Tom Banse
Tom Banse covers national news, business, science, public policy, Olympic sports and human interest stories from across the Northwest. He reports from well known and out–of–the–way places in the region where important, amusing, touching, or outrageous events are unfolding. Tom's stories can be found online and heard on-air during "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" on NPR stations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Before taking his current beat, 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.
When not sifting through press releases, listening to lobbyists, or driving lonely highways, Tom enjoys exploring the Olympic Peninsula backcountry and cooking dinner with his wife and friends. Tom's secret ambition is to take six months off work and travel to a faraway place beyond the reach of email.
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The airline manufacturer delivered its last 747 jumbo jet on Tuesday after a production run of more than five decades. Current and former workers said farewell to the "Queen of the Skies" with pride.
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Laser beams that sweep erratically across crops have shown promise in protecting harvests from loss caused by birds. But researchers are still studying whether the beams may harm the animals' retinas. -
Aviation giant Boeing, a corporate sponsor of the inauguration and one of the country's largest exporters, is planning new buyouts and layoffs on top of nearly 11,000 job cuts last year. -
A U.S. Army program allows elite athletes to join the military and train in their sport. Four Kenyan distance runners in the U.S. military quickly became citizens and will represent America in Rio. -
Now that recreational use of marijuana is legal in four states, law enforcement officials are looking for quicker ways to test drivers for excessive pot use. Entrepreneurs are taking on the challenge. -
The Okanogan fire burning in central Washington is the largest wildfire in the state's history. Some area homeowners have cleared brush to keep the fire away. One built a nonflammable concrete home. -
Delta Air Lines is building up its Seattle operation into a gateway to Asia. That's good for Western travelers but not so good for the bottom line of Delta's partner, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines.
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President Barack Obama named former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his Commerce secretary. Locke, an Asian-American, is Obama's third pick for the job. Locke served two terms as Washington's governor. He now works at a Seattle-based law firm.
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The floral industry collects millions of pounds of moss from the wild. Botanists worry harvesting is occurring at unsustainable levels. In the Pacific Northwest, scientists are exploring "moss farming" as an alternative to stripping moss out of forests. But cultivation is proving curiously tricky. -
A rare mushroom that grows in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest may offer protection from smallpox -- an infectious disease that security experts feel may be a biological weapon of choice for terrorists who wish to attack America.
