20 state employees recognized for saving Washington more than $1M
OLYMPIA—The Productivity Board, a state employee incentive program of the Office of the Secretary of State, voted unanimously, Thursday, May 28, to approve recognition of three teams of Washington state employees and two individual state workers for their suggestions to reduce costs, saving over $1.09 million in taxpayer money. In total, 20 employees across three […]
Bookmark Design Challenge Winners Revealed for America’s 250th Anniversary
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Second Lady Usha Vance, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), announced on Friday, May 29, the winners of the Bookmark Design Challenge: Celebrating America’s 250th, a nationwide opportunity for students in grades K–8 to create original artwork reflecting what America means to them. Selected from submissions across the United States, […]
Bat tests positive for rabies in Snohomish County; three people exposed
EVERETT—Three Snohomish County residents were exposed to a bat that tested positive for rabies this week and are now receiving rabies preventive treatment, Snohomish County Health Department announced Friday. It’s the first positive rabies test for a bat in the county since 2023. The rabid bat flew into a private home Sunday night in rural […]
Somers, Franklin, and Parshall secure Everett Link in new Sound Transit 3 realignment
SEATTLE—The Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted a $57.5 billion updated Sound Transit 3 system plan late Thursday night, rescuing the ambitious 2016 voter-approved light rail project from a $34.5 billion shortfall and setting a clear, affordable path forward to providing a truly integrated regional transit system connecting Everett to Tacoma. “This resolution reflects both […]
AG Brown Launches Free “Your Rights as a Service Member in Washington” Resource Guide
To close out National Military Appreciation Month, the Attorney General’s Office released a new resource guide today for military service members in Washington informing them of their rights and protections. The guide includes information about state and federal laws that affect military service members in Washington and where service members and their families can go […]
New Limited-Edition ORCA Card for 2026 FIFA World Cup, Get Yours Today!
As the King and Snohomish Counties prepare to welcome soccer fans from around the globe for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, King County Metro has released a limited-edition ORCA card that fuses the region’s Indigenous artistic traditions with the thrill of the game. The collectible card, dubbed the SEA26 ORCA, marks Seattle’s status as one […]
Behind airplane assembly lines: Electroimpact quietly shapes modern aviation
MUKILTEO—Tucked along the waterfront near Boeing’s Everett assembly plant, Electroimpact has quietly become one of the world’s most influential aerospace manufacturing firms, designing the massive automated systems and tooling that help assemble modern commercial aircraft and spacecraft. Founded in 1986 by mechanical engineer Peter Zieve, the Mukilteo company has grown from a small Seattle startup […]
New Workers’ Compensation Penalty Increases Hit July 1
OLYMPIA— Washington employers face higher penalties starting July 1, 2026, for violations of the state’s workers’ compensation laws as the Department of Labor & Industries applies a required inflation adjustment of 12.11 percent. The increases stem from a 2020 state law that raised long-stagnant penalty amounts for the first time in decades and ordered automatic […]
COMMENTRY: See How Snohomish County Legislators REALLY Voted in 2026
We at Future 42 are proud to release our 2026 Snohomish County Legislative Scorecard, an abbreviated version from the state scorecard focused on the votes cast by Snohomish County legislators this session in Olympia. Here, we shine a light on how our state senators and representatives stood on 12 key bills and amendments during the […]
Washington’s unemployment rate ticks up to 5.2% in April as job losses mount
OLYMPIA — Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.2% (212,533 residents) in April 2026, up one-tenth of a percentage point from a revised 5.1% in March and well above the 4.5% (181,390 residents) recorded a year earlier, the state Employment Security Department released Tuesday. Nonfarm employment decreased by an estimated 4,500 jobs on a […]
