Local News in Washington
354 articles · Page 18 of 18
- LocalWA
Kalshi and Polymarket are skirting laws on sports betting, states say
Online prediction markets allow users to put money on the outcome of almost anything — this weekend’s NBA game between the Warriors and the Thunder, the next supreme leader of Iran, whether the government will confirm the existence of aliens. But those markets have no state oversight and operate even in states that ban gambling. […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
First grants awarded under WA’s new $100M police hiring program
The first two grants from Washington’s new $100 million effort to boost law enforcement hiring have been awarded to local police departments, after months of frustration over the program’s rollout. The Kent Police Department plans to use over $1.9 million in state funding to hire 20 new entry-level officers, according to the state Criminal Justice […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Nannies, housekeepers and other domestic workers to gain state protections in WA
New protections for domestic workers in Washington will take effect next year under a bill Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Monday. Before the bill signing, close to 100 people gathered on the north steps of the state Capitol to celebrate the passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Sponsored by Rep. Brianna Thomas, D-West Seattle, House […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Investment companies block access to tens of thousands of acres in Wahkiakum, Pacific counties
ELOCHOMAN RIVER VALLEY — Investment companies have whittled away the land hunters can use in Wahkiakum and Pacific counties. Access to tens of thousands of acres of locally treasured, longtime hunting grounds is now blocked because a new generation of private landowners won’t offer access. The landowners are often investment companies, not based in the region […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Republicans target public lands protections in a new way
Over the past year, GOP leaders and the Trump administration have used a law known as the Congressional Review Act to push for coal mining in Montana, oil drilling in Alaska and copper mining in Minnesota, while also attempting to reverse protections for a national monument in Utah. The rarely used act gives Congress a […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Seattle litigator appointed to Washington Supreme Court
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday appointed Seattle litigator Theo Angelis to the state Supreme Court to replace outgoing Justice Barbara Madsen. Angelis, 53, comes to the high court from law firm K&L Gates, where he worked with Ferguson more than 20 years ago, before the governor sought public office. The two teamed up on […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Judge blocks Portland ICE facility agents from using tear gas leaking into nearby apartments
A federal judge on Friday barred federal agents outside Portland’s waterfront Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility from using tear gas and chemical munitions in a manner that could seep into a nearby affordable housing complex unless there is an “imminent threat to life.” Residents and Reach Community Development, which operates the apartment complex Gray’s Landing, […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Fee on health insurers to fund abortion services debated in WA Legislature
Insurers in Washington could soon need to foot the bill for additional abortion funding. A proposal under consideration in the state Legislature would require health carriers with insurance plans offered on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange to pay a tax. Senate Bill 6182 would impose an assessment of $0.82 per month of coverage for each […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Data center tax break close to getting zapped by WA Legislature
Tax breaks for data center operators could soon be stripped from Washington state law. On Saturday, the House Finance Committee voted 8 to 6 to approve Senate Bill 6231. The bill next awaits a House floor vote. As it stands, data center operators in most Washington counties do not pay the 6.5% sales tax on […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
WA Senate’s Democratic majority leader draws challenger from the left
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, who has served in the Legislature for two decades, faces the prospect of a fellow Democrat challenging him in this year’s election. Hannah Sabio-Howell, a progressive activist who previously worked as a state Senate staffer, intends to formally announce her candidacy Monday in Seattle’s 43rd District. She outlined her plan […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Last deadline of Washington legislative session kills more bills
So close. With less than a week to go, policy proposals are nearing the finish line to becoming law in the Washington Legislature. But the last deadline of the legislative session Friday stopped some of them in their tracks. To remain in play, bills needed to pass out of the opposite chamber from where they […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
WA GOP lawmakers press schools chief on gender identity disclosure policies
Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week, Washington House Republicans are seeking answers from the state’s top public schools official on policies related to gender identity and parental rights. On Monday, the high court sided against California in a case involving the state’s ban on public schools disclosing students’ gender identity information to their […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
With rewrite, WA income tax on track to approval
Democrats in the Washington state House on Friday stood at the precipice of enacting a statewide income tax, a momentous political accomplishment for progressives that is expected to face tests in court and on the ballot. They released a much-anticipated overhaul of the so-called “millionaires’ tax,” with changes to drive more money into early learning […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Automated license plate reader regulations close to becoming WA law
Washington is one step closer to adding guardrails to the use of automated license plate readers. The state House on Thursday passed a revamped version of legislation to implement Washington’s first regulations of the cameras, which have become more common in recent years. The bill now returns to the Senate to concur with the changes […]
State News – Washington
