, George Wagner. It now holds the largest collection of nutcrackers in the U.S. She is pictured holding a figurine called The Nutcracker Lady, which was designed in her image by a German craft maker.
Chona Kasinger for NPR
A 101-year-old runs the largest nutcracker museum in the country. Here’s a look inside
Tucked into the Bavarian-esque town of Leavenworth, Wash., at the foothills of the Cascade mountains is a two-story jewel of whimsy and, some might say, obsession.
It’s the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, the nation’s largest nutcracker collection, which houses an array of more than 9,000 handcrafted nutcrackers, one dating back to at least 200 AD.
Presiding over it all is Arlene Wagner, usually perched on a stool at the museum’s entrance wearing a pearl necklace and traditional German dirndl dress — a spitfire of an entrepreneur who just celebrated her 101st birthday. (Vanessa Romo)
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