State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

The entrance to Snake River Correction Institution in Ontario, Oregon.

Oregon nightclub shooter dies after 47 years in prison for one of state’s largest mass killings

The man who gunned down six people outside of a Klamath Falls nightclub in 1977 in one of the state’s largest mass killings died in an eastern Oregon prison Sunday, corrections officials announced. … more

Noelle Crombie / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/29/26

17-year-old Oregon hiker falls 100 feet, rescued in basket

A 17-year-old who fell down a 100-foot embankment while hiking with his family near Warrendale was rescued by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office search-and-rescue team. The Bureau of … more

Isabel Funk / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/29/26

Measles hits six more unvaccinated kids in Washington state

Six new cases of measles have been reported in Clark County, health officials announced Friday, bringing the county’s total number of cases this year to 15. The six new cases all involve … more

Mary Mooney / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/29/26

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is facing moderate Republican John Braun in one of the most hotly contested races for a U.S. House seat this year.

Trump country sent her to Congress — now, a mainstream Republican wants the seat back

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who pulled off the biggest federal election upset of the year when she flipped southwest Washington’s reliably Republican 3rd Congressional District to blue in 2022, is … more

Betsy Hammond / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/29/26

U.S. Marshals find and arrest Oregon woman accused of killing husband, fleeing

U.S. Marshals on Monday afternoon tracked down and arrested in Washington state a Keizer woman who’s accused of killing her husband. The Keizer Police Department said in a statement that … more

Tatum Todd / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/29/26

A street ends at an empty field at the edge of Woodburn's urban growth boundary. An incident where three men allegedly assaulted and pulled over someone by faking their identity as immigration agents took place on a highway near the city on July 17. (Photo by Robin Linares/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Oregon State Police tout state law ICE is ignoring in response to impersonation report

After announcing an investigation into masked armed men allegedly impersonating immigration agents off a highway by one of Oregon’s most immigrant-heavy cities, Oregon State Police offered tips to … more

By Shaanth Nanguneri / The Oregon Capital Chronicle | 7/29/26

MultiCare, Premera reach deal to keep coverage for over 100,000 Washington patients

MultiCare, which operates more than a dozen hospitals in Washington, has agreed to keep charging Premera Blue Cross insurance customers in-network rates after months of negotiations that threatened … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/29/26

Courts issue conflicting rulings on Trump executive order restricting vote-by-mail

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the federal government can continue implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting vote-by-mail, reaching the opposite conclusion that … more

By Jacob Fischler / States Newsroom | 7/28/26

The Washington state Capitol is pictured from Heritage Park in Olympia on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

More than 40 Washington legislators make bipartisan plea for developmental disabilities program

A bipartisan group of nearly four dozen Washington lawmakers is urging the state to maintain a program considered vital among parents of children with developmental disabilities. The … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/28/26

In December 2026, Washington plans to begin offering offer a toll discount for drivers with lower incomes on State Route 509 expressway (above) and the State Route 167 expressway. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)

Washington to offer first-ever toll discount for lower-income motorists

Drivers with low incomes will soon be able to pay less to travel on two of Washington’s newest tolled roadways. After months of conversation, the Washington State Transportation Commission … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 7/28/26

71-year-old Portland drug dealer admits his illicit life had ‘gotten out of hand,’ accepts prison term

During a raid on a Northeast Portland home last year, Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies discovered an unusual hiding place: a vintage Coca-Cola machine that contained cocaine, fentanyl, cash, six … more

Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/28/26

Oregon sheriff and predecessor spent $390K in donations on jet skis, metal shop and retirement party, county says

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office used nearly $390,000 in private donations to purchase vehicles for the sheriff and his predecessor, a boat and a grill, and to pay for a retirement party complete … more

Noelle Crombie / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/28/26

1 dead, car flees after crash that closed U.S. 26 near Portland

UPDATE: U.S. 26 has been reopened. A crash that killed a pedestrian at about 2 a.m. Tuesday has closed all eastbound traffic on U.S. 26 from Sylvan into the tunnel, according to the Oregon … more

Rosemarie Stein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/28/26

After 124 years, Oregon’s fall ballot will be missing something familiar

With the recent demise of a ballot initiative intended to greatly expand animal welfare laws, Oregonians will officially not see any statewide ballot measure this fall for the first time in 124 … more

Carlos Fuentes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/28/26

Portland man sentenced to life for killing girlfriend with hammer when she tried to leave him

A Portland man convicted of killing his girlfriend with a hammer in 2022 received a life sentence on Monday. The sentence, with the possibility of parole after 25 years, comes after a jury last … more

Tatum Todd / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/28/26

Washington state’s Hmong farmers face floods at generational crossroads

For nearly two months after Washington’s catastrophic flooding in December, Cathy Moul’s flower farm in Everett was still underwater. All the tulips, irises and daffodils she and her mom had just … more

Greg Kim / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/28/26

Seattle police officers work the scene of a mass shooting at Seattle Center during Bite of Seattle on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Seattle Center suspect, 15, held; 1 alleged shooter dead, third at large

A King County judge decided to hold a 15-year-old boy in detention in connection with the Seattle Center shooting that left three dead and four others injured, including a toddler. Police … more

Lauren Girgis / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/28/26

Screen grabs of similar videos, clockwise from the left, from Connected Ohio, Oregon Connects, Pennsylvania Connects and North Carolina Connects. The groups were founded by leaders at the Data Center Coalition, a nonprofit data center advocacy group backed by large tech companies.

Pro-data center industry group behind ad campaign in Oregon, six other states

Just days before the Oregon Legislature in March passed a one-year pause on a popular tax incentive program for data centers, a group called Oregon Connects registered as a nonprofit business in the … more

Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 7/28/26

Why Washington state’s certification process for home care aides is getting bogged down

It’s been 15 years since Washington voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative setting new standards for training and certifying home care aides. But while the changes included … more

Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard | 7/28/26

A volunteer for Let's Go Washington unloads boxes of petitions for Initiative 645 that were turned in to the secretary of state's office on July 2, 2026. The measure seeks to repeal Washngton's new income tax on high earners. Differences on how to describe the fiscal effects of the measure passing has sparked legal fights that could reach the state Supreme Court.

‘Government edit’? Two lawsuits challenge state’s description of Washington state income tax measure

Legal wrangling on the income tax initiative could reach the state’s high court before Washington voters consider it this November. Sponsors of Initiative 645 on Monday formally contested a … more

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 7/28/26