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The W.F. West Cheer Team poses for a photo with Lewis County commissioners, from left, Lindsey Pollock, Sean Swope and Scott Brummer on Tuesday at the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis. The team recently secured two state championships — non-tumbling medium category and 2A/3A gameday large crown — following its state crown in 2025. More recently, the W.F. West Cheer Team excelled at the 2026 USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim, California, Feb. 19-23. The team finished second in the nation in the “varsity show cheer intermediate non-tumbling medium” category. The Bearcats also finished third in the “game day fight song large” category and fifth in the “crowdleader large” finals. Additionally, they placed 14th in the “game day band chant large” category.

In Focus: State champs honored by Lewis County commissioners

3/6/26

Mike Morgan, co-op manager and one of the artists of Gallery 505, and Pat Caldwell, co-owner of the former Toledo Pharmacy, are shown here with pharmaceutical bottles to be part of the Community Collections show. The painting of the old pharmacy, which usually hangs in the Toledo Library, is by Toledo artist Janice Sutherland.

Gallery 505 in Toledo celebrates Community Collections

What do people collect? Pretty much anything. A Community Collections exhibition opened this month at Gallery 505 in Toledo as a means of connecting people through the interesting things … more

By Lyn Craig / For The Chronicle | 3/6/26

Details emerge in death of ‘Deadliest Catch’ fisher Todd Meadows, who was from Grays Harbor County

Todd Meadows learned to fish when he was old enough to hold a pole, recalled his mother, nearly a week after her son died at sea. “We put this little rubber fish on it so he could just learn … more

By Isabella Breda / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

A Lacey Fire District 3 crew uses a rope system to rescue a 14-year-old black Lab, Boone, from the bottom of a 60-foot ravine near Baird Road Northeast in Olympia on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Firefighters in Thurston County rescue two dogs in separate calls

Firefighters rescued an elderly dog who fell down a 60-foot ravine in the Olympia area on Saturday, Feb. 28. The dog, a 14-year-old black Lab named Boone, wasn’t hurt in the fall, but his bad … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@thurstonchronicle.com | 3/6/26

Experts are predicting a difficult Western Washington allergy season

We might be sneezing more in Western Washington this spring, thanks to a wet rainy season, meteorologists at AccuWeather said in their annual allergy forecast. Tree pollen is expected to start … more

Robert Mittendorf / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 3/6/26

NAMI’s Washington state chapter dissolves amid ‘grievances’

The Washington chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a major advocacy and education organization for people with mental illnesses and their families, is dissolving. NAMI Washington … more

Taylor Blatchford and Jayati Ramakrishnan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

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 travel ban shakes up Washington state immigrant communities

Madina Hassany said she felt helpless when she heard about the travel ban President Donald Trump signed late Wednesday. The Kent resident, who immigrated from Afghanistan shortly before the Taliban … more

Nina Shapiro and Daniel Beekman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

Mountain goats graze on a ridge as the sun sets at Mount Rainier National Park on Thursday, July 24.

No more timed entry at Mount Rainier

The News Tribune headed to Mount Rainier National Park on the park’s 127th birthday to talk to locals about the official cancellation of the timed-entry reservation system for 2026. The … more

Gavin Feek / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 3/6/26

DOJ releases Epstein files with accusations against Trump

Three FBI interviews that contain graphic sexual and physical assault allegations against President Donald Trump were released Thursday by the Justice Department. The reports were follow-up … more

Julie K. Brown and Claire Healy / Miami Herald (TNS) | 3/6/26

Iran and Israel trade fire as war impacts global supply chains

Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire as the war in the Middle East entered a seventh day, with the impact rippling across global supply chains and energy markets. Oil headed for the biggest … more

Patrick Sykes and Grant Smith / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 3/6/26

Washington lawmakers consider diverting charter school funding to preschool, traditional public schools

All 50 students in downtown Spokane's Lumen High School are pregnant or already parents to young children. As many as 60% of them don't have a parent or guardian present in their own lives. … more

Elena Perry / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 3/6/26

PNW senators vote along party lines as Senate rejects Democrats' resolution to stop Iran war

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled Senate voted largely along party lines on Wednesday to reject a Democratic measure to halt President Donald Trump's war with Iran, effectively endorsing the … more

Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 3/6/26

Governor Bob Ferguson releases his budget proposal ahead of the 2026 legislative session at a press conference in Olympia on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. He also supported a state income tax on people making over a million dollars per year.

Gov. Bob Ferguson outlines his requirements for Washington ‘millionaires tax’

OLYMPIA — A day after the Senate passed a revised income tax bill, Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday called it a “good start” and for the first time detailed his conditions for signing it, including … more

Shauna Sowers / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood speaks to supporters of the Let’s Go Washington initiatives concerning parental rights and barring transgender athletes from girls’ athletics during a rally at the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

After SCOTUS decision against transgender student law, Washington Republicans cast doubt on state policy

On the heels of this week's Supreme Court ruling against California's transgender student privacy laws, Republicans from Washington are asking whether Washington law is also up for debate. On … more

Elena Perry / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 3/6/26

Attorney General Nick Brown greets legislators in the House chambers at the Washington state Capitol in Olympia on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

AG: Company to pay $5.6M for pregnancy discrimination across Washington

O’Reilly Auto Parts will pay $5.6 million after pregnant workers in its Washington stores – including its Puyallup distribution center – allegedly faced discrimination and retaliation related … more

Isabela Lund / The News Tribune (TNS) | 3/6/26

Teen, woman wounded before responding Pacific officer shoots man

A Pacific police officer killed a man in an Algona home this week after the man shot and wounded a 17-year-old boy and a 39-year-old woman in what is described as a case of domestic violence. … more

Lauren Girgis / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem surveys South Portland from the roof of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Tues., Oct. 7, 2025.

Washington Republican congressman supports Noem firing; ‘Good riddance,’ Dems say

Washington's congressional delegation — Democrats as well as one Republican — was pleased with the firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Thursday, though Democrats said the department … more

David Gutman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

President Trump’s halt of U.S. refugee program was lawful, appeals court rules

President Donald Trump acted within his authority when he indefinitely suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program last year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. A … more

Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

The Cowlitz River is pictured from above in Packwood on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Washington state approves bill requiring landlords to disclose flood risk to renters

The Washington Legislature passed a bill Tuesday requiring landlords to disclose if a rental property is at risk for flooding and recommend tenants consider buying flood insurance. The bill now … more

Alexis Weisend / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 3/6/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson answers questions from the press during a legislative session preview in a Senate Hearing room in Olympia on Friday, Jan. 9.

Four lawmakers call on Gov. Bob Ferguson to block sex offender home

Tri-City lawmakers are calling on Gov. Bob Ferguson to stop the siting of a Kennewick home for sexually violent predators. The four-page letter was sent Thursday to Ferguson, Attorney General … more

Eric Rosane / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 3/6/26