State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

The search for a 2-year-old Siletz boy who disappeared Saturday, March 1, will now focus on the Siletz River, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Search for 2-year-old Oregon boy will focus on the river, officials say

The 2-year-old Siletz, Oregon, boy who went missing Saturday while playing in his parents’ front yard was most likely by the river bank when he disappeared, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s … more

Fedor Zarkhin / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 3/5/25

Oregon State Police SWAT fatally shot witness to homicide after covertly approaching scene

State police SWAT officers responded to a remote Lane County farm more than six hours after a homicide there in December and then fatally shot a witness to the killing while looking for the suspect. … more

Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 3/5/25

Report says home construction costs in Washington state climbing due to red tape

One of the largest home building associations in America has released a report detailing the rising costs of home construction in Washington state, blaming onerous government regulations for higher … more

By Brett Davis / The Center Square | 3/5/25

Washington state bill would require diaper changing stations in more restrooms

Many parents share the common experience of having to change a child’s diaper at the back of a car or the corner of a room when there isn’t a changing station available. … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / The Washington State Standard | 3/5/25

“Stand up, fight back,” the crowd chanted as they gathered to protest against the Trump administration. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Protesters rally against Trump at Washington state Capitol

More than 2,000 people rallied at the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday to protest President Donald Trump, ahead of his speech to a joint session of Congress. Around 2,300 hundred people … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / The Washington State Standard | 3/4/25

A campground at Paradise Point State Park. (Washington State Parks)

Washington state might raise Discover Pass price to $45

Washington’s state parks and other natural sites may soon become more expensive to visit as lawmakers are looking to increase the price of the Discover Pass. The pass allows visitors … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / The Washington State Standard | 3/4/25

Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington, the political committee behind the parents' 'bill of rights' measure approved by the Washington Legislature last year. He said the group filed a measure Tuesday to prevent lawmakers from changing the year-old law. (Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard)

Voters could get final say on changes to Washington state’s parental ‘bill of rights’

The conservative political group behind three failed measures on last year’s Washington ballot filed an initiative Tuesday to prevent the Democrat-controlled Legislature and governor from … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 3/4/25

The Capitol building in Olympia, home to the Senate and House chambers, is lit up on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

Bill to expand abortion access on Washington state college campuses dies in committee

A bill that would require public colleges and universities in Washington state to offer medication abortion through student health centers has died in the Senate Ways & Means Committee. … more

By Tate Miller / The Center Square | 3/3/25

Logging operations on public land in Washington state. (Washington State Department of Natural Resources)

American Forest Resource Council praises Trump’s executive orders on U.S. timber and lumber production

The American Forest Resource Council voiced its strong support for two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on March 1 aimed at expanding U.S. timber production and strengthening the … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/3/25

State Rep. Jim Walsh walks with other tour attendees during the Chehalis Basin Strategy Legislative Site Tour at China Creek in Centralia on Friday, Sept. 27.

Walsh calls for federal review of Washington state’s Automatic Voter Registration Act implementation

Washington state GOP Chairman and state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, has introduced House Joint Memorial 4007, calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to audit and review the Washington state … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/3/25

Protesters hold up signs as cars pass by during a “Protect Our Parks” protest along State Route 706 outside of the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park near Ashford on Saturday, March. 1.

In focus: ‘Protect Our Parks’ protest rallies support for public lands, workers

Protesters held up signs and chanted as cars passed by during a “Protect Our Parks” protest along state Route 706 outside of the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park near … more

3/3/25

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez testifies before the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health in support of her bipartisan Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act last year.

MGP, colleagues introduce bill to support rural veterans’ transportation for health care

U.S. Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, and Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, and Don Davis, D-North Carolina, last week introduced the bipartisan Rural Veterans … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/3/25

Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez smiles while eating a freshly picked fruit at Raintree Nursery on a Lewis County Farm Bureau Tour on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.

MGP introduces bill to increase oversight of foreign ownership of American farmland

Last week, U.S. Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, and Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Michigan, introduced the Farmland Security Act of 2025, which, according to a news release from Gluesenkamp … more

By The Chronicle staff | 3/3/25

Feds to investigate Tumwater School District for letting trans athlete play basketball game

Washington’s Tumwater School District faces a federal investigation from the Trump administration over allowing a transgender athlete from an opposing team to compete in a girls’ high … more

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

Washington’s Patty Murray to skip Trump speech to Congress

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray will skip President Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, saying in a statement he is “spitting in the face of the law.” … more

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

Judge sets $1M bail for Thurston County woman after police find dead body in her apartment

A 45-year-old woman is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $1 million bail after police found a dead body in her apartment. Evelyn Laine McMurray attended her preliminary … more

Martín Bilbao / The Olympian (TNS) | 3/3/25

4.5 magnitude earthquake shakes Orcas Island near Washington-Canada border

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck Monday morning near the Orcas Island in northern Washington state. The temblor occurred at about 5 a.m. and was centered near the Washington-Canada border, … more

The Oregonian / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 3/3/25

A “no trespassing” sign outside of Northwest ICE Processing Center. (Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)

Lawyers plead for life-saving care for man in Washington immigrant detention center

Attorneys for a former Armenian refugee held in the federal immigrant detention center in Tacoma say he has been unable to get medical treatment for months, leaving his family worried he could soon … more

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

Traffic on Interstate 5 near Olympia. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)

Road usage charge debate returns to Washington state Legislature

This article was first published by TVW. State lawmakers in Olympia are again debating a plan to establish a road usage charge for funding state highways. Supporters say the change would be more … more

By Mike McClanahan / TVW | 3/3/25

Avalanche buries and kills snowmobiler, traps another, Washington officials say

An avalanche triggered by snowmobilers swept away two people, killing one, Washington officials reported. The avalanche took place at Harts Pass on Friday, Feb. 28, the Northwest Avalanche … more

Don Sweeney / The News Tribune (TNS) | 3/2/25