Regional News

Logo for news use, for stories regarding Washington state government — Olympia, the Legislature and state agencies. No caption necessary. 20220331

State Senate OKs assault weapons ban, longer wait on gun sales

Bills outlawing many semiautomatic weapons, adding restrictions on gun purchases, now on course

Logo for news use, for stories regarding Washington state government — Olympia, the Legislature and state agencies. No caption necessary. 20220331

Abortion pill to be stockpiled in state

Texas case threatens prior FDA approval

Proposal aims to keep power on during extreme heat

Power, water to stay on if temps hit 90

Healthcare masking requirement to end

Washington and Oregon will soon drop mask requirements in healthcare settings, moving to lift the last major masking requirements meant to curb… Continue reading

Supreme Court: State law preempts city gun ordinance

The Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that a city ordinance requiring that guns be locked up and kept out of… Continue reading

This combo of images shows Republican challenger Matt Larkin, left, in an image provided by Campaign for Matt Larkin, and U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., 8th District, in Issaquah, Wash., on July 30, 2022. (Mark Andrew/The Campaign for Matt Larkin, left, and Kori Suzuki/The Seattle Times via The Associated Press)

Two races in Washington state could tip scales in Congress

Control of Congress could come down to one or two seats in Washington, but the state’s vote-by-mail system means final results likely won’t… Continue reading

This combo of images shows Republican challenger Matt Larkin, left, in an image provided by Campaign for Matt Larkin, and U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., 8th District, in Issaquah, Wash., on July 30, 2022. (Mark Andrew/The Campaign for Matt Larkin, left, and Kori Suzuki/The Seattle Times via The Associated Press)

Democrat, independent vie for Washington secretary of state

Democrats are trying to win the secretary of state’s office in an election for the first time in six decades after Republicans failed… Continue reading

Boxes of signatures are displayed after a news conference hosted by Citizens for Voter ID at the Nebraska Capitol building on July 7, 2022, in Lincoln, Neb. Voters in several states are deciding measures that could affect the way they cast ballots in future elections. While some measures would expand access to voting, proposals elsewhere would impose new identification requirements to cast ballots or raise the threshold to pass citizen initiatives. (Noah Riffe/Lincoln Journal Star via The Associated Press)

Voting laws at issue as states decide scores of ballot items

Voters in several states are weighing in on fundamental questions about how future elections will function as scores of ballot measures addressing an array of… Continue reading

Boxes of signatures are displayed after a news conference hosted by Citizens for Voter ID at the Nebraska Capitol building on July 7, 2022, in Lincoln, Neb. Voters in several states are deciding measures that could affect the way they cast ballots in future elections. While some measures would expand access to voting, proposals elsewhere would impose new identification requirements to cast ballots or raise the threshold to pass citizen initiatives. (Noah Riffe/Lincoln Journal Star via The Associated Press)

Washington: What to expect on election night

Ballot counting totals can be slow in vote-by mail state

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., speaks during the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing. Murray faces Republican Tiffany Smiley in the November election. (Mariam Zuhaib/The Associated Press, File)

Murray, Smiley spar over abortion, crime in US Senate debate

Candidates will meet again Sunday

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., speaks during the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing. Murray faces Republican Tiffany Smiley in the November election. (Mariam Zuhaib/The Associated Press, File)
In this image provided by Portland General Electric, windmills and solar panels line a renewable energy facility in Lexington, Ore., on May 24, 2022. The facility combines solar power, wind power and massive batteries to store the energy generated there. The Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facilities was commissioned Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, and is the first utility-scale plant of its kind in North America. (Sarah Hamaker/Portland General Electric via The Associated Press)

Wind-solar-battery ‘hybrid’ plant first in U.S.

Project commissioned in small Oregon town

In this image provided by Portland General Electric, windmills and solar panels line a renewable energy facility in Lexington, Ore., on May 24, 2022. The facility combines solar power, wind power and massive batteries to store the energy generated there. The Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facilities was commissioned Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, and is the first utility-scale plant of its kind in North America. (Sarah Hamaker/Portland General Electric via The Associated Press)

Recovery of Aleutian Isle vessel is delayed

The fishing vessel Aleutian Isle won’t be barged to a mainland facility until later this week, the Coast Guard said in… Continue reading

A U.S. Coast Guard boat and Kitsap County Sheriff boat search the area Monday near Freeland on Whidbey Island north of Seattle where a chartered floatplane crashed the day before. The plane was carrying 10 people and was en route from Friday Harbor to Renton. (Stephen Brashear/The Associated Press)

Coast Guard ends search for nine missing in floatplane crash off Whidbey Island

Port Angeles station sends crew during rescue efforts

A U.S. Coast Guard boat and Kitsap County Sheriff boat search the area Monday near Freeland on Whidbey Island north of Seattle where a chartered floatplane crashed the day before. The plane was carrying 10 people and was en route from Friday Harbor to Renton. (Stephen Brashear/The Associated Press)

Vessel recovery devices arrive off San Juan Island

Orcas turned back just before diesel sheen from sunken boat

Washington voters weigh in on state primary races

Washington voters have decided the top two candidates in races for the U.S. Senate, Congress and… Continue reading

Deaths reported from heat in Portland

At least seven people are suspected to have died from hyperthermia in the Portland, Ore., area since the hot… Continue reading

Brian Gadzuk, 56, clears out the trunk of his Jeep to make space for a new air conditioning unit in the parking lot at McLendon Hardware in Renton on Sunday. The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees in some places this week as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events were historically uncommon. (Kori Suzuki/The Seattle Times via AP)

Heat wave to hit Pacific Northwest a year after deadly event

The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees in some places this week… Continue reading

Brian Gadzuk, 56, clears out the trunk of his Jeep to make space for a new air conditioning unit in the parking lot at McLendon Hardware in Renton on Sunday. The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a major heat wave, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees in some places this week as climate change fuels longer hot spells in a region where such events were historically uncommon. (Kori Suzuki/The Seattle Times via AP)

Federal grants available for coastal climate change projects

Coastal communities in the state that are threatened by climate change are eligible for $225 million in federal grants. Cities, counties and tribes… Continue reading

The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax on May 15, 2019. The Biden administration has released two reports arguing that removing dams on the lower Snake River may be needed to restore salmon runs to historic levels in the Pacific Northwest. (Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press)

White House: To help salmon, dams may need to be removed

The Biden administration on Tuesday released two reports arguing that removing dams on the lower Snake River may be needed to restore salmon… Continue reading

The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax on May 15, 2019. The Biden administration has released two reports arguing that removing dams on the lower Snake River may be needed to restore salmon runs to historic levels in the Pacific Northwest. (Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press)