State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Police in Grays Harbor County arrest same driver for DUI twice within hours

Last Friday at approximately 7:42 p.m., an Aberdeen Police officer was in the middle of a traffic stop on Sumner Avenue when a 2016 Ford Edge failed to slow down or move over for an emergency vehicle … more

The Daily World | 6/19/26

Oregon State University researchers maintain some of the Ocean Observatories Initiatives sensors along the Pacific Coast. In this photo, OSU researchers recover a buoy that measures ocean health. (Photo by Ocean Observatories Initiative)

Trump administration abandons plans to remove ocean monitoring system

The Trump administration is backing off from its plans to remove a decade-old ocean monitoring system Oregonians rely on for fishing, recreation, science and emergency services. The National … more

By Mia Maldonado / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 6/19/26

City officials from Lansing, Mich., raise a Pride flag over the Lansing City Council at the beginning of this month. Some Republican governors are relabeling June, widely recognized as Pride Month, with conservative-friendly monikers such as “Nuclear Family Month.” (Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance)

Several Republican-led states rebrand Pride Month

A half dozen Republican governors are pushing alternative labels for June, which is widely recognized in the United States as Pride Month. Without explicitly tying their efforts to a replacement … more

By Anna Claire Vollers / States Newsroom | 6/19/26

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal speaks at the campaign kickoff event against two conservative-backed ballot initiatives on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

Battle ramps up over Washington ballot measure to bar transgender students from girls’ sports

SEATTLE — Opponents of conservative-backed initiatives to undo changes to the rights of parents and public school students and restrict the participation of transgender girls in sports officially … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 6/19/26

The Temple of Justice in Olympia, Washington where the state Supreme Court convenes. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)

$35M campaign finance fine against Meta upheld by Washington Supreme Court

Facebook’s parent company must pay the largest campaign finance fine in Washington state history, the state Supreme Court affirmed in a split decision Thursday. Meta urged the justices to … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 6/18/26

Alaska’s lieutenant governor maintains an office at the state Capitol in Juneau on the same floor as the governor.

Alaska legislative attorney says U.S. Senate candidate’s removal could violate Constitution

An attorney advising the Alaska Legislature said Wednesday that Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom may have violated the U.S. Constitution when she disqualified Petersburg’s Daniel J. Sullivan from this … more

James Brooks / Alaska Beacon | 6/18/26

A helicopter drops flame retardant on the Cow Valley Fire in eastern Oregon on July 12, 2024. Scientists expect wildfires to continue to intensify with climate change.

Oregon governor declares state of emergency over wildfire threat

While Oregon’s first 2026 heatwave was winding down Tuesday, heat and drought are expected to worsen through the summer and will heighten wildfire risks across Oregon, spurring Gov. Tina Kotek to … more

Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 6/18/26

Senators and Representatives work on bills Monday, March 16, 2026, at the State Capitol Building in Boise.

New report finds tax cuts benefit highest-income Idaho households most

A new report published this month by a Boise-based nonprofit organization found that state and federal income tax cuts have benefited the highest-income Idaho households the most, while low-income … more

Clark Corbin / Idaho Capital Sun | 6/18/26

Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, on Thursday evening, March 7, 2024, the last day of the session.

Oregon lawmakers hint at major changes to school funding in 2027

Oregon lawmakers upset about persistently poor education outcomes for many students voted against several of Gov. Tina Kotek’s new appointments to the commission that determines the resources … more

Mia Maldonado / Washington State Standard | 6/18/26

People shop the shelves at the Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry just outside of St. Louis last week. The nonprofit has seen rising need as grocery prices soar and thousands of Missourians lose federal food assistance.

More Americans are hungry in the face of federal cuts, rising grocery prices

The days of ground beef and chicken legs are long gone at the Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry just outside of St. Louis. The nonprofit has swapped out those staple proteins for cheaper ground chicken … more

Kevin Hardy / Washington State Standard | 6/18/26

Washington state employers added jobs in May, but unemployment rate stayed stuck at 5.2%

Washington’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.2% in May even as the economy added roughly 10,000 jobs, its highest one-month gain this year. “A strong month of growth is welcome following … more

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 6/18/26

The first large-scale battery energy storage facility in Puget Sound Energy territory is under construction in Sumner, Washington. Developers BrightNight and Cordelio Power expect their Greenwater BESS project (inside the orange fencing) to become operational by the end of 2026. (Photo courtesy of BrightNight Power)

Big battery farms encounter resistance across western Washington

Community opposition to big battery farms is spreading across western Washington just as the technology takes on growing importance for the state’s clean energy transition and to stabilize the … more

Tom Banse / Washington State Standard | 6/18/26

A cell where juvenile residents will be staying is pictured during a tour of Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Washington State Auditor’s Office warned of alleged Echo Glen thefts last year

State Auditor Pat McCarthy's Office was warned by at least two whistleblowers last year that there was alleged theft at the youth detention facility Echo Glen, which houses girls and women, along … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 6/17/26

Washington gas prices stay high despite Iran deal as automatic tax hike looms

Even as a potential diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East offers a glimmer of hope for relief at the pump, Washington motorists are bracing for yet another hit to their wallets. Beginning … more

By Andrew Paxton / The Center Square | 6/17/26

An anti-sex trafficking billboard along Aurora Avenue North in Seattle. The sign promotes awareness of commercial sexual exploitation in an area long associated with prostitution and trafficking activity.

Younger girls, more violent traffickers: Reality of sex trade in Washington

The girls are getting younger and the traffickers are getting more violent. That’s the reality in the sex trafficking world in King County, according to those working night and day to rescue … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 6/17/26

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

FEMA nominee pressed on whether Trump favors disaster funding requests from GOP states

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency testified before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday that if confirmed he would ensure natural disaster … more

By Jennifer Shutt / States Newsroom | 6/17/26

Tim Reynon, center, stepped down as executive director of the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs earlier this month. State Sen. Claudia Kauffman, left, sponsored a new law elevating the office to a cabinet agency for Gov. Bob Ferguson. At right is Jaime Martin, the governor's former external relations director. (Photo courtesy of Jaime Martin)

Leader of Washington Office of Indian Affairs exits for tribal leadership post

Another original member of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s administration has departed. Tim Reynon resigned as executive director of the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs following his … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 6/17/26

No signs of emerging New World screwworm threat in Washington state

A parasitic fly that poses a deadly threat to livestock and pets has re-invaded the United States for the first time since 1968. Washington state agriculture officials say it’s unlikely … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 6/17/26

Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meets in Olympia

The Washington state Fish and Wildlife Commission held a hybrid meeting in Olympia from June 11 to 13 to approve proposed land transactions and the lynx periodic status review, a recent news release … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/17/26

Seattle City Light eyes biggest bill increases in recent memory

Seattle City Light customers will likely see their electric bills rise by 9.5% in each of the next two years, the largest rate hikes in recent memory. That's equivalent to roughly $10 a month … more

David Kroman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 6/17/26