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I'm Tracci Dial.

Research out of the northwest could help whales around the world.

Giant ships cross the ocean every day, bringing everything from food to clothing to different continents.

Those ships are so big, crews can't always tell if that ship hits a whale.

Researchers say that's one of the major reasons that large whales die.

But it's difficult to study.

The whales often sink to the ocean floor.

Still, the problem is well known and studied on the west coast and in the Mediterranean.

A University of Washington postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels is actually helping expand that research around the globe.

“Whales could benefit from expanded protections because current rates of production are low.” That's Anna Nisi, the UW researcher.

The study was published in the journal Science.

Read all about it and potential solutions, things like slow zones for ships.

That's at NWPB.org.

Washington lawmakers are back in session in Olympia.

One bill they'll look at would allow workers to eventually access unemployment when they go on strike.

Right now, they don't earn a dime.

We talked to Pearl Johnson, a room attendant at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in SeaTac.

She went on strike two times and lost over a week's worth of wages.

“I had to use food banks to feed my family, you know.

We almost lost our house.” If Washington passes the bill, the state would join New York and New Jersey in granting unemployment to striking workers.

Hear from a lawmaker about that bill online.

The Hanford Nuclear Reservation site is getting a new safety officer with Yakama Nation.

Troy Watlamet will work in concert with Hanford Patrol, but his job will be to protect cultural resources across the site and in places like the islands in the middle of the Columbia, right near Hanford.

Here's Lauren Contreras with Yakama Nation.

She'll help manage Watlamets position.

“People in general used to be afraid to even go on to Hanford anywhere, and they're not afraid to, you know, land on the shore anymore and go basically do what they want.” Some issues to focus on out there are things like looting, digging and illegal camping.

A quick reminder now about NWPBs community calendar.

On the home page of the website, find the events tab, click it and then click community calendar.

There you'll find a list of events going on all around the northwest.

From art exhibits to writing and even linguistics competitions.

There's something for everyone, from Pullman to Moses Lake to Birch Bay.

And if you know of an event that should be listed, you can submit one.

For more from NWPB, as always, head to the website or find the Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages.

With Weekly News Now, I'm Tracci Dial.