Orion Donovan-Smith

Current Position: reporter

Orion Donovan-Smith came to The Spokesman-Review in June 2020 through a grant received from the Report For America reporter program. He is the legislative reporter in our Washington, DC Bureau. All of Orion's stories are available without a subscription on The Spokesman-Review's website, and can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license.

Email: orionds@spokesman.com
Phone: (202) 853-2524
Twitter: Twitter

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Most Recent Stories

News > Nation/World

Sen. Maria Cantwell promises investigation after Southwest Airlines cancels thousands of flights

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 27, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Washington lawmaker who leads the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation promised to investigate Southwest Airlines after the carrier canceled thousands of flights on Tuesday, struggling to bounce back from a winter storm while pandemic-related staffing shortages persist.

News > Nation/World

We the People: As head of Appropriations Committee, Patty Murray hopes to be role model for more effective Congress

Sun., Dec. 25, 2022

Each week, The Spokesman-Review examines one question from the Naturalization Test immigrants must pass to become United States citizens.

News > Health

Spokane VA has reduced staff despite ongoing effects of troubled computer system as veterans wait longer for care

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 27, 2022

More than two years after its launch in Spokane, employees at Mann-Grandstaff say the system has exacerbated staffing problems, pushing people like Bank to leave key roles and making hiring more difficult. The hospital’s decreased capacity has left more veterans to seek care in the private sector, which can mean longer wait times and higher costs to the taxpayers who fund VA care.

News > Nation/World

Northwest lawmakers applaud Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in historic address to Congress

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 21, 2022

WASHINGTON – In a historic address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, exactly 300 days after Russia invaded his country, Ukraine’s president thanked U.S. lawmakers for their support and urged them to continue the humanitarian and military aid that has bolstered his country’s defense.

News > Nation/World

We the People: Cathy McMorris Rodgers finally has her dream job in Congress, leading Energy and Commerce Committee

Sun., Dec. 18, 2022

Each week, The Spokesman-Review examines one question from the Naturalization Test immigrants must pass to become United States citizens.

News > Nation/World

Northwest Republicans’ votes reflect conflicts within GOP on same-sex marriage law

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 14, 2022

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed legislation to enshrine same-sex marriage rights in law, punctuating a dramatic shift in U.S. public opinion over the past decade. But Northwest Republicans’ votes on the bipartisan bill reflect a deep ambivalence within a party whose base is still split on the issue.

News

Congress passes bipartisan bill to avert freight rail strike, rejects measure to give workers more paid sick leave

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 1, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Thursday passed a last-minute bill to force a deal between freight rail companies and labor unions, averting a potential strike that could have caused massive disruptions to the U.S. economy in the middle of the holiday season while rejecting a measure to give workers an extra week of paid sick leave.

News > Nation/World

Northwest tribal leaders welcome Biden’s new commitments at Tribal Nations Summit

UPDATED: Wed., Nov. 30, 2022

WASHINGTON – Leaders of Northwest tribes on Wednesday welcomed new commitments from President Joe Biden and members of his administration at the first in-person Tribal Nations Summit held by the White House in six years.

News > Nation/World

Senate passes bill to guarantee same-sex, interracial marriage rights

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 29, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to guarantee the right to marry regardless of race or sex, as a dozen Republicans joined all 50 Democratic senators to enshrine in law a right that has previously been protected only by Supreme Court rulings that advocates fear could be overturned.