MARTHA BELLISLE

Global investigative reporter

Bellisle is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington state. She reports on a range of topics, including police accountability, police training and mental health. She also has covered the Winter Olympics.
This photo provided by Ana L Vazquez, shows Victor Perez in a hospital bed in Pocatello, Idaho. (Ana L Vazquez via AP)
Intellectually disabled teen shot by Idaho police dies after being removed from life support
Relatives say an autistic and nonverbal teenage boy who was shot by Idaho police from the other side of a chain-link fence while holding a knife has died. Victor Perez was 17.
 
This photo provided by the National Park Service shows a sign marking the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, May 7, 2018. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP, File)
Interior Department staff, including those at national parks, offered buyouts and early retirement
Employees across the Department of the Interior have until the end of Wednesday to respond to the latest offer to take buyouts or early retirement. That’s according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
 
People wade into water at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. The basin, normally a salt flat, has filled from rain over the previous few months. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Interior secretary orders national parks to be open and accessible as workforce is cut
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is directing national parks to remain open and accessible despite staff cuts, And he says officials will ensure proper staffing to let that happen.
 
Machinist AJ Nelson, who has worked for Boeing for six years, works the picket line after union members voted to reject a new contract offer from the company, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Unemployment benefits for striking workers being considered in Oregon, Washington
Lawmakers in Oregon and Washington are considering whether striking workers should receive unemployment benefits.
 
In this 2009 photo provided by Karen Gorman, biathlete Grace Boutot, left, of Fort Kent, Maine, displays her silver medal from the Youth Women Biathlon World Championships, while standing with coach Gary Colliander, right, in Fort Kent. (Karen Gorman via AP, File)
US Olympic and Paralympic officials fire coach and director after AP report on sexual abuse
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has fired a coach and a director after The Associated Press reported that the coach was accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete.
 
Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove stands for a portrait with young trees at the Webster Forest Nursery Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
As wildfire season approaches, budget woes and federal uncertainty have put states’ plans at risk
Budget woes, cuts to the federal wildfire-fighting workforce and President Donald Trump’s threats against Canada have made it more difficult for state officials to plan for the upcoming wildfire season.
 
This image provided by Sam Peterson shows Sam Peterson posing for a photo at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, near Astoria, Ore., Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Sam Peterson via AP)
Fired federal workers face choices now that a judge wants them rehired
After a judge ordered the Trump administration to rehire thousands of probationary workers who were fired in a dramatic downsizing of the U.S. government, many have been asked to return to work only to be put on administrative leave, or offered early retirement.
 
Earielle London looks back as she and other students from Alabama A&M and Tuskegee Universities march into the woods for a wildland firefighter training June 9, 2023, in Hazel Green, Ala. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Trump backs higher pay for wildland firefighters while DOGE cuts wildfire support staff
Wildland firefighters will keep a four-year-old pay hike under a GOP-led spending bill signed by President Donald Trump. But many also worry that mass firings of federal workers will leave the nation more susceptible to wildfires.
 
Former Grand Coulee Dam worker, Stephanie Duclos, sits in front of the Grand Coulee Dam on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 in Coulee Dam, Wash., explaining how she was terminated from her job under the Trump administration’s federal workforce reduction plan. (AP Photo/Martha Bellisle)
Critics warn staff cuts at federal agencies overseeing US dams could put public safety at risk
Experts are warning that Trump administration workforce cuts at federal agencies overseeing U.S. dams are threatening their ability to provide reliable electricity, supply water to farmers and protect communities from floods.
 
The Christmas photo of the Ken Martin family, from left, Barbara, 7; Ken, Barbara, Sue, 4; Donald, 21; and Virginia, 6; in Portland, Ore., in December 1952. (Ken Martin family via AP, File)
A car pulled from a river may tell what happened to an Oregon family of 5 that went missing in 1958
After two days of dredging, a crane has pulled a Ford station wagon from the Columbia River that officials believe belonged to an Oregon family who disappeared while on a trip 66 years ago.
 
The Christmas photo of the Ken Martin family, from left, Barbara, 7; Ken, Barbara, Sue, 4; Donald, 21; and Virginia, 6; in Portland, Ore., in December 1952. (Ken Martin family via AP, File)
Car being pulled from Columbia River might have belonged to Oregon family that vanished in 1958
Authorities are pulling submerged vehicles from the Columbia River, including a car thought to have belonged to a Portland couple who vanished in 1958 while out for a drive with their three daughters.
 
Employees of a security firm, LEAR Asset Management, drag Post Falls resident Teresa Borrenpohl out of a town hall meeting on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Post Falls, Idaho. (Hailey Hill/Coeur D'Alene Press via AP)
Idaho town hall meeting turns chaotic after woman is forcibly removed for shouting at speakers
A Republican-hosted legislative town hall meeting in northern Idaho became turbulent after three plainclothes security workers forcibly removed a woman who was heckling the speakers.
 
U.S. Forest Service crew members put tree branches into a wood chipper as they prepare the area for a prescribed burn in the Tahoe National Forest, June 6, 2023, near Downieville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
How Trump’s mass layoffs raise the risk of wildfires in the US West, according to fired workers
The termination letters that ended the careers of thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires.
 
This undated photo provided by Ayazi Abney APC law firm shows former Fox Sports reporter and anchor Julie Stewart-Binks. (Scott McDermott via AP)
Former Fox Sports reporter Julie Stewart-Binks accuses a top executive of sexual assault
A former Fox Sports reporter and anchor has filed a lawsuit against the network and executive vice president for content Charlie Dixon.
 
Jeffrey Nelson, an Auburn police officer convicted of murder for fatally shooting homeless man Jesse Sarey in 2019, appears at his sentencing at the King County Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Karen Ducey/The Seattle Times via AP)
Suburban Seattle officer gets over 16 years in prison for fatally shooting a homeless man
.A suburban Seattle police officer who was convicted of murder in the 2019 shooting death of a homeless man has been sentenced to over 16 years in prison.
 
A person walks by the boarded-up windows of the Multnomah County Elections building on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Portland, Ore., after a group of people broke dozens of windows and spray painted anti-government graffiti on the building. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
‘Orchestrated attack’ on Portland elections office shatters dozens of windows, police say
A group of hooded and masked people broke dozens of windows and spray painted anti-government graffiti on the Multnomah County Elections building in what Portland police called an “orchestrated attack.” It happened just before 2 a.m. Monday.
 
A military court building on Joint Base Lewis-McChord is shown Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010 in Washington state. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
An Army doctor who sexually abused JBLM soldiers is sentenced to more than 13 years in prison
A military doctor who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing dozens of male soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has been sentenced to just over 13 years in prison. The military judge also ordered Maj.
 
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is sworn into office by Washington Supreme Court chief justice Debra L. Stephens, right, during a joint legislative session in House chambers at the Washington State Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
New Washington governor outlines goals as state faces multibillion-dollar deficit
Incoming Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson outlined his plans to help individuals while also making government more efficient during his inaugural address as the state Legislature convened for its first week of session.
 
The barricade that Shamsud-Din Jabbar hit with his truck while driving into a crowd on New Year's Day is seen on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Lawsuit by New Orleans truck attack victims says city, contractors failed to implement safety system
Six people who were injured and the father of a man who was killed in the New Year’s truck attack are suing the City of New Orleans and two contractors, claiming they failed to protect revelers from an Army veteran who sped around a police blockade and raced down Bourbon Street.
 
The main flag pole in front of the U.S. Army I Corps headquarters on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Tacoma, Wash., hangs at half-staff, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Military doctor pleads guilty to dozens of sexual abuse charges
A military doctor has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing dozens of soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord who had primarily sought his care for pain management. Maj.
 
Long Island, New York residents Louis Tenedorio, left, and his wife, Cathy Tenedorio, embrace on by a memorial Bourbon Street and Canal Street in New Orleans, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, where their son, Matthew Tenedorio, was killed as one of the victims of the New Year's Day deadly truck attack and shooting. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
At New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral, church leader asks for prayers for victims of truck attack
At a Mass celebrated at New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral, a church leader acknowledged the sense of unease that remains after the New Year’s Day truck attack in the French Quarter and asked for prayers for the victims and their families.
 
This combination of images shows Joan Wilder on Nov. 22, 2024, Grace Boutot on Oct. 17, 2024, and Joanne Reid on Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, Steven Senne, Darko Bandic, File)
Biathlon official apologizes to athletes who have suffered mistreatment
Max Cobb, the secretary general of the International Biathlon Union, apologized to any athlete who was mistreated during his tenure at U.S.
 
Biathlon competition medals, credentials, and media clippings belonging to Grace Boutot, silver medalist in Youth World Championships in 2009, are displayed for a photograph at her home, Oct. 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
US Olympic and Paralympic officials put coach on leave after AP reports sexual abuse allegations
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has placed an employee on administrative leave after The Associated Press reported that one of its coaches was accused of sexually abusing a young biathlete, causing her so much distress that she attempted suicide.
 
This combination of images shows Joan Wilder on Nov. 22, 2024, Grace Boutot on Oct. 17, 2024, and Joanne Reid on Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, Steven Senne, Darko Bandic)
US Biathlon officials ignored sexual harassment and abuse of female racers for decades, athletes say
Sexual abuse and harassment by coaches and others who held positions of power over women on the U.S. Biathlon team were ignored or excused over decades by officials more concerned with winning medals than holding offenders accountable.
 
FILE - Joanne Reid of the United States competes during the women 7.5km sprint competition at the Biathlon World Cup race in Hochfilzen, Austria, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreas Schaad, File)
US biathletes fear retaliation for speaking out about sexual harassment, report finds
U.S. biathletes face “misogynistic” behavior while racing and fear retaliation if they report their concerns.
 
People walk by a minivan hit by a tree that fell during a "bomb cyclone" storm in Issaquah, Wash., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
‘Bomb cyclone’ kills 2 and knocks out power to over half a million homes across the US Northwest
A major storm was sweeping across the U.S. Northwest, battering the region with strong winds and rain. It caused widespread power outages and downed trees that killed at least two people.
 
Police officers stand near the scene as they gather security camera footage after multiple people were stabbed in the area Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle man faces 5 assault charges in random sidewalk stabbings
A Seattle man has been charged with five counts of assault in the random stabbings of five people in broad daylight last week.
 
Police officers stand near the scene as they gather security camera footage after multiple people were stabbed in the area Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Man accused of stabbing at least 5 people in Seattle ordered held on $2M bail
A 37-year-old man who police say stabbed five people in Seattle on Friday and possibly four others the day before made his first court appearance where a judge ordered him held on $2 million bail.
 
This combination of undated photos released by the U.S. Navy shows left to right; Lt. Serena Wileman, a Naval Aviator, and Lt. Commander Lyndsay Evans, a Naval Flight Officer. (U.S. Navy via AP)
Navy identifies 2 killed in fighter jet crash as aviators from California
The Navy has identified the two crew members killed when their jet fighter crashed near Mount Rainier last week as two 31-year-old aviators from California. Lt. Commander Lyndsay Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lt.
 
An EA-18G Growler takes off from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during an exercise, March 10, 2016. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
2 Navy aviators are declared dead after a fighter jet crashed in Washington state
Two crew members who were missing following the crash of a fighter jet in mountainous terrain in Washington state during a routine training flight have been declared dead.
 
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