Anna King
Reporter | Northwest News NetworkAnna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.
The South Sound was her girlhood backyard and she knows its rocky beaches, mountain trails and cities well. She left the west side to attend Washington State University and went abroad to study language and culture in Italy.
While not on the job, Anna enjoys trail running, clam digging, hiking and wine tasting with friends. She's most at peace on top a Northwest mountain with her husband Andy Plymale and their muddy Aussie-dog Poa.
In 2016 Washington State University named Anna Woman of the Year, and the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Pro Chapter named her Journalist of the Year. Her many journalism awards include two Gracies, a Sigma Delta Chi medal and the David Douglas Award from the Washington State Historical Society.
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Across the Northwest crops are late. Cool spring weather has held back asparagus, potatoes and alfalfa. Even tree fruit blooms were late to flush open. Then, record-warm weather hit. -
At issue are fertilizer leaks at the former Lost Valley Farm. The Easterdays, who now own the site, say they’re not responsible.
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During spring’s prime calving season, lots of newborn calves have been dying from the cold.
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Even with all the rain and snow in California this winter, it’s been pretty dry in our region, especially in much of eastern Oregon and parts of eastern Washington. For wheat farmers, that means there could be some nail-biting months ahead.
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Across the Northwest, wheat is already springing up out of the ground ankle-high. But the cost of raw chemicals for farming – like fertilizer and pesticides – are up, and hard to come by these days. Part of the problems for farmers are being driven by the war in Ukraine.
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An update of the classic '80s video game Oregon Trail places a greater focus on the lives of the Native Americans you meet on the trail westward.
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Native Americans are posting selfies on social media wearing brightly-colored scarves. Some of these scarves originally came to Indian Country from Ukraine. Now the scarves have become a symbol of solidarity.
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Northwest officials are preparing in case a radiological event should occur anywhere in the world because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Gangs of wild elk are attacking farmers’ haystacks in Oregon and Washington. They’re hungry, after a long drought and record mountain snow this winter has driven animals down to the lowlands. Climate scientists say things may only get worse in the future.
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A lot of us hunkered down at home last Thanksgiving instead of making the usual feast. Now we’re getting together again. But with pandemic-related shipping and supply chain issues, plus this summer’s extreme heat … you’ve got a recipe for sticker shock.
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Agriculture is stressed across the region. Blueberries are ripening so fast, processors can’t keep up. Potatoes, a valuable Northwest crop, are growing in weird shapes, making them hard to cut into fries. Dairy cows produce less milk when overheated, so operators are misting them with water and turning giant fans on them.
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Sometimes I feel as low as this cold-early-morning snail on the Richland river path.
