State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

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

Gov. Bob Ferguson cancels parole for man convicted of triple murder

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday reversed a decision by former Gov. Jay Inslee to allow a man convicted of a triple murder more than four decades ago to be released from state prison. … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 3/25/25

Debate lingers over Washington state bill's impact on public health policies

Proponents and critics of a Washington state bill regarding public health continue to argue over the exact impacts it will have on matters such as vaccine mandates or restrictions in response to the … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 3/24/25

‘Zombie tax increases’: Republican lawmaker derides Washington Senate Dems’ $78.5B budget proposal

Democrats in the Washington State Senate on Monday released a proposed $78.5 billion operating budget for the 2025-2027 biennium, up from the $72.4 billion in the current 2023-2025 biennium. The … more

By Brett Davis / The Center Square | 3/24/25

Striking machinists in Auburn on Sept. 24, 2024.

Washington state Democrats push bill to pay picketers — GOP says it tilts the field

After Boeing workers went on strike for over seven weeks last year, Washington state may soon provide up to three months of benefits to those on the picket line if a Democratic bill becomes law. … more

Tim Clouser / The Center Square | 3/24/25

Gas tax increases key to fueling Washington state transportation budgets

Washington drivers would see higher gas taxes beginning this summer under transportation funding plans state House and Senate lawmakers unveiled Monday. The chambers approach what would be the … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 3/24/25

Gluesenkamp Perez, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill to extend landslide protections

Last week, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, along with fellow Democratic Washington Congressional Reps. Suzan DelBene and Kim Schrier and Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced the … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/24/25

From left, state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and state Reps. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, and Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama.

20th District state lawmakers still have proposed legislation in play as legislative session approaches homestretch

As the 2025 legislative session flies by, deadlines and cutoffs have already claimed the lives of a host of proposed bills. March 12 was the deadline for legislation to make it out of the … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 3/24/25

Washington landlord once accused of forcing sexual contact on woman wins $522K from her at trial

In an unusual twist in a nearly decade-long legal battle, a Vancouver landlord has won more than $500,000 in defamation damages from a woman who accused him of forcing sexual contact on her. The … more

By Zane Sparling / The Oregonian | 3/24/25

Driver suspected of DUI crashed car between two trees in Thurston County, troopers say

A 42-year-old Olympia woman, suspected of driving under the influence and of hit and run, crashed her car between two trees Friday night in Thurston County, the Washington State Patrol reports. … more

Rolf Boone / The Olympian (TNS) | 3/24/25

Pierce County woman sentenced to seven years in prison for drug and gun possession, feds say

A 39-year-old Pierce County woman was sentenced to 84 months in prison for drug and gun possession, acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington announced on Friday. … more

Rolf Boone / The Olympian (TNS) | 3/24/25

Woman missing, dog saved after fall into river near Mount Rainier

A woman was still missing Sunday night hours after falling into the Carbon River under the Fairfax Bridge in Pierce County, according to the sheriff's department. The woman in her late 20s fell … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/24/25

Washington state’s multi-billion-dollar transportation budget shortfall could ‘mean pausing a project’

Washington state’s transportation budget — like its operating budget — has a bumpy road ahead as lawmakers face a multi-billion-dollar shortfall in the coming biennia. State … more

Simone Carter / The News Tribune (TNS) | 3/24/25

FILE PHOTO — A cat stares at a toy at the Lewis County Animal Shelter in Centralia on Tuesday, March 18.

Oregon man whose cat died from bird flu sues Thurston County pet food company

Even lying in an oxygen cage at DoveLewis Animal Hospital, Tim Hanson said his cat Kira still rolled over for belly rubs. It was one of the last visits Hanson would have with her as she, like several … more

Austin De Dios / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 3/24/25

Trump’s logging orders: A win-win or recipe for continued conflict?

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at ramping up logging on federal lands. The directives prompted polar and predictable reactions from timber industry … more

Ted Sickinger / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 3/24/25

Police: Armed resident confronts burglar in Cowlitz County

A man suspected of burglarizing an Old West Side home was in custody as of Friday afternoon. Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Patricia Fassett appointed a public defender to represent Adin … more

Matt Esnayra / The Daily News | 3/24/25

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff apply tags and record data while sampling Chinook salmon at the Washougal River weir in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

After fatal accidents, WDFW workers press Gov. Bob Ferguson on agency appointee

A labor union representing most employees at Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife says it’s troubled that a member of a commission that oversees the agency may not get reappointed … more

By Bill Lucia / The Washington State Standard | 3/24/25

Senators seek to restore $1 billion for meals at schools, elsewhere

U.S. senators from California and Nevada joined their Democratic colleagues to call on Trump and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate a reported $1 billion for meals provided by schools … more

By Liam Hibbert / The Center Square | 3/23/25

Whitley Campbell works at an American Red Cross blood drive in the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Red Cross seeks to rally 30,000 supporters as natural disasters stack up

The Northwest Region of the American Red Cross is issuing a call for help to “ensure no one faces a disaster alone” by donating on Red Cross Giving Day, March 26, the American Red Cross … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/23/25

Washington state agency accused of negligence after death of baby in hot car

The state agency responsible for protecting children has been accused of negligence after the death of a 1-year-old boy who in May 2023 was left in a hot car in Puyallup. Steven Kopp of Graham … more

Shea Johnson / The News Tribune (TNS) | 3/23/25

Rep. Frank Chopp, who served 30 years in the Legislature and was the state’s longest-serving House Speaker from 1999 to 2019. (Legislative Support Services)

Former Washington state House Speaker Frank Chopp dies

Longtime Washington Democratic Rep. Frank Chopp, who became one of the state’s most powerful House speakers over the two decades he held the leadership role, died Saturday. He was 71. … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 3/23/25