Local News in Washington
348 articles · Page 14 of 18
- 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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Washington Legislature not ready to set sail with ship exhaust crackdown
This article was first published by Salish Current. An international bid to reduce air pollution from ocean-going ships may be increasing water pollution in the Salish Sea. But a proposal to untangle this paradox went aground this winter for the second year in a row in the Washington Legislature. Policymakers are zeroing in on the fuels […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Washington courts rarely discipline guardians ad litem accused of misconduct in custody cases
This article was first published by InvestigateWest. Stephanie Maya thought the facts were on her side in the custody case for her 3-year-old son. She’d recently escaped an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, the father of her son. He had been arrested for physically assaulting and strangling her, an experience that Maya says happened repeatedly […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Feds launch probe into Washington program to redress housing discrimination
Washington’s program offering no-interest home loans to residents harmed by historical discrimination has landed in the Trump administration’s crosshairs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday it was investigating the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, which runs the Covenant Homeownership Program. The state Legislature created the program in 2023 to address generations […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Trump EPA to ease restrictions on summer ethanol-blend sales as gas prices soar
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will allow gas stations to sell a blended fuel containing 15% ethanol into the summer season in an effort to lower gas prices, Administrator Lee Zeldin said Wednesday. The blend, known as E15, is usually barred in many Midwest states over the summer to reduce smog, though the federal government […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
State savings weaken as budget pressures increase, analysis warns
State rainy day funds — money reserved to cover unexpected expenses and patch short-term budget holes — are declining nationally as states face increased costs, lower tax revenue and federal budget cuts, a new analysis found. The decline follows a period of strong reserves bolstered by federal pandemic aid and higher-than-expected tax collections, the report […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
NBA vote clears way for expansion to Seattle
After nearly a generation of heartache, the NBA is on the precipice of returning to Seattle. The league’s Board of Governors on Wednesday voted to formally explore expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas, kicking off a process that could bring a team back for the 2028-29 season. “For two decades, Washingtonians have mourned the loss […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Gas prices rise again as some states consider tax holidays
Gas prices are climbing again across the United States — with little clarity on where prices are headed next — spurring proposals for state gas tax holidays in the hopes of offering drivers some relief. The national average hit $3.96 per gallon Monday, up from $3.72 the week before, according to the U.S. Energy Information […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
TSA officers working without pay demand progress from Congress on funding talks
Transportation Security Administration officers are struggling to afford basic necessities as they approach their second missed full paycheck since a funding lapse began last month, union leaders said at a virtual press conference Tuesday. Officials from the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 44,000 TSA officers nationwide, urged Congress to immediately find […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Ferguson signs law to undo WA estate tax increase enacted last year
Washington will soon end its reign as the state with the nation’s highest estate tax. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed legislation Tuesday to erase an increase in estate tax rates that he and Democratic lawmakers pushed through last year to help overcome a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. The tax is paid when people die, and their property […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Lawmakers spar over Homeland Security funding deal as shutdown strains airport security
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday were waiting to hear back from Democrats after they sent them a new offer to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down since mid-February. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the proposal would fund many of the agencies within DHS, including the Federal […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Mullin pledges to ‘protect everybody’ as he takes over Department of Homeland Security
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hailed his new Homeland Security head, former U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, as “strong, professional and fair” during an Oval Office swearing-in ceremony Tuesday. Mullin, who until Monday was one of Oklahoma’s Republican senators, takes the reins at the Department of Homeland Security amid a weekslong partial shutdown in the aftermath […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Amazon and Walmart fined for selling banned refrigerant in WA
Retail giants Amazon and Walmart are collectively facing over a million dollars in environmental fines from Washington state’s Department of Ecology for selling coolant products that contain potent greenhouse gases. In 2021, the state Legislature passed a law restricting the sale of products containing hydrofluorocarbons, synthetic gases that can trap up to thousands of times […]
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