News | The Daily Chronicle

A shirtless man leads a pack of cyclists through downtown Centralia on during the annual Seattle to Portland bicycle event in 2019.

Washington state may be getting new highways — for cyclists

Hearing the words "cycle highway" might conjure visions of Europeans pedaling safely along red pavement, or perhaps throngs of two-wheeled commuters in 1980s Beijing, when China was known as the … more

Nicholas Deshais / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/25

Orangutan bites zookeeper through barrier during training, Washington state zoo says

An orangutan bit a zookeeper’s hand through a mesh barrier, causing a serious injury, a Washington zoo said. The incident happened Saturday, March 29, at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, … more

Helena Wegner / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/2/25

Washington Department of Health forced to park Care-a-Van

According to Grays Harbor County Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has unexpectedly terminated grant funding for the Washington State Department of Health's Care-a-Van … more

The Daily World (TNS) | 4/2/25

The sun shines down on trucks used for mining operations at TransAlta in Centralia on Thursday.

Washington state mining safety lab loses staff as part of 10,000 federal health job cuts

The wave of federal firings by the Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday included workers at a specialized laboratory in Spokane that studies mining and wildland firefighting safety. … more

James Hanlon / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/2/25

Eastern Washington school leaders make Fox News plea for ‘federal intervention’ on trans athletes

Days after filing a formal sex discrimination complaint against the state for allowing transgender girls in sports and locker rooms, two Tri-City school board leaders made a Monday appearance on … more

By The Tri-City Herald staff (TNS) | 4/2/25

27-year-old swept away in frigid river found dead five days later, Oregon cops say

The body of a 27-year-old man was discovered days after he was swept away in a frigid and rushing river in Oregon, deputies said. Witnesses called 911 after 3:30 p.m. March 25 after seeing Kaleb … more

Helena Wegner / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/2/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Ryan Berry/Washington State Standard)

Gov. Ferguson rejects proposed budget reliant on new 'wealth tax'

As lawmakers grapple with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, Gov. Bob Ferguson has broken sharply with budgets proposed by Democratic legislators, telling reporters he does not support the plans … more

Mitchell Roland / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/2/25

The Washington Utilities And Transportation Commission offices in Lacey. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)

CenturyLink could face one of UTC's largest fines over complaints, quality of service

Staff from the Utilities and Transportation Commission is recommending that CenturyLink Communications LLC be fined $15,567,770 for consumer complaints and poor quality of service. This is one … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 4/2/25

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell speaks during a news briefing after a weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on July 9, 2024 in Washington, D.C.

‘Critical concerns’ remain in Boeing’s self-inspection regime, Cantwell says

The day before Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg was to appear before Congress, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell raised “critical concerns” about a program that allows the aircraft manufacturer to certify … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/25

Off-duty Washington State Patrol trooper allegedly spent hours at a bar before fatal crash

State testing shows an off-duty Washington State Patrol trooper was still drunk hours after a fatal crash in Richland. The Washington State Patrol Seattle Toxicology Laboratory found Sarah … more

Cameron Probert / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/2/25

Homeless Western Washington woman killed crossing highway

A 45-year-old Western Washington woman died while crossing Highway 395 north of Pasco. Johanna M. Paul, of Kent, was crossing the northbound lanes of a dark stretch of highway near Foster Wells … more

Cameron Probert / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 4/2/25

WIAA says vote to ban transgender athletes would violate state law

Two proposed rule changes for transgender student athletes in Washington will be advisory-only votes after the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the governing body for high-school … more

Scott Hanson / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/25

Lakewood Police is requesting the public’s help locating Brianna Duffney, 19, from the Morton, area, the agency posted online Tuesday afternoon.

Police searching for missing 19-year-old woman from Morton area last seen in Pierce County

Lakewood police are requesting the public’s help locating Brianna Duffney, 19, from the Morton area, the agency posted online Tuesday afternoon. Duffney is autistic and was last seen in … more

Julia Park / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/2/25

Bill amending parents' rights initiative passes another hurdle in the Washington state House

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5181 , amending the parents’ bill of rights initiative that passed the Legislature last year, was voted out of executive session in the House Education … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 4/1/25

Gov Bob Ferguson in a media availability on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Governor rejects use of wealth tax to balance budget, says Democrats rely too heavily on tax increases

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday put the kibosh on Democratic lawmakers’ plans to use billions of dollars from a proposed wealth tax to balance the state budget. Ferguson, a … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 4/1/25

Onalaska High School aquaculture teacher Kevin Hoffman, far right, watches as Onalaska students release steelhead into Gheer Creek from Carlisle Lake in Onalaska on Tuesday, April 1.

Onalaska High School aquaculture students release juvenile coho, steelhead into Gheer Creek

Onalaska High School’s 20 aquaculture students released 75,000 coho salmon and 35,000 steelhead into Gheer Creek on Tuesday. The first day of April is traditionally when Onalaska … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 4/1/25

Angel Misner, 33, of Ethel, appears in Lewis County Superior Court via video from the Lewis County Jail on Tuesday, April 1.

Fired Green Hill staffer posed as a DoorDash driver when trying to smuggle drugs into facility, prosecutors allege

The suspect accused of attempting to get drugs through a security checkpoint and into Green Hill School on Sunday has been identified as the same former Green Hill School employee who was convicted … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 4/1/25

A Washington State Patrol SWAT team positions inside a closed police activity area on Southwest 16th Avenue near W.F. West High School in Chehalis on Tuesday, April 1.

Three arrested after seven-hour standoff in Chehalis on Tuesday

Three people were arrested following a seven-hour standoff with law enforcement personnel in Chehalis on Tuesday. Nearby schools were on a modified lockdown as a result of the incident, … more

By The Chronicle staff | 4/1/25

Amtrak has not provided a timeline for when replacement train cars might arrive to replace the aging Horizon coaches that were abruptly pulled from service on March 26. Here a train is seen at the Olympia-Lacey station in 2022. (Photo by Tom Banse)

Amtrak Cascades begins restoring canceled service

Amtrak is moving train cars to the Northwest from other parts of the country to swap in for 26 cars abruptly pulled from service in late March due to corrosion problems. The issues with the … more

By Bill Lucia / The Washington State Standard | 4/1/25

Washington state sues over RFK Jr.’s canceled health funding

Washington was among 23 states that sued the Trump administration Tuesday over the cancellation of $12 billion in federal funding to address infectious diseases, substance abuse and mental illness, … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 4/1/25