Regional News

Tracy Ryan, a nurse at Jefferson Healthcare in Port Townsend, stands in front of one of the hospital’s maternity ward rooms. (Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)

Rural maternity wards are struggling to stay afloat

State and federal lawmakers are trying to help

 

Steve Tharinger.

Tharinger leads Roberts for state House position

Incumbent Steve Tharinger outpaced Terry Roberts in a race for a 24th Legislative District state representative seat, according to initial results Tuesday night.… Continue reading

 

Three state ballot initiatives rejected

Fourth measure passing with narrow margin

 

Emily Randall.

Randall wins 6th Congressional District seat

Reproductive freedom, abortion access will be top priorities, she says

Emily Randall.

Three of four statewide initiatives failing

Three of the four statewide initiatives were failing in initial results Tuesday night. I-2109, which sought to eliminate the capital gains tax, was… Continue reading

Washington State Ferries sells two vessels

Washington State Ferries has announced the sale of two decommissioned vessels and the pending sale of a third. The vessels have been sold… Continue reading

Bernbaum, Roberson lead state House race

Tharinger, Roberts also advance; Chapman to face Kelbon in Senate contest

Randall, MacEwen advance in race for Congressional seat

Emily Randall and Drew MacEwen edged out three other competitors to advance to the November general election in the race for the… Continue reading

Herrera Beutler, Pederson lead race for Commissioner of Public Lands

Two Republicans, Jaime Herrera Beutler and Sue Kuehl Pederson, lead a pack of seven candidates for state Commissioner of Public Lands. Herrera… Continue reading

Lands commissioner wary of federal plan to kill thousands of owls

Washington’s public lands commissioner, Hilary Franz, is voicing skepticism about a federal proposal to kill thousands of barred owls in the Pacific Northwest to help… Continue reading

Federal funds will help thousands get solar power for free

Washington state will receive $156 million in federal funds for new programs to install rooftop solar on thousands of homes and apartment buildings, and to… Continue reading

Emily Randall, left, and Hilary Franz.

Stalwarts take sides in race for Kilmer’s seat

A growing constellation of Democratic Party influencers are choosing sides in the duel for a U.S. House seat between state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary… Continue reading

Emily Randall, left, and Hilary Franz.

Online learning keeps rising among state’s K-12 students

Online learning for Washington’s public school kids is here to stay. That’s according to a report from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public… Continue reading

Coroner’s probe reveals man was rape suspect believed long dead

A coroner’s investigation into the death of a man in Los Angeles last month revealed he was a suspect in a 2008… Continue reading

New ferries to bolster fleet still years away

Washington’s ferry system is in jeopardy. It is struggling to meet the demands of its routes, and officials say it may be three to four… Continue reading

Primary delegates could be key in state

Washington’s results may set presidential race

Jay and Trudi Inslee wear red for #WearRedDay to support women’s heart health in 2022. (Jay Inslee)

Gov. Inslee reflects in his final year of three terms

On the second level of the white and gray marbled Capitol building stands the Governor’s office, guarded by a State Patrol trooper stationed… Continue reading

Jay and Trudi Inslee wear red for #WearRedDay to support women’s heart health in 2022. (Jay Inslee)

House, Senate release spending proposals

Supplemental budgets to be negotiated

Evelyn Jefferson, a crisis outreach supervisor for Lummi Nation, stands at the grave of her son Patrick George Jr., who died last September due to an overdose of street drugs containing the synthetic opioid carfentanil, at the Lummi Nation cemetery on tribal reservation lands on Feb. 8 near Bellingham. Jefferson had to wait a week to bury her son due to several other overdose deaths in the community. (Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press)

State tribes battling a devastating opioid crisis

Legislation could provide annual funding to help

Evelyn Jefferson, a crisis outreach supervisor for Lummi Nation, stands at the grave of her son Patrick George Jr., who died last September due to an overdose of street drugs containing the synthetic opioid carfentanil, at the Lummi Nation cemetery on tribal reservation lands on Feb. 8 near Bellingham. Jefferson had to wait a week to bury her son due to several other overdose deaths in the community. (Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press)
Should police be allowed to engage in high-speed pursuits if they just suspect someone is engaged in a crime? The state Legislature is set to debate that issue following verification of a citizen initiative that gives police more leeway in decision making. (Mary Murphy/Washington State Journal)

State Legislature to debate high-speed police pursuits

Initiative 2113 would amend law to be ‘reasonable suspicion’

Should police be allowed to engage in high-speed pursuits if they just suspect someone is engaged in a crime? The state Legislature is set to debate that issue following verification of a citizen initiative that gives police more leeway in decision making. (Mary Murphy/Washington State Journal)