2025 Transportation Recap: New Major Infrastructure Advances in Snohomish County
In 2025, Snohomish County and surrounding areas saw significant strides in transportation infrastructure amid ongoing funding challenges. Below are some of the highlights of 2025 regarding major transportation stories. Port of Everett’s New Marina Fuel Dock Now Open The Port of Everett’s new 500-foot Marina Fuel Dock, costing $8.1 million, is now open after replacing […]
WAGOP Chair accuse AG Brown and Sen Wellman of shielding fraudsters in childcare scandal
BELLEVUE—Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh criticized Democratic officials for their responses to an expanding federal investigation into alleged childcare fraud, accusing them of siding with potential wrongdoers over taxpayers amid claims the schemes have spread from Minnesota to states including Washington. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a nationwide probe into […]
Key US-2 bridge near Skykomish set for full reopening Jan 4, restoring western access to Stevens Pass
SKYKOMISH — A key bridge on US-2 near Skykomish has been cleared of debris and deemed structurally sound, allowing the western section of the route to reopen from Monroe to Stevens Pass starting January 4, Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington State Transportation Secretary Julie Meredith announced Tuesday. Repairs along a 49-mile stretch of US-2 are […]
US-2 to partially reopen, Skykomish section closed for bridge inspections
SHORELINE—Governor Bob Ferguson announced Friday that a section of US-2 over Stevens Pass will partially reopen from the east side (Leavenworth side) starting Monday, December 29, offering very limited access to the Stevens Pass Ski Resort as inspections, clean ups, and repairs are underway from back-to-back atmospheric rivers that hit Washington in mid-December. The 49-mile […]
HHS declares Public Health Emergency in Washington amid historic flooding
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared a public health emergency for Washington state on Christmas Eve, aiming to ease health care access amid devastating storms, high winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides that have battered the region. The move follows President Donald J Trump’s approval of an emergency declaration earlier this […]
WA governor calls for tapping reserve fund and climate law cash to fill budget hole
OLYMPIA [JERRY CORNFIELD]—Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson made a splash Tuesday with his full-throated endorsement of taxing the earnings of millionaires. The surprise declaration from the first-term Democratic governor nearly drowned out his newly released plan to erase a multibillion-dollar shortfall in the current state budget. He made “super clear” that if Washington taxes millionaires, the […]
WA GOP budget lead blasts Ferguson’s budget plan as ‘a complete joke’
[The Center Square]—Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson released his proposed 2026 supplemental budget on Tuesday, the deadline for presenting it. Ferguson’s proposed budget totals $79 billion and aims to address a projected $2.3 billion shortfall through a combination of cost-saving reductions and targeted spending in housing, education and infrastructure. “I want to be clear that […]
Washington Gov backs ‘millionaires tax’ on incomes over $1M
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposed income tax on residents earning more than $1 million annually, and said he’s prepared to sign the policy into law next year. Some legislative Democrats are eyeing a 9.9% “millionaires tax” on adjusted annual gross income over $1 million. Ferguson endorsed this version […]
Ferguson sounds alarm on levee conditions, Guard deployed for 24/7 monitoring
KENT—Governor Bob Ferguson outlined ongoing flood risks Saturday amid a historic deluge from back-to-back atmospheric rivers, announcing the mobilization of 100 National Guard members to patrol strained levees while warning of a moderate chance for additional breaches despite receding waters. “The risk of another breach has most certainly come down in the past week,” Ferguson […]
‘Infrastructure means access,’ Ferguson’s new $2.1 billion maintenance push for safe roads and bridges
LACEY—Governor Bob Ferguson unveiled a $2.1 billion plan on Friday to bolster preservation and maintenance of Washington’s roads and bridges, marking the largest such investment in any enacted budget over the past two decades. The proposal, which requires legislative approval during the 2026 session, aims to address long-standing “neglect,” according to Ferguson, in the state’s […]
