Tom Banse
Tom Banse, who is now semi-retired, was for years 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.
Latest Stories
Boardman smokestack demolished, marking the end of a coal-fired era in Oregon
A contractor demolished the towering smokestack at Portland General Electric’s shuttered coal-fired power plant near Boardman on Thursday morning, heralding the end of the era of coal-fired power generation in Oregon.
PeaceHealth, unions clashing after health system places hundreds of workers on unpaid leave
Since PeaceHealth announced its own vaccine deadlines, unions representing a swath of workers – from nurses to respiratory therapists to custodians – have leveled at least seven labor complaints.
Play us a memory, piano man, and recycle this old instrument
A group of friends in Olympia is starting an off-beat enterprise to tear apart and recycle pianos after noticing how online marketplaces are awash in pianos that aren’t selling at any price.
Lights, camera, action! ‘Hollywood North’ revved up despite COVID-19 — and because of it
Filming of TV shows and movies is going gangbusters in the Vancouver area this fall, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
New ‘Twilight’ book promises to rekindle vampire tourism, but pandemic could also put stake in it
The Twilight phenomenon gets an injection of fresh blood this Tuesday with the release of a new installment in the bestselling vampire saga from author Stephenie Meyer.
COVID-19 hasn’t interrupted Alaska’s resupply lifeline from Pacific NW, yet
The coronavirus pandemic has served to remind many of us how much we count on strangers staying healthy so we can restock our cupboards and go about daily life. That's especially true for Alaskans who depend on a marine cargo lifeline from the Pacific Northwest for the majority of their goods.
MacKenzie Scott lists $1.7 billion in donations since divorce from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Thanks to a $20 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, a Native American college mentoring program that just launched in the Pacific Northwest will be scaling up to go nationwide.
Official COVID-19 Fatalities May Undercount Pandemic's Death Toll By Many Hundreds In Pacific NW
The official death toll in the Northwest from COVID-19 might be an undercount of hundreds of people. A look at the federal and state data revealed that other categories of deaths besides from COVID-19 increased over historical averages.
4 Tribal Casinos May Introduce Sports Betting To Washington State
Four tribes in Washington have opened negotiations with the state government to introduce sports betting. Earlier this year, the Legislature authorized wagering on sports, but only at tribal casinos.
Coastal Beach Communities Brace For Fourth Of July Revelers — And Their Trash
A favorable weather forecast and the Fourth of July falling on a weekend has beach communities in the Pacific Northwest bracing for an onslaught despite the ongoing pandemic.