State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Trump says US is waging economic warfare against Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran and its trading partners with economic isolation after months of military strikes and a maritime blockade failed to force Tehran to capitulate. Trump … more

Derek Wallbank and Patrick Sykes / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 8/20/26

Immigration authorities are detaining a Montana child illegally, attorneys allege

A 9-year-old child with special medical needs from Billings is being held at the Havre Border Patrol Station after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol made an unlawful arrest earlier this month, according … more

By Keila Szpaller / The Daily Montanan | 8/20/26

More than a month after a bill she wrote to outlaw the sale of human remains took effect, University of Idaho law student Desalyn Swank walks down the halls of the Idaho State Capitol. (Photo by Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)

Idaho law student writes bill to ban sale of human remains — before she can even practice law

When Desalyn Swank applied to law school at University of Idaho, she said she made it clear she wanted to reform the state’s laws. Before her first year at law school ended, she already … more

By Kyle Pfannenstiel / Idaho Capital Sun | 8/20/26

Children’s Aid, a 170-year-old organization in New York City, told Stateline in July that their nearly $1 million grant that served 1,200 youth each year was canceled. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration can’t move forward with its proposed changes to the national prevention program. (Photo Courtesy of Children’s Aid)

Federal judge halts proposed HHS changes to teen pregnancy prevention program

A federal judge in the District of Columbia issued an order Wednesday blocking U.S. Health and Human Services from implementing sweeping changes to grants under the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program … more

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris / Stateline.org | 8/20/26

Cami Feek, center, met with employees of the Washington Department of Enterprise Services on Aug. 17, 2026, her first day as the agency’s interim director. (Courtesy of Department of Enterprise Services)

State government veteran steps in to lead troubled Washington agency

Cami Feek is no stranger to state government. Every level of it. She kicked off her career in 1996 as a mailroom clerk typist for the Department of Financial Institutions. She’s worked at … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 8/20/26

Invasive beetle that has wiped out millions of ash trees confirmed in Washington

One of the most destructive invasive pests in the nation has arrived in southern Washington, posing a grave threat to ash trees. State officials confirmed the presence of the emerald ash … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 8/19/26

Federal court hears Washington wrestler's alleged sex assault, Title IX case

A Puyallup high school wrestler who said she was sexually assaulted by a male who identifies as female during a match last December is asking a federal judge to step in. Kallie Keeler, who now … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 8/19/26

The Still Creek area in the Mt. Hood National Forest is part of 2 million acres of Oregon land protected by the federal Roadless Rule.

Feds act to remove road restrictions in national forests, drawing ire of conservationists, support of timber industry

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins this week announced the U.S. Forest Service has filed a proposed rule to rescind the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a motion that, if … more

By The Chronicle staff | 8/19/26

The Centralia TransAlta plant is pictured here on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Conservation group speaks out against TransAlta Centralia gas plant, claims it’s an ‘expensive retreat from clean energy progress’

Environmental and public interest advocates expressed alarm on Wednesday following the Washington state Department of Ecology’s announcement supporting a new natural gas power plant on the site of … more

By The Chronicle staff | 8/19/26

Rep. Greg Smith sits at his desk on the first day of the 2024 Oregon legislative session on Feb. 5, 2024. Smith lost a committee leadership position last week after agreeing to pay a fee approved by Oregon

Longtime Oregon lawmaker loses leadership position after agreeing to $12,000 ethics fine

State Rep. Greg Smith, a Republican from Heppner, lost a committee leadership position last week after agreeing to pay a $12,000 fee approved by Oregon’s government ethics watchdog. But he … more

Carlos Fuentes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/19/26

Kenneth Voyles cried as he described the shooting that shattered a bone in one of his arms and collapsed one of his lungs.

Jury awards $0 to homeless burglar after owner throws cup of urine at his face, shoots him 3 times

A Portland jury took only a few hours Tuesday to reject a man’s $10 million ask after he burglarized a stone countertop business while homeless and nearly lost his life when the owner shot him … more

Aimee Green / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 8/19/26

'Pushing poison’: Biggest fentanyl trafficker in Tri-Cities found guilty

The man once credited as the “primary source of fentanyl” in the Tri-Cities will soon be heading to federal prison. David Mendoza Ayala led a large-scale drug distribution ring from his Horn … more

Cameron Probert / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 8/19/26

Another suspected arsonist sets blaze, this time at Mead gas pumps

A 51-year-old man claimed he started a fire at a Mead gas station because he was trying to catch the attention of first responders after three people he could not see were following him, according to … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/19/26

Two men found dead in Spokane home identified

Two men found dead last week in a Hillyard home have been identified. The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office said Jibin "Mark" Fan, 51, died from blunt-force injuries of the head and ruled … more

Garrett Cabeza / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/19/26

BofA donates $250,000 to help those affected by Spokane wildfires

Bank of America on Tuesday announced the company is directing $250,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief and recovery efforts across the Pacific Northwest, including in Spokane. "The … more

Troy Slack / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 8/19/26

Man arrested after alleged sword threats, assault on officer; K-9 assists in capture

A Moses Lake man accused of threatening another person with a sword and later assaulting a police officer was arrested after a confrontation with law enforcement in which a police K-9 was deployed, … more

Nance Beston / Columbia Basin Herald (TNS) | 8/19/26

Westport Fishermen’s Monument raising funds for rehab

For more than 65 years, the Westport Fishermen’s Monument has stood as a place of remembrance, honoring the men and women who made their living on the sea and those who never came home. For over … more

By The Daily World | 8/19/26

An entangled humpback whale off the south Washington coast was found and reported by sport fisherman Sam Azar IV.

Public report helps Cascadia free entangled whale off southern Washington coast

A rapid response by Cascadia Research Collective, a member of the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network, successfully freed an entangled humpback whale off the coast of Westport after … more

By The Chinook Observer | 8/19/26

A walker enjoys the waning daylight along Seabrook’s wide, flat beach against the windswept Pacific Ocean.

How hard would an Alaskan tsunami hit Washington state? New model full of surprises

Twenty-foot waves cresting off Westport. Swift and dangerous currents coursing through Hood Canal. Tsunami water pushing down to Olympia and up to Washington's northern border with Canada. For … more

Joseph O’Sullivan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 8/19/26

Native businesses in Washington state navigate ‘very complex’ tax system, red tape

While customers perused Rings of Chain's table displays of abalone shell pendants, beaded earrings and brooches, owner Ha-huli-tud Tionna Marie Hawk greeted a Suquamish Tribal elder, Kippie Joe, … more

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 8/19/26