State & Regional News | Thurston Chronicle

In December 2026, Washington plans to begin offering offer a toll discount for drivers with lower incomes on State Route 509 expressway (above) and the State Route 167 expressway. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)

Washington to offer first-ever toll discount for lower-income motorists

Drivers with low incomes will soon be able to pay less to travel on two of Washington’s newest tolled roadways. After months of conversation, the Washington State Transportation Commission … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 7/28/26

Screen grabs of similar videos, clockwise from the left, from Connected Ohio, Oregon Connects, Pennsylvania Connects and North Carolina Connects. The groups were founded by leaders at the Data Center Coalition, a nonprofit data center advocacy group backed by large tech companies.

Pro-data center industry group behind ad campaign in Oregon, six other states

Just days before the Oregon Legislature in March passed a one-year pause on a popular tax incentive program for data centers, a group called Oregon Connects registered as a nonprofit business in the … more

Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 7/28/26

Why Washington state’s certification process for home care aides is getting bogged down

It’s been 15 years since Washington voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative setting new standards for training and certifying home care aides. But while the changes included … more

Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard | 7/28/26

A volunteer for Let's Go Washington unloads boxes of petitions for Initiative 645 that were turned in to the secretary of state's office on July 2, 2026. The measure seeks to repeal Washngton's new income tax on high earners. Differences on how to describe the fiscal effects of the measure passing has sparked legal fights that could reach the state Supreme Court.

‘Government edit’? Two lawsuits challenge state’s description of Washington state income tax measure

Legal wrangling on the income tax initiative could reach the state’s high court before Washington voters consider it this November. Sponsors of Initiative 645 on Monday formally contested a … more

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 7/28/26

Jean White, center, writes the total number of signatures collected for the petition outside the Washington Secretary of State’s office building in Tumwater on Thursday, July 2.

Critic blasts 'scare tactic' ballot warning on Washington tax repeal

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office has filed the public investment impact disclosure for the initiative that seeks to repeal the state’s new income tax law, which one critic says … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/27/26

Washington judges flagged criminal law defects last year that remain unresolved

Months before the 2026 legislative session, superior court judges outlined three “defects and omissions” in Washington criminal law‚ none of which were addressed by the Legislature, recently … more

Tim Clouser / The Center Square | 7/27/26

State Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, answers a question during a Legislative Media Day at the Washington state Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 19, in Olympia.

Lawmaker: Record payouts prove Washington is failing to protect children

With news this week that Washington paid out a record high amount in the last year to settle claims over state agency failures, one lawmaker is renewing calls to fix what’s broken. Rep. Travis … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/27/26

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

Parents worry Washington developmental disabilities program is about to get axed

Parents of children with developmental disabilities fear the unexpected and potentially imminent elimination of a Washington state support program they’ve come to depend on. As the state deals … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/27/26

Police block off a road in downtown Minneapolis after a police pursuit of a man on suspicion of homicide. Last year’s decline in the homicide rate among more than 30 cities was widespread but not universal; Minneapolis was among four cities with rates above their 2019 levels, according to a recent report.

Crime continues historic decline as homicide rates approach century lows

Crime rates continued falling across a sample of large U.S. cities in the first half of 2026, with homicide rates dropping enough to put the nation on track for another historic low in killings. … more

Amanda Watford / Stateline | 7/26/26

The entrance of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon’s only women’s prison.

As summer heat continues, is Oregon doing enough for people in solitary confinement?

As triple-digit temperatures and heat advisories continue to appear across Oregon, some state prisons and the incarcerated Oregonians they house are going without a key tool to beat the heat: central … more

Shaanth Nanguneri / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 7/25/26

Members of the Yakama Nation harvest Pacific lamprey at Wilumpt, or Willamette Falls, near Oregon City on June 24, 2026. The lamprey are an ancient and culturally significant species for many Northwest tribes. Fishing would have been banned under an initiative that failed to gather sufficient signatures to make the November ballot.

Oregon initiative that would have banned most killing of animals won’t be on November ballots

Oregonians won’t vote in November on whether to ban hunting, fishing, livestock farming and animal research after backers of a widely criticized initiative failed to gather enough valid signatures … more

Julia Shumway / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 7/25/26

Wind turbines in southwest Minnesota in 2024. The Trump administration has halted Department of Defense reviews for onshore wind turbines, freezing scores of projects.

State AGs join legal fight against Trump’s wind farm freeze

A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general has joined a lawsuit seeking to end the Trump administration’s halt of onshore wind projects in the United States. Last week, 18 states and … more

Alex Brown / Stateline | 7/25/26

Completed student aid applications hit new high mark with Washington state’s Class of 2026

A record number of Washington high school students applied for college financial aid this past school year, state officials announced Thursday. As of this week, 46,168 seniors in the Class of … more

Aspen Ford / Washington State Standard | 7/25/26

High school students unlock magnetic locking pouches containing their phones after class with a newly established a phone-free policy in 2024. After the success of cellphone bans nationwide, state lawmakers are turning to legislation restricting how much time students can look at screen.

States move to limit classroom screen time

After school cellphone bans passed many statehouses with bipartisan support in recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers are turning to legislation governing how long students should spend looking … more

Robbie Sequeira / Stateline | 7/25/26

Election watchdog weighs future of party spending limits after SCOTUS ruling

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling is raising questions about whether Washington can continue enforcing state laws that limit spending that political parties coordinate with their candidates. In a 6-3 … more

Tim Clouser / The Center Square | 7/24/26

A bronze Marcus Whitman statue in the Washington state Capitol building weighs over 9,000 pounds with its stone base. (Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Marcus Whitman statue will soon have a new home in Washington Capitol

Visitors to the Washington state Capitol won’t be greeted by the towering figure of missionary Marcus Whitman much longer. He’s getting moved from the north entryway down the hall in the … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 7/24/26

Fiscal contrast: Idaho curbs spending as Washington deficit climbs

Idaho recently closed the books on fiscal year 2026, ending in the black while rolling over approximately $250 million in cash balances to its general fund for next year, while its neighbor faces a … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/23/26

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.

Public unions make up nearly all of contributions against Washington income tax repeal

Public sector unions, which will directly benefit from the millionaire's tax, make up virtually all the contributions to the campaign against the initiative to repeal Washington’s newly enacted … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 7/23/26

This photo shows damage to the State Reception Room at the Washington state Capitol after an intruder broke in on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Department of Enterprise Services)

$1M restoration from Washington Capitol vandalism recommended

Washington could spend $1 million repairing damage from vandalism at the state Capitol last year. Restoring a historic wool rug in the state Reception Room as close as possible to its … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/23/26

State AGs join legal fight against Trump’s wind farm freeze

A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general has joined a lawsuit seeking to end the Trump administration’s halt of onshore wind projects in the United States. Last week, 18 states and … more

By Alex Brown / Stateline.org | 7/23/26