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Good morning, Northwest.

Five months have passed since a chemical tank failure killed 11 people at a paper mill in Longview, Washington.

Since the disaster, OPB’s Erik Neumann has been speaking with people close to the mill and workers who died. His story of people seeking accountability through grief starts today’s newsletter.

Also this morning, OPB launches its ballot guide with what you need to know before voting.

Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

A Washington paper mill disaster killed 11 people. It also broke community trust in a ‘lifeblood’ industry

Patti Kraff’s phone used to ring soon after 7 a.m. every day.

The voice of her fiancé, Norman Barlow, was her alarm clock, after he left early from their house in Vancouver for morning shifts at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington.

But on the morning of May 26, Barlow didn’t call. Instead, Kraff’s sister did, asking if she’d seen the news. “When I saw it on the TV, my heart just sunk,” Kraff said.

At 7:09 a.m., a chemical tank at the plant collapsed, its contents slamming into the nearby break room where workers were getting ready to start their day. Barlow was among 11 people killed by burns from the caustic chemicals.

The trust that many people had in the company was shaken in an instant on May 26, only to be shattered in August when a federal report found that before the fatal spill, inspection contractors had warned the company three times that its chemical tank was unsafe.

As grief and anger continue to reverberate through the community, questions about corporate accountability and the future of Longview remain unanswered. (Erik Neumann)

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3 things to know

• With the election less than a month away, check out OPB’s 2026 ballot guide for what you need to know before voting. (OPB Staff)
• Razor clam harvesting is closed coastwide in Oregon, including popular harvesting areas on Clatsop Beach, because domoic acid levels in the shellfish are above the safety threshold. (KLCC)
• Homeland Nickel, a Canadian company pursuing a nickel mine near Gold Beach, has signed an agreement with a U.S. refiner to buy nickel from the site if the mine opens. (Theo Greenly, JPR)

Indigenous youth climbers connect with Washington’s Mount Tahoma

“Oregon Field Guide” producer Jessie Sears brings us along as the group climbs more than 4,600 feet — through dense fog, breathtaking beauty and tent-snapping winds — and reflects on their relationships with nature and themselves.

Listen Here

Northwest headlines

• After more than 170 years, Siletz Tribe to reclaim ceded land (Brian Bull, Underscore Native News)
• How the Coquille Indian Tribe is working to restore Chinook and protect its traditions in Southern Oregon (Theo Greenly, JPR)
• Powwow dancing isn’t always accessible. This Puyallup Tribe dad wants to change that (Owen Henderson, KUOW)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Does cannabis relieve stress? Washington State University study aimed to find out
• Dress for Success Oregon offers new co-working space for women, including childcare and more

One more look

From Cuba to Portland: How puppeteer Yosmel López lost, then found, his purpose

In Cuba, Yosmel López was well established and internationally recognized as a puppet maker, theater director and actor for children’s theater.

The last show he worked on as a director dealt heavily with the topic of migration. After months of rehearsals, his own actors and friends began to emigrate from the island themselves.

López moved to Portland from Guantanamo (the city, not the U.S. detention center) in 2023.

While he was still getting his bearings and learning how to navigate life in his new home, he found a society that doesn’t stop moving to let you catch your own breath. (Evan Rodríguez)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/05/longview-disaster-accountability-first-look/