Two of Washington top elected prosecutors say the state is failing to adequately address an epidemic of drug addiction. They say it’s a major contributor to crime, but also to homelessness.Read More
Washington House Democrats voted Wednesday to suspend state Rep. David Sawyer as chair of the Commerce and Gaming Committee pending the outcome of an investigation into workplace conduct.Read More
A Washington state trooper has accused a leader in the State Patrol’s aviation unit of ordering staff to illegally delete public records and lying to the Governor’s Office about the availability of planes.Read More
In an unprecedented move, the state of Washington is shutting down a major provider of in-home care for developmentally disabled adults in King, Spokane and Yakima counties because of repeated serious violations of care standards.Read More
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is breaking with tradition and will endorse a ballot measure dealing with guns. Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee is making headlines for a quip he made about marijuana to HBO host Bill Maher.Read More
At the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, inmates with mental illness are locked down in their cells for up to 16 hours a day, even if they pose little risk. That’s one of the allegations in a lawsuit Disability Rights Washington plans to file in federal court in Spokane on Monday.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is stepping up his role as chair of the Democratic Governors Association. Inslee was in Las Vegas April 19 as part of his first major campaign swing.Read More
Earlier this month, nearly half the inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla staged a hunger strike. It ended after five days. The inmates were protesting the quality of prison food. It’s an issue that has been simmering in Washington prisons for years.Read More
The owner of a seafood processing company in Pierce County, Wash., has pleaded guilty in a case involving the illegal sale of sea cucumbers, leathery creatures that are considered a delicacy to eat in some cultures.Read More
Just south of Washington state Capitol building you’ll find a neighborhood dotted with quaint, historic houses. But you won’t find families with children in many of them. Nearly one-third of the 62 homes found immediately south of the Capitol are owned or used by lobbyists, corporations or unions, according to a review of public records.Read More
Washington lawmakers tried, but failed this year to repeal the death penalty. Now, the Washington Supreme Court could decide whether it’s constitutional.Read More
After years of pleading with the state Legislature for more state funding, Washington's 39 counties could decide this year whether to file a lawsuit against the state over unfunded mandates.Read More
Amid warnings that Russian hackers may try to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections, top election officials in the Northwest say they are taking additional steps to protect voting systems from attack.Read More
Despite numerous requests for a veto, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a controversial bill to privatize the state’s homecare provider system. The Democrat’s signing of the measure followed a contentious fight in the Legislature and accusations that it amounted to a power grab by the Service Employees International Union.Read More
The Democratic attorneys general of Washington and Oregon joined 35 of their colleagues Monday in sending a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The letter demands answers to several questions about Facebook’s privacy policies.Read More
Three years ago, Betsy Deane's son was killed in an automobile accident. Now, the Pasco, Wash., grandmother hopes a new state law will allow her to reunite with the granddaughter she hasn’t been able to see since.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed several measures into law aimed at tackling sexual harassment in the workplace and an update to the Equal Pay Act to help address gender pay gap in the state.Read More
Youth age 16 and 17 will soon be able to pre-register to vote in Washington. That’s just one of several voting-related bills the governor is scheduled to sign into law soon.Read More
Several efforts to protect sexual assault victims failed to pass in Washington’s 60-day legislative session which adjourned last Thursday. Now lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are expressing frustration.Read More
Washington lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn Thursday after a short, 60-day election-year session during which Democrats flexed their new one-party control to pass a slew of legislation. Here’s a look at some of the bills that passed and some that didn’t.Read More
Washington homeowners would get some property tax relief in 2019 under a bill that passed the Democratically-controlled state Senate Wednesday night over Republican objections. The bill is part of a final budget deal reached with the House as the Legislature heads toward a scheduled adjournment on Thursday, March 8.
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An initiative backed by families of people who’ve been shot by police may not appear on Washington’s November ballot after all. That’s because sponsors of Initiative 940 and police groups have agreed on a new good faith standard for the use of deadly force.Read More
A new Washington state law designed to crack down on felons, domestic abusers and others who lie and try to buy a gun is already resulting in prosecutions.Read More
In the face of intense pressure from the public and media, and following hours of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed a bill Thursday night that exempts the Legislature from the state’s voter-approved Public Disclosure Act. Read More
Will he or won’t he? That’s the question as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee faces immense pressure to veto a bill that exempts the Legislature from the state’s Public Records Act. Inslee has until midnight Thursday to decide.Read More
The Washington Legislature has sent a ban on bump stocks to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. A bump stock is a trigger modification device that make a semi-automatic rifle function more like an automatic weapon.Read More
In recent weeks, eight women interviewed by Northwest News Network, The News Tribune and The Olympian have said Washington state Rep. David Sawyer of Tacoma has crossed personal and professional boundaries, sometimes repeatedly, and accused him of engaging in behavior before and after he joined the Legislature that ranged from inappropriate to harassing.Read More
In the space of 20 minutes Friday, Feb. 23, Washington lawmakers voted to exempt themselves from the state’s voter-approved Public Records Act. The Senate first passed the bill and then sent it to the House where it was immediately taken up.Read More
Washington lawmakers are fast-tracking a bill to exempt themselves from the state’s voter-approved Public Records Act. The move comes after the Legislature lost a public records lawsuit filed by several news outlets, including public radio.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is reiterating his call for state lawmakers to pass a series of what he calls “common sense” gun control measures. He made his comments Wednesday, Feb. 21 in response to the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were killed.Read More
An allegation against Washington state Rep. David Sawyer of Tacoma has led House Democrats to restrict his contact with staff. House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan said he can’t speak to the specifics or seriousness of the allegation, but that “it appears” it’s not “sexual in nature.” Read More
Washington House Democrats have proposed nearly $1 billion in short-term property tax relief, followed by a longer-term tax cut funded by a new state capital gains tax on a minority of wealthier residents.Read More
Washington House Democrats on Tuesday proposed nearly $1 billion in short-term property tax relief, followed by a longer-term tax cut funded by a new state capital gains tax on a minority of wealthier residents.Read More
In recent years, Washington has led the nation in locking up kids for running away, skipping school and other non-criminal behavior. Now state lawmakers are considering whether to ban juvenile detention for "status offenses."Read More
The chief budget writer in the Washington state House of Representatives says it’s up to Democratic leaders whether he keeps his chairmanship following a rollover crash and his arrest for intoxicated driving last Saturday.Read More
In a vote unprecedented in modern times in the state of Washington, the state Senate voted Wednesday to abolish the death penalty and instead impose life in prison without the possibility of parole for those convicted of aggravated first degree murder. The measure now moves to the House.Read More
Efforts to address sexual harassment in the Washington state Capitol have suffered a setback. Legislative leaders had pledged to improve the workplace climate following reports late last year that revealed a history of misconduct at the Capitol. But finding a solution has proven more difficult than expected.Read More
A batch of late-arriving ballots is going out to nearly 7,000 Washington voters in advance of next Tuesday’s special election. That’s because of an error in the state’s Motor Voter system that allows people to register to vote when they get a drivers license.Read More
Washington’s 60-day legislative session is approaching the halfway mark and majority Democrats are flexing their one-party control of Olympia. That’s especially evident in the state Senate where several priority Democratic bills have been put on a fast track.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling on state lawmakers to “step up” and pass a carbon tax this year. He made the comments Tuesday as the midpoint of the legislative session approaches.Read More
A former top official at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been convicted of breaking into the home of a colleague and raping her. The verdict Wednesday follows a lengthy trial in a case that revealed a sexualized workplace culture at the agency.Read More
A 7.9 earthquake off the coast of Alaska triggered a tsunami watch that stretched from Washington to California early Tuesday morning. But many coastal residents slumbered right through it.Read More
The prosecutor of Washington’s most populous county is calling for the repeal of the death penalty. Dan Satterberg plan testified before legislators January 22 in favor of a proposal to replace capital punishment with life without the possibility of parole.
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A coalition of news outlets have won a partial victory in a public records lawsuit against the Washington Legislature. A judge in Thurston County said lawmakers are subject to the state’s public disclosure law.Read More
After a months-long standoff, Washington lawmakers say they’ve reached a bipartisan deal on a thorny water rights issue that will pave the way for quick passage of a $4.5 billion capital construction budget that’s been held up since last spring.Read More
A ban on firearm bump stocks has passed out of a Washington state Senate committee. But it faces an uncertain future.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wants state lawmakers to declare the opioid epidemic a public health crisis. On average, two people die each day in Washington from opioid overdoses. That includes deaths from prescription and synthetic opioids, as well as heroin.Read More
Losing a child is a devastating loss. But imagine if that death is followed by a legal battle. That’s what happened after a Mukilteo teenage died in 2016. Now her mom is trying to change state law.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is making another push for a state carbon tax. He unveiled his latest proposal Tuesday during his State of the State addressRead More
