Austin Jenkins
Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."
Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise.
Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. In 2019, he received his Master of Communication in Digital Media from the University of Washington Communication Leadership program.
Austin's reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists. Austin was part of a team that won a 2018 national Edward R. Murrow award for breaking news coverage.
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Albert sensors alert local governments to potential hacking attempts. But in Washington state, this cybersecurity tool has become the subject of suspicion by some on the political right. -
There's a national shortage of 911 operators. In Washington state, the situation is so dire that it closed a rural dispatch center. (Story first aired on All Things Considered on Aug. 22, 2022.)
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There's a national shortage of 911 operators. In Washington state, the situation is so dire that it closed a rural dispatch center. In addition to recruiting, technology might be a longer-term fix.
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If you call 911, you expect someone to answer quickly and send help. But that system is strained these days by a shortage of dispatchers. The problem has grown worse during the COVID pandemic. In Washington, some State Patrol dispatch centers have a vacancy rate over 50 percent. And one office got so short-staffed it had to close. -
Three major opioid distributors will pay the state of Washington and local communities $476 million to end an ongoing lawsuit. The agreement announced Tuesday comes after the state attorney general rejected a previous settlement offer last summer. -
Following in the path of multiple other states, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that he will largely lift the state’s indoor mask mandate, in place since last August, on Monday, March 21. -
Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen has died. His death comes after the Whatcom County Republican was hospitalized last month following a COVID-19 diagnosis while in El Salvador.
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Monday is the deadline for Washington state employees, healthcare and long-term care workers and those working in the education field to be fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t could be out of a job by day’s end. Some of the state employees who face termination got exemptions, but not a workplace accommodation so they could stay on the payroll. -
Starting next month, if you’re 12 and older you’ll have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend large events in Washington. Governor Jay Inslee announced the requirement at a news conference Thursday. -
It was a challenging summer at Washington’s state-run homes for veterans. Two of the four homes experienced widespread COVID-19 outbreaks. Four veterans died. Now the homes are bracing for another challenge: the potential for a staffing shortage as the governor’s vaccine mandate kicks in.
