After a deadly paper mill explosion, a community in Washington state looks to a key House race

In a district shaken by the deaths of 11 workers, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces a stiff challenge to keep her seat On a misty morning in May in south-west Washington state, Laura Oltmann, a 41-year-old dietitian, had barely clocked in when an unfamiliar overhead announcement echoed through the hospital. “We get overhead pages for different types of emergencies. But this one, we don’t get very often,” recalled Oltmann. Continue reading...

Lok Darjee · Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

After a deadly paper mill explosion, a community in Washington state looks to a key House race

In a district shaken by the deaths of 11 workers, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces a stiff challenge to keep her seat

On a misty morning in May in south-west Washington state, Laura Oltmann, a 41-year-old dietitian, had barely clocked in when an unfamiliar overhead announcement echoed through the hospital.

“We get overhead pages for different types of emergencies. But this one, we don’t get very often,” recalled Oltmann.

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