Pacific NW

After more than a decade of failed attempts, supporters of amending Washington state law to allow for homegrown marijuana are growing frustrated, but not giving up.

A majority of Idaho voters oppose the appointment of proposed Bureau of Land Management chief Steve Pearce, and disapprove of his views on public lands and his ties to the oil and gas industry, according to a poll commissioned by a local nonprofit. Conservation Voters for Idaho, which advocates for pro-conservation and environmental issues in politics, commissioned RABA Research to conduct the ...

The federal immigration detention center in Tacoma has come under fire in recent years following reports of neglect and suicide. Now, Washington Democratic lawmakers are making the case for the state to be able to fine the center in the event that the Department of Health isn’t allowed in for an inspection. State Sen. Tina Orwall, a Des Moines Democrat, is the primary sponsor behind Senate ...

Washington's escalating legal costs — with billions of dollars in lawsuit payouts slamming state and local governments — have led state lawmakers to consider legislation forcing anyone suing public agencies to go through arbitration before taking cases to a jury. The proposal, Senate Bill 6239, is the first serious effort by majority Democrats to rein in the ballooning tort liability costs ...

Jan. 28—The man who killed two northern Idaho residents will never see the outside of prison, a judge ruled Tuesday in Nez Perce County's 2nd District Court. Judge Michelle Evans told Skylar W. Meade, 33, that it was "not hard" making the decision to sentence him to two consecutive, fixed life sentences. At least Meade still had a life, she said. To avoid the death penalty, Meade pleaded ...