State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Toilet clogged with 3-plus pounds of fentanyl pills leads to prison term in Eastern Washington

Clinton Paul Patterson has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after officers arrived to arrest him at his girlfriend’s Pasco house and found partially dissolved fentanyl pills he had attempted to … more

Annette Cary / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 5/18/26

Washington man, 78, sent to prison for stealing Vietnam veteran's identity to obtain $860K in federal benefits

A federal judge sentenced a 78-year-old man to 2 1/2 years in prison for a fraudulent scheme spanning more than 25 years where he stole a Vietnam War veteran's identity to obtain Veterans … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 5/18/26

Man arrested after woman found dead, kids missing from Skamania County apartment

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday said a man had been arrested in connection with a homicide in Stevenson, Washington. On Friday, around 2 p.m., the sheriff’s office got a 911 … more

Matthew Kish / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/18/26

This photo from the Washington State Archives shows the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980.

A blast from the past: Mount St. Helens 46 years later

Mount St. Helens experienced a cataclysmic eruption on May 18, 1980. What once was referred to as the “Fujiyama of America” had transformed at 8:32 a.m. in Skamania County, Washington. A 5.1 … more

Jacob Graves / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/18/26

Trail cameras captured six coyote pups and their parents over several days in an overgrown Southeast Portland backyard in May of 2026.

Coyote pups turn a Portland backyard into their playground

Six coyote pups and their parents, denning in an overgrown Southeast Portland backyard, offer a first look at The Oregonian/OregonLive’s upcoming project on coyotes in Portland and across Oregon. … more

Mark Graves / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/18/26

Man with rare food-hoarding syndrome dies after eating spoiled food in Oregon’s care, spurring $5M lawsuit

Lee Massie-Hardy, 31, was born with a rare genetic condition that plagued him with an insatiable appetite and a drive to hoard food. It led to extreme weight gain and was one of the reasons he … more

Aimee Green / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/18/26

One hiker dead on Mount Si, another rescued in separate incident

A hiker died last week on Mount Si, and on Saturday another hiker had to be rescued in the same area after a 50-foot fall. The twin incidents are a reminder that even popular hiking spots like … more

By Joseph O’Sullivan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/18/26

Chinook and Cayuse passes, seen from the west side of Highway 410, were closed due to avalanche risk. (Washington State Dept. of Transportation)

Mount Rainier passes to open for Memorial Day weekend

Chinook and Cayuse Passes through Mount Rainier National Park are opening in time for Memorial Day weekend. Otherwise known as Highways 410 and 123, the passes will open by 8 a.m. Friday, said … more

By Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/18/26

Another Gray Whale has died and washed up on the mudflats near Bay Center. Cascadia Research Collective, and the Chinook Indian Nation are aware of the dead Gray Whale and will conduct a necropsy to determine the cause of death and collecting baleen for cultural purposes.

‘Alarmingly high number’: 21st dead gray whale of the spring washes up at Bay Center

The Chinook Indian Nation notified the Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) and Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Friday morning, May 15, that a deceased gray whale has been discovered in Bay … more

By The Chinook Observer | 5/18/26

Two wolves rendezvous while hunting for voles Feb. 20, 2021, in northern Yellowstone National Park. (Photo by Ryan Dorgan)

Wyoming cuts wolf hunt in half to buoy Yellowstone region’s disease-depleted population

Wyoming wildlife managers plan to reduce how many wolves can be hunted by 50% following a canine distemper outbreak that has cut the state’s wolf numbers to the lowest level in two decades. A … more

By Mike Koshmrl / WyoFile | 5/18/26

A pygmy rabbit, one of the world’s smallest rabbit species.

Conservation group sues over ESA protections for pygmy rabbit

Two conservation organizations filed suit in federal district court against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a delayed decision about whether the world’s smallest rabbit species qualifies … more

By Micah Drew / The Daily Montanan | 5/18/26

The Legislative Ethics Board is set to hold public hearings next month on allegations that Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, violated state ethics laws. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)

Washington lawmaker stares down ethics charges ahead of rare public hearing

For more than a year, Rep. Tarra Simmons has been dogged by allegations she improperly used her cachet as a lawmaker and cash from her prior campaigns to assist two nonprofit organizations, one of … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 5/18/26

Sound Transit officials chase more money to close $35B funding gap

Sound Transit's need to climb out of a nearly $35 billion shortfall, dramatized this month by proposals to drop or postpone promised light rail stations, will include stepped-up efforts to gather … more

Mike Lindblom / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/17/26

A voter deposits a mail-in ballot at the drop box outside the Chester County, Pennsylvania, Government Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Pennsylvania Capital-Star/Peter Hall)

Trump elections order would create chaotic ‘nightmare,’ Democrats and allies tell court

WASHINGTON — Democrats and advocacy groups urged a quick rejection of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on compiling citizenship lists and creating traceable mail-in ballots in a … more

By Ashley Murray and Jonathan Shorman / States Newsroom | 5/16/26

Russell Wilson-backed charter school to close next month

Why Not You Academy, the beleaguered Russell Wilson-backed charter school in Des Moines, King County, will close next month because declining enrollment made it impossible to stay open. The … more

Denisa R. Superville / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/16/26

Suspect in ‘horrific’ stabbing of UW student appears in court

Six hours after Seattle police released photos of a person suspected of stabbing a University of Washington student in the laundry room of an off-campus apartment complex, Christopher Leahy, a … more

Sara Jean Green Lauren Girgis and Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/16/26

Washington state’s campaign finance watchdog to pay $25K over alleged meeting violations

The state’s campaign finance watchdog agency settled a lawsuit for $25,000 over allegations that commissioners on its board “repeatedly and flagrantly” violated the state’s Open Public … more

Shauna Sowers / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/16/26

Seattle’s employee union won up to $5M. The city hasn’t paid it

The city of Seattle last month agreed to give nearly 300 city workers retroactive raises to settle an unfair labor practice complaint from its largest union, PROTEC17. The settlement, however, … more

David Kroman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/16/26

A Sound Transit Link light rail train is stopped at a station as riders use the stairs and escalator to exit.

Concerns raised around Sound Transit's advertising budget amid $34.5B ST3 shortfall

Despite sitting $34.5 billion short on a 2016 voter-approved system expansion, Sound Transit still has millions to spend on billboard advertising. The Board of Directors will consider punting … more

Tim Clouser | The Center Square | 5/16/26

A homeless encampment with tents and tarps on a sidewalk in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.

Deadline set for Seattle Mayor to decide on the future of homeless authority

A Seattle City Council Committee is directing Mayor Katie Wilson to make a recommendation by Aug. 1 as to the fate of the troubled King County Regional Homeless Authority. The resolution … more

By Randy Diamond | The Center Square | 5/16/26