State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

BLM, Wildland Fire Service announce fire restrictions for Washington

On May 14, fire restrictions will go into effect for all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered lands throughout Oregon and Washington. The BLM and U.S. Wildland Fire Service leaders … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/13/26

An invasive yellow-legged hornet was discovered on a grain ship in the Port of Vancouver on April 30. Now, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Pest Program is asking residents in the greater Vancouver area to watch for and report possible sightings of the species.

WSDA asks SW Washington residents to watch for invasive yellow-legged hornet

The Washington state Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Pest Program is asking residents of Southwest Lewis County to watch for and report possible sightings of the invasive yellow-legged hornet after … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/13/26

With initial goal met, The Spokesman-Review starts ownership shift from Cowles to nonprofit

The nonprofit slated to take ownership of The Spokesman-Review announced Wednesday it met its initial fundraising goal, triggering a monthslong transition period that will move the paper's nearly … more

The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 5/13/26

Seattle-area prices jump nearly 5% from a year ago

The war in Iran has hit Seattle-area consumers’ pockets as higher energy prices have pushed costs up across the board. In the Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue region, prices for goods and services … more

Alexis Weisend / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/13/26

Hood Canal Bridge closing on weeknights for repairs

The Hood Canal Bridge will close on some weeknights in May as construction crews install new shock absorbers. The bridge, located on Highway 104, will close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on some … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/13/26

Visiting Canada? Here are the best — and busiest times — to cross the border

Craving hockey, maple syrup or some Tim Hortons coffee? Visiting our neighbors to the north in Canada can be a fun road trip. However, waiting at the U.S.-Canadian border can bring major … more

Julia Hawkins / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 5/13/26

The Mount Pugh Trail. Rescue crews found the body of a missing hiker Tuesday on Mount Pugh. (USDA Forest Service)

Missing hiker’s body recovered from Mount Pugh

The body of a 34-year-old Bothell man, who had been missing since he went on a hike near Mount Pugh, was found by rescue crews Tuesday. The man failed to show up for work Sunday, and deputies … more

By Paige Cornwell / Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/13/26

Researchers examine a deceased gray whale on the beach in Surfside. It was the 18th to come ashore in Washington state this spring. Some years there are none.

Many whales spotted as 18th comes ashore dead on Washington coast

Dead whales continue to wash up along the Washington and Oregon coastlines, including one that came ashore at Surfside on Friday, May 8. Researchers are pointing to malnutrition due to food … more

By The Chinook Observer | 5/13/26

Bison are pictured through a fence in this 2022 photo. (USDA photo / Preston Keres)

Bureau of Land Management cancels bison grazing leases for American Prairie

The Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision late last week canceling a series of permits that allowed bison grazing on federal land by the nonprofit conservation organization American … more

By Micah Drew / The Daily Montanan | 5/13/26

A wolf makes its way across a road in Yellowstone National Park. (Photo by Jacob W. Frank/Courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service)

Disease outbreak cuts Yellowstone wolf numbers to lowest level since reintroduction era

A flare up of a disease that’s especially lethal to wolf pups took a toll on Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park wolf numbers in 2025, reducing biologists’ counts to a level last seen when … more

By Mike Koshmrl / WyoFile | 5/13/26

Starbucks cuts more jobs in Seattle

Starbucks is moving forward with a new series of 61 staff reductions in its corporate headquarters in Seattle. All the layoffs are in the company’s technology department and are a result of a … more

By Randy Diamond / The Center Square | 5/13/26

Members of the Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition walk on a trail near the state-managed Sadie Creek Campground near the Northern Olympic Coast.

Fundraising effort saves patch of state-managed forest in western Washington from logging

Environmental activists have raised the $32,000 needed to spare the trees surrounding a campground on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula from logging. In what appears to be a … more

By Aspen Ford / Washington State Standard | 5/13/26

Hopes of World Cup tourist boom feeling shaky in Seattle

Last year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino likened this year’s World Cup to “104 Super Bowls.” With the soccer tournament a month away, that’s feeling like a stretch. In … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard | 5/13/26

Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood speaks to supporters of the Let’s Go Washington initiatives concerning parental rights and barring transgender athletes from girls’ athletics during a rally at the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Fight begins to repeal Washington income tax, signature drive underway

Let’s Go Washington launched an initiative campaign Tuesday aimed at repealing Washington’s new income tax. As reported by The Center Square, LGW last Friday secured ballot titles and … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/12/26

Political commentator Brandi Kruse shows State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, her talking points during the Lewis County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner in Chehalis on Saturday, April 11.

Complaint alleges Let’s Go Washington violated campaign finance laws

A campaign finance watchdog has filed a complaint against Let’s Go Washington, alleging the conservative political committee failed to properly disclose political advertising tied to two statewide … more

Ryan Nguyen / Seattle Times education reporter (TNS) | 5/12/26

‘Speed run’ at Seattle Scientology church ends in hate crime arrests

Three teenage boys are facing hate crime and burglary charges after police say they broke into Seattle’s Church of Scientology on Saturday, in what police believe was part of a viral social media … more

Catalina Gaitán / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/12/26

Washington state homeowners, farmers say their land is being stolen for data centers

On a warm Tuesday evening last week, Felicitas Quintero made dinner on the grill while her husband played soccer with their kids. Every day after work, the family gathers on the front lawn — their … more

Greg Kim / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/12/26

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz calls Seattle ‘hostile’ to business

Amid Starbucks’ move to establish a major new corporate office in Nashville, former CEO Howard Schultz has taken a jab at Seattle’s mayor and business climate. Schultz, also chairman … more

Alexis Weisend / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/12/26

Seattle police arrest man in killing of Growler Guys taproom employee

Seattle police said they arrested a 20-year-old man Monday in connection with the killing of a taproom worker in North Seattle over the weekend. He was booked into the King County Jail for … more

Kai Uyehara and Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/12/26

Everson man charged with trafficking invasive species of newts

An Everson man has been charged in Whatcom County District Court with two gross misdemeanors for trafficking an invasive species of newts. Court records show that the Washington Department of … more

Hannah Edelman / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 5/12/26