Regional News

Washington Democrats push new tax on billionaires

Plan could raise $5 billion; detractors fear plan could drive wealthiest out of state

State plans for mass vaccination sites

On the anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States, state health officials said Thursday they are… Continue reading

Inslee vaccine plan raises concerns

While the state struggles to bolster its vaccination distribution efforts, the Washington Department of Health has begun reporting its most… Continue reading

FILE - This Aug. 19, 2015, file photo, shows a monarch butterfly in Vista, Calif. The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted to a new record low, putting the orange-and-black insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. A recent count by the Xerces Society recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies, a massive decline from the millions of monarchs that in 1980s clustered in trees from Marin County to San Diego County. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Monarch butterfly population moves closer to extinction

The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted precipitously to a record low, putting the orange-and-black insects… Continue reading

FILE - This Aug. 19, 2015, file photo, shows a monarch butterfly in Vista, Calif. The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted to a new record low, putting the orange-and-black insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. A recent count by the Xerces Society recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies, a massive decline from the millions of monarchs that in 1980s clustered in trees from Marin County to San Diego County. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

COVID-19 cases up across Washington state

The state Department of Health said that COVID-19 cases appear to be increasingly sharply statewide in the most recent data. The flat and… Continue reading

Washington State health officials lay out next steps for COVID-19 vaccines

Everyone over 70 years old and anyone over 50 who lives in a multigenerational household will be the next priorities for COVID-19 vaccines… Continue reading

Protesters gather on Inslee’s lawn

Pro-Trump protesters, many of them armed, broke through a gate at the Washington state governor’s mansion Wednesday afternoon and dozens of people gathered… Continue reading

Former Clallam Bay corrections officer dies from COVID-19 complications

A corrections officer who once worked at Clallam Bay Correctional Center has died of complications of COVID-19, the state Department of Corrections announced.… Continue reading

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2020 file photo, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee talks to reporters at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. State lawmakers across the country will be convening in 2021 with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic rippling through much of their work — and even affecting the way they work. After 10 months of emergency orders and restrictions from governors and local executive officials, some state lawmakers are eager to reassert their power over statewide decisions shaping the way people shop, work, worship and attend school (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Inslee extends virus restrictions until Jan. 11

Governor to announce next week more details on plan to safely reopen

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2020 file photo, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee talks to reporters at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. State lawmakers across the country will be convening in 2021 with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic rippling through much of their work — and even affecting the way they work. After 10 months of emergency orders and restrictions from governors and local executive officials, some state lawmakers are eager to reassert their power over statewide decisions shaping the way people shop, work, worship and attend school (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
FILE - In this July 31, 2015 file photo, an orca leaps out of the water near a whale watching boat in the Salish Sea in the San Juan Islands, Wash. Habitat protections for an endangered population of orcas would be greatly expanded under a proposal to be advanced by NOAA Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

New rules for watching endangered orcas to take effect in 2021

New regulations for whale watching businesses concerning orcas in Washington waters will take effect in 2021 in an… Continue reading

FILE - In this July 31, 2015 file photo, an orca leaps out of the water near a whale watching boat in the Salish Sea in the San Juan Islands, Wash. Habitat protections for an endangered population of orcas would be greatly expanded under a proposal to be advanced by NOAA Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Probe: Kitsap jail inmate who died improperly subdued

Kitsap County Jail officers involved in the death of a mentally ill inmate after a violent struggle were not properly… Continue reading

Inslee issues new travel restrictions

New COVID-19 strain raises concern

Eviction moratorium extended through March in Washington

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has again extended the state’s eviction moratorium, this time through the end of March. Inslee said… Continue reading

New rules for watching endangered orcas to take effect

New regulations for whale watching in Washington waters will take effect in 2021 in an effort to protect endangered… Continue reading

December 15, 2020 - A view of the Capital Regional District’s $775-million wastewater treatment project which is now treating wastewater for the region. Don Denton photograph

BC begins treating sewage before releasing it into Strait

Inslee: Water looks so clean

December 15, 2020 - A view of the Capital Regional District’s $775-million wastewater treatment project which is now treating wastewater for the region. Don Denton photograph
Health care workers staff a check in station for people receiving the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, south of Seattle. Vaccinations are scheduled to continue in the coming weeks for front-line medical workers and and others in high-priority positions at the base. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

State officials see encouraging signs in virus data

Coronavirus infections remain rampant, but health officials in Washington state said they’re seeing some encouraging signs in recent data, just… Continue reading

Health care workers staff a check in station for people receiving the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, south of Seattle. Vaccinations are scheduled to continue in the coming weeks for front-line medical workers and and others in high-priority positions at the base. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Inslee proposes capital gains tax, tax on health insurers

Gov. Jay Inslee seeks a new capital gains tax and a tax on health insurers… Continue reading

AP BRIEFS: COVID-19 claims fourth prison inmate

Man dies in the back of a Kennewick patrol car

Inslee announces equity proposals as part of budget plan

Gov. Jay Inslee has released a budget proposal aimed at addressing equity and systemic racism,… Continue reading

Tacoma settles police shooting lawsuit for $8 million

The city of Tacoma on Friday agreed to an $8 million settlement for a man who… Continue reading