This is Northwest Public Broadcasting Weekly News Now.

I'm Tracci Dial.

Thanks so much for joining us.

The great sort of warm up has arrived in the Northwest.

But if you think it's been bad outside, let's take a look at what's going on in Corbett, Oregon.

The weather woes continue.

Corbett is a small community at the cusp of the Columbia River Gorge.

There have been downed trees and power lines.

Roads completely blocked.

Schools flooded and the city's water system froze.

The Corbett Water District says people's frozen and busted pipes drained one of the system's reservoirs.

The water district manager says valves froze shut and had to be heat gunned as staff worked very hard to keep water on for Corbett residents.

Residents like John Jordan.

He says there is a silver lining in all of this.

He and others who live in town are coming together, helping each other and each other's animals.

They needed water, to flush the toilets, you know, wash their face, but the mule needed water.

So she hauled in, you know, found a couple of big old carboys and, you know, brought in, you know, enough water for the mule for two days.

Now to the latest in the ongoing debate over wolves in Washington state.

This time being taken up on the Senate floor.

What to do about wolves?

Well, some ranchers say it's time to get creative in dealing with wolf attacks on livestock.

And that's what a new bill going through.

The Washington State Senate aims to do.

This bill would allow ranchers to lethally remove wolves that chronically attack livestock.

Ranchers say right now, with all the paperwork and decisions involved under current rules, it's like disciplining a pet days later.

The animals don't understand why they're being targeted.

Here's what one Washington livestock owner, Jeff Dawson, had to say.

We would rather go after the culprit early in the game and then not try and get the cousins, aunts and uncles that come in for a dinner later because they all got to eat.

We understand that.

People against the bill say they're sympathetic with ranchers.

They appreciate attempts to find creative solutions, but they worry the first wolf to return to the kill site could be a different wolf, not the one who attacked the livestock.

We'll keep you posted on this bill as it moves through the legislature.

Meanwhile, outgoing Governor Jay Inslee last week ordered the state to figure out new rules on killing wolves that repeatedly attack livestock.

You can read more about that in this article on our website.

That's NWPB.org.

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I'm Tracci Dial with your NWPB Weekly News Now.

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