State Attorney General Nick Brown wants the conservative U.S. Supreme Court to wade into Washington’s fight over district boundaries for the state Legislature. In an interview, he explained why. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/08/w...

Gov. Bob Ferguson’s budget director is warning state agency leaders to prepare for what is "likely to be the most challenging budget any of us has yet faced.” This and more in the Standard's latest Weekend Wrap newsletter. newsletters.washingtonstatestandard.com/p/the-standa...

Three environmental groups are suing to block the logging of nearly 400 acres of state forestland in Washington’s Elwha Watershed. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/05/e...

Electric utilities in Washington and Oregon are turning to gas to meet rapid and growing energy demand from data centers, according to recent reports. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/04/r...

Despite passing some of the nation’s first laws barring federal law enforcement agents from concealing their identities, Oregon and Washington have yet to receive the same response from the Trump administration as other Democratic states. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/04/r...

Authorities arrested a man early Thursday after he allegedly broke several windows of the Washington state Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to break in. washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/man-a...

Opponents of Washington's new income tax on millionaire earners are racing to gather signatures for a repeal initiative ahead of a July 2 deadline to get the measure on this year's ballot. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/03/f...

Following a chemical tank implosion that killed 11 people at a mill in Longview, Washington, the plant’s owner said Wednesday it would pay employees at least until early August even if stoppages at the damaged facility prevent them from working. washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/millw...

The only federal agency dedicated solely to helping states and localities run smooth and secure elections operates on a meager budget. U.S. House Republicans have signaled they want sizable further cuts. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/03/r...

The state of Washington on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to accept a challenge against the state’s political maps, then remand it to a lower court to determine if the way the lines were drawn complies with a recent ruling in a Louisiana case. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/02/w...

President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund appeared to be on shaky ground Monday as he continued to face opposition from his own party. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/02/r...

Gov. Bob Ferguson is rejecting a lead Republican’s proposal to temporarily suspend Washington’s cap-and-trade program to decrease prices at the pump. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/01/f...

Washington’s rural counties saw the largest drops in insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act after the Republican-controlled Congress failed to extend subsidies that helped consumers afford the plans. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/01/w...

No state agency was responsible for inspecting the 900,000-gallon chemical storage tank that burst at a mill in southwest Washington this week, leaving 11 people dead. washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/wa-ag...

A ginormous cost increase to construct a new bridge linking Washington and Oregon is forcing state leaders and program managers to rightsize public expectations for the megaproject. And, some say, downsize the vision for a marquee component — light rail. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/29/l...

A federal judge on Thursday declined to block President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail, finding that it was too early to challenge the directive. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/28/r...

The Trump administration wants the U.S. Supreme Court to empower states to review their voter rolls for noncitizens just days before elections, a change that voting rights advocates say would risk disenfranchising Americans. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/27/r...

An imperiled newt only found in and around southern Oregon’s Crater Lake may soon be protected under the Endangered Species Act following a three-year legal battle. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/27/r...

The death toll from Tuesday’s chemical tank rupture at a mill in southwest Washington has climbed to at least two people, while nine others remain “unrecovered,” according to authorities. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/27/c...

A federal judge in Seattle on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration wrongfully terminated a $4 million grant for Washington meant to provide services for new migrants. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/27/j...

Washington state agencies are responding to a chemical tank implosion at a mill in Longview that authorities said killed multiple people and injured others. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/26/s...

The Washington attorney general’s office has settled roughly four dozen cases of alleged violations of the state's law capping residential rent increases. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/26/1...

Immigrants seeking green cards will have to return first to their home countries and wait despite years of potential backlogs, the Trump administration announced Friday. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/22/r...

Cuts that Republicans in the U.S. House are seeking to the nuclear cleanup at Washington’s Hanford site would go deeper than steep reductions the Trump administration proposed. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/21/g...

During the height of December’s severe flooding, Washington made $3.5 million available to those in need. Five months later, most of that funding has gone unused. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/20/o...

Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act continues to erode as some customers struggle to make premium payments. In response, insurers are likely to raise rates again next year, following this year’s larger-than-typical hikes. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/20/e...

The Trump administration on Tuesday launched an investigation into Washington state’s practice of housing transgender women in its women’s prison. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/19/w...

A federal judge has rejected a request to ditch political maps for Washington’s Legislature that he approved two years ago. Now, opponents are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in. washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/feder...

Theo Angelis is Washington’s newest state Supreme Court justice. He was formally sworn in Monday in a ceremony at the Temple of Justice in Olympia. Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed him to the role in March. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/18/t...

In three states, Democratic lawmakers introduced bills this session that would allow insurance companies or state attorneys general to take action against oil companies to offset the rising costs of insurance. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/16/r...

A Washington judge on Friday sided with the state as he turned back a lawsuit seeking to block a controversial 2025 law concerning rights for parents of public school students. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/15/j...

Food stamp enrollment in Washington state fell sharply between last summer and early this year amid federal cuts to the program and as fewer immigrants accessed benefits. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/15/f...

The federal government announced Wednesday it’s reimbursing the Washington state health department $263 million for costs responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/wa-ge...

A federal judge is weighing whether to toss redrawn political maps for Washington’s Legislature that he approved two years ago, a move that state officials warn would take “a wrecking ball” to the upcoming primary, possibly forcing it to be rescheduled. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/14/f...

It’s going to be another tough year for Washington farmers, who were already facing record-low worldwide commodity prices. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/13/c...

Hopes of a World Cup tourism boom are feeling shaky in Seattle Like other host cities around the U.S., hotel bookings are trailing early expectations. Boosters of downtown and the hotel industry are trying to stay upbeat. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/13/h...

Environmental activists have raised the $32,000 needed to spare the trees surrounding a campground on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula from logging. washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/fundr...

Let’s Go Washington began gathering signatures Tuesday for an initiative to repeal the state’s new income tax on high earners, the start to what could be a blockbuster ballot battle this fall. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/12/i...

This year’s midterms are significant for Washington state government, as all 98 seats in the state House and 24 of 49 state Senate seats are up for grabs. Here are some highlights of who's in the running. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/12/m...

State Supreme Court races often pass by without much attention as incumbent justices sail to reelection. It’ll be different this year, as retirements promise to shake up the high court. Five seats are on the ballot. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/11/w...

Washington's public lands agency is confronting an operating cash crunch as timber sale revenue lags. Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove argues his decision to set aside some older forests from logging is not to blame. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/11/w...

With Friday’s 5 p.m. candidate filing deadline, the field is coming into focus for the 2026 Washington state primaries. Here are some of the state legislative races to watch. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/08/a...

Starting in June, Washingtonians on Premera Blue Cross insurance may no longer pay in-network rates at MultiCare hospitals and clinics, if the insurer and healthcare organization can’t agree on reimbursements. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/08/n...

The U.S. Court of International Trade handed a win to two small businesses and the state of Washington after they challenged President Donald Trump's 10% global tariffs, imposed after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his previous emergency tariff regime. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/07/r...

There’s no immediate push to redraw Washington state’s congressional map. But Democratic leaders are not ruling out the idea if they win supermajorities in the Legislature. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/07/w...

Advocates are frustrated by what they see as slow progress in reducing solitary confinement in Washington state prisons. The Department of Corrections pledged in 2023 to reduce solitary confinement by 90% in five years. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/06/c...

A Washington Supreme Court commissioner on Tuesday declined to pause a judge’s ruling that blocked a new law setting stricter qualifications for sheriffs. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/05/w...

Federal agencies say they have yet to take steps to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail, as the Department of Justice fights a Democrat-led lawsuit against it. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/04/r...

Washington’s Supreme Court on Monday denied a conservative political committee’s request to pursue an attempt to repeal the state’s new income tax law with a referendum this fall. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/04/w...

A new effort to force states to affirm the Trump administration’s views on DEI, transgender athletes and immigration is threatening millions of dollars in wildfire grant funding and fire reduction projects on federal lands. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/05/02/r...