State & Regional News | The Daily Chronicle

An Alaska airliner docks at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.

Why Alaska Air wants Portland to be its Sea-Tac 'relief valve'

As Alaska Airlines embarks on its mission to become a trans-Pacific carrier, connecting the West Coast to Asia, its Seattle hub will be the center of connections. Neighboring Portland, then, … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/30/25

Washington state Legislature passes bevy of housing bills: ‘A good step forward’

From a cap on annual rent hikes to multiple supply bills, fixing Washington’s housing crisis was among lawmakers’ top concerns throughout the 2025 legislative session that ended Sunday. … more

Simone Carter / The Olympian (TNS) | 4/30/25

CJ Ripley and the Defenders of the Coast show off their collected trash along state Route 109 on the way to Ocean Shores.

Defenders of the Coast collect 4.5 tons of trash in 4 months

Defenders of the Coast, a grassroots cleanup effort based in Ocean Shores, has removed more than 4.5 tons of trash from highways, streets, trails and beaches during the last four months according to … more

By Jerry Knaak / The Daily World | 4/30/25

Paul Dunlap, who works for Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, clips fins so the fish can’t be turned in twice for a reward.

Paid pikeminnow season starts Thursday in Southwest Washington

Anglers can get paid to fish for Northern pikeminnow starting Thursday at sites along the Columbia and Snake rivers, including the Kalama Marina, Ridgefield Marina and the boat ramp at the Port of … more

Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 4/30/25

The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen May 15, 2019, from the air near Colfax, Wash. The Columbia River Basin was once the greatest salmon-producing river system in the world. But salmon runs are threatened, and conservationists say the dams are a main culprit.

Feds put review of Columbia River hydropower system on ice

A move by federal water managers to pause a landmark environmental review of the Columbia River hydropower system has become a Rorschach test that leaves utilities, salmon advocates, commercial … more

Henry Brannan / Murrow News | 4/30/25

Members of the Washington Public Employees Association will go without a wage hike for a year. They turned down a contract last fall. They eventually ratified a new deal in March, lawmakers chose not to fund it in the budget. (Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

Thousands of Washington state workers lose out on wage hikes

Nearly 5,300 state government and community college employees in Washington won’t be getting a 3% pay raise in July when most other state workers will. That’s because those members … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 4/30/25

QTS Data Centers in Hillsboro on Oct. 11, 2024. Data centers are driving near-term energy demand in the region, according to a new regional power forecast from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. (Photo by Rian Dundon/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Electricity demand in Northwest could double in next 20 years, forecast finds

Demand for electricity in the Northwest could double by 2046, according to a new energy forecast from regional experts. Over the next two decades, demand could increase by between 1.8% and 3.1% … more

By Alex Baumhardt / Oregon Capital Chronicle | 4/29/25

Advocates who urged the Oregon Legislature to increase child care funding in January 2024 hung onesies and other children’s clothes on a tent outside the Capitol in Salem. They planned to donate the clothes after Thursday’s demonstration. (Photo by Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Thousands of Oregon, Washington children at risk if Head Start ends, lawsuit alleges

More than 25,000 children in Oregon and Washington will lose the child care and early education their families rely on if the Trump administration continues its attempts to dismantle Head Start, say … more

By Julia Shumway / The Oregon Capital Chronicle | 4/29/25

State lawmakers launch group to spur ‘guaranteed income’ cash to residents

To California Democratic state Sen. David Cortese, the idea of gaining Republican support for a bill to provide cash to certain residents would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. But … more

Kevin Hardy / Washington State Standard | 4/29/25

A female spotted owl sits perched on a branch of a tree among old growth near Mount Rainier forest land in Washington state on June 27, 2008. Rat poison from marijuana farms is harming the threatened birds. (Chris Joseph Taylor/Seattle Times/TNS)

Proposed change could reshape Endangered Species Act. Here’s how it affects Washington state

A big change could be coming to U.S. wildlife conservation policy. In mid-April, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to … more

Daniel Schrager / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/29/25

Legislative leaders reflect on 'challenging' 2025 session in Washington state as it comes to a close

After Republicans and Democrats spent three and a half months hashing out policy differences in the state capital, debates that have frequently lasted into the early hours of the morning, it was … more

Mitchell Roland / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/29/25

Located at 111 S. Ash street just south of the Centralia College campus, the CHI apartments are pictured on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Washington state college officials want this financial aid trend to grow

The number of students filling out the federal student financial aid form in Washington is rebounding. As of March, 38 percent of high school seniors have filed the Free Application for Federal … more

Dahlia Bazzaz / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/29/25

Deputies defy Washington state sheriff’s order to take guns from jail. He calls it ‘mutiny’

Franklin County sheriff’s office commanders and deputies want their boss to stop telling them to violate court orders. He’s responded by calling it a “mutiny.” The unions … more

Cameron Probert / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 4/29/25

Stronger labor protections for Washington state youth now law

Washington’s youngest workers are getting stronger labor protections under a bill that Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law Monday afternoon. Ferguson signed House Bill 1644 at a news … more

Simone Carter / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 4/29/25

The 2B Girls State Championship game at the Spokane Arena on Saturday, March 8.

Tumwater parents, educators continue to lobby in support of trans student rights

Parents and educators in the Tumwater School District are continuing to lobby the school board to support trans student athletes’ rights, and at least one board member has been persuaded. … more

Ty Vinson / The Olympian (TNS) | 4/29/25

Washington state lawmakers vote to hit litterbugs in their wallets

People caught littering in Washington can expect to pay fines that may be more than double the current amount starting this summer. A bill that Rep. Mark Klicker introduced in the the Washington … more

Tri-City Herald staff / The Olympian (TNS) | 4/29/25

Washington state becomes twelfth state to restrict circus animal use

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has signed a bill making Washington the twelfth state in the country to restrict the use of animals in traveling circuses, exhibits and other shows. Washington … more

Karlee Van De Venter / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/29/25

A general view of the Seattle Space Needle and downtown skyline with Mount Rainier in the background in Seattle.

Trump orders list of ‘sanctuary cities’ to target for funding freeze

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday evening signed executive orders targeting so-called sanctuary cities by threatening to revoke federal funding and providing legal services and … more

By Ariana Figueroa / States Newsroom | 4/28/25

The Washington state Capitol is pictured in Olympia on Friday, April 25.

Five tax bills lawmakers passed to underpin Washington state’s next state budget

A small pile of significant tax bills is getting delivered to Gov. Bob Ferguson. Collectively, they form the financial linchpin to the state’s next budget and would generate … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 4/28/25

Independence Valley is seen from above as the Chehalis River flows into Scatter Creek flooding nearby properties in 2022.

Capital budget includes $75M for Chehalis Basin Strategy, $5M to address nitrates in Centralia and more

Over the weekend, the Washington state Legislature managed to pass its budgets for the next biennium ahead of the session's April 27 deadline. While the budget process was mostly fought along … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 4/28/25