State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

USPS says mail-in ballots might not get postmark on same day they’re dropped off

The U.S. Postal Service has adopted a new rule that could create doubt about whether some ballots mailed by voters by Election Day will receive postmarks in time to be counted. A USPS rule that … more

Jonathan Shorman / Stateline | 12/31/25

Seattle-based cryptocurrency exchange allowed to resume full operations

The Seattle-based cryptocurrency company linked to multiple bitcoin ATMs in Whatcom County has resumed full operations in the state following a temporary cease-and-desist order by the Washington … more

Hannah Edelman / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 12/31/25

Hoh Rain Forest to reopen in January after atmospheric river flooding

The Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park is expected to reopen the first week of January, nearly a month after the Upper Hoh Road was damaged by flooding. The atmospheric river storm on Dec. … more

Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/31/25

An Alaska airliner docks at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.

Tech troubles beset Alaska Airlines’ website and app

Parts of Alaska Airlines’ website and mobile app went down Tuesday morning, preventing users from logging in to their accounts to book or view travel plans. Alaska customers in the Tri-Cities … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 12/31/25

Researchers find more long COVID than expected in Washington state Hispanics

A significant percentage of 1,500 Latino patients in Washington state who had been diagnosed with COVID reported in a survey that they had experienced long COVID symptoms, according to a UW Medicine … more

Annette Cary / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 12/31/25

Another government shutdown? Here's a look at what's ahead as Congress deals with unfinished business

The Capitol is quiet this week, with Congress out of town for its end-of-year recess, but lawmakers are gearing up for what promises to be a hectic few weeks of work when the Senate returns on … more

Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 12/31/25

Washington awarded $181 million from federal rural health fund from 'One Big Beautiful Bill'

The federal allocation to Washington for rural health care appears to have been trimmed because it has not implemented some of President Donald Trump's goals. Washington was awarded $181 million … more

Amanda Sullender / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 12/31/25

4 dead in Mercer Island, Issaquah linked to homicide-suicide case

Police believe a man in his 40s and his mother in her 70s died in a suspected homicide-suicide at a house on Mercer Island. As the investigation went on, police discovered two other people dead … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/31/25

Police seek Toyota driver in fatal hit-and-run of Seattle cyclist

Seattle police are seeking a vehicle they believe is connected to the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist. The 38-year-old was riding across Beacon Avenue South early Dec. 14, when a southbound … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/31/25

Washington state AG says Somali child care providers are reporting harassment

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said members of the Somali community have reached out to his office following reports of Somali child care providers in Washington being harassed and accused of … more

Claire Withycombe / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/31/25

Boeing Everett Factory - 747, 777 and 787 aircraft under construction - 061522..777 freighters are seen in various stages of assembly at Boeing’s Everett Production Facility Wednesday, June 15, 2022 in Everett, Wash.

Pentagon to pay Boeing $8.6B to make fighters for Israel, raising concerns

Boeing will design and produce 25 new fighter jets for the Israeli Air Force under a new contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, reigniting concern about the aerospace manufacturer’s … more

Lauren Rosenblatt/ The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/31/25

Man charged with carjacking Washington state trooper in Seattle

Alexander Smith, 24, was walking along I-5 on Christmas Day when troopers tried to get him off the road in a peaceable way, including talking to him, offering to drive him to a light rail station and … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/31/25

Dungeness crabs support Washington’s most valuable commercial fishery, the release stated. The value of state landings for the 2024-25 coastal commercial Dungeness crab season was $83.3 million, surpassed only by a record $88.2 million set during the 2021-22 season.

Washington’s most valuable commercial fishery: Dungeness crab season to begin

Washington’s coastal commercial Dungeness crab season will open Dec. 31 from Klipsan Beach on the Long Beach Peninsula south to Cape Falcon, Oregon, including the Columbia River and Willapa Bay, … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/30/25

U.S. Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez speaks during a congressional appearance in Washington, D.C., in this photo provided by her office.

Rank-and-file House members are going around leaders to force votes at an unprecedented rate. What does that mean for Congress in 2026?

In October 2015, dozens of Republicans joined a minor revolt led by then-Rep. Denny Heck and the House's Democratic minority to go around the GOP chairman of the Financial Services Committee and … more

By Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review | 12/30/25

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ask for input on environmental impact in the Northwest

The public, stakeholders and tribes are invited to comment on training, testing The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard are jointly preparing an updated supplement to a 2015 environmental impact … more

Jeanne Huff / The Daily Astorian (TNS) | 12/30/25

Portland office sales will drive millions in property tax losses: year in review

The invisible hand of the free market isn’t done boxing Portland. The city’s office market, in particular, had a bruising year that foretells a contentious 2026. A look back at 2025 … more

Jonathan Bach / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/30/25

Highway 410 closed due to flooding between Enumclaw and Greenwater. An emergency repair fixed the road within two days.

Quick fix on Highway 410, but other damaged Washington state roads will need patience

The rapid repair of a flood-damaged highway section in Enumclaw attracted kudos from motorists just before Christmas, and some access to skiing at Stevens Pass will be restored Monday morning. … more

Daniel Beekman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/30/25

Driver in fatal Pierce County wreck was allegedly triple the legal alcohol limit

Pierce County prosecutors charged a man with vehicular homicide for allegedly driving drunk last month when he fatally struck a woman’s vehicle while she was backing into her driveway. Luis … more

Peter Talbot / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 12/30/25

Man dead after shooting involving Pierce County deputies in South Hill area

A felony-harassment investigation in the South Hill area ended with a fatal shooting involving deputies early Monday morning. Deputies were dispatched at 2:01 a.m. to the 8500 block of 156th … more

Puneet Bsanti / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 12/30/25

Some states have issued guidances for schools in connection with how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. (ICE Office/TNS)

In Washington orchards, immigration crackdown sows fear and uncertainty

On a chilly fall morning, farmworkers fanned out through an orchard here to pick rose-hued apples from green rows of trees that flank this central Washington valley’s irrigated slopes. These … more

Hal Bernton / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 12/30/25