News | The Daily Chronicle

From the left going around the tables, Toledo City Councilors Pamela Deschene and Dan Anderson, City Clerk-Treasurer Rachel Campbell, Mayor Cherie Devore, Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Duerst and Councilors Jamie Scalise and Jillian Niles listen to a presentation on a proposed city sign code update from TRJ Planning Inc. consultant Todd Johnson inside Toledo City Hall during their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 17.

Toledo city councilors table business sign ordinance, give fire chief OK for storage container; clerk-treasurer clarifies cellphone policy

Members of the Toledo City Council on Monday tabled a proposed ordinance that would update existing city code for business signs within city limits and sent it back to the Toledo Planning Commission … more

By Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com | 8/19/26

Rep. Greg Smith sits at his desk on the first day of the 2024 Oregon legislative session on Feb. 5, 2024. Smith lost a committee leadership position last week after agreeing to pay a fee approved by Oregon

Longtime Oregon lawmaker loses leadership position after agreeing to $12,000 ethics fine

State Rep. Greg Smith, a Republican from Heppner, lost a committee leadership position last week after agreeing to pay a $12,000 fee approved by Oregon’s government ethics watchdog. But he … more

Carlos Fuentes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/19/26

Kenneth Voyles cried as he described the shooting that shattered a bone in one of his arms and collapsed one of his lungs.

Jury awards $0 to homeless burglar after owner throws cup of urine at his face, shoots him 3 times

A Portland jury took only a few hours Tuesday to reject a man’s $10 million ask after he burglarized a stone countertop business while homeless and nearly lost his life when the owner shot him … more

Aimee Green / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/19/26

'Pushing poison’: Biggest fentanyl trafficker in Tri-Cities found guilty

The man once credited as the “primary source of fentanyl” in the Tri-Cities will soon be heading to federal prison. David Mendoza Ayala led a large-scale drug distribution ring from his Horn … more

Cameron Probert / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 8/19/26

Another suspected arsonist sets blaze, this time at Mead gas pumps

A 51-year-old man claimed he started a fire at a Mead gas station because he was trying to catch the attention of first responders after three people he could not see were following him, according to … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/19/26

Two men found dead in Spokane home identified

Two men found dead last week in a Hillyard home have been identified. The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office said Jibin "Mark" Fan, 51, died from blunt-force injuries of the head and ruled … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/19/26

BofA donates $250,000 to help those affected by Spokane wildfires

Bank of America on Tuesday announced the company is directing $250,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief and recovery efforts across the Pacific Northwest, including in Spokane. "The … more

Troy Slack / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/19/26

Man arrested after alleged sword threats, assault on officer; K-9 assists in capture

A Moses Lake man accused of threatening another person with a sword and later assaulting a police officer was arrested after a confrontation with law enforcement in which a police K-9 was deployed, … more

Nance Beston / Columbia Basin Herald (TNS) | 8/19/26

Westport Fishermen’s Monument raising funds for rehab

For more than 65 years, the Westport Fishermen’s Monument has stood as a place of remembrance, honoring the men and women who made their living on the sea and those who never came home. For over … more

By The Daily World | 8/19/26

An entangled humpback whale off the south Washington coast was found and reported by sport fisherman Sam Azar IV.

Public report helps Cascadia free entangled whale off southern Washington coast

A rapid response by Cascadia Research Collective, a member of the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network, successfully freed an entangled humpback whale off the coast of Westport after … more

By The Chinook Observer | 8/19/26

A walker enjoys the waning daylight along Seabrook’s wide, flat beach against the windswept Pacific Ocean.

How hard would an Alaskan tsunami hit Washington state? New model full of surprises

Twenty-foot waves cresting off Westport. Swift and dangerous currents coursing through Hood Canal. Tsunami water pushing down to Olympia and up to Washington's northern border with Canada. For … more

Joseph O’Sullivan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 8/19/26

Native businesses in Washington state navigate ‘very complex’ tax system, red tape

While customers perused Rings of Chain's table displays of abalone shell pendants, beaded earrings and brooches, owner Ha-huli-tud Tionna Marie Hawk greeted a Suquamish Tribal elder, Kippie Joe, … more

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 8/19/26

Oil extends push higher as US-Iran stalemate reinforces risks

Oil rose for a fourth day, with no sign of progress toward a resolution of the U.S.-Iran war after almost six months of conflict. Brent climbed toward $92 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate … more

Rong Wei Neo / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 8/19/26

A smoke column billows over rangeland near South Mountain in Idaho.

Idaho has spent $31 million on firefighting while nearly 700K acres have burned statewide

Nearly 700,000 acres have burned across Idaho so far this year, and state officials are predicting fire risk will remain high through September. As the costs to fight fires increase, state … more

Laura Guido / Idaho Capital Sun | 8/19/26

A decades-old pumper truck owned by the Providence Fire Department in Rhode Island, where it’s used for events and ceremonies. Providence is one of dozens of cities accusing fire truck manufacturers of conspiring to suppress the supply of trucks, raising prices and driving up delivery times.

Dozens of cities and counties sue fire truck makers over soaring costs, delivery delays

In the summer of 2023, a third of the fire engines owned by the fire department in Kansas City, Kansas, were unusable. Five of 15 pumper trucks were out of commission, and the department was waiting … more

Anna Claire Vollers / Stateline | 8/19/26

The Dust Busters Plus Fire Crew digs a handline in steep, challenging terrain on Kaiser Canyon Fire in eastern Washington.

Cost to battle 20 wildfires in Washington state has topped $200M

In the span of a month, firefighting costs for 20 wildfires burning across Washington have totalled $207 million, according to data from the state’s Department of Natural Resources. The … more

Aspen Ford / Washington State Standard | 8/19/26

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office acquires electronic-sniffing dog to aide in child abuse investigations

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) is bringing on a specialty K-9 trained in sniffing out hidden electronics. The dog, one of three with this training in the region, will … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@thurstonchronicle.com | 8/18/26

Green Hill School juvenile detention facility in Chehalis is pictured here by drone photo on Friday, July 10.

State agency says improvements at juveniles rehab centers ongoing after audit raises concerns

OLYMPIA – The agency that runs the state’s juvenile rehabilitation centers reports that it has improved conditions after an audit showed the facilities have high rates of staff turnover and … more

By Mitchell Roland / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/18/26

Thurston County man dies at the Gorge’s Bass Canyon festival; Seattle man arrested

A 27-year-old man from Olympia died of drug poisoning at the Bass Canyon music festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre on Sunday, and a 28-year-old man from Seattle has been arrested in connection. … more

By Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 8/18/26

The Washington Capitol building is lit up against the night sky in Olympia on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

Washington state audit finds DCYF broke laws in child care investigations

A new state audit has found that Washington's Department of Children, Youth, and Families broke state law and policy requirements regarding investigations of unlicensed child care providers, child … more

By Andrew Paxton / The Center Square | 8/18/26