Tom Banse
Regional Correspondent
About
Tom Banse covers national news, business, science, public policy, Olympic sports, and human interest stories across Washington state. Now semi-retired, Banse is an Olympia-based reporter with more than three decades of experience covering the Pacific Northwest. Most of his career was spent with public radio's Northwest News Network, but now in semi-retirement his work appears on multiple nonprofit news outlets including KUOW. His recent areas of focus range from transportation, U.S.-Canada borderlands, the Northwest region's planned hydrogen hub, and emergency preparedness.
Previously, Tom covered state government and the Washington Legislature for 12 years. He got his start in radio at WCAL-FM, a public station in southern Minnesota. Reared in Seattle, Tom graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota with a degree in American Studies.
Location: Olympia
Languages: English, German
Stories
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Photo sleuthing by Seattle man backs up new Amelia Earhart search
Photo analysis by a forensic imaging expert from suburban Seattle is backing up a new search for the pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart.
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Photo sleuthing by Northwest man backs up new Amelia Earhart search
Photo analysis by a forensic imaging expert from suburban Seattle is backing up a new search for the pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart. Right now, a...
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Environment
Northwest 'Humpback Comeback' Excites Whale Watchers, Worries Researchers
Humpback whales are resurfacing in big numbers in Northwest waters. Along with excitement over the humpbacks' return comes concern about ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.
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Environment
Rare Sighting Of Blue Whales Off The Washington Coast
A whale expert is reporting a rare sighting of blue whales off the Washington coast. The largest animals on the planet have also been sighted in unusual numbers offshore of Oregon this summer.
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Environment
Biggest animal on earth spotted off Washington and Oregon coasts
A whale expert is reporting a rare sighting of blue whales off the Washington state coast.
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Environment
Rescuers free humpback whale that was 'hogtied' in fishing gear off Washington coast
A badly entangled whale is swimming free again after a dramatic rescue off the Washington coast on Thursday evening. The 35-foot long humpback whale calmly allowed responders to cut it free of fishing gear, according to witnesses.
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Rescuers free humpback whale that was 'hogtied' in fishing gear off Washington coast
A badly entangled whale is swimming free again after a dramatic rescue off the Washington coast on Thursday evening. The 35-foot long humpback whale...
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'Hero rats' go on display at Tacoma zoo. Their relatives are still saving lives.
Giant rats sound like something to be scared of, perhaps.
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Whatever happened to the sensational seaweed that supposedly tastes like bacon?
Oregon State University created something of a sensation back in 2015 when researchers announced they discovered and patented "seaweed that tastes like bacon."
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Get out your sauté pan. Fall mushroom season is upon us already
Pacific Northwesterners who forage for wild mushrooms are noticing that the late summer and fall delicacies are coming in early this year. Edible wild mushrooms are now flooding wholesale markets.