Local News in Washington
100 articles · Page 1 of 5
- LocalWA
Washington adds safeguards for Flock cameras
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday signed into law new guardrails for the use of automated license plate readers, amid concerns federal immigration authorities are tapping them to aid in their searches. Under Senate Bill 6002, police can only use the readers when investigating felonies or gross misdemeanors, looking for stolen vehicles or those registered […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Supreme Court to decide if Trump can end birthright citizenship
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that could reshape the understanding of who is American by birth. The case, Trump v. Barbara, challenges President Donald Trump’s executive order that redefines citizenship to exclude children born to parents who either do not have legal status, or hold temporary legal […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
TSA officers finally get paid amid ongoing Homeland Security shutdown
Most Transportation Security Administration officers received a paycheck Monday covering four weeks of back wages that were held up by the funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security, a TSA spokesperson said. The lack of pay had produced long wait lines for security checks at some of the nation’s busiest airports after TSA officers […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Washington charges drivers for buying studded tires. Why doesn’t Oregon?
As weather warms and more Oregonians spend their time outside, spring brings the telltale clicking sounds of studded tires carving ruts into snow-free roads. Studies have shown that studded tires reduce road life and cost the state millions in repairs. Several states, including Alaska, Florida and Minnesota, have banned metal studded tires, and in neighboring […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Income tax signed in Washington with a legal challenge close behind
Washington Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday signed historic legislation creating an income tax, saying it is a critical step toward making the state’s system of taxation less regressive. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. We did it everybody,” Ferguson turned and exclaimed to the throng of lawmakers, union members and pro-tax advocates who squeezed […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Pharmaceutical giants sue WA over new drug pricing law
Two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies sued Washington state on Wednesday, alleging a new law to tamp down prescription drug prices for hospitals won’t result in discounts for patients. The lawsuits came the same day Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5981. The law passed the Senate along party lines with Democrats in support, […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Third round of ‘No Kings’ protest draws thousands to Washington’s state capitol
Thousands of people gathered at the Washington state capitol on Saturday for the “No Kings” protest, a nationwide demonstration against President Donald Trump. Saturday marked the third wave of the “No Kings” protests with similar demonstrations unfolding in over 3,000 locations across the country. “Let’s get loud, let’s get organized and let’s remind everyone clearly […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
No Kings day rallies roll out across the US, with millions said to attend anti-Trump protests
WASHINGTON — Large crowds took to the streets Saturday in the nation’s capital for the third No Kings protest, rallying with others across the United States against what organizers say is an unprecedented expansion of power by President Donald Trump. Thousands of people carrying signs and playing music began the day at Memorial Circle below […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
As Washington gets an income tax, the fight to overturn it begins
Come Monday, Washington is expected to have a state income tax on the books for the first time in nearly a century. Then what? A legal challenge certainly, maybe two. A ballot battle as well, its timing less certain. Opponents of the much-debated 9.9% tax on households with incomes above $1 million a year are […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
More Democratic legislative staff seek to unionize in Washington
Another group of Democratic staff in the Washington Legislature wants to unionize. Roughly 20 employees who handle policy and communication duties for the Senate Democratic Caucus have filed for representation by the Washington Public Employees Association. It is the first step to becoming a union and negotiating contracts with the Legislature. “Legislative staff are essential […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Wyden, Merkley slam ‘baseless’ federal investigation into Oregon abortion coverage requirement
Oregon’s U.S. senators are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to drop a “needless and wasteful” investigation into Oregon and other states that require health insurers to cover abortion. In a letter sent Friday to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and shared with the Capital Chronicle, Democratic […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
DOJ confirms voter data sharing with Homeland Security, but denies building national list
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed in court Thursday that it is sharing sensitive voter data with the Department of Homeland Security in a search for noncitizen voters. But a DOJ lawyer denied the department is building a national voter database. The Justice Department has demanded states provide full copies of their voter lists, including […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
New WA law drops barriers for homeless shelters, permanent supportive housing
EVERETT — A new Washington state law will require local governments to allow housing for people experiencing homelessness in residential areas. Communities across the state have pushed back to varying degrees to permitting homeless shelters and permanent supportive housing in their neighborhoods. House Bill 2266, which Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Friday, limits their ability to […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
US Senate, House pass dueling Homeland Security bills, keeping department unfunded
WASHINGTON — The two chambers of Congress, both controlled by Republicans, were at odds Friday over how to fund the Department of Homeland Security, prolonging the shutdown that began in mid-February. The Senate voted before dawn to approve a funding bill that would have reopened every agency within the department impacted by the funding lapse. […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Trump to sign emergency order to pay TSA agents with no deal in Congress on shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will sign an order allowing the Department of Homeland Security to pay airport security workers who have gone without a full paycheck since the shutdown began in mid-February. The order for Transportation Security Administration workers does not appear to include pay for other federal employees working […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Washington’s gender wage gap is widening, study finds
The wage gap between men and women in Washington is the second widest in the country. An analysis released this month from the National Partnership for Women and Families found that women in Washington earned a median income $18,545 less than their male counterparts, the largest gap in the country second only to Utah. Today, […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
WA’s status solidifies as one of the most expensive places in US
In the past decade, Washington has become one of the most expensive states to live in. Drawing from an array of federal and state data, a new analysis shows the state’s cost of living rising faster than the national average over that time, with only California, New Jersey, Hawaii and Washington, D.C. considered more expensive […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
‘Because I’m president’: Trump explains why he voted by mail yet opposes voting by mail
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, who wants to ban mail-in voting, said he had the right to vote by mail-in ballot in Florida’s special election Tuesday “because I’m president of the United States.” The president’s statement at his Cabinet meeting Thursday comes as he aggressively pushes U.S. Senate Republicans to break the long-standing filibuster to […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
US Senate turns down photo ID requirement for voting, slammed by Dems as ‘theatrics’
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate was unable to agree Thursday whether to require photo identification to vote in federal elections, as the chamber debated a larger bill that would make several changes to how Americans register and cast ballots. The 53-47 procedural vote rejected an amendment from Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted to the SAVE America […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
New census estimates show movers swelling population in small Southeast counties
Small counties in the coastal Southeast had some of the largest population gains between mid-2024 and mid-2025 in estimates being released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, mostly because of people moving from larger areas. Jasper County, South Carolina, where there’s a building boom taking advantage of the popularity of nearby Hilton Head, was the […]
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