(bright upbeat music) - Welcome to the newsfeed, I'm Paris Jackson.

We're counting down to the high stake selection.

Does it make you anxious?

Well, you might not be alone when it comes to that feeling.

In today's episode, we're getting a snapshot of what Washington voters think about the presidential and top state races, as well as hotly contested ballot initiatives in a new Cascade, PBS Elway Poll.

(gentle upbeat music) And historic mining Town's efforts to mitigate wildfires is getting community model recognition.

Plus two years after fleeing Ukraine for Washington, a family is concerned about their military son still being held hostage in a Russian prison.

In a new Cascade PBS Elway Poll, Washington voters use words like positive and anxious to describe their feelings about the upcoming election.

The poll conducted an early September, surveyed about 400 registered voters in Washington State.

Pollster Stewart Elway says, "The poll found voters are falling in line behind their party's candidates."

The survey asked respondents, who will they choose for President?

53% said they'll likely vote for Kamala Harris and 32% for Donald Trump, 5% were undecided.

Asked for the choice between the candidates vying to become Washington's next governor, 50% of residents say they'll likely vote for Bob Ferguson, 39% for Dave Riker, and around 9% were undecided.

Also, voters will consider four initiatives on the ballot, one of which is a controversial repeal of the capital gains tax.

Some 30% of voters favored repealing it.

52% want to keep it, and 18% are undecided.

(bright upbeat music) Lessons learned from wildfires have led a small Washington town to become a fire prevention community model.

The Yakima Harald reports the Jolly Mountain Fire that ended up burning nearly 40,000 acres of the Cle Elum Ranger District in 2017 was a local turning point for the town of Roslyn.

That massive fire then prompted a full scale mobilization of all Kittitas County law enforcement to notify people about evacuations that eventually led to the county and the cities of Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Ellensburg declaring states of emergency.

Since then, Roslyn residents and city officials have been working to try to prevent the next wildfire catastrophe.

In 2022, a group of concerned residents formed the Roslyn Citizens Wildfire Resilience and Evacuation Committee.

One of the committee's focuses is to create defensible space around homes and the town.

US rep Crim Schreyer introduced a bill to authorize 300 million for more prescribed burns on federal, state, and private lands.

(bright upbeat music) A Ukrainian refugee family now living in Washington remains hopeful they'll reunite with their eldest son jailed in a Russian prison.

Two years after resettling in Pierce County, the Bleski family is still emotionally unsettled.

In February, 2022, the early part of the Russian invasion, the family fled their home in the southern region of Ukraine with their seven children.

While there, their oldest son, Roman then 22, decided to join the Ukrainian military.

Valerie and her husband and seven children live in Ording.

A month after their Washington arrival, the Bleskis received an official letter that 22-year-old Roman was killed in combat.

But there was a twist, that story wasn't true.

Roman was alive, taken hostage in a Russian prison.

Between January of 2022 to April, 2024, more than 25,000 Ukrainians arrived in Washington according to the state office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance.

(bright upbeat music) The countdown to November 5th is on, the Cascade.

PBS Newsroom is working to keep you informed on the upcoming election.

I sat down with the two candidates vying to be Washington's next governor, attorney General Bob Ferguson and former Congressman Dave Rechart to hear their positions on the most pressing issues.

Join me for our Newsfeed Washington Governor's Race special airing October 18th at 8:00 PM.

I'm Paris Jackson, thank you for watching The Newsfeed, your destination for nonprofit Northwest News, go to cascadepbs.org for more great local coverage.

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