The Mountain West has become one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, but the latest labor market data show that neighboring states are taking different paths and seeing different outcomes.
I sued a large corporation in small claims court, represented myself, and won. The judge awarded me $10,000, the maximum Washington allows. It still wasn’t enough to cover what I’d lost.
In June 2025, my 31-year-old daughter, Kiara Sewell, was brutally killed in Seattle, leaving behind four young children, a grieving family and a community searching for answers. Kiara was a devoted mother of four whose life was taken far too soon by an act of violence. Her death forever changed our family and left an unimaginable void that can never be filled. It also led me to ask difficult questions about public safety, accountability and whether more could have been done to prevent this tragedy.
Despite claims from some that prioritizing tax relief would imperil Idaho’s budget, the Gem State has just closed the books on Fiscal Year 2026, ending in the black while rolling over approximately $250 million in cash balances to the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2027. Idaho also currently has nearly $1.3 billion in total reserves (22%) to weather any changes in the economic outlook.
On Aug. 4, we have an opportunity to make a critical, long-term investment in our West Plains communities by voting “yes” on Measure 1 to establish the West Plains Aquifer Protection Area. Protecting our Wanapum and Grande Ronde aquifers from further contamination and depletion is indisputably the best course of action. The cities of Cheney, Medical Lake and Airway Heights are in full support of this measure.
This month millions of Washingtonians have access to a unique benefit that no one else in the county has (yet). The WA Cares Fund is there to help pay long-term care expenses, which most people are surprised to find out aren’t covered by insurance or Medicare. Long-term care means needing help with daily living activities like dressing, bathing, moving around, managing meals or medication for longer than ninety days.
As cloud computing and AI companies push to build new data centers that could consume as much electricity as small cities, Eastern Washington is showing up on the list of possible locations.
A safe, affordable home gives people room to build a life. It lets families settle into a neighborhood, seniors stay near care and community, workers live near their jobs and young people build a future.
