State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Gov. Bob Ferguson gives a thumbs up to his family during his inaugural address at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

After Gov. Bob Ferguson set his priorities, which ones survived the 2025 session?

During his mid-January inaugural address, Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson gave shout-outs to multiple bills, including some by Republicans. The 2025 regular legislative session ended last weekend. … more

Simone Carter / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 5/3/25

New study suggests major Pacfic Northwest earthquake could make ground sink up to 6 feet

When Washingtonians talk about the possibility of a major earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the conversation typically focuses on the immediate impacts: the threat of casualties, building … more

Daniel Schrager / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 5/3/25

The Woodinville High School girls flag football team celebrated the sport being sanctioned by the WIAA in an event held by the Seahawks at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Edwin Hooper/Seattle Seahawks/TNS)

After Seahawks assist, Washington girls flag football players eager to grow sport

RENTON, Wash. — On Thursday, Tosia Jaszczak Follehr sat on a stage at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center and answered a question from Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Jaszczak Follehr … more

Mike Vorel / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/3/25

On left, Annaleigh Wilson at Cashmere, WA Girls Track Championship. On right, a trans athlete competing in girls event, who won the finals.

Washington state family at center of fight over trans athletes heartened by federal probe

A family in East Wenatchee at the center of the controversy surrounding transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports says they are reenergized now that the federal government has … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/2/25

A rendering shows the design of the new Western State Hospital, set to be completed between 2027 and 2029. (Image courtesy of HOK Architecture)

Construction picking up at new Washington state psychiatric hospital

Construction is ramping up at a new state psychiatric hospital as Washington works to meet continued demand for treatment of people accused of crimes. The state broke ground in October on the … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 5/2/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson, at podium, goes to shake hands with state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, at the signing of a bill to make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, on May 2, 2025 in Olympia. At center is Mary Dispenza, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project. (Photo by Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

New law requires clergy in Washington state to report child abuse

Religious leaders in Washington will be required to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession, under a new law signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday. … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 5/2/25

Washington State Patrol and Washington Traffic Safety Commission urge safe driving this Cinco de Mayo

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) are reminding drivers to make safe and responsible choices behind the wheel this Cinco de Mayo, a news release … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/2/25

Cash-stuffed envelopes: How unqualified truck drivers hit PNW roads in alleged bribery scheme

The gold envelopes were stuffed with wads of cash and couriered via UPS. Inside, each $520 to $530 bundle of bills was paper-clipped to a sticky note bearing the birthdate of a student seeking a … more

Ted Sickinger / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/2/25

With Trump tariffs in the news, how’s container traffic at Port of Tacoma?

Depending on your social-media feed, shipping lanes and port traffic are a hot topic, with varying opinions on whether ports are ghost towns or still buzzing hubs of transport. Los Angeles Port … more

Debbie Cockrell / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 5/2/25

Mom punches stranger in face after he grabs stroller, Oregon cops say. ‘My baby!’

A mother punched a man in the face after cops say he took a stroller with her toddler seated inside, Oregon police say. The woman told police that as she gathered her things inside her home on … more

Daniella Segura / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 5/2/25

Eastern Washington nuclear project that could save billions. Here’s what the test showed

Some 2,000 gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste that had been stored in underground tanks has been shipped off the Hanford nuclear site in Eastern Washington for disposal after it is … more

Annette Cary / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 5/2/25

Do Washingtonians spend more or less income on housing than other states?

The cost of housing has gone up in recent years. In Washington state, the average home price overall has been steadily increasing, according to data from Zillow. Aside from a dip lasting from … more

Karlee Van De Venter / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 5/2/25

200 Washington state attorneys retake oath to uphold the Constitution

In a display of solidarity, more than 200 local attorneys raised their right hands Thursday at the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle and repeated in unison the oath they took years … more

Sara Jean Green / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/2/25

Should Washington state expand ‘cost-effective’ program to mitigate youth homelessness?

As youth homelessness has reached record highs in Washington in recent years, a local advocacy group says one pandemic-era program could be the most cost-effective way to mitigate the issue. … more

Cameron Sheppard / The Olympian (TNS) | 5/2/25

‘Mass extinction ... for small businesses.’ West Coast tariff warnings intensify

In one sense, the effects of current U.S. tariff policy uncertainty are comparable to how the COVID-19 pandemic spread in early 2020: The first U.S. impacts were seen on the West Coast and then … more

Debbie Cockrell / The Olympian (TNS) | 5/2/25

Washington voters will consider amending the state constitution to change how payroll taxes collected for the state's long-term care program are invested. (Bill Lucia / Washington State Standard)

Decision on investing WA Cares tax dollars in stock market goes to ballot

Voters in Washington will be asked this fall to let the state make stock market investments with payroll taxes collected for its long-term care program. The Legislature has put a measure on the … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 5/2/25

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal

Title IX fight escalates as Washington state districts push back on gender identity policies

As public school officials file civil rights complaints against the state over its gender identity policies, some districts are mobilizing after the U.S. government announced a … more

Tim Clouser / The Center Square | 5/1/25

New Washington state law adds certification requirement for dementia care

Services for people with dementia at assisted living facilities will have to meet new state standards across Washington under a law Gov. Bob Ferguson signed on Wednesday. Senate Bill 5337 … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / The Washington State Standard | 5/1/25

The Port of Seattle's container ship terminals at the south end of Elliott Bay as seen from the top of the Columbia Center in Seattle.

Washington state ports await sharp drop in cargo as Trump’s tariff battle with China drags on

Western Washington’s ports are bracing for a deep slump later this month, as the president’s standoff with China over tariffs is expected to stifle the flow of goods. Port of Seattle … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 5/1/25

Feds launch Title IX investigation into Washington State Superintendent’s Office

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice have launched a formal investigation into the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction … more

By Carleen Johnson | The Center Square | 5/1/25