State & Regional News | Thurston Chronicle

Ballot envelopes sit in the Thurston County elections center. (Photo by Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)

Postal Service skips hearing with Washington state lawmakers on mail-in ballot rules

U.S. Postal Service officials were set to meet publicly with Washington state lawmakers Monday as the agency considers a sweeping rule change to add federal oversight to mail-in voting. But the … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 6/22/26

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, left, and state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia.

Campaign finance: Partisan support boosted MGP campaign early on

The race for a seat to represent Washington's Third Congressional District is heating up and, as a battle ground district, is expected to be one of the more expensive races in the country. The … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 6/22/26

State Reps. Ed Orcutt, left, and Peter Abbarno, both Republicans, have been endorsed by the Association of Washington Business.

Association of Washington Business announces first of 2026 legislative endorsements

The Association of Washington Business (AWB) has announced support for 36 candidates running for the state Legislature based on their voting record on issues important to employers. Incumbents … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/22/26

Sex abuse claims against some Washington school districts are raising insurance rates for all

In mid-May, as Washington school districts were deep into developing their budgets for the next academic year, around 130 received notices that their rates for the Washington Schools Risk Management … more

By Charlotte Alden / Cascadia Daily News | 6/22/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson answers questions from the press during a legislative session preview in a Senate Hearing room in Olympia on Friday, Jan. 9.

Ferguson’s call for school cellphone ban has a familiar ring to it in Olympia

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson made a splashy announcement earlier this month that he would back legislation to ban student cellphone use from the first bell of the day to the last in public … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 6/22/26

A homeless person rests on the grass near the Numerica Skate Ribbon at Riverfront Park in Spokane, Wash.

Data suggests decline in Spokane homelessness as origin debate remains

As taxpayers question whether they’re subsidizing individuals who first became homeless before or after moving to Spokane, regional data suggests most lived there before their most recent episode … more

Tim Clouser | The Center Square | 6/21/26

A couple sits with their newborn inside their Bentonville, Arkansas, home. The Trump administration is shifting the federal Title X program, which has traditionally provided access to contraception, toward an emphasis on childbearing.

Trump changes pregnancy-prevention program to promote childbearing

A federal poverty-fighting program focused on reducing unintended pregnancies is about to undergo a major overhaul. Reproductive health clinics use Title X federal grant money to provide birth … more

Sofia Resnick / Idaho Capital Sun | 6/21/26

The entrance to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore. The unit provides specialized care for newborns requiring advanced medical support.

OHSU president says neonatal ICU expansion is a top priority, but offers no timeline

Oregon Health & Science University President Dr. Shereef Elnahal insisted this week that an expansion to its overcrowded neonatal intensive care unit will be a top priority in the … more

Danielle Dawson / InvestigateWest | 6/21/26

A pregnant patient receives an examination at the Southern Birth Justice Network’s mobile midwifery unit in Miami earlier this year. A national survey published this month found that access to prenatal care remains limited for some patients, with a fifth of them not receiving prenatal care until the second trimester or later.

Nationwide survey shows ongoing struggles for pregnant patients on Medicaid

A survey of more than 3,800 people nationwide who gave birth in 2023 and 2024 found those using Medicaid described worse outcomes than those on private insurance, that access to care remains limited … more

Kelcie Moseley-Morris / Stateline | 6/21/26

Pipe bomb among suspicious devices found in Cosmopolis

Tuesday morning at approximately 9:46 a.m., Aberdeen Police officers responded to a report of suspicious devices inside a bag located near the boat launch in Cosmopolis. Upon arrival, officers … 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