State & Regional News | Thurston Chronicle

Washington state Senate Minority Leader John Braun, left, is on track to square off with U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, right, in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

Gluesenkamp Perez hits Braun on abortion as battle begins for Washington state House seat

Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez went on the offensive Tuesday with a campaign ad accusing Republican John Braun of wanting to outlaw abortion in Washington state and the nation. The … more

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 8/11/26

Workers at Hilton’s Embassy Suites in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood have been on strike since June 18. (Photo courtesy of UNITE HERE Local 8)

Striking workers add to deficit risk for Washington jobless fund

Through the first seven months of the year, the state of Washington has paid out more than $565,700 in unemployment insurance benefits to union workers who walked off the job seeking a better … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 8/10/26

Boxes filled with petition signature sheets sit outside the Washington Secretary of State’s office building in Tumwater on Thursday, July 2.

Appeal hits Washington Supreme Court over income tax ballot statement

A citizen who lost a court challenge last week over the Attorney General’s PIID for I-645 filed an appeal with the Washington state Supreme Court on Monday “I just got back from filing in … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 8/10/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks at a Monday press conference to announce the expansion of statewide assistance in response to wildfires. (Photo courtesy of governor’s office)

Washington state offers expanded assistance for wildfire victims

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation Monday to temporarily suspend some state laws in order to fast-track the recovery process from wildfires ravaging central and eastern … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 8/10/26

Legislators, family members and friends join lawmakers on the House floor to celebrate the last day of the legislative session on Thursday, March 12, in Olympia.

For Washington state GOP, a tough primary delivers alarming results

David Stuebe gets a lot of phone calls from constituents, more than usual these days as he campaigns for reelection to the Washington Legislature. Ahead of this month’s primary, the … more

ByAspen Ford and Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 8/10/26

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs answers questions during a Legislative Media Day at the Washington state Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 19, in Olympia.

Secretary of State encourages Washingtonians to help support wildfire relief

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is encouraging Washington residents, public employees and state retirees to help residents affected by the numerous wildfires in Central and Eastern … more

By The Chronicle staff | 8/10/26

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer watches a crowd of protesters at Delaney Hall, a detention center, in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. Employing new tactics, ICE arrested more people in July than in any previous month of the Trump administration. (Photo by Ben Ackman/New Jersey Monitor)

With new tactics, ICE reaches new high in monthly arrests

Federal immigration agents are employing new tactics — from arresting academics at airports to setting up a checkpoint at a popular creek in a National Forest — to boost their arrest numbers, … more

By Tim Henderson / Stateline.org | 8/10/26

The Washington state Capitol is pictured from Heritage Park in Olympia on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

$20M in long-term care money for Washington immigrants to cover fewer than 200 people

Washington state lawmakers this year approved spending nearly $20 million to ensure immigrants here could retain long-term care insurance coverage they’re set to lose under federal law. … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 8/10/26

Crew 18 conducts mop-up operations on the Autumn Lane Fire, extinguishing remaining hot spots and securing the fire’s edge to prevent rekindling along the south eastern flank of the fire near the Little Spokane River. Mop-up is a critical phase of wildfire suppression that helps ensure the fire remains contained and reduces the risk of additional spread.

Idaho governor, Forest Service chief say significant wildfires are stretching resources thin

Idaho Gov. Brad Little and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said Friday that firefighting resources are stretched thin as significant wildfires burn across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and much of … more

Clark Corbin / Idaho Capitol Sun | 8/9/26

Eastern Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith will pay $12K to settle latest ethics violations

Oregon’s longest-serving state representative will pay the Oregon Government Ethics Commission $12,000 in fines for breaking state ethics laws and leveraging his position as director of an eastern … more

Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 8/9/26

Oregon receives most of its transportation funding from vehicle registration and title fees, driver’s license fees, its 40-cent-per-gallon gas tax, and a weight-mile tax on heavy vehicles.

Oregon looks to how other states fund their transportation needs

The transportation group charged with vetting and recommending ideas to solve the state’s $200 million 2027-29 budget gap spent its fourth meeting examining how other states fund their … more

Mia Maldonado / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 8/9/26

Josh Johnson (left) of Let’s Go Washington looks on as two more people sign petitions for a proposed ballot measure to repeal Washington’s new income tax on high earners. These signatures were gathered June 3, 2026 in Tumwater.

Washington state judge rejects bid to ditch description of income tax initiative’s budget effects

A Thurston County judge on Friday upheld a one-sentence statement that will appear on ballots describing the budgetary consequences of an initiative to repeal Washington’s new income tax on high … more

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 8/9/26

A welder works at a Manitou factory in June 2023 at Madison, South Dakota. Labor shortages in North Dakota and South Dakota could be harbingers of a shortage of young people in coming years.

Today’s children could prosper in tomorrow’s shortage of young workers

Today’s children could be the first generation since the 1970s to do better than their parents as young workers become more sought after and well paid. They may even see a surplus of housing to … more

Tim Henderson / Washington State Standard | 8/9/26

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.

Thurston County judge rejects bid to ditch description of income tax initiative’s budget effects

A Thurston County judge on Friday upheld a one-sentence statement that will appear on ballots describing the budgetary consequences of an initiative to repeal Washington’s new income tax on high … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 8/7/26

Sen. Patty Murray helps introduce legislation to increase funding opportunities for tribal nations neighboring military installations

U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Washington, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, recently introduced new legislation to make tribal governments eligible to … more

By The Chronicle staff | 8/7/26

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson listens as John Braun answers a question on Thursday morning in Vancouver. Braun is running for Washington’s Third Congressional District.

U.S. Speaker of the House campaigns for John Braun in Vancouver

The Republicans are wasting no time getting into campaign mode for November. Less than 48 hours after the polls closed on Washington state’s primary, the Speaker of the United States House of … more

By Paul Valencia / Clark County Today | 8/7/26

Beyond politics: Washington lawmakers join forces for fire recovery plan

As the number of homes and other structures destroyed by wildfires in Spokane climbed past 900 on Thursday, state lawmakers from both parties are coming together with a plan to cut the red tape in … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 8/7/26

Left, Eamonn Collins and, right, Michael Shepard. (Photos courtesy of campaigns)

Two votes separate Washington Democrats in Bellingham-area state Senate race

Two votes separate two Democratic hopefuls as they battle for a chance at an open state Senate seat in northwest Washington. Since election night, Bellingham port commissioner Michael Shepard … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 8/7/26

This photo from the Old Trails Fire was provided by the Spokane Fire Department.

Arson suspect confessed to setting dozens of Spokane wildfires, court records show

A 37-year-old Spokane man is facing formal arson charges after allegedly confessing to starting dozens of wildfires across Spokane County over a year-long period, culminating in a massive 3,200-acre … more

By Andrew Paxton / The Center Square | 8/6/26

Western wildfire could be latest climate disaster to unsettle property insurance market

As Washington state reels from a devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane last weekend, experts say the disaster has cast newfound uncertainty over a property insurance market … more

Alex Brown / Stateline | 8/6/26