SAVE America Act could cost Washington $40M and block eligible voters, Hobbs warns
Election officials warned Thursday that the SAVE America Act could saddle the state with tens of millions of dollars in new costs and erect fresh barriers for eligible voters already accustomed to convenient mail-in balloting. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs joined U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, along with […]
New targeted tax in WA aims to keep coal power plant shut down
OLYMPIA [TOM BANSE]—Tax legislation Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Wednesday targets the last coal-fired power plant in the Pacific Northwest. But if the coal tax and a related climate pollution fee work as the Legislature intended, the state treasury will never collect a dime under the new law. That is because the idled Centralia, Washington, generating […]
Trump announces new tariffs after SCOTUS ruling, alleges foreign meddling
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald J Trump on Friday lambasted the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruling curtailing his use of emergency powers for tariffs, labeling it “ridiculous” and “terrible,” while alleging foreign influence on nation’s highest court. He announced that the tariffs will remain in effect and that he will be signing an executive […]
Washington flood damage totals at least $182M, governor says
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Tuesday asked the Trump administration for up to $173 million to deal with damage to roads, levees and more from flooding in December, and prepare for similar future disasters. The preliminary damage estimate for the state is $182.3 million, Ferguson said. “This historic flooding resulted in, we believe, […]
WA officials address voting concerns after Trump’s comments on SAVE Act
OLYMPIA – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s comments about “nationalizing” elections and the SAVE America Act, saying Washington’s election system will remain secure and locally controlled. In an email statement to the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA), Hobbs said Washington is prepared to protect voters’ rights despite […]
Multistate coalition protects about $1.4 billion in K-12 funding for Washington
OLYMPIA—Attorney General Nick Brown and a coalition of 18 other attorneys general have secured an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education that protects about $1.4 billion funding equal access to education for students from low-income families, English learners, children with disabilities, and other students in Washington state. On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education […]
‘Pie Crust Promise,’ Rally at Capitol pushes for Parental Rights and Girls’ Sports protections
OLYMPIA—Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday to rally in support of two citizen initiatives aimed at restoring parental rights in schools and barring biological males from competing in female sports, voicing frustration that Democratic leaders in the Legislature have refused to hold hearings on the measures despite constitutional requirements. […]
Push for youth social media safeguards revived in WA Legislature
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Avery Ping had a knack for noticing who in a room might be having a bad day and checking in on them. He wanted to be a psychiatrist. But the Olympia teen was addicted to his screen, his father Aaron said. He wanted to get away from his phone, and Aaron was adamant […]
WA GOP and journalist file injunction to stop state from deleting child care records
[The Center Square]—The Washington State Republican Party and journalist Jonathan Choe have jointly filed an injunction in Thurston County Superior Court barring the state from scrubbing or removing public access to records related to child care centers in the state that receive public funds. Choe, a journalist and senior fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center on […]
Refusing to take fraud concerns seriously will add to public’s distrust
Allegations of fraud involving childcare funding and other government-subsidized programs elsewhere have people here concerned that something similar could be happening in Washington. I know this because of the calls and emails that have come in since federal Republicans began investigating the suspected theft, through fraud, of billions in taxpayer dollars intended to subsidize a […]
