State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Mom kills 12-year-old son in crash and blames it on his girlfriend, Washington state cops say

A mom crashed her vehicle, killing her 12-year-old son, and blamed it on his girlfriend who wasn’t at the scene, Washington deputies said. Authorities responded to the wreck at about 1:45 … more

Helena Wegner / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 5/1/25

Feds formally launch investigation into Washington state’s OSPI over gender-inclusive schools law

The federal government announced Wednesday that it has formally opened an investigation into Washington state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The U.S. departments of … more

Simone Carter / The Olympian (TNS) | 5/1/25

Flagger Luca Pisani holds a stop sign at the end of Chilvers Road in Claquato as WSDOT crews work to repave Highway 6 from Interstate 5 to Adna on Thursday, Aug 1, 2024.

Maintenance work begins this week on highways across Southwest Washington

Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will began work across Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties on April 28, according to a news … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/1/25

Washington state Democrats include ‘devastating’ $8.5M abortion-access cut in final budget

Washington has been heralded as a leader on access to abortion care. But reproductive-rights advocates are sounding the alarm after state lawmakers approved their final budget last weekend. The … more

Simone Carter / The Olympian (TNS) | 5/1/25

Kent Preston, who said he graduated from Toutle Lake in 1998, speaks on Tuesday, April 29 in favor of adopting a policy to create inclusion for transgender students at the Toutle Lake School District board meeting. He said adopting the policy would be "standing up to bigotry."

Toutle Lake School Board passes state-mandated transgender policy, but prepares for litigation to fight it

Immediately after Toutle Lake School Board passed on Tuesday a state-mandated policy to create inclusion for transgender students, the board voted to enter a lawsuit against the policy whenever they … more

Hayley Day / The Daily News | 5/1/25

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal

Feds launch Title IX investigation into Washington State Office of Superintendent Public Instruction

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 over concerns that the … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 4/30/25

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.

Trump uses Washington state kidnapping case to justify Alien Enemies Act deportations

Celebrating his 100th day in office Tuesday, President Donald Trump invoked a recent brutal kidnapping case in western Washington to justify his rush to deport Venezuelan immigrants. The day … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 4/30/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks to lawmakers and other officials at the state Capitol on Jan. 15, 2025, during his inaugural address. Throughout the legislative session, Ferguson indicated he would support legislation to cap rent increases, but he never voiced public support for the bill. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)

Behind the scenes, Gov. Bob Ferguson backed bill to cap rent increases for months

State Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, one of the chief architects of legislation to cap rent hikes across Washington, says Gov. Bob Ferguson’s team has made clear to lawmakers since the second week of the … more

By: Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 4/30/25

Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, looks through documents during the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol in Olympia on Friday, April 25.

Braun bill addresses transportation issues in rural school districts

The Washington state House of Representatives passed a bill Monday, April 14, that provides flexibility to schools struggling to fund transportation for their students. The Senate approved … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 4/30/25

The Washington State Capitol complex is seen in an aerial view in Olympia, Washington on January 9, 2025.

A breakdown of Washington’s new $78B two-year state budget

Washington state lawmakers on Sunday approved a $77.8 billion two-year budget to fund schools, state prisons, mental health services, homeless services and more. The final package includes new … more

Laurel Demkovich / Cascade PBS | 4/30/25

New Washington state energy chair’s industry ties raise ethics questions

Kurt Beckett’s second meeting as chair of Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council went smoothly, once he figured out how to turn on his microphone. Beckett named various … more

Brandon Block / Cascade PBS | 4/30/25

Washington state joins lawsuit against Trump to stop AmeriCorps cuts

Washington joined 23 other states and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday in filing a lawsuit to try to prevent the Trump administration's dismantling of AmeriCorps, the agency that conducts community … more

David Gutman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/30/25

Washington state adds public defender dollars but 'nowhere near' enough, counties say

Washington will more than double the money it sends to counties for public defenders in an attempt to reduce strain on the legal system, state lawmakers decided in the two-year budget they passed … more

Daniel Beekman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/30/25

Convicted murderer accused of killing cellmate in Washington state prison

A 36-year-old Coyote Ridge inmate serving time for murder is accused of killing his cellmate early Tuesday. Investigators believe Christopher D. Yacono was high when he attacked Justus Cyr, 41, … more

Cameron Probert / The Olympian (TNS) | 4/30/25

A family from Washington was murdered in cold blood 26 years ago. The man convicted for the killings now faces execution

Former Deer Park resident Jeffrey Hutchinson, a Gulf War veteran, will be put to death Thursday by the state of Florida for the 1998 killings of his girlfriend and her three children. For the … more

Alexandra Duggan / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/30/25

Governor-elect Bob Ferguson sat down for an interview at Cafe Javasti in Maple Leaf to address questions about his political agenda, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Seattle.

Increasing use of emergency clause in bills has some Washington lawmakers worried

With Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson signing bills into law, critics of the overuse of emergency clauses in bills are watching to see if the governor uses his veto power to remove any of those … more

Carleen Johnson | The Center Square | 4/30/25

Report: Washington state wealth tax would not cause 'mass exodus of millionaires'

A novel tax proposal out of Washington state could perform better than expected after a report published Monday disputed claims that higher rates would drive millionaires out of the area. … more

Tim Clouser | The Center Square | 4/30/25

U.S. Border Patrol agent dies in off-duty crash in Washington state

A 36-year-old U.S. Border Patrol agent died Friday night after driving off state Route 31 and crashing into a street sign while off duty just south of Metaline in Pend Oreille County, officials said. … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/30/25

Five takeaways from the final budget approved by the Washington state Legislature

If you haven't had time to read the entire 1,366-page $78 billion operating budget bill released in its finality on Saturday, you are not alone. The public, and even some state lawmakers, had … more

Shauna Sowersby / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/30/25

41-year-old Washington state man dies after striking moose on Highway 395 outside Chewelah

A 41-year-old Valley, Washington, man died after striking a moose on Monday night on U.S. Highway 395 near Chewelah, according to Washington State Patrol. Shortly after 9 p.m., Nathan R. … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/30/25