Local News in Washington
348 articles · Page 2 of 18
- NewsWA
Top Ferguson adviser exits for private sector
An original member of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s executive leadership team, who played a key role in boosting the administration’s cooperation with tribes, resigned last month for a private sector job. Jaime Martin, Ferguson’s external relations director since November 2024, is an enrolled member of the Snoqualmie Tribe and is believed to be the first […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Eroding Affordable Care Act enrollment portends higher insurance rates
Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act continues to erode as some customers struggle to make premium payments, with the declining numbers churning market uncertainty for insurers. In response, insurers are likely to raise rates again next year, following this year’s larger-than-typical hikes. Sign-ups were already down in January by about 1.2 million from last year’s […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Republicans target blue-state districts after US Supreme Court voting rights decision
Republicans on a U.S. Senate panel suggested Tuesday a recent Supreme Court decision weakening the federal Voting Rights Act invalidated U.S. House districts in Democratic states where most residents belong to a racial minority group. Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, signaled that Republicans will target […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
US Senate votes to advance resolution limiting Trump war in Iran as Cassidy flips
WASHINGTON — After voting no seven times, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., flipped and cast the deciding vote to advance a War Powers Resolution to rein in President Donald Trump’s war in Iran without authorization from Congress. In a 50-47 vote, Cassidy joined fellow Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Minnesota becomes first state to outlaw prediction markets, immediately sued by federal regulators
Minnesota became the first state to outlaw prediction markets — online platforms where people can bet on the outcomes of events — after Gov. Tim Walz signed a public safety bill (SF4760) into law Monday. Federal authorities at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission quickly filed a lawsuit Tuesday aiming to stop the law from going […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
WA’s transgender prisoner policy is target of new federal investigation
The Trump administration on Tuesday launched an investigation into Washington state’s practice of housing transgender women in its women’s prison. In a letter to Gov. Bob Ferguson, the U.S. Department of Justice cited allegations that the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor has “failed to protect female prisoners from sexual and physical violence, […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
New student loan limits challenged by Democratic AGs and governors
WASHINGTON — A coalition of Democratic attorneys general and governors sued the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday over forthcoming regulations that will impose new borrowing limits for students pursuing certain advanced degree programs. The lawsuit — filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland — challenges a portion of the incoming federal student […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Deaths on Washington roads drop again
In an encouraging sign for road safety, traffic deaths in Washington fell significantly for the second year in a row in 2025, according to state data released Tuesday. Washington saw 659 people die in vehicle crashes in 2025, down from 809 in 2023 and 737 in 2024, according to the preliminary data from the Washington […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
More sunshine coming to WA government with Capitol skylight restoration
Let there be light. When Washington state lawmakers return to Olympia for the 2027 legislative session, natural light will again shine on the House and Senate chambers. Construction to restore skylights in the state Capitol begins in June and is slated to end in December, according to the state Department of Enterprise Services. It’ll cost […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Federal judge rebuffs bid to toss WA legislative maps
A federal judge has rejected a request to ditch political maps for Washington’s Legislature that he approved two years ago. Now, opponents are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on whether the maps comply with an April ruling from the high court in the case Louisiana v. Callais, which significantly […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Theo Angelis sworn in as WA Supreme Court justice
Theo Angelis is Washington’s newest state Supreme Court justice. While he has been on the court for about six weeks, Angelis was formally sworn in Monday in a ceremony at the Temple of Justice in Olympia. Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed him to the role in March. “Anyone who’s ever worked with Justice Angelis will say […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
From clergy to coaches, states debate who should report child abuse and neglect
Conversations with survivors of sexual abuse left Missouri state Sen. Tracy McCreery wondering what could have prevented the harm, leading her to sponsor a bill that would require clergy and religious workers to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Her bill would have forced ministers to report even if they learned of abuse during confession […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
WA lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing
For more than a year, Rep. Tarra Simmons has been dogged by allegations she improperly used her cachet as a lawmaker and cash from her prior campaigns to assist two nonprofit organizations, one of which was her employer. Simmons emphatically denies wrongdoing and calls the charges unsubstantiated. But as the case has dragged on, she […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
As property insurance crisis worsens, some lawmakers target Big Oil
Desperate to get a handle on rising property insurance costs driven by natural disasters, some state lawmakers are opening up a new line of attack in the effort to force oil companies to bear the cost of climate change effects. In three states, Democratic lawmakers introduced bills this session that would allow insurance companies or […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Judge rejects lawsuit against rewrite of WA parental rights law
A Washington judge on Friday sided with the state as he turned back a lawsuit seeking to block a controversial 2025 law concerning rights for parents of public school students. Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder acknowledged the case over House Bill 1296 is likely to be appealed. The deeply partisan debate over the […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Trump elections order would create chaotic ‘nightmare,’ Democrats and allies tell court
WASHINGTON — Democrats and advocacy groups urged a quick rejection of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on compiling citizenship lists and creating traceable mail-in ballots in a federal court hearing Thursday. Lawyers for the Democratic National Committee, Democratic minority leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and interest groups argued […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
A huge data center could rise on Alaska’s North Slope
One of the largest data centers in the nation has been proposed on Alaska’s Arctic North Slope, where boosters say it could take advantage of abundant land, cold temperatures for cooling and a huge supply of natural gas for power. The $500 million development would occupy an entire square mile with multiple buildings in a […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Food stamp enrollment drops in WA as immigrants exit program
Food stamp enrollment in Washington state fell sharply between last summer and early this year amid federal cuts to the program and as fewer immigrants accessed benefits. The decline here is small compared to some other states, but the number of households receiving food assistance dropped from 548,000 in March 2025 to 525,000 in March […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
US Supreme Court rules telehealth abortion can resume while lawsuit continues
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday to preserve telehealth access to the abortion drug mifepristone until after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled on the merits of the high-stakes federal lawsuit Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued dissenting opinions. In his dissent, Thomas said the […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
State officials demand transparency as businesses get billions in Trump tariff refunds
The fiscal leaders of several states are demanding transparency and consumer fairness as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to refund billions in international tariffs following a recent Supreme Court loss. In a February decision, the high court dealt a blow to the president’s trade agenda, ruling by a 6-3 margin that the tariffs he issued […]
State News – Washington
