Sunday, March 23, 2025
OLYMPIA - Washington Democrats are preparing for a legislative session where new taxes will be a major focus to solve a multi-billion dollar state budget hole. House Speaker Laurie …
OLYMPIA - The upcoming legislative session will see high levels of turnover among Washington state lawmakers. Following the retirements of longtime legislators, a few redistricting …
OLYMPIA - State Sen. Joe Nguyen will be the new director of the Department of Commerce . Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson on Thursday announced Nguyen’s appointment to lead the agency, which …
OLYMPIA - Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste will soon be serving under his third chief executive. Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson on Thursday announced Batiste’s reappointment to lead the …
OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget proposal offered some hope for child care and early learning advocates who were prepared to fight against deep cuts. Inslee’s plan …
OLYMPIA - A Democratic state senator’s errant email is shedding light on new taxes that she and her colleagues may pursue in 2025 as well as a strategy to sell them to the public. Sen. …
OLYMPIA - The hunt for invasive “murder hornets” is over in Washington and the rest of the U.S. after three years without confirmed detections, state and federal officials said …
OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee entered office a dozen years ago vowing to not raise taxes as Washington emerged from a devastating recession during which state programs and services were slashed to make …
OLYMPIA - It’s confusing, it’s convoluted, and it’s your taxpayer dollars. It’s budget season in Olympia. Over the next few months, legislators will go over the …
OLYMPIA - Washington state’s budget is, to put it nicely, in a world of hurt. There’s a big gap between what the state is collecting in taxes and what it needs to pay for its …
OLYMPIA - Child care affordability, crime trends, environmental protections, access to addiction treatment and housing costs. These are some of the issues on Washington lawmakers’ agenda this …
OLYMPIA - Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson is tapping a Biden Administration official to lead the state’s Department of Ecology and to keep Washington at the forefront of the nation’s fight …
OLYMPIA - Businesses and nonprofit organizations should watch out for fraudulent letters that claim to be asking for money on behalf of the Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Since …
OLYMPIA - Many affordable housing projects in Washington are funded in part by the state’s Housing Trust Fund. A new report from the Department of Commerce looked at the cost of …
OLYMPIA - State funds that pay for homelessness services in Washington are running low, and the Legislature may need to find extra money to avoid program cuts. The Department of Commerce …
OLYMPIA - With the state facing a multi-billion dollar budget gap , Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered state agencies to freeze “most non-discretionary and non-essential” hiring, …
OLYMPIA - Washington lawmakers have begun teeing up legislation ahead of the 2025 session. Monday marked the first day they could pre-file bills. Legislators will have 105 days to push their …
OLYMPIA - A 5,000-member public employee union in Washington that overwhelmingly rejected a new two-year contract in September is accusing the governor’s office and several community colleges …
OLYMPIA - With overcrowding at Washington’s two juvenile detention centers, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is asking state lawmakers for money to open a new facility. …
OLYMPIA - Long lines on Election Day aren’t common in Washington with the state’s vote-by-mail system. But this year, some counties were inundated with people taking advantage of a …