PNW
What's happening in the Pacific Northwest? For information and details regarding Northwest news, see our articles below.
Thompson leads 13th District race, plans focus on costs, access
EPHRATA — Joshua Thompson led Deanna Martinez by 3,278 votes for the 13th Legislative District’s state representat…
Distracted driving enforcement patrols coming in April
MOSES LAKE — Numerous local law enforcement agencies will be joining over 150 other agencies statewide in the first couple of weeks in April to crack down on violators of Washington’s distracted driving law.
Rep. Dent's foster parent 'Bill of Rights' signed into law
OLYMPIA — Rights and responsibilities for foster parents will be more clearer now that Gov. Jay Inslee has signed 13th District Rep. Tom Dent’s foster parent “…
WSP accepting applications for Law Enforcement Career Camp
OLYMPIA — Local high school juniors and seniors have the opportunity to learn about law enforcement and careers in the field by attending the Washington State Patrol’s Kiwanis Youth Law Enforcement Career Camp this…
Washington lawmakers pass budget, McCleary fix
State lawmakers passed a $1.2 billion supplemental operating budget on the last day of the 2018 legislative session after a contentious vote along party lines.
Legislators pass bill on police deadly use of force
Lawmakers in the waning days of the legislative session quickly responded to a citizen’s initiative that would make it easier to prosecute the illegal use of deadly force by an on-duty officer, amending I-940 despi…
School safety, gun control bill fails
OLYMPIA — A last-minute push for a multifaceted school safety bill containing contentious gun control provisions appears to have hit a political dead-end, bringing down with it several bipartisan measures regarding…
Newhouse 'disappointed' over passing of DACA deadline
WASHINGTON D.C. — The March 5 deadline for Congress to find a viable solution for DACA recipients has passed and Fourth Congressional District Rep. Dan Newhous…
Resolution would name April Fool's Day 'Gov. Inslee Integrity' Day
OLYMPIA — In a parting jab from a retiring Spokane-area lawmaker, a resolution was introduced on the Senate floor Monday to name April Fool’s Day as “Governor Jay Inslee Integrity Day.”
Inslee vetoes public records bill
OLYMPIA — Facing “unprecedented” pressure from a surge of Washingtonians who wrote and called with their concerns, Gov. Jay Inslee late Thursday night vetoed a measure pushed by state legislators to exempt themselv…
School safety bill contains gun control provisions
OLYMPIA — Filled to the brim with a hodgepodge of provisions and regulations, the legislature’s fast-tracked school safety bill will affect everything from the availability of school resource officers to the abilit…
Legislature passes bump stock ban
In a rare victory for advocates of gun control, the Washington legislature sent a bill to Governor Inslee’s desk Tuesday that will ban possession, sale and manufacture of bump fire stocks over the course of the nex…
Voter Rights Act awaits governor's signature
The state House voted Tuesday to implement the Washington Voter Rights Act, which aims to increase the minority representation by breaking up cities and districts into smaller voting blocks.
Dems weaken school mental health care bill
Amidst calls to strengthen school safety in an era of mass shootings, a bill that sought to bring up-to-date lagging school district response plans for student…
Dems sink proposal to add officers to schools
An amendment to the House supplemental budget proposal that would have invested $30 million for school districts to hire resource officers failed to be adopted after Democratic resistance and a vote along party lin…
Lawmakers vote themselves out of public records requests
OLYMPIA — With a speed few in the state capitol have ever seen, lawmakers in the Senate and the House voted within minutes of each other to exempt themselves from public records laws — laws that every other governm…