Local News in Washington
100 articles · Page 4 of 5
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Elections officials decry costs heaped on states in SAVE America voting bill
The voting overhaul measure that the U.S. Senate began debating Tuesday would cause major headaches for underfunded state and local election officials, without meaningfully stopping fraud, according to a collection of voting rights advocates and elections officers. The so-called SAVE America Act, which President Donald Trump is relentlessly pushing, would create chaos for state and […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
WA and Oregon scale back I-5 bridge ambitions as cost balloons to $14.4B
The price tag for a new Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River, linking Washington and Oregon, has doubled to $14.4 billion and the timeline to get it built has slipped again. Elements of the massive undertaking will be delayed as the focus, and all available dollars, will be directed at building the new bridge […]
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WA’s Joe Kent leaving Trump administration over war in Iran
Joe Kent, the former congressional candidate from southwest Washington, is leaving his post as the Trump administration’s top counterterrorism official, saying he opposes the war in Iran. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote on social media early Tuesday. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it […]
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Woe Canada! WA State Ferries enters 7th season without cross-border service
In her two years as the Anacortes Town Crier, Julie Nester has proclaimed and oyez, oyez, oyez’d at the community’s Christmas tree lighting, the Fourth of July parade and sister cities golf tournament. But one plum assignment is still missing from her town crier resume: the annual Anacortes to Sidney, British Columbia ferry route reopening […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Doctors warn of a deadly complication from measles outbreaks
The first sign came when Deepanwita Dasgupta was 5 and started stumbling more while playing at her home in Bangalore in southern India. The girl was always up to something, so her parents figured extra bumps and bruises were just symptoms of an active childhood. Maybe, they thought, it was ill-fitting shoes. Relatives described the […]
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WA is close to letting Rivian and Lucid sell directly to customers at showrooms
Rivian and Lucid could soon be able to sell cars from a showroom in the same way Tesla has done for more than a decade. Late-arriving legislation that sped through the process would open the door wider for consumers to purchase an electric vehicle directly from its manufacturer. Senate Bill 6354 received bipartisan support en […]
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Idaho committee rejects bill to repeal childhood vaccine requirements
An Idaho House committee on Friday rejected a bill meant to repeal vaccine requirements, but which critics said could have restricted access to medical care. House Bill 808 proposed expanding on Idaho law passed last year that banned businesses, schools and governments from requiring people get medical treatment, diagnosis or vaccines. Last year’s law drew […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Spokane area rides an economic upswing
SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane is having a moment. The generally sleepy economy of the state’s second-largest city is getting a shakeup, thanks to surging employment and incomes. The U.S. Senate got into the action in January, approving up to $70 million in federal funds to boost the aerospace industry here. This money would go to […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Washington law will make it easier for state to distribute its abortion pill stockpile
Washington earlier this year had to return 30,000 expiring doses from its abortion pill stockpile to the manufacturer. A state law signed Saturday seeks to ensure remaining pills the state has on hand are easier to access and use. Before Senate Bill 5917, the state needed to sell its mifepristone pills for at least the […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Winners, losers and takeaways from WA’s legislative session
The curtain fell Thursday night on the Washington Legislature’s 60-day session. A lot happened before it did. Passage of Democrats’ income tax on millionaire earners was the big storyline. It followed House debate on the bill that was one of the longest in the state’s legislative history. Here are some highlights, plus who came out ahead […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Alaska legislators have few firm facts as they consider a proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline
In a speech to the Alaska Legislature this week, Alaska Rep. Nick Begich III urged state lawmakers to boost the development of a proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. “The federal path is largely cleared, but investors also need state level clarity, fiscal predictability and simplicity,” Begich said. “Scrutinize it carefully, model it thoroughly. But my […]
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WA sheriffs urge partial veto of bill setting new standards for their jobs
Washington sheriffs are pushing Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto parts of a controversial bill that would set new standards for them and could lead to removal from office. In a letter this week, four sheriffs pointed to sections of Senate Bill 5974 they want excised when the Democratic governor takes action. They say the legislation […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
In bid for voter data, Trump’s DOJ lays groundwork to undermine confidence in midterms
The U.S. Department of Justice has begun connecting its push to obtain sensitive personal data on millions of voters to whether the upcoming midterm elections will be fair and secure, laying the groundwork for the Trump administration to potentially cast doubt on the results. The Justice Department has sued 29 states and the District of […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
WA legislative session ends with budgets passed and a dash of drama
The Washington Legislature concluded its 2026 session Thursday evening after passing a batch of budgets and navigating late-breaking drama over the elimination of a data center tax break that threatened to throw lawmakers into a special session. Sine Die for the 60-day sprint came around 8:30 p.m. Passage of Democrats’ signature policy for the session, […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Live final day coverage of the 2026 Washington state legislative session
State lawmakers in Olympia are in the final hours of the 60-day 2026 legislative session. Before adjourning sine die, they’ll have to approve operating, transportation, and capital budgets and will be seeking to tie up some other loose ends with legislation. Late Wednesday, the Senate gave final legislative approval to one of the most closely […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
GOP cuts in federal food aid scramble passage of long-delayed farm bill
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee advanced a sweeping farm bill early this month, attempting to revive Congress’ stalled effort to rewrite the nation’s agriculture law the same way it’s been done for decades. But the vote also exposed the fragile coalition that will determine whether the legislation can ever move forward. Those who watch the […]
State News – Washington - LocalWA
Bike and walking trails lose hundreds of millions under Trump
Cities and states are filing lawsuits and scrambling for alternative sources of money as the Trump administration seeks to shut off the federal funding spigot for biking and walking trails. Since the early 1990s, there has been fairly consistent — and largely bipartisan — federal support for bicycle and pedestrian projects. Federal funding for such […]
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Income tax bill heads to WA governor for signature
Democratic state senators in Washington pushed a state income tax across the legislative finish line Wednesday after Republicans’ last-ditch attempt to derail it failed. On a 27-21 vote, Democrats approved Senate Bill 6346, clearing the way for it to go to Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who is eagerly waiting to sign it. Passage didn’t occur […]
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Businesses can’t require microchip implants for workers under new WA law
Injected under the skin, usually between the thumb and index finger, microchip implants can serve as identification or make contactless payments smoother. But Washington workers don’t need to worry about their employers forcing them to get “chipped”. Under House Bill 2303, signed Wednesday, companies can’t ask or require that. The peculiar practice hasn’t been reported […]
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Democrats settle on plan for patching up WA’s strained budget
Democrats in the Washington Legislature released a budget deal Wednesday balanced with one-time maneuvers, siphoning of rainy day reserves and slashing of child care funding. “There will be a lot of people who are disappointed by this budget. We knew that,” Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said Wednesday […]
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