Northwest

Trees and foliage grow at the Rockport State Park on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 in Rockport, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

Washington Legislature approves hiking Discover Pass price to $45

The price for a Washington state Discover Pass would rise by $15…

  • Apr 26, 2025
  • By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero Washington State Standard

 

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Parental rights overhaul gains final approval in WA Legislature

The bill was among the most controversial of this year’s session.

  • Apr 25, 2025
  • By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero Washington State Standard

 

A rental sign seen in Everett. Saturday, May 23, 2020 (Sue Misao / Herald file)

Compromise reached on Washington bill to cap rent increases

Under a version released Thursday, rent hikes would be limited to 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower.

  • Apr 25, 2025
  • By Jake Goldstein-Street Washington State Standard

 

Cherry blossoms in bloom at the Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Democrats in Washington Legislature wrap up budget negotiations

Democratic budget writers are done hashing out details on a new two-year operating budget for Washington state, key lawmakers said Wednesday. “We have made all… Continue reading

  • Apr 25, 2025
  • By Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard
Cherry blossoms in bloom at the Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, speaks on the House floor in an undated photo. He was among the Republicans who walked out of a House Appropriations Committee meeting this week in protest of a bill that would close a facility in Pierce County for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)

Republicans walk out after WA House committee votes to close center for people with disabilities

Those supporting the closure say that the Rainier School has a troubled record and is far more expensive than other options.

  • Apr 25, 2025
  • By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero Washington State Standard
Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, speaks on the House floor in an undated photo. He was among the Republicans who walked out of a House Appropriations Committee meeting this week in protest of a bill that would close a facility in Pierce County for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)
Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / Washington State Standard
Gov. Bob Ferguson signing Senate Bill 5480, a bill that would exempt medical debt from credit reports, on Tuesday.

WA bill to keep medical debt off credit reports signed into law

Washingtonians’ medical debt will not be included in their credit reports, under a bill that Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law on Tuesday. Having medical… Continue reading

  • Apr 24, 2025
  • By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero Washington State Standard
Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / Washington State Standard
Gov. Bob Ferguson signing Senate Bill 5480, a bill that would exempt medical debt from credit reports, on Tuesday.
Gov. Bob Ferguson in his first bill signing event on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

WA bill to restrict outside National Guard from entering state is signed into law

During his inaugural address in January, Gov. Bob Ferguson highlighted his support for a bill that would grant the governor authority to limit other states’… Continue reading

  • Apr 23, 2025
  • By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero Washington State Standard
Gov. Bob Ferguson in his first bill signing event on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / Washington State Standard 
Gov. Bob Ferguson during a media availability on April 1.

Ferguson criticizes Democrats’ $12B tax plan as ‘too risky’

The governor is still at odds with lawmakers in his party over how much revenue the state should raise to deal with a multibillion dollar shortfall.

  • Apr 19, 2025
  • By Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard
Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / Washington State Standard 
Gov. Bob Ferguson during a media availability on April 1.
Ryan Berry / Washington State Standard
Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown, seen here during a January interview, is sparring with members of Congress over the state’s immigration policy

Washington AG defends state’s ‘sanctuary’ policy amid congressional scrutiny

Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, who represents eastern Washington, is among those pressuring Attorney General Nick Brown on immigration issues.

  • Apr 18, 2025
  • By Jake Goldstein-Street Washington State Standard
Ryan Berry / Washington State Standard
Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown, seen here during a January interview, is sparring with members of Congress over the state’s immigration policy
A damaged vehicle is seen in the aftermath of a June 2024 crash in Thurston County, in which the driver of another vehicle was suspected of speeding and driving under the influence. (Photo courtesy of Thurston County Sheriff Office)

Washington Senate passes bill to require speed limiting devices for habitual speeders

The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday attempting to stop habitual speeders in their tracks. Passed on a 40-8 vote, House Bill 1596 would require… Continue reading

  • Apr 17, 2025
  • By Albert James Murrow News Fellowship
A damaged vehicle is seen in the aftermath of a June 2024 crash in Thurston County, in which the driver of another vehicle was suspected of speeding and driving under the influence. (Photo courtesy of Thurston County Sheriff Office)
A student walks down a hallway at Evergreen Middle School past a sign displaying different values the students should embody while occupying the space on a 2024 school day in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Washington takes ‘historic’ step toward full funding for special education

The House passed a Senate bill that ditches a cap on the flow of state dollars to school districts.

  • Apr 17, 2025
  • By Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard
A student walks down a hallway at Evergreen Middle School past a sign displaying different values the students should embody while occupying the space on a 2024 school day in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Washington state Capitol on March 27. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Democrats in Washington Legislature reveal sweeping new tax plan

It cobbles together a range of hikes, including on businesses, capital gains, and property. A question now is whether Gov. Bob Ferguson will support the proposals.

  • Apr 17, 2025
  • By Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard
The Washington state Capitol on March 27. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

WA officials considered offering National Guard help to Trump at Canadian border

Gov. Bob Ferguson opted against committing troops. His office says it was seeking ways to get ahead of the president potentially federalizing the state’s Guard.

  • Apr 16, 2025
  • By Jake Goldstein-Street Washington State Standard
Nathan Rosas, 13, right, Avryan Flores, 16, center, and Angela Rosas, 16, hold signs in protest of a gun show at Angel of the Winds Arena ballroom on Saturday, April 29, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Permit requirement for gun purchases clears Washington Senate

The Legislature has never come closer to implementing the policy, which about a dozen other states have in place.

  • Apr 15, 2025
Nathan Rosas, 13, right, Avryan Flores, 16, center, and Angela Rosas, 16, hold signs in protest of a gun show at Angel of the Winds Arena ballroom on Saturday, April 29, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee proposed his final state budget on Tuesday. It calls for a new wealth tax, an increase in business taxes, along with some programs and a closure of a women’s prison. The plan will be a starting point for state lawmakers in the 2025 legislative session. (Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard)

Inslee proposes taxing the wealthy and businesses to close budget gap

His final spending plan calls for raising about $13 billion over four years from additional taxes. Republicans decry the approach.

  • Dec 18, 2024
  • By Wire Service
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee proposed his final state budget on Tuesday. It calls for a new wealth tax, an increase in business taxes, along with some programs and a closure of a women’s prison. The plan will be a starting point for state lawmakers in the 2025 legislative session. (Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard)
The Snohomish County Jail is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

First bills drop ahead of WA’s 2025 legislative session

Permanent standard time, immigration policies and fentanyl penalties were among the proposals pre-filed Monday.

  • Dec 3, 2024
  • By Wire Service
The Snohomish County Jail is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teslas charging in Victorville, Calif., on March 11. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and one of President-elect Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, has said the government should eliminate all subsidies for electric vehicles. (Lauren Justice / The New York Times)

Once a must for wealthy Seattle-area liberals, Teslas feel Elon backlash

For many, Tesla has changed from a brand associated with climate action and innovation to something “much more divisive.”

Teslas charging in Victorville, Calif., on March 11. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and one of President-elect Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, has said the government should eliminate all subsidies for electric vehicles. (Lauren Justice / The New York Times)
The livery on a Boeing plane. (Christopher Pike / Bloomberg)

Boeing’s new CEO clips corporate jet trips in show of restraint

It’s one of several moves by Kelly Ortberg in recent months to permanently shrink Boeing’s costs.

The livery on a Boeing plane. (Christopher Pike / Bloomberg)
Dorian Cerda, who was aboard a plane that caught fire over the Gulf of Mexico, in Lake Placid, Fla., on Sunday. Extreme turbulence, a blown-out door, an engine on fire: For passengers and crew members who have experienced in-air emergencies, the pain endures. (Saul Martinez / The New York Times)

‘Everyone thought we were going to die’: Life after flight trauma

After the midair Alaska Airlines blowout earlier this year, Shandy Brewer has had recurring nightmares. She’s not alone.

Dorian Cerda, who was aboard a plane that caught fire over the Gulf of Mexico, in Lake Placid, Fla., on Sunday. Extreme turbulence, a blown-out door, an engine on fire: For passengers and crew members who have experienced in-air emergencies, the pain endures. (Saul Martinez / The New York Times)
Snohomish County Superior Courthouse in Everett, Washington on February 8, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

WA court system outage means firearm sales on hold

Buyers must wait until the Washington State Patrol can access databases for background checks.

  • Nov 13, 2024
  • By Wire Service
Snohomish County Superior Courthouse in Everett, Washington on February 8, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)