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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How bad is the fifth wave of COVID-19? One hospital in Thurston County, Washington is limiting visitors, the intensive care unit is at capacity and elective surgeries and procedures are being delayed.
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Following the lead of several other states, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday issued a requirement that state employees along with private health care and long-term care workers get the COVID-19 vaccine or face termination from their jobs.
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Washington’s new police use-of-force law does not prevent officers from responding to non-criminal calls. That’s the upshot of a legal memo from the Attorney General’s office.
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A new report is sounding the alarm about the state of mental health care in Washington prisons. It finds numerous shortcomings that increase the risk of suicide and contribute to lengthy stays in solitary confinement. The Department of Corrections acknowledges ongoing challenges, but says it's been making improvements and plans to seek additional funds from the Legislature to increase mental health staffing.
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The Washington Legislature's Black Members Caucus was formed in 2019. This year the members led on a number of issues, including the enactment of sweeping police accountability measures and passage of a bill that made Juneteenth a state holiday. The caucus used its collective voice to urge Gov. Jay Inslee to extend the state’s eviction moratorium. The caucus also issued statements following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd and following the decision to charge three Tacoma police officers in the killing of Manny Ellis.
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Renters who are behind on their rent in Washington will get a few more months of protection from eviction. On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new eviction moratorium that will run through September 30. The current moratorium expires June 30 — the same day the state is set to fully reopen.
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She was given household cleaning vinegar instead of colonoscopy prep — and later died. Now, Washington’s attorney general has filed criminal charges against the woman’s former caregiver.
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A former caregiver for people with developmental disabilities has been criminally charged in connection with the 2019 death of a client who ingested a...
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While Washington’s system has been strained for years, state officials and disability rights advocates say it effectively ground to a halt during the...
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At Washington’s Capitol Campus, a post-legislative session calm has settled in. Gone are the State Patrol checkpoints and National Guard troops that...