State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Benefits for striking workers, time off for immigration hearings now law in Washington state

This month, a number of new state laws took effect in Washington that impact both employers and their employees. Other recently passed laws impacting employment kick in Jan. 1, 2026. … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/28/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson smiles at his family during his inaugural address at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Poll: Gov. Bob Ferguson's first approval rating lowest in more than 30 years

A new poll from Cascade PBS/Elway shows Washington voters are not pleased with the job Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, is doing six months into the job. The poll of 403 registered voters from … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/28/25

Protestors gather at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center following the shuttering of the Genecis program, which no longer provides gender-affirming medical care to transgender adolescent patients, on Thursday, March 31, 2022, in Dallas. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

Lawsuit targeting Washington law meant to protect trans youth in crisis is dismissed on appeal

Parents trying to overturn a Washington law protecting runaway transgender youth have hit another roadblock in federal court. A three-judge appeals court panel on Friday unanimously dismissed a … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 7/28/25

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez speaks with fishermen about growing sea lion populations on the Columbia River last year in this photo provided by her office.

MGP advocates for federal funding for 14 projects across Southwest Washington

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, announced Monday her community projects funding request to the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. The funding, if approved, … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/28/25

Report: Most crime rates down in Washington state in 2024

Most crime rates declined in Washington state in 2024, according to the annual “Crime in Washington” report compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The … more

By Brett Davis / The Center Square | 7/28/25

Ichiro Suzuki speaks during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center on July 27, 2025 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images/TNS)

Ichiro becomes third Mariners legend to enter Baseball Hall of Fame

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Shortly after he retired in 2019, Ichiro attended a Seattle Mariners game as a fan, sitting in the stands with his wife, Yumiko, for the first time. “We did it … more

Adam Jude / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/28/25

Seattle city attorney primary may show if Republican incumbent’s election was a fluke

In 2021, Seattle voters had two choices for top lawyer: a police abolitionist and a Republican. In the waning days of the protests from the year before and bubbling concern about crime and … more

David Kroman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/28/25

Woman killed in Western Washington hit-and-run was ‘backbone’ of her family

A 74-year-old man was arrested Friday in a hit-and-run where an RV killed one person in South Seattle’s Rainier View neighborhood. A witness called police around 10:30 p.m. Thursday to … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/28/25

Thurston County deputy finds passenger mid-birth following car crash

A Thurston County sheriff’s deputy responding to a collision early Saturday morning found one of the passengers actively giving birth, Sheriff Derek Sanders said on his social media. A … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 7/28/25

Possible Listeria contamination in ham salad recalled in Washington state

The United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert Sunday for two ham salad products possibly contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, … more

Corbin Vanderby / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 7/28/25

Hope fire 75% contained; evacuation orders remain

The nearly 8,000-acre Hope fire in Stevens County that began July 8, continues to burn but firefighters made grounds reaching 75% containment as of Sunday. More than 400 firefighters continued … more

Corbin Vanderby / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 7/28/25

Marriage licenses go up $100 in Washington state to help domestic violence victims

All right, soon-to-be-married Washingtonians. Let's go down the checklist. Something old and new? Check. Something borrowed and blue? Got it. But wait, did you remember to budget an extra $100 for … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/28/25

Fiscal Fallout: 2026 Washington state legislative session ‘could be worse yet’

Washington state is currently forecast to run out of money by 2027 and experience a fiscal deficit by 2028 despite the largest tax increase in state history this session, in addition to record … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 7/28/25

Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez answers a question at a town hall in the TransAlta Commons at Centralia College on Tuesday, April 22.

As 2026 midterms loom, Washington state’s congressional lawmakers rake in cash

Washington’s most vulnerable Democrat in the U.S. House had a strong fundraising quarter in anticipation of a tough 2026 reelection. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania County, who is … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 7/28/25

Washington wheat farmer advocates for herbicide targeted by RFK Jr.'s 'MAHA' report

WASHINGTON — A wheat grower from Spokane County visited the Capitol this week to drum up support for glyphosate, a widely used weed killer that was targeted in a May report commissioned by … more

Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 7/27/25

Creepy and strange experiences home leading up to Idaho college student killings

It's unclear if Bryan Kohberger stalked any or all of the four University of Idaho students he murdered in the early-morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Investigators followed every lead in the … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 7/27/25

Two dead, one arrested on DUI charges after head-on collision in Pierce County

Two people were pronounced dead Sunday morning at the scene of a head-on collision on State Route 410 in Sumner. The driver who caused the accident was arrested for DUI vehicular homicide, said the … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 7/27/25

A dog sporting a tutu walks with the Bark N’ Bath group during the Winlock Egg Days Parade in downtown Winlock on Saturday, June 21.

New Washington state law protects people who break into cars to help kids, pets

Can you break into a car in Washington state to rescue a trapped child or pet? Although smashing a car window to save a kid or dog could once put you at risk of a lawsuit, a new state law … more

Daniel Schrager / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 7/27/25

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Bellevue) poses for a portrait at Bellevue City Hall on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

Washington congressman riffs on national security in the Trump era

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith has been around in Washington state politics a long time. A moderate Democrat, he’s been in Congress since 1997, and before that, served in the state … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/27/25

RV driver arrested near North Bend after fatal hit-and-run in Seattle

A 74-year-old man was arrested Friday in a hit-and-run where an RV killed one person in South Seattle’s Rainier View neighborhood. A witness called police around 10:30 p.m. Thursday to … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/27/25