State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

Tumwater mayor calls 2026 FIFA Fan Zone plans for tourism ‘convoluted and frustrating’

The Tumwater City Council received a briefing this week on the city’s participation in the 2026 FIFA Fan Zone. The council agreed to seek more information before agreeing to participate, … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 7/12/25

High pay, low test scores: Washington state teachers earn most when adjusted for cost of living

Washington state ranks highest in the nation for adjusted pay among elementary, middle and high school teachers, according to USAFacts , based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/11/25

Washington state Republican convicted over Election Day refusal to wear a mask

An Island County, Wash., election observer has been convicted of a felony over his refusal to wear a mask last year when policy was established by the county auditor due to a high rate of COVID-19 … more

By Spencer Pauley / The Center Square | 7/11/25

Guns for sale at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey, which has been open since 1967. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/New Jersey Monitor)

After suing, Washington gets carveout from Trump administration plan to return gun conversion devices

The Trump administration has agreed to not distribute devices that turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns in Washington and other states where they are illegal. More than a dozen states … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/11/25

Sheriff Derek Sanders shared a photo of car that deputies believe was used to run over a person during a domestic violence fight on Yelm Highway Southeast on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.

One hospitalized, one arrested after fight on Thurston County highway

Deputies arrested a 35-year-old woman on suspicion of vehicular assault after responding to a domestic violence incident in east Thurston County Tuesday night, Sheriff Derek Sanders said. The … more

By Martín Bilbao / The Olympian | 7/11/25

Coroner identifies two pedestrians killed by truck in downtown Olympia Wednesday

Two pedestrians who were killed by a careening truck Wednesday in downtown Olympia have been identified. Joy Ezindu, a 71-year-old Tumwater woman, and Carla Gonzales, a 62-year-old Olympia … more

By Martín Bilbao / The Olympian | 7/11/25

Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office: Dead body pulled from Columbia River

A dead body was recovered Tuesday near an island in the Columbia River, between Kalama and Woodland. Cowlitz County Chief Criminal Deputy Troy Brightbill told The Daily News the body was found … more

Matt Esnayra / The Daily News | 7/11/25

A summer day on Golden Trout Lake in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, in east-central Idaho. (USDA Forest Service photo)

U.S. Senate Dems from Western states blast Trump budget for cutting federal aid

Members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee differed along party lines at a Thursday hearing about how the U.S. Forest Service should partner with states and how the federal … more

By Jacob Fischler / States Newsroom | 7/11/25

The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington is part of Puget Sound Energy’s clean energy portfolio. (Courtesy of Puget Sound Energy)

Megabill’s elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost Washington state $8.7 billion

Officials are warning that the megabill passed last week will likely raise Washington households’ electricity costs and eliminate thousands of jobs in Washington’s clean energy and … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / The Washington State Standard | 7/11/25

Washington state’s first electrified ferry sails, with two governors on board

Moments after the ferry Wenatchee set sail Thursday, Gov. Bob Ferguson floated the idea that the first of the state ferries to be converted to hybrid-electric power should be renamed for the person … more

Nicholas Deshais / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/11/25

Seattle police who went to Jan. 6 still fighting to keep names hidden

Attorneys for a Seattle man seeking the names of four police officers who attended the violent Jan. 6, 2021, Stop the Steal" rally at the nation's Capitol are asking that they be held in contempt of … more

Mike Carter / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/11/25

Young children, 1 and 4, survive crash that killed mother in Oregon

A 24-year-old Happy Valley woman died in a single-vehicle crash early Wednesday morning while her two young children survived with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Clackamas County … more

The Oregonian / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/25

Nikolai Dorosh is a professional cellist from Ukraine.

Ukrainian musician abandoned his dream to help his family flee war; in Washington, he rekindles hope

Nikolai Dorosh learned his country was at war at 4:30 in the morning when the sounds of explosions woke him and his family at their apartment. It was Feb. 24, 2022. Dorosh, his wife Toma … more

Kimberly Cortez / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/25

Tourists stop to take a photo of the Nisqually Glacier at Mount Rainier, a half-mile hike from Paradise Inn.

Earthquakes continue to rattle Mount Rainier, now biggest seismic event in recent history

A swarm of small earthquakes is still shaking Mount Rainier , marking the most significant seismic activity at the Cascade volcano in decades. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Cascades Volcano … more

Jamie Hale / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/25

Supporters, critics weigh in on Trump scrapping Biden’s Snake River dam deal

Less than a month after President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum revoking a Biden-era agreement regarding the potential removal of the Lower Snake River dams in southeastern Washington … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/10/25

A Yellowstone wolf (Courtesy NPS/Jacob W. Frank)

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks proposes increased wolf harvest quotas as population remains steady

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is recommending increasing the number of wolves that can be killed by 50% next season, following the department’s latest report showing the wolf population in … more

By Micah Drew / The Daily Montanan | 7/10/25

Mountain biker uses helmet straps to slow bleeding after 500-foot fall, Washington state cops say

A mountain biker used his helmet straps to slow his bleeding after falling 500 feet in Washington, deputies said. The 51-year-old man from Seattle texted 911 “HELP” at 11:39 a.m. … more

Helena Wegner / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 7/10/25

Avalanche Creek Gorge (Photo by NPS / Jacob W. Frank)

Glacier National Park visitors rescued, survive fall into Avalanche Creek

Three visitors to Glacier National Park are in stable condition after falling into Avalanche Creek on Sunday, park officials said Tuesday in a news release. Shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday, park … more

By Daily Montanan Staff | 7/10/25

Idaho Gov. Brad Little gives his annual State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, on the House floor at the Statehouse in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)

Idaho preps to roll out artificial intelligence in state government

Visitors to the Idaho Division of Human Resources’s website can get quick answers from a new chatbot — powered by artificial intelligence, or AI — that combs through state … more

By Kyle Pfannenstiel / The Idaho Capital Sun | 7/10/25

A week after layoffs linked to AI cost, Microsoft pledges $4B to AI education

Microsoft plans to donate $4 billion worth of cash, technology and training to enhance artificial intelligence education, a substantial bequest as the Redmond, Washington-based software giant aims to … more

Alex Halverson / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/10/25