Regional News

Kent to pay $4.4 million to family of Black man killed by police

The city of Kent has agreed to pay $4.4 million to the family of Giovonn Joseph-McDade to settle a lawsuit saying police unnecessarily… Continue reading

Olympia approves hazard pay for some grocery workers

Starting next month, large grocery stores in Olympia will be required to pay workers an additional $4 an hour in pay, the latest… Continue reading

State March unemployment rate drops to 5.4 percent

Washington’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent last month, and the state added 23,100 jobs, officials announced. The Employment Security Department said Tuesday… Continue reading

Gray whale could be sick from tracking tag

Marine mammal biologists and veterinarians are treating and monitoring a gray whale that appears to have developed an infection after being darted with… Continue reading

In this file photo from Jan. 11, 2021, state Rep. Jesse Johnson, D-Federal Way, stands with other members at the beginning of the House session during which legislators were spaced at a social distance in Olympia. Johnson hopes to see the Legislature end qualified immunity for police officers, which would allow them to be sued in state court, and to see it authorize community oversight boards that could have input on local policies and receive complaints about officers. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via The Associated Press)

Slew of police reform bills head to governor’s desk

As state lawmakers began wrapping up their work on an ambitious package of police accountability legislation in… Continue reading

In this file photo from Jan. 11, 2021, state Rep. Jesse Johnson, D-Federal Way, stands with other members at the beginning of the House session during which legislators were spaced at a social distance in Olympia. Johnson hopes to see the Legislature end qualified immunity for police officers, which would allow them to be sued in state court, and to see it authorize community oversight boards that could have input on local policies and receive complaints about officers. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via The Associated Press)

Legislature approves Juneteenth as state holiday

The state Legislature has passed a measure that makes Juneteenth a legal state holiday. The measure making June 19 a… Continue reading

Legislature passes bill to curb lead in school drinking water

Washington’s public and private schools will soon need to take new steps to curb children’s exposure to lead in drinking… Continue reading

Lummi Nation lead carver Jewell James works on the final details on Monday of a nearly 25-foot totem pole to be gifted to the Biden administration from the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham. The pole, carved from a 400-year-old red cedar, will make a journey from the reservation past sacred indigenous sites before arriving in Washington, D.C., in early June. Organizers said the totem pole is a reminder to leaders to honor the rights of Indigenous people and their sacred sites. (Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press)

Lummi Nation totem pole making journey to Biden

A totem pole carved at the Lummi Nation from a 400-year-old red cedar will begin a cross-country journey next month,… Continue reading

Lummi Nation lead carver Jewell James works on the final details on Monday of a nearly 25-foot totem pole to be gifted to the Biden administration from the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham. The pole, carved from a 400-year-old red cedar, will make a journey from the reservation past sacred indigenous sites before arriving in Washington, D.C., in early June. Organizers said the totem pole is a reminder to leaders to honor the rights of Indigenous people and their sacred sites. (Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press)

Officials seek new tools to combat invasive giant hornets

The state Department of Agriculture is moving forward with new rules that would give them more tools to combat the… Continue reading

Three counties face tighter coronavirus restrictions

The Associated Press Three counties will move back to more strict coronavirus restrictions at the end of the week because of rising cases and hospitalizations,… Continue reading

Business groups ask governor not to roll some counties to Phase 2

Nearly 70 state business organizations are urging Gov. Jay Inslee to delay for three weeks any… Continue reading

Legislature approves bill seeking Billy Frank Jr. statue

A measure to honor the late Billy Frank Jr. with a statue at the U.S. Capitol has cleared the Legislature.… Continue reading

State Senate OKs restrictions on police tactics, gear

The state Senate has approved a measure restricting certain police tactics and gear, including the use of… Continue reading

State officials: Six sickened by Salmonella linked to songbirds

No cases reported in Clallam, Jefferson counties

State confirms cases of vaccinated people getting COVID-19

The state Department of Health is investigating reports of people in the state who tested positive for COVID-19 more than… Continue reading

Debate erupts over road across Mount St. Helens blast zone

Conservation groups and scientists are challenging a federal decision to build a road through the Mount… Continue reading

FILE - In this May 8, 2003, file photo, a northern spotted owl sits on a tree branch in the Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman, Ore. Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canadian border to northern California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed protections for the old-growth forest in the last days of the Trump administration. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Conservationists sue for spotted owl protections

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres of northern… Continue reading

FILE - In this May 8, 2003, file photo, a northern spotted owl sits on a tree branch in the Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman, Ore. Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canadian border to northern California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed protections for the old-growth forest in the last days of the Trump administration. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

King County Sheriff’s Office to pay $5M in fatal shooting of youth

The King County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of… Continue reading

Legislature passes bill to give voting rights to parolees

State lawmakers have voted to automatically restore voting rights to people who have been released from prison… Continue reading

More than 50 infected in COVID-19 outbreak at King County Jail

A significant COVID-19 outbreak is happening inside the King County Jail, with 19 cases detected on Monday alone. The outbreak… Continue reading