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Nike Says Its Factory Workers Make Nearly Double the Minimum Wage. In Indonesia, Workers Say, “It’s Not True.”
An average worker at the foreign factories that make Nike’s goods earns 1.9 times the local minimum wage, the company says. None of the workers The Oregonian/OregonLive spoke with in Nike’s second-largest production hub said they earned that much.
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Featured Stories
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She Was a Key Voice of the 1990s Labor Movement in Nike’s Indonesia Factories. Today She Relies on Donations From Abroad.
In 1992, Cicih Sukaesih led fellow Indonesian factory workers in a strike, part of a movement that led Nike to create its first code of conduct. She reflects on her achievements and what’s happened since.
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Two School Districts Sue, Claiming Alaska Is Failing Its Constitutional Obligation to Fund Public Education
The lawsuit points to the effects of the state’s underfunding, including low proficiency-test scores and dangerous building conditions.
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Our Reporting Showed Washington Ranks Last in Green Energy Growth. Now the State Is Working to Speed It Up.
The state’s departing commerce director said there’s added urgency to get the projects done after an Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica investigation showed states like Iowa and Texas have made more progress in renewable energy growth.
Northwest News Staff
Northwest Editor
Steve Suo
Reporters
Rob Davis, Audrey Dutton and McKenzie Funk
Northwest Fellows
Ashley Hiruko, Kyle Hopkins and Tony Schick
Local Reporting Network Partners
ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:
Anchorage Daily News
Anchorage, Alaska
High Country News
Multistate
Idaho Statesman
Boise, Idaho
KUOW
Seattle, Washington
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Bethel, Alaska
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Portland, Oregon
Street Roots
Portland, Oregon
The Seattle Times
Seattle, Washington
More Stories
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Documenting an Alaska Village, Before and After the Storm That Destroyed It
The story of Typhoon Halong’s destruction in Kipnuk adds an exclamation point to long-simmering fears about the future of Alaska coastal villages facing down climate change.
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Alaska Lawmaker Calls for Hiring More Prosecutors, Public Defenders to Reduce Extreme Delay in Criminal Cases
A Judiciary Committee chair said stories by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica about sluggish court proceedings “stab my heart.” Fixing the problem will take more than a state Supreme Court order last year limiting new delays, he said.
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Oregon Faced a Huge Obstacle in Adding Green Energy. Here’s What Changed This Year.
Gov. Tina Kotek has been pushing to make progress on the state's renewable energy projects since ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting highlighted obstacles.
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Someone Is Getting Away With Eunice Whitman’s Killing. Alaska’s Slow Justice System Let It Happen.
Justine Paul was indicted on flawed evidence. A defense witness wrote that police should have treated no fewer than 12 people as suspects of “higher interest.” A decade after the killing, no one has been convicted in Whitman’s death.
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Bad Evidence Got Him Indicted for Murder. He Waited 7 Years to Walk Free.
Justine Paul was accused of killing his girlfriend, Eunice Whitman. In Alaska’s slow-motion criminal justice system, he was kept behind bars even as the evidence against him fell apart.
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Oregon Struggles to Land Federal Counterterrorism Money as Trump Orders Troops to Stop “Terrorists” Hindering ICE
A quiet battle has played out in court over money that “sanctuary” states say is needed to fight true extremist threats from both ends of the political spectrum.
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Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural school district superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
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“Riots Raging”: The Misleading Story Fox News Told About Portland Before Trump Sent Troops
After reviewing coverage from the network and hours of social media videos that preceded Trump’s decision, ProPublica found that Fox’s portrayal of “Portland rioters” routinely instigating violence was misleading.
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Alaska’s Public Schools Serve as Emergency Shelters. Those Buildings Are Also in Crisis.
Across hundreds of Alaskan communities, public schools are often the safest buildings where people can take shelter during disasters. After decades of state neglect, however, some have become emergencies themselves.
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What Really Happened in Portland Before Trump Deployed the National Guard
In the two months before Trump’s decision, criminal charges were announced against only three people. On nights when physical conflict did erupt, it often came from police firing on, shoving, pepper-spraying and tackling protesters.
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Idaho Banned Vaccine Mandates. Activists Want to Make It a Model for the Country.
The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.
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Disabled Idaho Students Lack Access to Playgrounds and Lunchrooms. Historic $2 Billion Funding Will Do Little to Help.
Despite federal law, disabled students can’t access playgrounds, lunchrooms, classes and bathrooms. With added funding, school districts are still unable to make necessary fixes.
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Oregon Fast-Tracks Renewable Energy Projects as Trump Bill Ends Tax Incentives
Gov. Tina Kotek ordered the move, which follows reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that highlighted impediments green energy advocates blame for the state’s poor ranking when it comes to the growth of renewables.
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Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them.
Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.
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Before Tom Dundon Agreed to Buy the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Accused the Company He Created of Predatory Lending
In 2020, the state sued Santander Consumer USA for allegedly preying on Oregonians through high-interest car loans they couldn’t afford in a case involving more than 265,000 borrowers nationwide.
