State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Fee-free holidays get ‘patriotic’ overhaul on U.S. public lands

Fee-free days have long been a fairly banal part of federal public lands management, as opportunities for national parks and forests to waive parking and entrance fees in honor of national holidays … more

Jamie Hale / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/24/25

Quick-thinking 11-year-old thwarts kidnapping attempt in Vancouver, police say

An 11-year-old girl narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping in Vancouver by kicking her alleged assailant in the groin and running away, court records say. The man accused of the attempted … more

Tatum Todd / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/24/25

Majority of Starbucks’ striking baristas are returning to work

Nearly six weeks after thousands of Starbucks union workers began to strike over contract negotiations, the standoff with the Seattle-based coffee giant hasn't budged. Now, the majority of … more

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/24/25

Bob Ferguson is sworn in as the 24th Governor of the State of Washington during his inauguration ceremony Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Ryan Berry/Washington State Standard)

Ferguson’s Washington state budget plan redirects climate money, taps rainy day fund

Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday proposed a $79 billion operating budget that avoids general tax increases but cuts or delays an array of state services while tapping the state rainy day fund and … more

Shauna Sowers and Jim Brunner / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/24/25

Chris Reykdal, the state superintendent of public instruction, is photographed at his offices in Olympia Wash. Thursday, March 7, 2024.

Washington state schools Superintendent Reykdal criticizes Ferguson’s proposed cuts

Chris Reykdal, Washington’s K-12 schools superintendent, called for changes to the state’s tax code Tuesday while pushing back against Gov. Bob Ferguson's proposed spending cuts. Reykdal … more

Claire Withycombe / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/24/25

Christmas Eve gusts may hit 60 mph in Western Washington

Christmas by candlelight, anyone? Strong wind gusts blowing in on Christmas Eve could mean power outages by dinnertime, so channel your Ebenezer Scrooge, slap on a nightcap and cozy nightgown … more

Paige Cornwell and Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/24/25

E. coli outbreak at Bellevue restaurant connected with cases outside Washington state

Five people became sick, including four who were hospitalized, after eating food at a teriyaki restaurant in Bellevue. Three other individuals who didn't eat at the restaurant also became sick with a … more

Greg Kim / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/24/25

Flood water from the Cowlitz River covers an access road to state Route 131 in Randle on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Washington state historic floods spell ‘disaster’ for hard-hit businesses

On Friday, Om Parkash, owner and manager of West Valley Nursery in Kent, drove down rain-slicked roads to check on what remained of his business. Parkash has operated the 28-acre nursery for … more

Jessica Fu / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/24/25

Trump administration to garnish wages for defaulted student loans

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration will start garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers in default beginning early next year, the U.S. Education Department said … more

By Shauneen Miranda / States Newsroom | 12/23/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson in a media availability after signing the budget on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Gov. Ferguson backs income tax on Washington state residents earning over $1M

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposed income tax on residents earning more than $1 million annually, and said he’s prepared to sign the policy into law next … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 12/23/25

Providence Swedish to close Abuse Intervention Center in Thurston County on Dec. 31

Providence Swedish is working with local child abuse intervention advocates to prevent an interruption of services when its Abuse Intervention Center (AIC) in Lacey closes Dec. 31. The AIC … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/23/25

Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez asks a question at Panamerican Berry Growers farm in Mossyrock on a Lewis County Farm Bureau Tour on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez discusses Right to Repair at Energy and Commerce Committee hearing

Last week, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, joined the House Energy and Commerce Committee Member Day hearing to discuss the importance of passing federal Right to Repair legislation, … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/23/25

Snow, wind and power outages on Christmas Eve could snarl holiday travel across Oregon

Holiday travelers across Oregon may face difficult driving conditions this week as a series of winter storms brings mountain snow, strong winds and the possibility of power outages through Wednesday, … more

Kristine de Leon / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/23/25

Photos of people who died while homeless hung on a memorial quilt made primarily out of found tent fabric and displayed in the sanctuary of the St. Andr

‘Everybody is somebody to someone’: Portland memorial honors 102 people who died while homeless in 2025

Aaron Tappley, Antonio Garcia, Brandon Coleman, Carol Horner. The names of 102 Portlanders who died while homeless in 2025 were read out one at a time from the pulpit in the small sanctuary at … more

Lillian Mongeau Hughes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/23/25

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

Oregon trade workers suspect occupational profiling by immigration agents

It was shortly after 7 a.m. on a late November morning when Jacqueline Chavez, owner of a painting business and a U.S. citizen, saw police lights flashing from unmarked cars behind her as she drove … more

Yesenia Amaro / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/23/25

Oregon governor, U.S. senators oppose possible transport of liquid radioactive waste through NE Oregon

Gov. Kotek, senators Wyden and Merkley say waste should be transformed into safer solid material before being moved from Hanford, Washington Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and the state’s U.S. … more

Jayson Jaco / Baker City Herald, Ore. (TNS) | 12/23/25

Fear is fueling drop in Canadian visits, border researcher tells Bellingham council

Canadians are staying away from Whatcom County because they are seething over President Donald Trump’s insults and are worried about heavy-handed police action on this side of the border, a Western … more

Robert Mittendorf / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 12/23/25

Summit at Snoqualmie to open, with more fresh powder on the way

The rain that's drenched the lowlands of Western Washington over the past two weeks has finally brought snow to the mountains, enough for the Summit at Snoqualmie to partially open Tuesday. The … more

Alex Halverson / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/23/25

Floodwaters are just one threat faced by these Washington state workers

Even for a community that is no stranger to adversity, the past two weeks have dealt blow after blow to Western Washington farmworker families. The catastrophic flooding that left historic … more

Naomi Ishisaka / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/23/25

Home fire danger increases in the winter. Here is how to keep your house safe

Home fires occur more in the winter than any other season, with heating systems being a leading cause of home fires and fire fatalities in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection … more

Jack Belcher / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 12/23/25