News | The Daily Chronicle

Skier Jacob Jones' skis point towards the sky during a front flip on Saturday, March 7, in East Lewis County at the White Pass Ski Area Castle Jam freestyle trick competition.

Skiers and snowboarders throw down at White Pass Ski Area Castle Jam despite slushy conditions

Dozens of skiers and snowboarders took to the slopes of the White Pass Ski Area Saturday, March 7, for the East Lewis County ski resort’s annual Castle Jam freestyle trick competition, despite the … more

By Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com | 3/9/26

DEA makes largest drug seizure in Eastern Washington history

The Drug Enforcement Administration made the largest drug bust in Eastern Washington history when agents this week seized about 370 pounds of narcotics and approximately $2 million in cash as part of … more

By Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review | 3/9/26

Washington gas prices hit $4.63, up more than 25 cents in a week

Washingtonians are paying $4.63 on average for a gallon of gas, about 33% more than the average American as prices surge more than a week into the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, according to AAA. … more

By Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times | 3/9/26

Spokane's winter weather has been like a lamb all season. Here are the stats that prove it

It's been a warm winter in Spokane. The temperature never fell into the single digits during December, January and February, during what the National Weather Service considers "meteorological … more

Jonathan Brunt / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 3/9/26

Wahkiakum County Commissioner Dan Cothren unlocks an American Forest Management gate after patrolling lands owned by prince-affiliated companies on Aug. 21, 2025. The gate blocks off driving access to thousands of acres of prime longtime hunting grounds. The patrol is a routine part of his part-time job as a security contractor for timberland owners.

Investment companies block access to tens of thousands of acres in Wahkiakum, Pacific counties

ELOCHOMAN RIVER VALLEY — Investment companies have whittled away the land hunters can use in Wahkiakum and Pacific counties. Access to tens of thousands of acres of locally treasured, longtime … more

Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 3/9/26

Human remains found at Shoreline park

A person found human remains while picking up garbage in a Shoreline park, the King County sheriff’s office reported Sunday. The location where the remains were found, around the northeast … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/9/26

Brent Mahitka gestures across the Skamokawa Valley on Aug. 21, 2025, towards prime hunting lands that have seen access curtailed by gates over the years.

German royalty controls 7% of Wahkiakum County; what does that mean for hunting access?

ELOCHOMAN RIVER VALLEY — An investment company co-founded by a 21st -century German prince is joining other timber industry goliaths in gobbling up and shutting down access to hunting land in … more

Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 3/9/26

A brown bear rests on a hillside in Denali National Park and Preserve. Hunting, trapping and fishing are allowed on national preserve lands in Alaska. But under rules issued during the Biden and Obama administrations, state-authorized bear baiting was banned in national preserves. (Photo provided by the National Park Service)

Trump administration plans to end ban on bear baiting in Alaska national preserves

The Trump administration is seeking to open national preserves in Alaska to bear baiting by sport hunters. The U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday announced that it will propose a new rule … more

By Yereth Rosen / The Daily Montanan | 3/9/26

Members of 30 Oregon labor unions organized a march against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, near an ICE facility in Portland on Jan. 31, 2026. The march ended at the facility, where federal officers shot tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets at the crowd, which included children. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Judge blocks Oregon ICE facility agents from using tear gas leaking into nearby apartments

A federal judge on Friday barred federal agents outside Portland’s waterfront Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility from using tear gas and chemical munitions in a manner that could seep … more

By Shaanth Nanguneri / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 3/9/26

Washington state parks offer free parking twice in March, including Monday

Washington state parks will offer free parking Monday and a week from Thursday, in celebration of a couple of birthdays. The free parking on Monday commemorates the birth of Billy Frank Jr., a … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/9/26

How can cops tell if you’re too high to drive in Washington state? What law says

Cannabis use has been legal in the state of Washington since 2012. That doesn’t mean it’s OK to drive while high, according to Cannabis Safely, a public health education campaign launched by … more

Julia Hawkins / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 3/9/26

State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, smiles at House Speaker Laurie Jinkins during a Legislative Media Day at the Washington state Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 19, in Olympia.

Washington Senate’s Democratic majority leader draws challenger from the left

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, who has served in the Legislature for two decades, faces the prospect of a fellow Democrat challenging him in this year’s election. Hannah … more

By Bill Lucia / The Washington State Standard | 3/9/26

A protester gives a thumbs up during a “Pray to End Abortion” event organized by 40 Days for Life, across the street from Planned Parenthood in Centralia on Monday, March 24, 2025.

Fee on health insurers to fund abortion services debated in Washington state Legislature

Insurers in Washington could soon need to foot the bill for additional abortion funding. A proposal under consideration in the state Legislature would require health carriers with insurance … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 3/9/26

NATO intercepts Iran missile over Turkey as conflict spreads

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization intercepted a ballistic missile from Iran that entered Turkish airspace, Ankara said, raising the risk that the military alliance could be drawn more directly … more

Selcan Hacaoglu and Firat Kozok / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 3/9/26

A U.S. Air Force pilot enters data in a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in the Central Command area of responsibility, Feb. 26, 2026.

Iran signals no letup in war as Khamenei’s son made leader

Iran chose Mojtaba Khamenei, the hardline son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader, signaling Tehran won’t back down in a war now raging across the Middle East and … more

Paul Wallace and Christine Burke / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 3/9/26

President Donald Trump in a video posted by the White House on social media announces a U.S. strike on Iran, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Trump threatens to stall bills until his voting measure passes

President Donald Trump threatened to avoid signing any bill into law until a package of voting reforms is passed, his latest pressure tactic as the Republican-controlled Senate balks at the measure. … more

Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 3/8/26

Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran’s New Supreme Leader Fights Trump, Israel and Anger at Home

For most of his 56 years, Mojtaba Khamenei has kept a low profile in the Islamic Republic, quietly building networks of influence in the country’s security apparatus, its clergy and within its … more

Golnar Motevalli / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 3/8/26

Iran picks new leader as escalating war deepens oil shock

Iran picked a new supreme leader and kept up attacks on the ninth day of the war in the Middle East, hitting a water plant in Bahrain, while Israel struck fuel depots in Tehran and threatened the … more

Arsalan Shahla, Josh Wingrove and Omar Tamo / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 3/8/26

The dome at the Washington state Capitol.

Last deadline of Washington legislative session kills more bills

With less than a week to go, policy proposals are nearing the finish line to becoming law in the Washington Legislature. But the last deadline of the legislative session Friday stopped some of them … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard | 3/8/26

The Senate chambers at the Washington state Capitol.

Washington State Senate’s Democratic majority leader draws challenger from the left

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, who has served in the Legislature for two decades, faces the prospect of a fellow Democrat challenging him in this year’s election. Hannah … more

By Bill Lucia / Washington State Standard | 3/8/26