State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Sunlight illuminates Mount Rainier at sunset near Paradise on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.

WSDOT opens passes to Mount Rainier in time for Memorial Day weekend

The Washington State Department of Transportation opened two state route passes through Mount Rainier National Park on Friday. State Route 410’s Chinook Pass and state Route 123’s … more

Constanza Montemayor / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 5/24/25

Mike Pellicciotti, Washington state treasurer, explains a baby bonds fund program during a panel with reporters and broadcasters at the Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

‘Can’t sugarcoat it.’ Washington state treasurer talks ‘chaotic’ Trump tariffs and state taxes

While the Evergreen State is ranked top nationally in long-term financial stability, Washington Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti says residents and business owners are still at risk of feeling the brunt … more

Eric Rosane / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 5/24/25

An endangered East African crowned crane escaped the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah, the zoo said in a May 21 Facebook post.

Endangered crane makes ‘great escape’ out of Washington state zoo — and nobody can catch her

Update: From Cougar Mountain Zoo: " Just before midnight last night, Alice — our curious East African crowned crane — was safely recovered and brought back to the zoo after a brief solo … more

Helena Wegner / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 5/24/25

Baumgartner, Newhouse help House pass Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' after GOP state lawmakers warn of Medicaid cuts

WASHINGTON — Two Republicans from central and Eastern Washington voted on Thursday to pass President Donald Trump's signature bill to cut taxes and boost spending on immigration enforcement, … more

Orion Donovan Smith and Amanda Sullender / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 5/24/25

21-year-old worker hit by equipment dies at Washington state construction site

A 21-year-old man died at a Richland construction site after being hit by a front loader. The man, whose name has not been released, was working at the Westcliffe Heights subdivision near the … more

Cameron Probert / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 5/24/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck embrace during a joint legislative session in House chambers at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Budget gimmick endorsed by Gov. Bob Ferguson downplays Washington'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) | 5/24/25

Idaho Gov. Brad Little gives his annual State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, on the House floor at the Statehouse in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)

Idaho lawmakers urge feds to move Small Business office from Seattle to their state

All four Idaho Republican congressmen want the U.S. Small Business Administration , or SBA, to move its Pacific Northwest regional office from Seattle to Idaho. In March, SBA Administrator Kelly … more

By Kyle Pfannenstiel / The Idaho Capital Sun | 5/24/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson using a red pen to partially veto a bill on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Seven vetoes Gov. Bob Ferguson made in the Washington state budget

Before Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the next state budget on Tuesday, he vetoed a few dozen spending provisions scattered throughout its 1,366 pages. The plan he approved lays out $78 … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero and Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 5/24/25

A rally participant stands with a sign about parents’ rights during a rally on the steps of the Capitol in Olympia on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Critics of new state student rights law predict enrollment declines, failed levies

Critics of a new law concerning student rights and privacy protections at school say the fight is far from over, but note the damage has been done. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1296 was … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/23/25

Gov. Ferguson vetoes bill to study cost drivers for homeownership, rental housing in Washington state

A bill that was approved by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Legislature to study the primary cost drivers for home ownership and rental housing in Washington state has been vetoed by … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/23/25

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) listens at House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) speaks to the media after the House narrowly passed a bill forwarding President Donald Trump's agenda at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The tax and spending legislation, in what has been called the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" Act, redirects money to the military and border security and includes cuts to Medicaid, education and other domestic programs. Johnson was flanked by House Committee Chairmen who helped craft the legislation. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/TNS)

Republicans aim to punish states that insure unauthorized immigrants, including Washington state

President Donald Trump’s signature budget legislation would punish 14 states that offer health coverage to people in the U.S. without authorization. The states, most of them … more

By Phil Galewitz and Christine Mai-Duc / States Newsroom | 5/23/25

Funding cut for programs that help Washington state foster children navigate school

A nonprofit organization helping foster children in Washington graduate from high school just saw its state funding chopped. In the current two-year budget, which runs through June 30, … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / The Washington State Standard | 5/23/25

U.S. Postal Service reminds customers to maintain mailboxes during National Mailbox Improvement Week

With National Mailbox Improvement Week lasting from May 18 to May 24, the U.S. Postal Service is encouraging customers to inspect, maintain and upgrade their mailboxes to help ensure safe, secure and … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/23/25

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez delivers testimony in support of her Servicemember Right to Repair Act in the upcoming FY26 NDAA.

MGP urges House committee to include military right to repair legislation in National Defense Authorization Act

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, testified in front of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee to request that her Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act be included in the upcoming National … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/23/25

Columbia River salmon restoration hit hard by $1.5B cut to Army Corps of Engineers

The Trump administration has cut tens of millions of dollars from a key Columbia Basin salmon-restoration program run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a move experts say puts the treasured … more

By Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 5/23/25

Thurston County deputies search for man who fled on foot after pursuit

Thurston County deputies searched a Tumwater motel Thursday morning for a man who allegedly fled from a traffic stop. Law enforcement descended on the motel at 400 Lee St. SW before 7 a.m. … more

By Martín Bilbao / The Olympian | 5/23/25

Trial underway after elderly man beaten at Castle Rock gas station in 2023

Opening statements started Wednesday in the trial of Butch Dwight Smith, the 51-year-old resident accused of assaulting a 65-year-old man at a Castle Rock gas station in 2023. With the podium … more

Matt Esnayra / The Daily News | 5/23/25

Karl Ahlen, current Corps' Project Manager for the Sediment Retention Structure, stands facing the dam's spillway on Wednesday, May 21. It was built in response to the Mount St. Helens eruption.

Mt. St. Helens miracle: How the Army Corps protected the region's safety and economy

MOUNT ST. HELENS — Col. Terry Connell was at his downtown Portland church one Sunday in 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted. “You could see all the smoke and the ash coming out of the … more

Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 5/23/25

Drills help people prepare for Washington state's real wildfire season

When the only way out of a heavily treed neighborhood on a normal weekday is called “Dysfunction Junction,” wildfire preparedness is essential. A fire evacuation drill on Saturday … more

Sue Lani Madsen | The Center Square contributor | 5/23/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson delivers his inaugural address in the House chambers at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Ferguson partially vetoes bill to expand Washington state Clemency and Pardons Board

Gov. Bob Ferguson vetoed key provisions of a bill related to Washington state’s Clemency & Pardons Board (CPB). Engrossed Second Substitute House HB 1131 , signed partially … more

Carleen Johnson | The Center Square | 5/23/25