State & Regional News | Thurston Chronicle

April 15, 2025 anti tax rally on steps on capitol in Olympia, WA.

Tax relief push: Washington state legislator moves to undo some B&O and sales tax increases

State Rep. Jeremie Dufault, R-Selah, has introduced two bills for the upcoming 2026 legislative session to roll back some of the recently implemented tax hikes adopted by majority Democrats during … more

Carleen Johnson | The Center Square | 1/2/26

U.S. House contests to decide control of Congress in 2026

The 2026 midterm elections promise to bring fierce competition as Democrats and Republicans battle for control of Congress. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election … more

By Andrew Rice | The Center Square | 1/2/26

Construction at the site of Helion’s planned fusion power plant in Malaga, Washington, in Chelan County. The company has a power purchase agreement to provide energy from the facility to Microsoft by 2028. It announced that it had begun work at the site in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Helion)

Nuclear power ventures heat up around Washington state

Washington spent much of the 1970s trying to become a center for nuclear power, with plans for five huge fission reactors at Richland and Satsop. Then came cost overruns, construction problems, … more

By John Stang / The Washington State Standard | 1/2/26

School supplies pile up in a bin for the annual “Stuff the Bus” drive outside of the Walmart in Chehalis on Friday, Aug. 9.

Federal raid over childcare center fraud draws spotlight on Washington state program

Recent raids by the Department of Homeland Security in Minnesota over allegations of mass childcare center fraud has inspired scrutiny over similar licensed businesses in Washington state, while the … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 12/31/25

USPS says mail-in ballots might not get postmark on same day they’re dropped off

The U.S. Postal Service has adopted a new rule that could create doubt about whether some ballots mailed by voters by Election Day will receive postmarks in time to be counted. A USPS rule that … more

Jonathan Shorman / Stateline | 12/31/25

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

New laws and taxes take effect in Washington state on Jan. 1

Tax hikes on big business and rental cars. Unemployment benefits for workers on strike. Those are just a few of the changes to state law taking effect in Washington on New Year’s … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 12/30/25

U.S. Supreme Court to take up key Second Amendment challenges in 2026

The United States Supreme Court is set to take up major gun rights cases in 2026 with decisions that could reshape access to firearms for millions of Americans. The Center Square spoke with … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 12/29/25

A historic tassel can be seen with scorch marks from a fire set in the State Reception Room at the Capitol in Olympia on Friday, Nov. 21.

Gov. Bob Ferguson proposes $13M in Capitol security improvements following October break-in

Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed spending nearly $13 million to enhance security at the Capitol campus following an October break-in. The money, included in the governor's supplemental budget proposal … more

By Mitchell Roland / The Spokesman-Review | 12/29/25

A young humpback whale stranded on the Oregon Coast north of Yachats on November 15, prompting a response of trained teams from across the West Coast through the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The whale was entangled when it first came ashore, but many of the lines were later cut away, leaving a short length jutting from the animal's mouth.

Conservation groups urge Oregon to reduce whale deaths from crab fishing gear

After at least four humpback whales were entangled this year in Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, conservation groups are petitioning the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to adopt … more

By Mia Maldonado / The Oregon Capital Chronicle | 12/29/25

Department of Homeland Security police, along with other federal police, push and tackle protesters at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility south of downtown Portland on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Oregon saw 1,100 immigration arrests in 2025, almost 10 times more than previous year

Federal immigration agents arrested about 1,100 people in Oregon this year, immigration experts estimate — a surge from the 113 arrests recorded in all of 2024. In August, the Trump … more

By Mia Maldonado / The Oregon Capital Chronicle | 12/29/25

Aaron Clark, a vice president for Price Warehouse & Cold Storage, focuses on hiring local workers for apple harvests grown on some 3,500 acres of central Washington orchard lands, which include this acreage near Union Gap. (Photo by Hal Bernton)

In Washington state orchards, immigration crackdown sows fear and uncertainty

UNION GAP, Wash. — On a chilly fall morning, farmworkers fanned out through an orchard here to pick rose-hued apples from green rows of trees that flank this central Washington valley’s irrigated … more

By Hal Bernton / The Washington State Standard | 12/29/25

One Big Beautiful Bill Act complicates state health care affordability efforts

As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have helped millions of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies … more

Bernard J. Wolfson / KFF Health News | 12/28/25

An overhead view of damage to U.S. 2 in Tumwater Canyon, in a photo shared by the Washington State Department of Transportation on Dec. 16, 2025. (Photo courtesy of WSDOT)

Partial Highway 2 reopening will allow access to Stevens Pass

About 20 miles of U.S. 2 are set to reopen Monday on the east side of the Cascades, allowing access to the Stevens Pass ski resort, after devastating flooding and debris slides destroyed parts of the … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 12/26/25

WDFW seeks public input on draft status review for Canada lynx

The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public input on a draft periodic status review for the Canada lynx that includes a recommendation to keep the animal classified … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/26/25

Flooding in Orting, Washington after several days of heavy rain, Dec. 10, 2025.

HHS public health emergency declaration signals more federal aid for flood-ravaged Washington state

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recent emergency declaration for Washington state signals continued federal support as communities recover from a series of severe December storms … more

By Spencer Pauley | The Center Square | 12/26/25

Homeless youth say they need more from schools, social services

Twenty-year-old Mikayla Foreman knows her experience is meaningful. Dealing with homelessness since 18 and currently living in a shelter, Foreman has managed to continue her academic journey, … more

Robbie Sequeira / Stateline | 12/26/25

Probe of Washington state Fish and Wildlife Commission to stretch into 2026

In early August, the leader of Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife had become so concerned with alleged behaviors of the citizen panel that he answers to that he asked Gov. Bob Ferguson to … more

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 12/26/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson smiles at his family during his inaugural address at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Washington governor calls for tapping reserve fund and climate law cash to fill budget hole

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson made a splash Tuesday with his full-throated endorsement of taxing the earnings of millionaires. The surprise declaration from the first-term Democratic governor … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 12/24/25

Washington state GOP budget lead blasts Ferguson’s fiscal plan as ‘a complete joke’

Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson released his proposed 2026 supplemental budget on Tuesday, the deadline for presenting it. Ferguson's proposed budget totals $79 billion and aims to address a … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 12/24/25

Attorney General Bob Ferguson talks to members of the press during a legislative meeting inside the John A. Cherberg building in Olympia on Thursday.

Gov. Bob Ferguson’s proposed new housing agency faces GOP criticism over cost, red tape

Washington state Rep. Mark Klicker, R-Walla Walla, is voicing frustration and outrage over Gov. Bob Ferguson’s recent announcement that he intends to establish a task force for creating a new, … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 12/24/25