Local News in Washington
348 articles · Page 5 of 18
- NewsWA
When the helpers ‘feel helpless’: First responders get a boost in mental health support
Ty Wooten didn’t realize the weight of answering his first 911 call — until more than a decade later. A woman had dialed 911 to report that her husband had shot himself in front of her and their 7-year-old son, on the family’s living room couch. It was Wooten’s first call as a dispatcher. “I […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
WA Supreme Court rejects state’s attempt to unblock sheriff eligibility law
A Washington Supreme Court commissioner on Tuesday declined to pause a judge’s ruling that blocked a new law setting stricter qualifications for sheriffs. Deputy Commissioner Walter Burton agreed with sheriffs challenging the law that the status quo from past years should remain while litigation continues, even as candidates for sheriff file to run for election […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Ex-Washington lawmaker Eric Robertson dies
Former Washington state lawmaker Eric Robertson, who served two stints in the Legislature decades apart, died April 24. He was 62. Robertson, a former House Republican caucus chair, represented the 31st Legislative District from 1995 to 1998 and again for two terms from 2021 to 2025. Former Rep. Kelly Chambers, a Republican from Puyallup and […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Bipartisan US Senate appropriators urge Trump administration to spend vaccine funds
WASHINGTON — The State Department must spend the $600 million Congress approved for an international vaccine program, according to a letter sent Monday by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. The six senior members of the Appropriations Committee, three Republicans and three Democrats, called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to fulfill the government’s “pledge” […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Federal agencies haven’t started on Trump order restricting voting by mail, DOJ says
Federal agencies say they have yet to take steps to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail, as the Department of Justice fights a Democrat-led lawsuit against it. The Justice Department late Friday filed documents asking a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit and to not block the executive order on a preliminary […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
WA Supreme Court bats down referendum attempt targeting income tax
Washington’s Supreme Court on Monday denied a conservative political committee’s request to pursue an attempt to repeal the state’s new income tax law with a referendum this fall. The opposition can still move forward with an initiative to overturn the tax on millionaire earners. But that path to challenging the law will require twice as […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
US Supreme Court issues temporary stay preserving nationwide abortion drug access
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on an appeals court ruling from Friday that was blocking remote access to an abortion drug, restoring access until at least May 11. The administrative stay, issued by Justice Samuel Alito, pauses Friday’s decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling blocked a 2023 rule […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Candidate filing begins, kicking off Washington election season
An unusual and potentially pivotal midterm election season gets formally underway in Washington on Monday when candidates can begin filing for legislative, congressional and judicial offices. Washington’s new income tax on high-earners will be a hot topic among those battling for positions in the state Legislature. It is also likely to saturate conversations around who […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Two friends plan a 90-mile kindness walk in western Washington
This article was first published by FāVS News. When Jim Hall and Bob Bruce, who have been best friends for over 50 years, heard about the Buddhist monks who walked for peace earlier this year, they had an idea: What if they did a walk of their own, one that focused on building bridges across faith and politics? […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Immigration street sweeps led to more ‘collateral’ arrests of noncriminals
A quarter of immigration arrests since August were labeled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as “collateral,” a type of arrest and detention that’s been challenged in court as an end run around civil rights. Public outrage and lawsuits over the arrests may be tamping down the large-scale sweeps that foster them, but tens of […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Trump’s new conditions on DEI, immigration could cut off states’ wildfire funding
A new effort to force states to affirm the Trump administration’s views on DEI, transgender athletes and immigration when signing contracts with the U.S. Forest Service is threatening millions of dollars in wildfire grant funding and fire reduction projects on federal lands. Some liberal states can’t sign the documents because the policies clash with state […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
No timeline yet for reopening damaged stretch of North Cascades Highway
It’s unclear when a section of the North Cascades Highway will reopen following significant winter damage and a March rockslide on the road. Around 26 miles of the highway between Diablo Lake and Porcupine Creek will remain closed as the Washington State Department of Transportation carries out repairs. The road closes on both sides of […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Appeals court blocks remote access to abortion medication nationwide
One of the main methods of obtaining abortion medication for those living in states with bans is now blocked nationwide, after a federal appeals court decision issued Friday afternoon. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule from 2023 that allowed mifepristone, one of two drugs used to terminate […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
I served my country, but it’s leaving me high and dry
Homeless veterans are a common sight in Washington, which ranks fourth in the country for the number of veterans without housing relative to population. Unfortunately, this leads to stereotypes and — worse — inaction. Take it from a veteran who’s been homeless: Just because you see me in the streets doesn’t mean I’m not working. […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Democrats renew calls for US Supreme Court overhaul after voting rights decision
After the U.S. Supreme Court severely weakened the federal Voting Rights Act in an April 29 decision, a furious U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned what he called an “illegitimate” conservative majority on the court. “This isn’t even the Roberts Court,” Jeffries said, referring to Chief Justice John Roberts. “It’s the Trump Court.” Democrats […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Former Spokane mayor seeks $10M from city, claiming harm from censure
SPOKANE, Wash. — Former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward is seeking $10 million from the city after she was censured for appearing at a prayer service held by right-wing religious leaders in 2023. Woodward, a long-time television news anchor here, was defeated in her reelection bid three months after the August 2023 censure by the City […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
More states consider dropping GLP-1 weight loss drugs from Medicaid
Massachusetts and Rhode Island are considering dropping GLP-1 drugs for obesity treatment from their Medicaid programs, continuing a trend of states that have stopped coverage of these expensive medications. Thirteen state Medicaid programs are covering GLP-1 drugs for the treatment of obesity this year, down from 16 last year. Medicaid programs in California, New Hampshire, […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Single-family housing starts in March at their highest since 2022
Single-family housing starts in March were at their highest since 2022, a fast start to the construction year that could bring more supply to home markets that are still painfully expensive. The new data from surveys was released April 29 by the U.S. Census Bureau, with information from February and March delayed by issues with […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
Time running out to stop logging of northwest Washington campground
Shortly after purchasing 74 acres in a state timber sale on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula, Bruce Webster received a phone call from Earth Law Center attorney Elizabeth Dunne. She asked if the Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition could pay Webster the amount he would make from logging to forgo the removal of the […]
State News – Washington - NewsWA
A US Supreme Court ruling hammered voting rights. What happens next?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision gutting the federal Voting Rights Act could upend American politics and trigger a new rush to redraw congressional districts. The opinion released on Wednesday, in a case called Louisiana v. Callais, holds sweeping consequences for how states and local governments draw district lines at all levels of government, from Congress to […]
State News – Washington
