State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Washington state ‘millionaires tax’ proposal haunted by 1933 court decision

In 1932, the Great Depression left a third of Washington workers jobless. Shantytowns sprung up throughout Seattle. There were hunger marches on the state Capitol. That fall, Washington voters … more

Jim Brunner / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/8/26

As Washington state grocery stores shutter, lawmakers struggle to respond

When Fred Meyer announced it was closing five underperforming" Seattle-area stores last year, it was the public-relations equivalent of kicking a bees' nest. Tempers ran especially hot in places … more

Paul Roberts / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/8/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson answers questions from the press during a legislative session preview in a Senate Hearing room in Olympia on Friday, Jan. 9.

Many remain skeptical of Washington state House’s revised income tax bill

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson may be satisfied with the House of Representatives’ latest version of an income tax bill — so much so that he said he will sign it if it passes the Legislature — … more

By Brett Davis | The Center Square | 3/7/26

Washington state Senate passes bill requiring employers to notify workers ahead of I-9 audits

Washington state employers could soon face costly fines and lawsuits for failure to notify workers of an upcoming federal I-9 inspection under a bill passed by the Senate on Thursday. U.S. … more

Tim Clouser / The Center Square | 3/6/26

Washington bill that could allow state board to remove elected sheriffs clears House

A bill that would let an unelected state board effectively remove an elected sheriff from office in Washington state was passed by the House of Representatives in the wee hours of Friday. … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 3/6/26

Seattle police chief: Officers will be disciplined if they don't document ICE actions

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes says that any police officer who violates the city’s new policy requiring documentation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, including video … more

By Randy Diamond / The Center Square | 3/6/26

Automated license plate reader regulations close to becoming Washington state law

Washington is one step closer to adding guardrails to the use of automated license plate readers. The state House on Thursday passed a revamped version of legislation to implement … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 3/6/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson delivers the State of the State address for the 2026 Legislative session at the Washington state Capitol in Olympia on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

New version of income tax bill gets Gov. Bob Ferguson’s blessing

Democrats in the Washington state House released a revised income tax proposal Friday that drives more money into early learning programs, increases assistance for lower-income families, and … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 3/6/26

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal testifies at a committee hearing in January. Reykdal is facing questions from House Republicans on the state's student gender disclosure policies following a recent Supreme Court ruling. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)

Washington GOP lawmakers press schools chief on gender identity disclosure policies

Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week, Washington House Republicans are seeking answers from the state’s top public schools official on policies related to gender identity and parental … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 3/6/26

A resident cuts another resident’s hair in the barber shop as part of his vocational training at Green Hill School in Chehalis on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Green Hill School focused on numbers, security, opportunity

Superintendent Harold Wright Jr. knows Green Hill School needs to keep its numbers down. According to the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), the state juvenile … more

By Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@chronline.com | 3/6/26

Measles remains a growing concern in Washington as U.S. surpasses 1,100 cases

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed 26 measles cases across four counties this year, marking an increase from the three cases reported in a single county Jan. 16, a news … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/6/26

Podcaster Brandi Kruse speaks during a “listening session” with Republican state lawmakers concerning Initiative IL26-638 that would bar transgender athletes from competing in girls’ athletics at the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Restraining order filed in federal court following Legislature’s press credentialing controversy

The Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) has filed an emergency temporary restraining order on behalf of plaintiffs Ari Hoffman, Brandi Kruse and Jonathan Choe in their lawsuit against the Washington … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/6/26

Details emerge in death of ‘Deadliest Catch’ fisher Todd Meadows, who was from Grays Harbor County

Todd Meadows learned to fish when he was old enough to hold a pole, recalled his mother, nearly a week after her son died at sea. “We put this little rubber fish on it so he could just learn … more

By Isabella Breda / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

Experts are predicting a difficult Western Washington allergy season

We might be sneezing more in Western Washington this spring, thanks to a wet rainy season, meteorologists at AccuWeather said in their annual allergy forecast. Tree pollen is expected to start … more

Robert Mittendorf / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 3/6/26

NAMI’s Washington state chapter dissolves amid ‘grievances’

The Washington chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a major advocacy and education organization for people with mental illnesses and their families, is dissolving. NAMI Washington … more

Taylor Blatchford and Jayati Ramakrishnan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

President Donald Trump in a video posted by the White House on social media announces a U.S. strike on Iran, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Trump travel ban shakes up Washington state immigrant communities

Madina Hassany said she felt helpless when she heard about the travel ban President Donald Trump signed late Wednesday. The Kent resident, who immigrated from Afghanistan shortly before the Taliban … more

Nina Shapiro and Daniel Beekman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

Mountain goats graze on a ridge as the sun sets at Mount Rainier National Park on Thursday, July 24.

No more timed entry at Mount Rainier

The News Tribune headed to Mount Rainier National Park on the park’s 127th birthday to talk to locals about the official cancellation of the timed-entry reservation system for 2026. The … more

Gavin Feek / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 3/6/26

Washington lawmakers consider diverting charter school funding to preschool, traditional public schools

All 50 students in downtown Spokane's Lumen High School are pregnant or already parents to young children. As many as 60% of them don't have a parent or guardian present in their own lives. … more

Elena Perry / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 3/6/26

PNW senators vote along party lines as Senate rejects Democrats' resolution to stop Iran war

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled Senate voted largely along party lines on Wednesday to reject a Democratic measure to halt President Donald Trump's war with Iran, effectively endorsing the … more

Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 3/6/26

Governor Bob Ferguson releases his budget proposal ahead of the 2026 legislative session at a press conference in Olympia on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. He also supported a state income tax on people making over a million dollars per year.

Gov. Bob Ferguson outlines his requirements for Washington ‘millionaires tax’

OLYMPIA — A day after the Senate passed a revised income tax bill, Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday called it a “good start” and for the first time detailed his conditions for signing it, including … more

Shauna Sowers / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26