State & Regional News | Thurston Chronicle

A firefighter sprays water while battling a wildfire near Spokane, Washington.

DNR warns eastern Washington forests are primed for severe wildfires

State officials say eastern Washington forests are “overstocked” following years of fire exclusion policies and management practices that have left drier areas ripe for serious wildfires. … more

Tim Clouser | The Center Square | 5/14/26

Costs tied to Iran war add to Washington state farm woes

It’s going to be another tough year for Washington farmers, who were already facing record-low worldwide commodity prices. While consumers benefit from lower prices on things like wheat … more

By Donna Gordon Blankinship / Washington State Standard | 5/14/26

A federal judge has been asked to replace political maps for Washington legislative districts that he approved in 2024. A top state election official said if it happens, it could require rescheduling the primary.

Federal judge asked to ditch Washington state legislative district maps

A federal judge is weighing whether to toss redrawn political maps for Washington’s Legislature that he approved two years ago, a move that state officials warn would take “a wrecking ball” to … more

By Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard | 5/14/26

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

Washington board considering code to oust superintendents who defy gender policy mandates

The battle over parental rights and how Washington school districts are responding will be front and center for two days of meetings this week of the Professional Educator Standards Board . … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/13/26

State reverses course, releases full Washington daycare grant recipient list

The Washington Department of Commerce on Wednesday provided The Center Square with a complete list of taxpayer-funded daycare providers' names and locations, reversing an earlier decision not to … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/13/26

Barbed wire lines a fence during a tour of Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Washington becomes first state to implement 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in state prisons

The Washington state Department of Corrections (DOC), in partnership with the Washington state Department of Health (DOH), has made the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline available to incarcerated … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/13/26

Starbucks cuts more jobs in Seattle

Starbucks is moving forward with a new series of 61 staff reductions in its corporate headquarters in Seattle. All the layoffs are in the company’s technology department and are a result of a … more

By Randy Diamond / The Center Square | 5/13/26

Members of the Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition walk on a trail near the state-managed Sadie Creek Campground near the Northern Olympic Coast.

Fundraising effort saves patch of state-managed forest in western Washington from logging

Environmental activists have raised the $32,000 needed to spare the trees surrounding a campground on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula from logging. In what appears to be a … more

By Aspen Ford / Washington State Standard | 5/13/26

Hopes of World Cup tourist boom feeling shaky in Seattle

Last year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino likened this year’s World Cup to “104 Super Bowls.” With the soccer tournament a month away, that’s feeling like a stretch. In … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard | 5/13/26

Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood speaks to supporters of the Let’s Go Washington initiatives concerning parental rights and barring transgender athletes from girls’ athletics during a rally at the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Fight begins to repeal Washington income tax, signature drive underway

Let’s Go Washington launched an initiative campaign Tuesday aimed at repealing Washington’s new income tax. As reported by The Center Square, LGW last Friday secured ballot titles and … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/12/26

Supreme Court extends stay allowing telehealth abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday extended a highly anticipated stay blocking an appellate court’s pause on telehealth abortion access until May 14. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s … more

By Sofia Resnick / Stateline | 5/12/26

The Washington Capitol building is lit up against the night sky in Olympia on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

No state investigation planned nearly six months after questions raised on Washington’s daycare subsidies

Nearly six months after The Center Square began investigating inexplicably large taxpayer subsidies to home daycare providers in King County, the state has yet to announce plans to thoroughly audit … more

By Carleen Johnson and TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 5/11/26

Let’s Go Washington prepares to gather signatures for income tax repeal effort

The conservative political committee Let’s Go Washington plans to soon begin gathering signatures as part of its push to overturn the state’s new income tax on high earners. But the group … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 5/11/26

A gray wolf photographed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region.

270 wolves and counting: Washington’s packs are poised to move south; Tenino’s Wolf Haven launches public awareness campaign

Gray wolves are gaining numbers in Washington, continuing a trend that began nearly 20 years ago. The newest official gray wolf population lists at least 270 wolves in 49 packs based on surveys … more

By TVW | 5/11/26

Washington public lands agency confronts operating cash crunch, as logging revenue lags

A regional timber industry group warns that Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is headed for deep budget trouble that will result in state worker layoffs and force taxpayers to foot more … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 5/11/26

The U.S. Department of Education on Feb. 20, 2026.

Big changes arrive July 1 for student borrowers, including in loan repayments

The federal student loan system is set to see a dramatic overhaul beginning this summer, and critics warn it likely will make loans more expensive and difficult to obtain for borrowers — driving … more

By Shauneen Miranda / Washington State Standard | 5/10/26

Water levels in Lake Mead have fallen as the Colorado River dwindles, threatening the water supply for cities and farmers in the West.

As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages

From the Rockies to the Cascades to the Sierra Nevada, mountainsides across the West are sparsely covered by the snow that usually blankets the high country well into the summer. That snowpack … more

By Alex Brown / Washington State Standard | 5/10/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson answers questions from the press during a legislative session preview in a Senate Hearing room in Olympia on Friday, Jan. 9.

Pressure mounts on Gov. Ferguson to unlock over $700M for Washington schools

Pressure is mounting on Washington Governor Bob Ferguson to decide if Washington will opt into the federal education tax credit scholarship program, now that a second Democratic governor has signaled … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/8/26

Ferguson first Washington governor found in violation of ethics laws in over 30 years, state website shows

Gov. Bob Ferguson is the first Washington governor in more than 30 years to be found in violation of the state's executive ethics law, according to the board's enforcement website. The governor … more

Tim Clouser / The Center Square | 5/8/26

Rep. donor Brian Heywood speaks during the “Let’s Go Washington” initiatives rally at the Capitol in Olympia on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.

Let's Go Washington launching initiative to repeal income tax

Let’s Go Washington on Friday announced they have received their initiative ballot titles from the office of Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, as the group prepares to launch a … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/8/26