Prices for the Discover Pass, which allows unlimited access to Washington state parks and nature areas, will increase from $35 to $45 starting Oct. 1. The price increase is the…
State Government
To end drunk driving: State launches alcohol detection technology initiative
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) on Tuesday launched the Driven to Protect | Washington initiative, becoming the fourth state to join a national effort to end drunk driving using…
This measure would make WA residents prove they are citizens when they register to vote
A Republican-led effort to make Washington residents prove they are U.S. citizens before receiving a ballot is hitting the streets. Backers of an initiative requiring a person to provide proof…
Draft rules seek to protect cool water in Western Washington’s forest streams
Streams that wind through Western Washington’s forests are essential habitat for frogs, bugs, and lots of other tiny critters. These streams are also a critical source of clean, cool water…
Should WA Cares funds be invested in the stock market? Ferguson says yes
Washington’s Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson and Senate Republican Leader John Braun have teamed up to persuade voters to let the state make stock market investments with tax dollars collected for…
Washington’s first battery ferry to enter service next week
Washington’s first plug-in ferry will begin shuttling cars and passengers across Puget Sound by the end of next week. Gov. Bob Ferguson made the announcement Thursday during a celebratory demonstration…
Dueling Democrats: 32nd District’s Ryu looks to unseat senator from her own party
Two Democratic state lawmakers are set to clash in 2026 in one of the party’s strongholds in western Washington. State Rep. Cindy Ryu has launched a campaign to unseat Sen….
Washington’s historian closes the book on a storied career in a melancholy mood
This article was first published by TVW. John C. Hughes is, at root, a storyteller. As he marks the end of a nearly six-decade career that spanned hot-type newspapering on the…
WA State Parks says budget cuts won’t undermine visitor access or services this summer
Though Washington State Parks, like other parts of state government, did not make it through this year’s legislative session with its budget unscathed, park visitors shouldn’t notice any staffing or…
WA officials warn of wildfire risks from Fourth of July fireworks
Firefighters and public lands managers are urging Washington residents to use extra caution when setting off fireworks this Fourth of July due to dry conditions. “We’ve already had 600 fires…
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Washington state to buy new hybrid electric ferries from Florida shipyard
For the first time in more than 50 years, Washington State Ferries will contract with an out-of-state shipyard to build new vessels. Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson made the final call…
These Washington laws take effect July 1
Fee hikes for hunting and fishing licenses, workplace protections for immigrants and increased requirements for gun dealers are among the Washington state laws going into effect July 1. Drivers can…
Gas tax will rise in Washington on July 1
Washington’s century-old fuel tax is going up again. On Tuesday, the gasoline tax will rise by 6 cents a gallon, the first increase in nine years for the primary revenue…
WA board to consider parole for ‘Hillside Strangler’ convicted of 1970s murders
]Washington state’s parole board this week will hear the case of one of the so-called “Hillside Stranglers” who murdered numerous women and girls, including two in Washington, in the late…
Feds throw Washington’s $1.2B broadband program into disarray
Washington utilities, tribes, counties and others have spent years planning how to use the state’s $1.2 billion chunk of a federal program to improve high-speed internet access. But earlier this…
Foes of WA initiative to repeal climate law fined $20K for campaign finance violations
A political committee that helped defeat last year’s ballot measure to repeal a Washington climate law was fined $20,000 on Thursday for not disclosing how it spent $1 million until…
Contractor who allegedly took $500K in deposits but never started construction charged with felony theft
A contractor faces charges of felony theft and tax evasion after allegedly cheating some Western Washington homeowners out of half a million dollars for construction work she never started. According…
Tax collections tumble again in latest Washington budget forecast
Washington lawmakers and the governor Tuesday got the grim state revenue news they’ve been expecting. Estimates show tax collections for the two-year operating budget that begins July 1 will be…
Washington faces major lag in state inspections of hospitals
Washington state inspectors are way behind in their examinations of hospitals and fail to investigate when hospitals report errors they made in caring for patients. That’s the word from a…
Lyon Creek fish barrier removal project along SR 104 begins June 30 in Lake Forest Park
Construction is set to begin on a fish barrier removal project along Lyon Creek where it passes beneath State Route 104/Ballinger Way Northeast in Lake Forest Park. Beginning Monday, June…
Washington updates student discipline rules for public schools
New discipline guidelines for public school students will go into effect across Washington state next month. While educators say the changes are necessary to address disruptive post-pandemic classroom behavior, the…
For a second time, FEMA rejects WA request for bomb cyclone disaster aid
Washington won’t receive federal aid to cover tens of millions of dollars in damage to public property caused by last fall’s bomb cyclone. The Trump administration denied the state’s request…
Washington deploys new tools, hoping to prevent summer traffic deaths
This article was first published by TVW. Summer in Washington is supposed to be a season of celebration: high school graduations, family road trips, long weekends at the lake. But traffic…
Toll exemption for buses crossing two WA bridges will end this fall
Public transit will no longer enjoy a free ride across two Washington bridges this fall. Starting Oct. 1, operators of public and private bus services must pay tolls on the…
Seattle judge considers reversing Trump’s EV charger funding freeze
The Washington attorney general’s office on Tuesday urged a federal judge in Seattle to order the Trump administration to reinstate funding to build out an electric vehicle charging network. At…