State & Regional News | Thurston Chronicle

An explosion of data center facilities, including the one pictured here in northeast Oregon on May 18 have been built along the Columbia River Gorge during the last few years.

Developers eye Native nations, tribal communities for new data center projects

Officials in Page, Arizona, a small city near the Glen Canyon Dam, passed a land sale agreement last fall that establishes a framework for future construction of a data center. The sale of the … more

Madyson Fitzgerald / News From The States | 9/8/26

The Temple of Justice in Olympia, Washington where the state Supreme Court convenes.

Washington Coalition for Open Government welcomes Washington state Supreme Court’s decision to review legislative secrecy case

The Washington state Supreme Court announced last Wednesday it will review a case challenging legislative privilege, which lawmakers claim gives them the power to withhold some documents from the … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/7/26

Sea Breeze Charters owner Steve Sohlstrom and deckhand Kylee Arzner were fishing for albacore tuna with Cody Meyers and his father-in-law Dave when a nearly 8-foot striped marlin grabbed the purple cedar plug they were trolling aboard the F/V Monte Carlo in the early afternoon on Saturday, Aug. 29. The pair were able to land the 100-pound fish before returning to the Port of Ilwaco around 5 p.m. “It was a total team effort and a memory we will look back on the rest of our lives,” Sohlstrom later recalled.

Rare catches continue amid late-season tuna rush

More rare and unusual catches continue, including another striped marlin and a mako shark hitting the decks for stunned fishermen off the Washington coast. Marlin and mako Cody Meyers and … more

By Luke Whittaker / The Chinook Observer | 9/7/26

Northwest public utilities urge BPA to stay the course on day-ahead market choice

In March, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) announced that it would join a new day-ahead wholesale power market to buy and sell power for near immediate use, the result of a years-long … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/7/26

Drug distributor for family-based trafficking organization sentenced

A 22-year-old Federal Way man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle this week to nine years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute massive amounts of fentanyl, First Assistant … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/4/26

State Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, listens as his fellow legislators discuss the upcoming legislative session during the 2025 Legislative Roundtable at the Lewis County Courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Rep. Joel McEntire says he won’t challenge ethics board fine

Washington state Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, owes a $500 fine to the Legislative Ethics Board for his conduct on social media. The punishment was handed out specifically because of an … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 9/4/26

The Secretary of State’s office in the Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Legislators to subpoena Secretary of State on voter roll question

Members of a legislative oversight committee voted 10-1 this week to subpoena Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen for the type of information her office turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice. … more

Keila Szpaller / Daily Montanan | 9/4/26

Karen Kost took part in the North Dakota primary election early voting available June 3, 2026, at City Hall in Casselton, North Dakota.

Election experts see few legal options for Trump to meddle with polling places

President Donald Trump said earlier this year he’d “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections” this fall, declining to rule out sending the National Guard or federal law … more

Jennifer Shutt / States Newsroom | 9/4/26

U.S. Army Col. Stephen Arnett speaks with members of the Idaho National Guard, assigned to the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington, on June 16, 2026. About 3,000 National Guard members are supporting the mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters, and visitors throughout the District.

ACLU of Idaho calls on Gov. Brad Little to pull back Idaho National Guard from DC

The ACLU of Idaho has joined the national American Civil Liberties Union in calling on leaders to pull back National Guard members from Washington, D.C. Idaho leaders indicated the deployment in D.C. … more

Laura Guido / Idaho Capital Sun | 9/4/26

Computers line the walls of a reentry center inside the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Mo. Incarcerated women preparing for release can use the computers to search for employment and other resources while on parole.

Women on parole face higher rates of mental health, housing challenges

Women on parole report higher rates of housing instability, poor health and serious mental health and substance use disorders than men on parole and women who weren’t on parole, according to a new … more

Amanda Watford / Stateline | 9/4/26

Three states this year have enacted laws that require or allow schools to use panic alarms to quickly summon emergency responders. Ten other states have such laws and a dozen more are considering them.

More states are putting panic alarms in schools

Three states this year have enacted laws that require or allow schools to use mobile, wearable, wireless or silent panic alarms to quickly summon emergency responders. The new laws in Illinois, … more

Robbie Sequeira / Stateline | 9/4/26

The Washington state Supreme Court building in Olympia. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Voters will see statement on Washington state income tax measure’s budget effects

A last-ditch legal effort nearly succeeded Thursday to knock a statement off ballots that characterizes how repealing Washington’s new income tax on high earners would affect the state budget. … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 9/4/26

Wildfire risks are driving up costs for PNW utilities

When power lines are blamed for starting a wildfire, costs to utilities can stretch into the billions and trickle down to consumers. Earlier this year, PacifiCorp settled a federal lawsuit … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 9/4/26

Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood discusses his beliefs on Washington’s financial state outside the Washington Secretary of State’s office building in Tumwater on Thursday, July 2.

Washington Supreme Court denies appeal in income tax repeal fight

The Washington State Supreme Court on Thursday denied an appeal to a challenge for the Public Investment Impact Disclosure (PIID) statement to accompany I-645 on the Nov. 3 ballot. I-645 , … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 9/3/26

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist examines macroinvertebrates at the National Elk Refuge near Jackson Hole, Wyo. The agency has lost 1,900 scientists due to early retirements, buyouts and cuts under the Trump Administration.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff down more than a third nationwide; PNW sees steep cuts

The number of people staffing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has dropped by 3,600 during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to federal data obtained by the nonprofit conservation … more

By Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 9/3/26

Seattle mayor unveils new public safety comms plan amid scrutiny over leadership

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s new communications plan for public safety emergencies aims to avoid a repeat of the aftermath of the shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival, which left the … more

Randy Diamond | The Center Square | 9/3/26

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the State Capitol Building in Boise. Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capitol Sun.

Idaho Supreme Court to weigh if ballot language on abortion rights initiative could mislead voters

As the deadline to print ballots looms, the Idaho Supreme Court will decide whether state officials’ descriptions of the effects of voting for or against a proposed abortion rights initiative will … more

Laura Guido / Idaho Capital Sun | 9/3/26

Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons discusses documents with her attorney, Doug McKinley, before testifying at a hearing in June 2026 on allegations she violated state ethics laws. (Photo by Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

Penalty for ethics violations rises to $52K for Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons

A state ethics panel has ordered Democratic state Rep. Tarra Simmons to pay roughly $52,000 in penalties and fees for multiple violations of Washington ethics laws. Three weeks ago, the … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 9/3/26

Denver Fire Department crews battle flames in Boulder County, Colo., on Dec. 30, 2021. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear a climate lawsuit brought by the city and county of Boulder, in which oil companies are seeking to avoid being tried in state court.

Oil lobby tanking climate Superfund bills in Oregon, 11 states despite public support, study finds

Oregon lawmakers next week will confront another record bill for the costs of fighting massive wildfires across the state, which have been exacerbated by unseasonable heat and ongoing drought. … more

Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 9/3/26

Jaime Herrera Beutler, former congresswoman, speaks during a Conservative Coalition of Lewis County meeting at the Chehalis Eagles Club Annex on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Jaime Herrera Beutler speaks out against Washington income tax

Former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler held a press conference Wednesday to urge support for the income tax repeal initiative backed by Let’s Go Washington. I-645 asks voters if they want … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 9/2/26