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Apex predator threatening Northwest salmon sparks rare bipartisan push to ‘kill more’

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Apex predator threatening Northwest salmon sparks rare bipartisan push to ‘kill more’

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An apex predator threatening a key sector in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is now the unlikely source of a bipartisan alliance in the House of Representatives.

Sea lions and their impact on salmon are a growing issue for Washington state, according to Reps. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

“There’s a wall that stops the two parties from meeting in the middle on a lot of issues,” Gluesenkamp Perez told Fox News Digital. “Most of the time, you have to go brick by brick to tear it down. Every now and then, you can chuck a 2,500-pound sea lion at it.”

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California sea lions, apex predators, are posing an issue for salmon and steelhead trout populations in the Pacific Northwest. (Janet Jensen/Tacoma News Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The California sea lion population has boomed, thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972. It’s now posing a threat to already endangered native fish species in Washington State.

Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has deemed sea lions a “serious threat” to Columbia River salmon and steelhead trout. 

Both types of fish are key to the state’s culture, economy and natural ecosystems.

“Salmon are a huge deal in Washington State. We have extensive salmon-bearing rivers that have historical cultural significance to our Native American tribes, a lot of interest and economic activity with sports fishermen, and our rivers are also the site of really important hydroelectric dams,” Baumgartner told Fox News Digital.

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Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., attends a hearing on Feb. 5, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

“There are now huge numbers of sea lions in a far disproportionate amount to any sort of historical numbers that sit at the mouth of the Columbia River … and eat salmon all day. They have a huge impact on the number of salmon.”

Gluesenkamp Perez said action to reduce the invasive sea lion population is “exactly the type of real-world problem that Americans want Congress to be able to solve.”

“Many of my colleagues love to put their partisan blinders on, but it’s hard for even them to ignore their eyes when they see a sedan-sized pinniped snarfing up the salmon and steelhead that many of our communities depend on,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.

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Baumgartner called for “broader latitude” for “more aggressive sea lion management techniques.”

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., walks up the House steps for the final votes in the Capitol before Congress’ October recess, Sept. 25, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

A subcommittee panel on the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing earlier this month on sea lion predation in the Pacific Northwest. Both Baumgartner and Gluesenkamp Perez participated.

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“Save more salmon, shoot more sea lions,” Baumgartner posted on X days after the hearing.

Gluesenkamp Perez compared the size of the Steller sea lion, another species threatening fish in the area, to a Toyota Corolla during the hearing.

“Southwest Washington has a serious predatory pinniped problem — tens of thousands of massive invasive sea lions are venturing further and further up the Columbia River and its tributaries to gorge on our local salmon. I’m pushing to explore more effective lethal removal options,” she posted on X.

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Nevada

Armed Robbery at the Tamarack Casino

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Armed Robbery at the Tamarack Casino


Reno Police are searching for a man they say pulled off an armed robbery at the Tamarack Casino on Sunday.

Investigators say the man had a hand gun and demanded money.  He got away with unknown amount of money.

They say he fled out the back door of the casino and also sprayed a chemical into the air, possibly pepper spray.

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Some people in the casino suffered breathing irritation from the spray, but there are no major injuries

Investigators are tracking the suspect using video surveillance around the casino.   He is not in custody at this time.



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New Mexico

Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair

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Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair


Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS

LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS

Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS

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Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.

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Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.

Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.

LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.

2026 Award winners:

Category Awards – Junior Division

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  • Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
  • Biomedical & Health Science
    • Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
  • Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
    • 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
  • Physics & Astronomy
    • 1st place: Sydney Chen
    • 2nd place: Mason Garcia
    • Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
  • Plant Science

Category Awards – Senior Division

  • Behavioral & Social Science:
    • Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
  • Earth & Environmental
    • Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
  • Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
    • 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
  • Physics & Astronomy

Grand Awards

  • ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
  • Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.

Other special award winners include:

  • CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
    • Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
    • Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
    • Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
    • Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
  • CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
    • Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
  • Office of Naval Research Award
  • David Shortess Award
  • New Mexico AVS Award
  • Citadel Award
  • Naval Research Award
  • NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
  • Yale Science & Engineering Award
  • Rose Baca Rivet Award





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Oregon

Small Oregon town residents’ trust shaken as state sues disaster nonprofit founder

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Small Oregon town residents’ trust shaken as state sues disaster nonprofit founder


The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”

Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.

CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.

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In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.

I am angry that my community was taken advantage of

Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.

“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.

Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.

“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”

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In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.

The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.

“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”

The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.

Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.

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“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”

According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.

“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”



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