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Washington, Idaho Republicans, Democrats share mixed reactions to Venezuelan strikes, capture

An overnight U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife drew harsh criticism from Democrats questioning the justification and lack of notification of military action while Republicans applauded the move, referring to Maduro as a “narcoterrorist” responsible for flooding the United States with drugs.

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Public Safety

Widower ‘disappointed’ in sentence 18-year-old received for drunken-driving crash that killed wife on South Hill

Local Government

SpokAnimal to remain closed amid respiratory infection outbreak among dogs; health of some improving

Local Business

Family Owned: One year later, Brew Peddler family focuses on good coffee, good food

National Business

Tesla surrenders EV crown to BYD after 8.6% sales decline

Nation

U.S. national intelligence director is silent on Venezuela operation

World

Trump says second Venezuela strike possible if government does not cooperate

Washington

Spokane-area contractors fined by state regulators

Idaho

Rule changes, work requirements coming for Idaho SNAP recipients

WA Government

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson backs an income tax. Will it finally gain traction 94 years after voters once backed it?

ID Government

New chief judge named for federal court in Idaho

Education: K-12

Coeur d’Alene area Catholic teens flock to youth group in record numbers

Higher Education

A couple in northeast Washington spent 30 years restoring a neglected tree farm. Last month, they donated it for research

Health

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers. A new drug being tested at Penn is giving patients and doctors hope

Transportation

How to get the most days off with your vacation time in 2026

5 a.m.

Science & Tech

Ask Dr. Universe: Everybody asks – what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Military

Trump says National Guard being removed from Chicago, LA and Portland

Weather

Sick of winter? January thaw coming for eastern half of US

Columnists

Spin Control: The crystal ball for 2026 might be a little hazy

History

This day in history: How Gonzaga economists suggested people cope with inflation in 1975

Religion

Braver Angels trains Washington residents to bridge political divide

Latest Stories

News > Transportation

How to get the most days off with your vacation time in 2026

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

There are 11 federal holidays in 2026, and if you’re one of the lucky Americans with paid time off, a little strategy can turn those fixed dates into something more generous. You can take long weekends that actually feel long and four-day breaks that cost only one vacation day.

News > Washington

Getting There: Latino-led nonprofit launches bilingual driving school aiming to bridge language barriers, expand access

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

After years as its most requested service, a local Latino-led nonprofit officially launched its long-awaited bilingual driving school.

News > Spokane

Then and Now: Spokane Coliseum

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

Metropolitan Opera soprano Patrice Munsel and the Spokane Philharmonic opened the new Spokane Coliseum in December 1954.

News > Spokane

‘Everybody works but the empty lot’: Some Spokane leaders eye property tax reform to promote building

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

As Spokane city leaders look for new ways to boost development, some are leading the charge for a reform to the property tax system which would shift some of the tax burden off of homes and high rises and place it instead onto parking lots and empty fields.

News > Spokane

This day in history: Riders miffed by 10-cent bus fare increase. Feds stage nighttime Prohibition raid

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

From 1976: Bus fares in Spokane jumped from 25 cents to 35 cents, and passengers were not happy.

News > Sci/Tech

Ask Dr. Universe: Everybody asks – what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

Dear Friends,

News > Local business

Family Owned: One year later, Brew Peddler family focuses on good coffee, good food

Mon., Jan. 5, 2026

The cozy coffee shop tucked next door to Ross Dress for Less in the Manito Shopping Center is a dream come true for owners Andrew and Liz Tye.

News > Nation/World

Trump says second Venezuela strike possible if government does not cooperate

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

AIR FORCE ONE – President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States might launch a second military strike on Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro if remaining members of the administration do not cooperate with his efforts to get the country “fixed.”

News > Business

America’s ‘missing middle’ and the struggle for affordable housing

Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

When Richard Amaechi, 27, lost his job as a financial planner in North Carolina, he decided to pull up stakes and return to San Francisco, where his parents still lived. The question was: Had his hometown become too expensive for him?

News > Washington

Signatures filed for state initiatives on parental rights, blocking trans athletes from girls’ sports

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

Supporters of two citizen initiatives, one focused on parental rights and another on barring transgender athletes from girls’ sports, moved closer Friday to getting those measures before the Washington state Legislature, and potentially voters.

News > World

Zelenskyy prepares for week of diplomatic efforts to end war

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

KIEV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing for a week of fresh diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to Russia's war against his country, he announced in his evening video address on Sunday. Meetings are set to take place in Europe to contribute further to Ukraine's protection and to end the war, he said, without providing details about the time and place of ...

News > Idaho

Rule changes, work requirements coming for Idaho SNAP recipients

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

State and federal changes to food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are expected to start affecting Idahoans this year.

News > Nation

Rubio Stresses U.S. Plan to Coerce Venezuela Rather Than Govern It

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday appeared to pivot away from President Donald Trump's assertion a day earlier that the United States would "run" Venezuela, emphasizing instead that the administration would keep a military "quarantine" in place on the country's oil exports to exert leverage on the new leadership there.

News > Nation

U.S. pushes oil majors to invest big in Venezuela if they want to recover debts

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

HOUSTON – White House and State Department officials have told U.S. oil executives in recent weeks that they would need to return to Venezuela quickly and invest significant capital in the country to revive the damaged oil industry if they wanted compensation for assets expropriated by Venezuela two decades ago, according to two people familiar with the outreach.

News > Nation

After Maduro’s capture, Venezuelans in Washington state ask: ‘Should we be happy?’

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

Adriana Figueira felt a wide range of emotions Saturday at the news that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was no longer in power because he and his wife had been captured in a surprise attack by the U.S. military. “I was very joyful,” about Maduro’s ouster, said Figueira, an asylum-seeker who came to America in 2023 and was among scores of migrants who sheltered at the Riverton Park United ...

News > World

Denmark PM urges Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

COPENHAGEN – The leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he reiterated his wish to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

News > Nation

Minnesota leaders condemn Trump post promoting false theory about Hortman killing

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

Minnesota political leaders from both parties condemned a social media post Saturday by President Donald Trump that amplified a baseless conspiracy theory suggesting Gov. Tim Walz was involved in the killing of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Trump reposted a video on Truth Social asserting, without evidence, that Walz had Hortman assassinated — a claim that has circulated in fringe ...

News > Nation

U.S. national intelligence director is silent on Venezuela operation

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had yet to weigh in on the U.S. operation to remove Nicolás Maduro from power in Caracas as of Saturday night, more than 24 hours since President Trump approved the audacious mission that captured the Venezuelan leader. Her silence on the operation surprised some in the U.S. intelligence community, which laid the groundwork for the mission over ...

News > Nation

Flights to the Caribbean resuming after Venezuela-related restriction lifts

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday lifted its prohibition on flights to the Caribbean and airlines have resumed normal flights. “The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00 am ET and flights can resume,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on social media site X. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly.” Duffy ...

News > Nation

3 science-backed tips for making New Year’s resolutions more fun

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 4, 2026

It can feel hard to change your behavior or form a new habit, especially over the course of a whole year. On New Year’s Day, you might have filled your fridge with kale and gone for a jog, but how do you keep that resolve going in July?

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