State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Parents say Tumwater school board is restricting public comment, meeting access

Some parents in the Tumwater School District spoke during the board of directors’ May 21 meeting against a new policy that allows the board to screen public comments ahead of time and … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 5/27/25

Why is the Columbia River at a crossroads? Here are some of the biggest questions

The Columbia River is at a crossroads. Negotiations between the U.S. and Canada over the river's benefits are stalled. Thirteen runs of salmon and steelhead are threatened with extinction in the … more

Lynda V. Mapes / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/27/25

The 2B Girls State Championship game at the Spokane Arena on Saturday, March 8.

What the WIAA's new transfer rule means for Washington state's student-athletes

When the WIAA announced a major change to its statewide transfer rules for student-athletes last month, reaction was a bit mixed with more questions than answers. Under the new rule, … more

Shane Lantz / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/27/25

High gas, food prices didn't alter Memorial Day plans for millions of Americans

On this Memorial Day 2025, America honors and remembers the men and women who have died serving their country. The holiday also marks the unofficial start of summer with backyard cookouts and … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/26/25

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

Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington delegation urge president to reconsider major disaster declaration for November ‘Bomb Cyclone’

Last week, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, joined the entire Washington state congressional delegation in sending a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reconsider the denial … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/26/25

The entrance of Green Hill School in Chehalis on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.

New law changes how Green Hill School, local officials respond to large fights

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill in April that changes state law so that residents of Green Hill School can no longer be charged with prison riot, previously a felony charge often brought against … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 5/26/25

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania.

Gluesenkamp Perez announces 2025 Congressional App Challenge

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, R-Skamania, last week announced that her office is accepting applications for the 2025 Congressional App Challenge. The competition encourages students to … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/26/25

Washington state Astronaut Anne McClain to greet hometown from ISS in earth-to-space video call Tuesday

Spokane-born astronaut U.S. Army Col. Anne McClain is set to talk with Earth's schoolchildren Tuesday from the International Space Station. In a "downlink" event sponsored by the Mobius … more

The Spokesman-Review / (TNS) | 5/26/25

Virginia Connolly accepts a folded flag during ceremony honoring her father John Connolly at Arlington National Cemetery in March 2025. (Photo by Tracey Attlee)

Eight decades after dying in Pearl Harbor attack, sailor gets Arlington farewell

More than 80 years after he died in the attack on Pearl Harbor, John Connolly was finally laid to rest – not as an unknown in a mass grave, but as a naval officer in Arlington National … more

By Chaya Tong / Georgia Recorder | 5/26/25

This small North Idaho town kept to itself. Then a Christian nationalist church asked the U.S. government to intervene

TROY, Idaho — The streets are usually calm in this town of less than a thousand people a dozen miles east of Moscow. With the exception of a historic lumber mill, the city has, for the … more

Alexandra Duggan / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 5/25/25

Teen presumed drowned, two men rescued in waters off southern Washington coast

Two men were rescued and one teen remained missing and was presumed dead after an accident Friday evening along the shoreline of Long Beach, Fire Department officials said. A "surf rescue" call … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/25/25

The Capitol in Olympia on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.

With the Washington state budget signed, how much more taxes should families expect to pay?

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the state’s operating budget into law Tuesday that will be funded with billions of dollars in taxes. It’s a move that critics say will hit average … more

Simone Carter / The News Tribune (TNS) | 5/25/25

Police captain in Oregon on leave amid illegal hunting probe

A Canby police captain remains on paid leave while state prosecutors review allegations that he used a police infrared thermal-imaging device during a deer-hunting trip. Capt. Doug Kitzmiller, … more

Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/25/25

The pub first opened in Northwest Portland 35 years ago.

Rams Head, one of Portland’s oldest McMenamins pubs, will close next month

One of Portland’s oldest McMenamins will serves its last basket of tater tots and pint of Hammerhead ale at the end of June, the Oregon chain of brewpubs, movie theaters and hotels announced … more

Michael Russell / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/25/25

Senator Lew Frederick, R-North and Northeast Portland, is the sponsor of the "ban on book bans" bill.

Oregon’s ban on book bans is heading for a final vote in the Legislature

The stage is set in the Oregon Legislature for a final showdown over a bill that would prohibit removing or declining to carry books from school libraries solely because they are written by diverse … more

Julia Silverman / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/25/25

Two rescued, 15-year-old missing off the southern Washington coast

A 15-year-old boy went missing off the southern Washington coast on Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release. The boy was swimming near Long Beach, Washington just a few miles up the … more

Sami Edge / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/25/25

Jury rules not guilty in 2023 Castle Rock road rage incident

A Cowlitz County jury acquitted Thursday evening a Castle Rock man of second-degree assault stemming from a road rage incident, although he was convicted of a lesser charge. Butch Dwight Smith , … more

Matt Esnayra / The Daily News | 5/25/25

Budget gimmick endorsed by Ferguson downplays Washington state’s huge lawsuit costs

In signing Washington's new $78 billion two-year operating budget this week, Gov. Bob Ferguson praised what he called a "balanced" approach to solving a multibillion-dollar shortfall. The … more

Jim Brunner / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/25/25

With the state budget signed, how much more taxes should Washington state families expect to pay?

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the state’s operating budget into law Tuesday that will be funded with billions of dollars in taxes. It’s a move that critics say will hit average … more

Simone Carter / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 5/25/25

Man shot after two women lure him using dating app, Oregon cops say

Two women lured a man off a dating app, then one shot him, Oregon deputies said. An area resident called 911 at about 5:30 a.m. May 17 to report that someone was shot in a vehicle near Oregon … more

Helena Wegner / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 5/24/25