State & Regional | The Daily Chronicle

FEMA denies Washington state request for bomb cyclone disaster aid

The Trump administration on Friday denied Washington’s request for federal disaster relief to recover from last year’s bomb cyclone that caused tens of millions of dollars in … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 4/14/25

FILE PHOTO — Tenino residents gather for a photo while protesting Supreme Living housing for sex offenders outside the Washington state Capitol building in Olympia in 2023.

Bipartisan bill to track sexually violent predators signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill Friday, April 11, that will require sexually violent predators to wear GPS monitors. House Bill 1457 is a bipartisan bill sponsored by the two House … more

By The Chronicle Staff | 4/14/25

Search and rescue personnel responded to the call and deployed a drone to find the hikers, officials said. After GPS learned where they were, the drone led rescuers to the hikers and helped them return to the parking area, officials said.

Hikers get lost in snow with three dogs at Coldwater Lake near Mount St. Helens

Two hikers and their three dogs were rescued after getting lost in the snow, officials in Cowlitz County said. On April 10, the hikers, ages 18 and 24, got lost in the snow with their three dogs … more

Paloma Chavez / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/14/25

Fire crews were dispatched at 5:12 p.m. Sunday to an RV fire in the Value Village parking lot, according to Lacey Fire District 3 officials.

Cat and dog killed in RV fire in Thurston County

A cat and dog died in a fire that destroyed an RV in Lacey Sunday afternoon, according to Lacey Fire District 3. A man also was treated for minor burns to a hand, Battalion Chief Ryan Perz said. … more

By Rolf Boone / The Olympian | 4/14/25

Police in Thurston County looking for rape suspect who attacked woman

Olympia police are looking for a rape suspect who attacked a woman on the city’s west side last month. About 7 p.m. March 4, the 46-year-old woman exited a Grays Harbor Transit bus from … more

By Rolf Boone / The Olympian | 4/14/25

Under blue skies, searchers used marine and aerial resources to scour the area below Willamette Falls, shown here Sunday, where a kayaker went missing late Saturday, April 12, 2025.

Willamette Falls searchers find kayak but not missing man

Search teams scouring the Willamette River near Willamette Falls on Sunday reported finding an empty kayak after reports a kayaker went over the falls late Saturday and did not resurface. A … more

The Oregonian / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 4/14/25

After 10 years and $31 million, Washington state workers' comp upgrade has little to show

As state lawmakers look for ways to cut Washington's $16 billion budget shortfall, one of the state's largest and most delayed IT projects is under uncomfortable scrutiny. In 2015, the state … more

Paul Roberts / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/14/25

A salmon launches itself out of the water at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery's adult collection facility on Sunday, Sept. 29 in Salkum.

Trump's NOAA firings raise doubts for Pacific Northwest fisheries

Owen Liu was hired to help solve a mystery. Fishers had been plying the Pacific Ocean in search of hake, a species making up one of the most lucrative fisheries on the West Coast. But the … more

Isabella Breda / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/14/25

Orcas travel as far as Chehalis River Bridge in Grays Harbor

Last Friday, April 4, a group of killer whales swam into Grays Harbor, reportedly going at least as far as under the Chehalis River Bridge. According to the California Current Killer Whale … more

By The Daily World | 4/14/25

WDFW A crate full of about 500 undersized crab was offloaded in Westport.

714 pounds of undersized crab seized in Westport

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife police officer Lanny McOmber recently investigated a tip about a commercial Dungeness crab vessel delivering undersized crab in Westport. Officer … more

By The Daily World | 4/14/25

Washington state Chief Justice Deborah Stephens on the Inside Olympia set with host Austin Jenkins. (Photo courtesy of TVW)

Washington state chief justice defends equity push, flags AI concerns

This article was first published by TVW . Despite growing national backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Stephens says the … more

By Paul W. Taylor / TVW | 4/14/25

Why 2,000 workers were just hired at NW’s only nuclear power reactor

You may be seeing more out-of-state license plates than usual around the Tri-Cities for a couple of months. RV parks and short term rentals are booked up and restaurants may be busier than … more

Annette Cary / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/13/25

Tesla charging stations in Hartford, Connecticut. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/TNS)

Suspect started a fire that damaged Tesla vehicle charging station in Lacey, FBI says

A suspect who damaged a Tesla supercharger in Lacey last week started a fire at the site and may have been injured as a result, the FBI announced Friday. About 1:30 a.m. April 8, the FBI says a … more

Rolf Boone / The News Tribune (TNS) | 4/13/25

Washington state Senate passes bill that partly revises parents’ bill of rights initiative

The Washington State Senate on Friday approved Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1296 , one of this session’s most controversial and divisive pieces of legislation, on a 30-19 party-line vote. … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 4/13/25

Inmates utilize the library at the Washington Corrections Center for Women on April 8.

Feds cancel $3.9 million in funding to Washington State Library, jeopardizing key services

The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has canceled $3.9 million in grants to the Washington State Library, putting key programs and at least 30 jobs in jeopardy. … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 4/13/25

'We made a mistake': REI apologizes for supporting Trump public lands pick

REI offered a mea culpa for backing Doug Burgum, the former North Dakota governor who President Donald Trump picked for interior secretary. The Issaquah-based co-op signed onto a letter in … more

Alex Halverson / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/13/25

Gov. Bob Ferguson delivers his inaugural address in the House chambers at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

GPS monitoring bill for sexually violent predators signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson

The room looked undisturbed. A gold watch, pill bottles, a backpack and a toothbrush had all been left behind, tidily arranged in the small Tukwila apartment. The man's clothes had been neatly put … more

Rebecca Moss / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/13/25

Washington detective's suicide recognized, years later, as line-of-duty death

As an undercover Seattle police detective, Bryan Van Brunt was unbelievably good at living the made-up lives of the criminal characters he inhabited: an Aryan biker and gunrunner, a drug dealer, an … more

Mike Carter / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/13/25

Proposed port fees could have 'devastating consequences,' Washington state wheat growers warn

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has escalated his trade war, raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% last week even as he paused some taxes on imports from other countries. But another … more

Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 4/13/25

The Chehalis River flows past Cosmopolis and to the harbor.

How a rural Grays Harbor County town illustrates an American crossroads

COSMOPOLIS, Grays Harbor County — For a long time, this small and struggling community along the Chehalis River bled money, but newly elected Mayor Linda Springer set a new direction when she … more

Conrad Swanson / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/13/25