News | The Daily Chronicle

Mount Rainier is cast in a hazy pink during the sunset, pictured from Crego Hill in Adna on the summer solstice.

In Focus: Sunset on Crego Hill During the Summer Solstice

6/22/22

A machine sorts ballots for the presidential primary by precinct at Thurston County’s ballot processing center in 2020.

Thurston County Auditor’s Office Sends Ballots to Military and Overseas Voters Ahead of Aug. 2 Primary

The Thurston County Auditor’s Office Elections Division has mailed more than 9,000 primary election ballots to voters registered in Thurston County who are in the military or overseas. Ballot … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/22/22

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Game Warden Dave Jones confirmed that a bear carcass found on a beach in Whatcom County the week of June 13, just north of the Cherry Point refinery, was a grizzly.

'Mystery': Bear Carcass Found on Washington Beach '100% a Grizzly'

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Game Warden Dave Jones says he was just as shocked by reports of a dead grizzly bear on a Whatcom County beach last week as anyone else. In fact, he … more

By David Rasbach / The Bellingham Herald | 6/22/22

WinCo Begins Next Steps for Centralia Station Store

A new WinCo location in Centralia is one step closer to arrival thanks to funding secured in the last legislative session. In 2019, the Port of Centralia announced it had secured the … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 6/22/22

President Joe Biden discusses gas prices in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Biden Asks Congress to Suspend Gas Tax for Three Months

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday asked Congress to suspend the federal gas tax through September, a move he said could shave off 18 cents per gallon and "give families just a … more

Erin B. Logan / Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 6/22/22

Ambulances arrive on the road in Paktika province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday has reached 920, while more than 600 people were injured, a disaster official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further. (Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua via ZUMA Press/TNS)

Worst Natural Disaster in Eight Years Kills 1,000 in Afghanistan

At least 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds more injured after a powerful earthquake hit southeastern Afghanistan overnight, setting off a new humanitarian crisis in a country already facing … more

Eltaf Najafizada / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 6/22/22

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Review of the FY2023 State Department Budget Request," in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2022. (Bonnie Cash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Senators Release Bill Targeting Insulin Prices

WASHINGTON — Two key senators on Wednesday released a widely anticipated bill aimed at lowering insulin prices and capping monthly copays under commercial and Medicare insurance plans. The … more

Lauren Clason / CQ-Roll Call (TNS) | 6/22/22

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Chairwoman speaks at a press conference on the introduction of legislation to help Americans with the nationwide baby formula shortage at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 17, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/TNS)

Lawmakers Reach Bipartisan Deal to Aid School Meal Providers

WASHINGTON — A deal between Democratic and Republican committee leaders would help school meal providers facing higher food costs as well as ease a transition from federal government policies … more

Ellyn Ferguson / CQ-Roll Call (TNS) | 6/22/22

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on June 8, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS)

‘Blue Slip’ Problem Hangs Up Veterans Toxic Exposure Bill

WASHINGTON — A Senate-passed bill to expand health care and disability benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits or other toxic substances during their service has run into a constitutional … more

Lindsey McPherson / CQ-Roll Call (TNS) | 6/22/22

A general view of the Seattle Space Needle and downtown skyline with Mount Rainier in the background on June 8, 2019, in Seattle. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images for Rock'n'Roll Marathon/TNS)

Seattle's JumpStart Tax on Some Businesses' Salaries Upheld by Washington Court

An appellate court judge upheld Seattle's JumpStart payroll tax on Tuesday, doubling down on a decision made in King County Superior Court last year. In an opinion published Tuesday, the … more

Sarah Grace Taylor / The Seattle Times | 6/22/22

A crowd gathers outside the Supreme Court on May 3, 2022, after a leak of a draft opinion suggests Roe v. Wade will be overturned. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Could Idaho Accuse a Washington Abortion Clinic of Murder? Some Are Worried

A woman from Idaho, where abortion has become illegal, travels to Washington to end her pregnancy. A prosecutor in the woman's home state declares an Idaho citizen has been killed — and tries … more

Nina Shapiro / The Seattle Times | 6/22/22

Oakville Man Dies After Motorcycle Strikes Horse

A 28-year-old Oakville man died early Wednesday morning after his motorcycle struck a horse that was standing in the eastbound lane of U.S. Highway 12, according to the Washington State Patrol. … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/22/22

Eastern Washington Man With Traumatic Brain Injuries Sentenced to 7 Years on Second Child Pornography Charge

A 47-year-old Spokane man who told a federal judge a series of brain injuries contributed to his possession of child pornography was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison . Brian D. Knight … more

Kip Hill / The Spokesman-Review | 6/21/22

Washington State Patrol Trooper Justin Schaffer, left, was killed by Willam Thompson, right, in March 2020.

Man Convicted in Death of Washington State Patrol Trooper Justin Schaffer

Nearly two years and three months after Washington State Patrol Trooper Justin R. Schaffer was fatally struck by a vehicle while placing spike strips on Interstate 5 in Chehalis, the driver of the … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 6/21/22

Man Arrested at Mexico Border After Taking Washington Girl Faces More Than 10 Years in Prison

A man faces more than a decade in prison after he kidnapped a Kennewick girl nearly 14 years ago and took her to Portland. Enrique Diaz, 35, pleaded guilty recently in Benton County Superior … more

Cameron Probert / Tri-City Herald | 6/21/22

Rollover Wreck Releases Sewage, Slows Northbound I-5 Traffic in Olympia for Nearly Six Hours

A pick-up truck hauling a fifth wheel trailer crashed on northbound I-5 early Tuesday, slowing traffic for nearly six hours, according to Washington State Patrol. The scene finally was cleared … more

Rolf Boone / The Olympian | 6/21/22

After completing its second rollout overnight Sunday, Artemis 1 —the NASA moonshot rocket— stands at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Monday, June 6, 2022. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Artemis I Test Fell Shy of Goals, But NASA Could Push for Moon Launch if ‘Pieces to the Puzzle’ Fit

ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA completed nearly all of its goals with the latest wet dress rehearsal of its Artemis I moon rocket this week at Kennedy Space Center, but without a 100% completion, … more

Richard Tribou / Orlando Sentinel (TNS) | 6/21/22

From left to right: Rusty Bowers, Arizona House speaker; Brad Raffensperger, Georgia secretary of state; and Gabriel Sterling, Georgia secretary of state chief operating officer, are sworn in prior to testifying during the fourth hearing on the Jan. 6 investigation in the Cannon House Office Building on June 21, 2022, in Washington, D.C. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence for almost a year related to the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, is presenting its findings in a series of televised hearings. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/TNS)

‘A Tragic Parody’: State Officials Detail Frantic Pressure Campaign to Keep Trump in Office

WASHINGTON — Republican state legislators and elected officials detailed Tuesday the intense pressure they faced from President Donald Trump and his lawyers to subvert the will of voters and to … more

Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 6/21/22

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw listens to a question from a reporter during a press conference outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Friday, May 27, 2022. (Elias Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

Texas Top Cop Calls Police Response to Uvalde School Shooting an ‘Abject Failure’

AUSTIN, Texas — Calling the police response to the Uvalde school shooting an “abject failure,” Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw gave a detailed report to the … more

Philip Jankowski / The Dallas Morning News (TNS) | 6/21/22

The U.S. Supreme Court building as seen on Sunday, July 11, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Supreme Court Rules for Parents Seeking State Aid for Religious Schools

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended its support for religious schools, ruling that parents who send their children to these institutions have a right to tuition aid if the state … more

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 6/21/22