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Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg opens Tri-Cities region campaign office
The Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign announced plans to open an office Sunday, Feb. 16, to serve the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Central Washington state.
Judge rejects most of legal challenge to Eyman’s I-976; Eyman to run as Republican in governor’s race
A King County Superior Court judge on Wednesday rejected most of a legal challenge to Tim Eyman’s Initiative 976, a measure that would steeply discount the price of car registrations while gutting transportation budgets across the state.
Critics decry proposed cuts in Hanford nuclear cleanup plan
Advocates for cleaning up a former nuclear weapons production site in Washington state are outraged that the Trump administration is proposing a $700 million budget cut next year.
Commissioner: Officials overzealous in Iranian stops at U.S.-Canada border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said Tuesday that border officials in Washington state “got a little overzealous” when they detained Iranian and Iranian-American travelers at the U.S.-Canada border last month.
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse says he’s found peace as a lawmaker in his third term
Dan Newhouse, a former state agriculture director and lawmaker, was first elected to Congress in 2014. His wife of 35 years, whom he said was his biggest cheerleader, died in 2017. Newhouse has since remarried, and has earned the trust of the district through his thoughtful approach to lawmaking, supporters said.
RIP to these Washington state legislative bills
Four weeks into the 2020 legislative session it’s impossible to say what new laws will be created on major issues like the environment, homelessness or taxes. It is possible to predict with some certainty which bills won’t become law.
Popularity of Washington state’s new paid family and sick leave law leads to processing backlog
Washington state’s new paid family and medical leave law went live in January, and more than 20,000 residents have already applied for the program.
Shoreline property could be the next place where people possibly exposed to coronavirus are quarantined
State-owned property behind the Washington State Public Health Laboratory in Shoreline has been identified as a possible quarantine site to house healthy people who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to the state Department of Health.
Washougal man sentenced to 25 years in wife’s slaying
A Washougal, Washington, man was sentenced Friday in Clark County Superior Court to 25 years in prison for a domestic hostage call that ended in his wife’s stabbing death.
Bills would permit Native students to wear tribal regalia for graduation
Native American students would be able to wear tribal regalia and items of cultural significance at their graduation ceremonies this year, under two bills moving through the Legislature.
Bail set for mother accused of killing infant daughter
A mother accused of killing her 3-month-old daughter appeared in Thurston County Superior Court Thursday.
Principal on leave for post on Kobe Bryant’s death resigns
A high school principal in Washington state who was on administrative leave for suggesting in a personal Facebook post that NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s death was deserved has resigned
Ireland’s two-party system shaken by Sinn Fein surge
Ireland’s elections are usually two-horse races. But this time there’s a third contender, as a party with historic links to the Irish Republican Army soars in the polls.
Judge weighs challenge to Tim Eyman’s $30 car tab measure
A King County Superior Court judge who has already temporarily blocked initiative promoter Tim Eyman’s latest $30 car tab measure from taking effect said he hopes to rule next week on whether it’s constitutional.
House, Senate advance plans to regulate CO2 emissions from cars
The state’s environmental agency would have more power to regulate carbon dioxide pollution under proposals approved by committees in both legislative chambers Thursday, despite efforts by Republicans to trim back that authority.
New coronavirus quarantine facility to be near North Bend
The Washington State Patrol Fire Training Academy near North Bend has been chosen as a new quarantine site for people returning to the United States from the Chinese province at the center of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Washington House committee approves bill that would restrict immigration agents around courts
House committee, rally support bill to restrict federal immigration agents’ actions around Washington courthouses.
Senate panel considers election security measures
Washington lawmakers may face a tough choice between election security and giving overseas troops a way they can cast a ballot.
Elections experts in Washington: Fiasco in Iowa highlights flaws in presidential nomination process
Democrats in Washington and Idaho switched to primaries this year to select their delegates that will decide the nominee for president. That prevents the type of technology-fueled fiasco that occurred in the Hawkeye state on the first official night of the 2020 presidential campaign, but the system still has merits, local experts say.
Rural nursing shortages leave critical access hospitals in tough spots
With a regional nursing shortage impacting even Spokane-based hospitals, critical access hospitals in rural settings feel the need for nurses even more.