Regional News

A truck drives past a sign supporting a ballot measure that would legalize controlled, therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 in Salem, Ore. War veterans with PTSD, terminally ill patients and others suffering from anxiety are backing the ballot measure. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)

Oregon leads the way in decriminalizing hard drugs

In a first in the nation, Oregon has rejected charging drug users with criminal offenses, with… Continue reading

A truck drives past a sign supporting a ballot measure that would legalize controlled, therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 in Salem, Ore. War veterans with PTSD, terminally ill patients and others suffering from anxiety are backing the ballot measure. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)
x

Secretary of State Kim Wyman wins 3rd term in Washington

Secretary of State Kim Wyman has been reelected to a third term, continuing a more than… Continue reading

x

AP VoteCast: In Washington, voters sour on state of nation

The Associated Press Voters in Washington made their pick for president while holding negative views about the country’s direction, according to an expansive AP survey… Continue reading

Gov. Jay Inslee thanks the voters of Washington state after winning his third term, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 in Olympia Wash. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
updated story

Jay Inslee wins 3rd term as Washington governor

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has become the first incumbent elected to a third term in Washington… Continue reading

Gov. Jay Inslee thanks the voters of Washington state after winning his third term, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 in Olympia Wash. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)

GOP gubernatorial candidate Culp loses cop job in Republic

Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp lost his race Tuesday night, and now says he also has lost his job as… Continue reading

Kilmer re-elected to 6th Congressional District

Congressman Derek Kilmer retained his seat for a fifth term against challenger Elizabeth Kreiselmaier in Tuesday’s general election. The Democrat representing the 6th Congressional District… Continue reading

Washington passes first voter-approved sex ed mandate in US

Washington state voters approved a sex education referendum, allowing Democrats’ wide-ranging mandate for public schools to stand… Continue reading

Anglers challenge state salmon management plan

The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife has argued that a group run by a fishing guide… Continue reading

Parents Joelle and Ryan Wheatley pose with their children Anna, 9 months, and Jacob, 2, for a photo, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in Seattle. As with other families, they are dealing with stricter daycare rules on possible coronavirus symptoms that feel incompatible with the germy reality of modern childhood, where a toddler's sniffle or cough could bring 10 days of quarantine. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Families, day cares feel strain of new COVID-19 health rules

Joelle Wheatley hit her pandemic-parenting rock bottom after her son was sent home from day care for… Continue reading

Parents Joelle and Ryan Wheatley pose with their children Anna, 9 months, and Jacob, 2, for a photo, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in Seattle. As with other families, they are dealing with stricter daycare rules on possible coronavirus symptoms that feel incompatible with the germy reality of modern childhood, where a toddler's sniffle or cough could bring 10 days of quarantine. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Oregon could become first US state to decriminalize hard drugs

In what would be a first in the U.S., possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine,… Continue reading

Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Chris Looney looks at two of the dozens of Asian giant hornets he vacuumed from a nest in a nearby tree Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Blaine, Wash. Scientists in Washington state discovered the first nest earlier in the week of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan to wipe it out Saturday to protect native honeybees, officials said. Workers with the state Agriculture Department spent weeks searching, trapping and using dental floss to tie tracking devices to Asian giant hornets, which can deliver painful stings to people and spit venom but are the biggest threat to honeybees that farmers depend on to pollinate crops. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Scientists remove 98 ‘murder hornets’ in state

Workers sustain no stings or other injuries

Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Chris Looney looks at two of the dozens of Asian giant hornets he vacuumed from a nest in a nearby tree Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Blaine, Wash. Scientists in Washington state discovered the first nest earlier in the week of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan to wipe it out Saturday to protect native honeybees, officials said. Workers with the state Agriculture Department spent weeks searching, trapping and using dental floss to tie tracking devices to Asian giant hornets, which can deliver painful stings to people and spit venom but are the biggest threat to honeybees that farmers depend on to pollinate crops. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

State court explains ruling in defamation case

Reykdal failed to prove the statement as ‘demonstrably false’

Officials encourage vigilance on election misinformation

No reports of any breaches of state’s election systems

State releases COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan

State health officials have announced how they plan to distribute the coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. The state Department… Continue reading

Yakima Speedway fined for allowing large gathering of fans

State regulators have fined Yakima Speedway operator Doug Bettarel $2,500 after fans were allowed to attend an auto-racing event earlier… Continue reading

In this Oct. 7, 2020, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, a live Asian giant hornet is affixed with a tracking device before being released near Blaine, Wash. Washington state officials say they were again unsuccessful at live-tracking an Asian giant hornet while trying to find and destroy a nest of the so-called murder hornets. The Washington State Department of Agriculture said Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, that an entomologist used dental floss to tie a tracking device on a female hornet, only to lose signs of her when she went into the forest. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)

Murder hornet gets away from entomologist

Officials again unsuccessful at live-tracking giant insect to destroy nest

In this Oct. 7, 2020, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, a live Asian giant hornet is affixed with a tracking device before being released near Blaine, Wash. Washington state officials say they were again unsuccessful at live-tracking an Asian giant hornet while trying to find and destroy a nest of the so-called murder hornets. The Washington State Department of Agriculture said Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, that an entomologist used dental floss to tie a tracking device on a female hornet, only to lose signs of her when she went into the forest. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)

Some schools in region did not report virus outbreaks

Paints an incomplete picture on how COVID-19 is affecting students

State issues more restrictions for colleges

Inslee requires schools to provide quarantine facilities for exposed students

Data shows enrollment decline in state’s schools

Enrollment at public schools in Washington state has declined by about 31,000 students compared to last year, mostly because of… Continue reading

Washington state race for lands chief focused on wildfires

Forest health, maintenance a key issue