Regional Correspondent, Northwest News Network
Tom Banse
Tom Banse is a regional correspondent for the Northwest News Network, covering business, environment, public policy, human interest and national news across the Northwest.
Tom has covered state government and the Washington Legislature for more than a decade. He got his start in radio at a public radio station in southern Minnesota, WCAL.
Reared in Seattle, Tom graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota with a degree in American Studies.
Tom enjoys exploring the Olympic Peninsula backcountry and cooking dinner with his wife and friends.
Recent Articles
Business | Water | News | local | Pacific Ocean
Oregon Officials Worry 'World's Smallest Harbor' Could Shrivel Unless Dredged
If you've traveled the central Oregon Coast, you might remember the signs marking Depoe Bay's claim to fame: the "World's Smallest Harbor." But now that harbor is getting even smaller because of accumulating silt.
Pacific Ocean | Water | local | Environment | Fish & Wildlife | News | Animals
Otter Fans Float Plan To Return Sea Otters To The Oregon Coast
It's been more than a century since sea otters were hunted to near extinction along the U.S. West Coast. Now a new nonprofit has formed to try to bring them back to the Oregon Coast.
Business | News | local | Transportation | Technology
Pendleton Is A Hub For Drone Testing. Now, It Wants To Expand Its Capacity.
A dream to make rural Pendleton, Oregon, into a drone-testing mecca is taking flight.
Environment | News | local
Long-Range Forecast Predicts A Mild Winter For Pacific Northwest
The primary driver for the winter outlook is the emergence of El Nino. That's a warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that tends to bring mild winters to the Pacific Northwest.
Recreation | News | local
Boy Scouts 'Boot Camp' For Girls Paves Trail For Coed Scouting
A Western Washington chapter of the Boy Scouts of America is preparing to welcome girls to scouting with a "boot camp" just for teenage girls this coming weekend.
Business | Economy | local
Trade War With China Results in Canceled Orders For NW Exports
Retaliatory tariffs levied by China on U.S. goods are taking a toll on Pacific Northwest farm exports.
local | Environment | Fish & Wildlife | News | Animals | Transportation
Critters Begin Using Unfinished Animals-Only Bridge Over I-90
Deer have already begun using an unfinished wildlife bridge over Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass. The new overcrossing is expected to reduce frightening animal-vehicle collisions.
Business | News | Economy | local
Almost Everything Leaving Northwest Ports For China Soon To Be Hit With Tariffs
The Chinese government announced on Tuesday that it would impose tariffs on $60 billion more of U.S. exports. This widens the range of Pacific Northwest companies caught in the trade crossfire.
local | News | Fish & Wildlife
Flying Goats! Olympic Range Mountain Goats Relocated By Helicopter And Ferry
Wildlife biologists have relocated the first two dozen of hundreds of non-native mountain goats slated for removal from Olympic National Park.
Environment | Fish & Wildlife | local | News | Animals
Washington Wildlife Agency Gets Green Light To Kill Cattle-Hunting Wolf
A judge on Friday declined to extend a temporary stay on the killing of a wolf from the Togo wolf pack won by several environmental groups last week.
Pacific Ocean | local | Water | Science | Environment | News
Ocean Scientists Discover Hundreds More Methane Seeps Off PNW Coast
One concern among scientists is that the seafloor could potentially release more methane due to climate change. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than the better-known carbon dioxide.
Environment | News | local
Have You Planned For Number 2 After The Big One?
Horror tales from recent earthquakes overseas are moving people in Seattle, Portland and along the Pacific Northwest coast to give a crap about where to crap after a major earthquake.
local | Science | Environment | Technology | Education | News
OSU's Earthquake-Hardened Building Now Under Construction In Newport
Construction is underway on the Oregon Coast for a new earthquake-hardened marine science building. It will have Oregon's first vertical tsunami evacuation refuge on the roof.
Business | News | Economy | local
Pacific Northwest Cities Hire Outside Vendors To Police Short-Term Rentals
A pair of startups sees a business opportunity in the proliferation of short-term vacation rentals across the Pacific Northwest: helping cities help root out rulebreakers.
Business | News | local
To Cap? To Tax? To Regulate? West Coast Towns Tackle Short-Term Rentals
Hot housing markets in major cities like Seattle and Portland have pushed the cities to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb. But small towns popular with visitors are also struggling to balance the growth of Airbnb-type rentals with a tight housing supply.
Environment | News | local | Science
OSU Scientists Need Money To Retrieve A Blue Whale Skeleton They Sunk
OSU scientists are having trouble finding the money to retrieve the rare blue whale skeleton they sank years ago.
News | local | History
A Sunken Ship From The PNW's Past And The Search To Find It
The first American steamship to provide regular service among Puget Sound ports arrived in 1853. Today, an Oregon-based group wants to find the historic remains of that little steamer.
Environment | Fish & Wildlife | local | News | Animals
Veterinarians Grapple With How To Save A Starving Orca
An emaciated orca from the Pacific Northwest’s critically-endangered resident killer whale population could get a pole injection of medicine under the latest preferred option of an emergency response team.
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