State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Oregon House passes transportation funding package in major win for Democrats

Two months after a transportation funding package died on the Oregon House floor in the final minutes of this year’s legislative session, Democrats successfully passed a revised proposal … more

Carlos Fuentes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/2/25

Umpqua Bank on Monday changed its name to Columbia Bank, with new signs going up at branches across the area.

Umpqua Bank changes name

Umpqua Bank on Monday changed its name to Columbia Bank, with branches across the region now sporting new signage. The Tacoma-based bank last month announced the date for the name change, which … more

Matthew Kish / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/2/25

Apples fill bins at 3 Dogs Cider and Brewstillery in Silver Creek on Sunday, Oct. 8.

Washington remains top apple producer; harvest conditions favorable

With apple harvest well underway, the agricultural commodity is expected to produce 142 million standard forty-pound boxes of freshly harvested apples, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit … more

Matthew Carnero-Macias / The Wenatchee World (TNS) | 9/2/25

Seattle-area offices staying empty as job losses outpace return-to-office

Since the pandemic, the optimistic take on the battered office market around Seattle has been pretty straightforward: vacancies will fade once employers get those remote workers back in. But as … more

Paul Roberts / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/2/25

1,648 missing Indigenous person reports in 20 years in Pierce Co. What’s being done?

When Joyce Robinson wakes up every morning, she thinks about her family. She thinks about her children and her grandchildren, and wonders how they’re doing. When it comes to her … more

Sephora Charles / The News Tribune (TNS) | 9/2/25

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is sworn into office by Supreme Court chief justice Debra L. Stephens during a joint legislative session in the House chambers at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Washington state businesses preparing for new retail sales taxes to hit consumers Oct. 1

One month from Labor Day, a slew of Washington businesses will be subject to new retail sales taxes, which will be passed onto consumers. The 2025 Washington State Legislature passed Engrossed … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 9/1/25

Man with Lewis County ties identified as victim of fatal assault at White River Amphitheatre concert

A 31-year-old man with ties to Lewis County has been identified as the victim in a fatal assault at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn on Aug. 27. Brandon Richard Godsey died at Harborview … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/1/25

One dead, three injured when driver crashes into Kirkland Grocery Outlet

Kirkland police and fire units were called to the Bridle Trails Grocery Outlet Sunday afternoon after a woman crashed her car into the front of the building. The driver and three shoppers … more

Sara Jean Green / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/1/25

A Democrat and a Republican will team up to try to ban masked law enforcement in Oregon

An Oregon Republican and Democrat are teaming up to push a law enforcement accountability bill, they announced Sunday. Cyrus Javadi, a Tillamook Republican, and Tom Andersen, a Salem Democrat, … more

Sami Edge / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 9/1/25

Bones found during Travis Decker search

The FBI found bones this week while searching for Travis Decker, a former soldier accused of killing his three daughters. Search personnel found the bones around the Rock Island Campground, said … more

By Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/1/25

The site of a Feb. 25 drug raid, taken on Thursday, Aug. 28., in South Kelso. Illicit drugs were found in the unit on the left during the raid, but the home on the right, where different people live, was also searched.

Conflicting addresses amid drug investigation: How a Cowlitz County couple was mistakenly targeted in police raid

A South Kelso woman has hired an attorney after she says her home was mistakenly raided by members of the Lower Columbia SWAT team when officers targeted a neighboring property linked to suspected … more

Matt Esnayra / The Daily News | 9/1/25

$1.5B Columbia River underwater power project turns down Trump admin expedited permitting

A $1.5 billion project to bury a 1-foot-thick and 100-mile-long high voltage power transmission line under the Columbia River turned down fast-tracked federal permitting approval offered by a Trump … more

By Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 9/1/25

A firefighter moves hazard fuel while working on the Bear Gulch fire this summer. Many in the wildland fire community believe the leadership team managing the fire sent crews into an ambush by federal immigration agents. (Facebook/Bear Gulch Fire 2025)

Firefighters question leaders’ role in Washington immigration raid

Wildland firefighters were stunned when federal immigration authorities last week raided an active wildfire response in Washington state, arresting two firefighters and sidelining crews for hours. … more

By Alex Brown / Stateline.org | 9/1/25

Man drowns after entering water to evade Renton police

A 43-year-old man drowned Saturday while evading Renton police, the department said in a post on social media. The post said officers were investigating the presence of a suspicious vehicle at … more

Caitlyn Freeman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 8/31/25

Department of Ecology takes the lead on Capitol Lake estuary restoration. Here’s what to know

Responsibility for the enormous project to return Capitol Lake to an estuary has been transferred to the Department of Ecology. The Washington State Legislature included the decision in the budget … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 8/31/25

Hundreds exit hospitals into homelessness. What is Pierce County doing about it?

This year hundreds of people have been discharged from Pierce County hospitals directly into homelessness. While the county has identified the need for 50 medical respite beds to provide … more

Cameron Sheppard / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 8/31/25

Oregon poured millions into a new approach to drug arrests. Is it working?

Curtis Prescott cycled through Oregon’s court system for three decades, a bleak ritual underscored by his chronic homelessness and fueled by his methamphetamine addiction. When Clackamas … more

Noelle Crombie / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/31/25

Oregon coast military museum in turmoil after sexual abuse allegations, shocking board meeting

A small military museum in Florence is facing community backlash following allegations that the museum’s director sexually abused a minor and that one of the organization’s leaders called … more

Tatum Todd / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/31/25

City of Portland recovers $6.7M from phishing scheme

The city of Portland announced Friday that it has recovered the $6.7 million dollars it sent to a person posing as a vendor on the $2 billion Bull Run water filtration project. Portland rolled … more

The Oregonian / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/31/25

This is Oregon Insight, a weekly look at the numbers behind the state economy.

Labor unions are much stronger in Oregon than nationally

Thousands of union members will gather Monday at Oaks Park in Southeast Portland for the Northwest Oregon Labor Council’s annual Labor Day picnic, an annual event that showcases the strength of … more

Mike Rogoway / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/31/25