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Steve Hobbs, who was sworn in as Washington Secretary of State, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held his office. Hobbs, a former state senator from Lake Stevens, Wash., is the first person of color to head the office and the first Democrat to serve as Secretary in more than 50 years. He replaces Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who resigned to accept an election security job in the Biden administration. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Local News

Steve Hobbs sworn in as Washington’s 16th secretary of state

The state senator from Lake Stevens is the first Democrat to hold the position in 56 years.

Northwest

COVID hits communities of color harder, state report says

Hispanics comprise 13% of the state’s population. They’ve accounted for 26% of COVID cases and 19% of hospitalizations.

Northwest

Mount Vernon floodwall does its job — save the city

In its first major test since it was built in 2018, the structure along the Skagit River keeps…

Northwest

Washington gets another positive state revenue forecast

The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council reported a steady increase of state revenues over the past year.

Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman poses for a photo, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Wyman, a Republican, is leaving her office to serve as the election security lead for the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the agency responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Northwest

Republican answers ‘call of duty’ with Biden election job

Washington’s Secretary of State Kim Wyman readies for a new election security job in the Biden administration.

The northbound Amtrak Cascades train rolls across the Interstate 5 overpass in DuPont, Wash., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. The overpass was the site of the fatal train derailment in December 2018. (Tony Overman /The News Tribune via AP)

Northwest

Amtrak resumes service on route where 3 died in 2017

Service resumed on the Point Defiance Bypass nearly four years after an Amtrak train derailed there.

Alexandra Morosco works on a relief carving in her studio. The art piece is a thank-you gift to the kennel where she found her faithful canine companion, a Tibetan mastiff. (Kira Erickson / South Whidbey Record)

Life

Whidbey Art Market returns Nov. 26 and 27

The market creator hopes that shoppers will see the value in buying locally this holiday season.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., listens to a question during an interview Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Seattle. Jayapal's career has rapidly ascended into the top tiers of U.S. politics, bringing with her the progressive street cred she amassed in Seattle and a political sensibility she has decisively wielded in D.C. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Local News

Seattle shows the power and limits of Jayapal’s progressives

The House member, whose 7th District includes a portion of Snohomish County, has rapidly ascended U.S. politics.

The Washington State Redistricting Commission approved this Legislative District map and released it to the public Tuesday night. It is not the final map — the Washington Supreme Court has jurisdiction to adopt the final districting plan. (Washington State Redistricting Commission)

Local News

Remorseful redistricting panel: Court should consider our maps

The commission released “fair” maps of new political boundaries on Tuesday — a day past the deadline.

A woman and children who were stranded by high water due to flooding are rescued by a volunteer operating a boat in Abbotsford, British Columbia on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. Officials in a small city near the Canada border are calling the damage devastating after a storm that dumped rain for days caused flooding and mudslides. City officials in Sumas, Washington said Tuesday that hundreds of people had been evacuated and estimated that 75% of homes had water damage. Just over the border, residents in about 1,100 rural homes in Abbotsford were told to evacuate as waterways started to rise quickly. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Northwest

US Northwest, Canada devastated by flood, 1 death reported

Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday declared a severe weather state of emergency in 14 counties.

In this photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation, a rock and mudslide briefly closed a portion of Interstate 5 through Bellingham, Wash., on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. There was widespread flooding in the area as storms continued in the Pacific Northwest. (Washington State Department of Transportation via AP)

Northwest

One missing, 500 displaced in Whatcom floodwaters

Rain sent the Nooksack River roaring over its banks at levels not seen in more than a generation.

The Washington State Redistricting Commission held a public meeting over Zoom on Monday night to draw the final legislative and congressional district boundaries. Most of the five-hour session was spent in "caucus meetings" which were unavailable to the viewing public. (Washington State Redistricting Commission)

Local News

Bipartisan commission fails to draw new political boundaries

For the first time in state history, the Supreme Court will define new congressional and legislative districts.

FILE - Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson looks on during a news conference in Seattle on Dec. 17, 2019. Ferguson rejected a half-billion-dollar settlement offer, and now he's taking the state's case against the nation's three biggest drug distributors to trial Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. He says they must be held accountable for their role in the opioid crisis. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Northwest

Washington seeks over $38 billion from opioid distributors

AG Bob Ferguson is seeking a payout of tens of billions of dollars to help undo the damage.

Seattle Fire Deputy Chief Jay Schreckengost. (Seattle Fire Department)

Northwest

Body of Seattle deputy fire chief found after 2-week search

Jay Schreckengost had gone elk hunting in Kittitas County and was last heard from on Nov. 2.

Vaccination rates for school employees by school district.

Local News

Many public school employees are exempt from getting vaccine

Districts gave exemptions to hundreds with sincerely held religious beliefs ahead of last month’s deadline.

Northwest

King County judge upholds Port of Seattle’s vaccine mandate

Judge Samuel Chung has upheld a mandate for all Port of Seattle employees to be vaccinated by Nov.…

Washington Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, talks to reporters, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Ericksen, who is currently serving as both a state senator and a member of President Donald Trump's transition team, said that the Republican majority in the state Senate can rely on him, and that he's able to do both jobs. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Northwest

State lawmaker ill with COVID-19 in El Salvador

Doug Ericksen, a Republican who represents the 42nd District in Whatcom County, is sickened with COVID-19.

Staff shortages have hit the Department of Transportation, which means roads might not be plowed or maintained as quickly as motorists have come to expect. (Washington State Department of Transportation)

Northwest

Staffing shortages at DOT could mean closed roads this winter

Snow clearing could be delayed as the state is down about 300 workers. Also, SR 20 closes Wednesday.

Aerial view of the Amtrak Cascades train derailment in 2017 near DuPont, Wash. (National Transportation Safety Board via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017_Cascades_derailment_aerial_view_from_NTSB_preliminary_report.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>)

Northwest

Amtrak to resume service on bypass 4 years after derailment

Eight trains will use the Point Defiance bypass between Tacoma and Olympia daily starting Nov. 18.

Sen. Steve Hobbs

Local News

Sen. Steve Hobbs of Lake Stevens named secretary of state

Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday appointed the Snohomish County Democrat to succeed departing Republican Kim Wyman.