Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Sheriff candidates debate at Ephrata forum
EPHRATA — Incumbent Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete and challenger Darrick Gregg highlighted differences in leade…
EXPLAINER: Why is media access at the border an issue?
NEW YORK (AP) — Access to government-run facilities housing young immigrants on the border with Mexico has caused one of the first tussles between news organizations and the two-month-old administration of Joe Bide…
Oregon Senate votes in favor of bill banning guns in Capitol
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Senate voted Thursday to advance a bill banning guns at the Capitol and other state facilities and letting cities, counties, schools and commercial airports decide whether to allow …
Arkansas governor signs transgender sports ban into law
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday signed a law banning transgender women and girls from competing in school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, making the state the s…
Russia opposition leader Navalny's health worsens in prison
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused prison authorities of failing to provide proper treatment for his back pain and leg problems, saying in a letter posted Thursday that his physical …
Hundreds arrested in Belarus 'Freedom Day' protest
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Protesters calling for the resignation of Belarus’ authoritarian president marched in small groups Thursday throughout the capital of Minsk, the first sizable turnout of demonstrators since wee…
Snowboarders escaped monster avalanche, but not the law
DENVER (AP) — Tyler DeWitt and Evan Hannibal were slowly making their way down a windswept slope during a backcountry snowboarding excursion in Colorado last spring when the shallow snow beneath them shifted and br…
High court: More police excessive force suits can go forward
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is siding with a New Mexico woman who was shot by police as she drove away from them, in a case that will allow more excessive force lawsuits against police to go forward.
Mass shooters exploited gun laws, loopholes before carnage
The suspect in the shooting at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket was convicted of assaulting a high school classmate but still got a gun. The man accused of opening fire on three massage businesses in the Atlanta ar…
Georgia Gov. Kemp signs GOP election bill amid an outcry
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp drew protests Thursday as he signed into law a sweeping Republican-sponsored overhaul of state elections that includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislati…
WA Senate Democrats' budget includes state capital gains tax
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Senate Democrats on Thursday released a $59.2 billion two-year budget plan that includes $357 million in new revenue from a tax on capital gains, and laid out how they would separately spend m…
California to expand vaccine eligibility to anyone over 16
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — California will start vaccinating anyone 16 and over against the coronavirus starting in three weeks, expanding eligibility to the shots along with a host of other states as a long-awaited …
Michigan sees virus surge, but tighter restrictions unlikely
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan, which not long ago had one of the country's lowest COVID-19 infection rates, is confronting an alarming spike that some experts worry could be a harbinger nationally.
Buttigieg pitches 'once in a generation' infrastructure fix
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called for a once in a generation infrastructure investment Thursday that would address a massive backlog in needed improvements for the nation's roads, bri…
In shift, oil industry group backs federal price on carbon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The oil and gas industry's top lobbying group on Thursday endorsed a federal price on carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, a reversal of longstanding policy that comes as th…
Biden leaves door open for Senate changes to advance agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden at his first news conference left the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda like immigration and voting rights past Rep…