New flood wall saves Mount Vernon, Snohomish County roads face major repairs
MOUNT VERNON—On the Saturday following record-breaking Skagit River flooding, Mount Vernon Mayor Peter Donovan stood before the city’s 1.4-mile flood wall (a.k.a. The Wall) and declared it a game-changer, as U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Governor Bob Ferguson and local emergency officials gathered to assess response efforts and brace for more rain. “Downtown Mount Vernon stayed […]
Flooding update: rescues, federal emergency, and a second coming
WASHINGTON STATE—Dozens of people were rescued in Snohomish County, from Wednesday through Thursday, due to the state, and federally, declared “emergency” flooding that swept the region, with more storms and more flooding ahead. Meteorologists working with the National Weather Service (NWS) issued weather alerts for Washington residents on Wednesday, December 10, due to, what they […]
WA residents encouraged to support Western Washington flood relief
OLYMPIA—Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is encouraging Washington residents, public employees, and state retirees to help residents of Western Washington affected by flooding from this week’s atmospheric river. Secretary Hobbs authorized the activation of the Disaster Relief Center (DRC), a special function of the Office of the Secretary of State’s Combined Fund Drive (CFD), and […]
Skagit levees face critical test, Ferguson warns of ‘Very Serious’ flooding
MOUNT VERNON—Governor Bob Ferguson on Thursday urged Washington residents facing flooding to immediately evacuate if ordered, stressing the “very, very serious situation” posed by what he described as potentially historic and unpredictable waters across the state as a result of the atmospheric river that slammed the Pacific Northwest. “This is obviously a statewide emergency impacting […]
Snohomish County flood warnings and immediate evacuations in effect
SNOHOMISH COUNTY—A countywide state of emergency has been declared, with the Washington State Emergency Operations Center at its highest activation level and National Guard resources deployed for support. All major rivers in the county – Snohomish, Skykomish, Stillaguamish, and portions of the Skagit – are at major flood stages as of Thursday (Dec. 11) morning […]
Possible record-breaking flooding; calls for evacuations, closures, and state of emergency
WASHINGTON STATE—Meteorologists working with the National Weather Service (NWS) issued weather alerts for Washington residents on Wednesday, December 10, due to, what they’re predicting to be, “record-breaking flooding” – especially in the Puget Sound and Northern Cascades regions. In response, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation in anticipation of these floods throughout the […]
Bob Ferguson hosts Tim Walz at $2,500-a-table lunch as Minnesota Governor doubles down on immigration
[The Center Square]—Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, under fire for failing to prevent a massive welfare fraud scheme in his state, was in Seattle on Tuesday as the special guest at Gov. Bob Ferguson’s fundraising luncheon, telling those in attendance Somalis were being “demonized” and vowing to bring more into his state. “These folks better not […]
Washington lawmakers want to regulate license plate readers
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington state lawmakers next year hope to rein in law enforcement’s use of automated license plate readers amid revelations federal immigration authorities are using the data. The readers are mounted everywhere from street poles to police patrol cars. They take pictures of vehicles and use artificial intelligence to analyze the data. Police can […]
Washington Sentencing Commission Recommends Reduced Penalties for Sex-Offense Sting Busts Against Minors
The Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission voted 7-2-3 on November 14, 2025, to recommend lighter sentences for adults convicted of attempting to sexually exploit minors in law-enforcement “Net Nanny” operations, if the offender has no prior convictions exploiting a child. The proposal now advances to the Washington State Legislature for consideration in the 2026 session […]
Olympic Pipeline partially restored, source of leak located
EVERETT—Integrated oil and gas company British Petroleum (BP) has located the source of a leak in its Olympic Pipeline, 15 days after the leak was first discovered, and restored service to one, of two lines, that send jet fuel to SeaTac Airport. BP’s Olympic Pipeline transfers refined products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, […]
