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Northwest

New sentences coming for 3rd-strikers convicted of robbery

Second-degree robbery used to be considered one of Washington’s most serious offenses.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks during a news conference Thursday, March 11, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Inslee said that the Seattle Mariners baseball team, the Seattle Sounders MLS soccer team and the National Women's Soccer League's OL Reign will soon be able to welcome a limited number of fans to their stadiums under a 25% seating capacity when they open their seasons. The easing of restrictions will also apply to high school sports, and was one of several aspects of the state's ongoing re-opening plan developed during the COVID-19 pandemic that were announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Local News

Inslee wants one more thing: An extra nickel at the gas pump

He’s ready to call lawmakers back for a special session to get money for the new climate change…

Northwest

Census: Washington population increases to 7.7 million

The state grew by nearly 15% over 10 years, but the number of congressional districts will remain at…

Northwest

Oregon’s steady growth lands it an additional US House seat

The Legislature has until Sept. 27 to complete the redistricting process.

Jose Luis Gonzalez, left, gets his second shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Cecilia Valdovinos, right, Thursday, March 25, 2021, at the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic in Toppenish, Wash. Gonzalez is a maintenance worker at Brulotte Farms a hops producer in Toppenish. In Washington state, seasonal workers who are beginning to arrive to join year-round employees to work on hops farms and in cherry and apple orchards became eligible for the vaccine earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Northwest

Judge blocks some virus protection rules on Washington farms

Workers no longer have to be within 20 minutes of an emergency room and an hour from a…

Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, left, presides over a session of the House, with most representatives attending remotely, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia Wash. Lawmakers were considering a proposed new tax in Washington state on capital gains that would be imposed on the sale of stocks and bonds in excess of $250,000. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Local News

Top 10 issues in Washington state’s 2021 legislative session

Democrats used their majorities to muscle through social, economic, environmental and tax policies.

Northwest

Washington Legislature approves new capital gains tax

It is certain to face a legal challenge from opponents who say the measure violates the state constitution.

Seattle Police officers disperse after taking part in a public roll call at Hing Hay Park in the heart of Seattle's Chinatown-International District Thursday, March 18, 2021, at the start of their shift as part of a community response unit. Due to recent episodes of violence and bias against Asians in Seattle and nationwide, law-enforcement presence in heavily Asian neighborhoods has increased, and the group of officers recently began starting some of their shifts at the park before working foot and bicycle patrols in the area to increase security and visibility. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Northwest

Washington Senate gives final OK to police reform bills

New measures include restrictions on tactics and equipment, and a statewide standard on use of force.

FILE - This Saturday, March 6, 2021, file photo, shows vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital pharmacy. Oregon health officials said Thursday, April 22, 2021, that federal officials are investigating the death of a woman in her 50s who developed a rare blood clot and low platelets within two weeks of receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Northwest

CDC investigating woman’s death after J&J vaccine in Oregon

Health officials say it’s not certain that her death is related to the vaccination.

Gov. Jay Inslee speaks with pod manager Peyton Plucker at the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Arlington Municipal Airport on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Gov. Inslee: We’ve entered a fourth surge of COVID-19

He pointed to data showing the state’s rising cases, hospitalizations and spread of virus variants.

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2020, file photo, a helicopter makes a water drop on a hotspot of a wildfire burning in Bonney Lake, Wash., south of Seattle. A bill to spend $125 million to prevent and fight wildfires in Washington state was passed by the House on Thursday, April 22, 2021, and now will go to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File)

Northwest

Bill to prevent and fight wildfires approved by Legislature

During last year’s wildland fire season, over 1,250 square miles burned in Washington.

FILE - In this July 25, 2020, file photo, smoke rises as police clash with protester during a Black Lives Matter protest near the Seattle Police East Precinct headquarters in Seattle. A Seattle police officer who threw a tear gas canister that hit a reporter and other officers who threw blast balls that hit individuals during last summer's Black Lives Matter protests violated policies, according to new reports from an independent agency tasked with investigating police misconduct. The agency has released five batches of investigative reports since September, with the latest 22 cases posted Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Northwest

Legislature: Elected officials must OK tear gas use by cops

The bill also addresses other police tactics and gear in response to the killing of George Floyd.

FILE - In this file photo taken Jan. 6, 2021 at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., two men stand armed with guns in front of the Governor's Mansion during a protest supporting President Donald Trump and against the counting of electoral votes in Washington, DC, affirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory. The open carry of guns and other weapons would be banned on the Washington state Capitol campus and at or near any public demonstration across Washington under a measure that received a remote public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021 by the Senate Law and Justice Committee. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Northwest

Washington Legislature OKs open carry ban at Capitol

The bill now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee, who is expected to sign it.

Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, bangs the gavel during a session of the House, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia Wash. Lawmakers were considering a proposed new tax in Washington state on capital gains that would be imposed on the sale of stocks and bonds in excess of $250,000. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Local News

Washington House approves new tax on capital gains

The measure passed on a 52-46 vote after close to two hours of debate. Now it heads back…

FILE - In this July 9, 2014 file photo, a sign informs visitors of prohibited items on the Hanford Site near Richland, Wash. The U.S. Department of Energy has confirmed that two underground structures at the decommissioned Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state have been stabilized after they were deemed at risk of collapsing and spreading radioactive contamination into the air. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Northwest

Nuclear waste structures at Hanford site are now stabilized

It costs about $2.5 billion a year to clean up radioactive waste left from the 1950s and 1960s.

The Dreamlifter Operations Center at Paine Field airport on June 6, 2019. The operations center is located next the the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center. (Janice Podsada / Herald file)

Local News

FedEx nears Paine Field deal as Boeing abandons Dreamlifter

Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson called the possibility of new cargo flights “really unfortunate.”

Protesters lit a portable bathroom on fire in downtown Portland, Ore., Friday, April 16, 2021. Police in Portland, Oregon, said Saturday they arrested four people after declaring a riot Friday night when protesters smashed windows, burglarized businesses and set multiple fires during demonstrations that started after police fatally shot a man while responding to reports of a person with a gun. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)

Northwest

Police ask for help identifying Portland, Oregon, rioters

Police declared a riot Friday night during demonstrations after officers fatally shot a man.

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2018, file photo, semi-automatic rifles are displayed on a wall at a gun shop in Lynnwood, Wash. Lawmakers in Oregon are considering a proposed gun storage law that would be the among strongest in America (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Northwest

Oregon gun storage law would be among nation’s toughest

The bill mandates that gun owners secure unattended weapons with trigger locks or in locked compartments.

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman looks up at a video monitor in a hallway as he arrives for a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Local News

Ouch: Judge orders Tim Eyman to pay state’s $2.9M legal tab

In February, a judge found that the serial initiative promoter repeatedly violated campaign finance laws.

Northwest

Mount Vernon woman found guilty of plot to kill ex-husband

She tried to convince her child to kill his father by adding rat poison to his food and…