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Good morning, Northwest.
A federal judge yesterday ordered temporary protective measures for salmon on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
OPB’s Tony Schick reports on what the decision means for fish, hydropower and more. His story starts today’s newsletter.
Also this morning, Oregon lawmakers inched the state closer to implementing a gun safety measure approved by voters in 2022.
Here’s your First Look at Thursday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
FILE - The salmon viewing area at the Bonneville Lock and Dam, August 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Judge orders protective measures for Columbia River salmon after Trump canceled historic deal
A federal judge in Oregon has ordered dams that operate on the Columbia and Snake rivers to generate less hydropower and allow more water to pass in an effort to keep salmon populations from dying out.
The order largely restores measures that were in place under a landmark deal to protect salmon that the Trump administration canceled last year.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon yesterday granted many of the changes that environmental advocates, tribes and the states of Oregon and Washington sought in their decadeslong lawsuit over the federal government’s operation of dams on the Columbia and its largest tributary, the Snake.
Simon’s preliminary order is the first major change to dam operations since Trump’s actions reactivated the case, which has its roots in endangered species listings for multiple salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River basin more than three decades ago.
And the latest legal twist comes at a critical time for both salmon and energy in the Pacific Northwest. (Tony Schick)
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FILE - Evidence suggests this fire at Gates School is one of several sparked by power lines on Sept. 7, 2020. A firefighter called 911 to report the fire that started when high winds blew trees into power lines.
Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service / Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service
3 things to know this morning
- An Oregon jury has awarded $305 million to 15 wildfire survivors harmed by the Santiam Canyon wildfire that burned across hundreds of thousands of acres in 2020. This is the largest jury verdict issued in relation to a class-action lawsuit, pushing PacifiCorp’s total liability past $1 billion. (April Ehrlich)
- An audit released today finds Multnomah County’s Elections Division needs more funding for voter education programs, is falling short on supporting employees and may need a new office, among other concerns. (Alex Zielinski)
- Oregon lawmakers yesterday moved one step closer to rolling out Measure 114, the gun control law that has been locked in a court fight since voters approved it in 2022. (Bryce Dole)
Dr. Casey Means appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in her surgeon general confirmation hearing in Washington, Feb. 25, 2026. Means graduated from Stanford, then dropped out of a program at OHSU before opening a practice in Oregon.
AP Photo/Tom Brenner / AP
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Portland advances antidiscrimination protections for polyamorous families (Alex Zielinski)
- As Oregon lawmakers blow gas tax deadline, Tobias Read warns of consequences (Dirk VanderHart)
- PeaceHealth medical staff vote no confidence in hospital leadership (Tiffany Eckert)
- Surgeon general nominee with Oregon ties faces sharp questions about vaccines, birth control and qualifications (Ali Swenson)
- Oregon beats Wisconsin 85-71 for its third win in four games after a 10-game skid (Associated Press)
- No. 9 Gonzaga beats Portland 89-48 to avenge earlier upset and clinch WCC crown (Henry Krueger)
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):
- More than 150 teachers in Washington were disciplined for sexual misconduct, new reporting finds
- Oregon lawmakers may boost protections for those seeking and providing reproductive or gender-affirming care
Washington State University's apple picking robot has an inflatable arm designed to be gentler on the trees. The unit is lightweight and designed to function in modern trellised orchards.
Courtesy of Washington State University / OPB
Inflating robot developed in Washington aims to pick apples as gently as humans
The Pacific Northwest is an apple-growing powerhouse. About 80% of the United States’ fresh apple crop is grown in Oregon and Washington.
But farms have been experiencing worker shortages for various reasons, including the immigration crackdown, an aging domestic workforce and challenges getting temporary international workers approved through the federal guest worker visa program.
Engineers at Washington State University are working on ways to make sure fruit doesn’t rot on the trees by developing robots that can pick apples as gently and efficiently as humans do. (Jes Burns)
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