Northwest

Coronavirus outbreak

Canada announces it’s dropping testing requirement at border

Starting April 1, fully vaccinated travelers won’t be required to complete a pre-entry COVID-19 test.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs a measure that prohibits legal action against both people seeking an abortion and those who aid them, on Thursday, March 17, 2022 in Olympia, Wash. Inslee's signature comes days after the Legislature in neighboring Idaho approved a bill modeled on a law in Texas that allows lawsuits to enforce a ban on abortions performed after six weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)

Inslee signs bill prohibiting Texas-style abortion lawsuits

The law prevents the state from taking action against women seeking abortions and people who assist them.

  • Mar 17, 2022
  • By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs a measure that prohibits legal action against both people seeking an abortion and those who aid them, on Thursday, March 17, 2022 in Olympia, Wash. Inslee's signature comes days after the Legislature in neighboring Idaho approved a bill modeled on a law in Texas that allows lawsuits to enforce a ban on abortions performed after six weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Tulalip Tribes Chairwoman Teri Gobin took this selfie with President Joe Biden after an event Wednesday at the White House to mark the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. 20220316

In D.C., Tulalip Tribes laud revised Violence Against Women Act

Under the 2022 version, tribes have more authority to prosecute non-natives on tribal land.

Tulalip Tribes Chairwoman Teri Gobin took this selfie with President Joe Biden after an event Wednesday at the White House to mark the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. 20220316
Workers carry a tent used by people experiencing homelessness to a garbage truck, Friday, March 11, 2022, during the clearing and removal of several tents at an encampment in Westlake Park in downtown Seattle. Increasingly in liberal cities across the country — where people living in tents in public spaces have long been tolerated — leaders are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures to address homelessness that would have been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Seattle, other liberal U.S. cities now clearing homeless camps

Advocates for the homeless denounce aggressive measures, saying the problem is being treated as a blight or a chance for cheap political gains, instead of a humanitarian crisis.

  • Mar 12, 2022
  • By Wire Service
Workers carry a tent used by people experiencing homelessness to a garbage truck, Friday, March 11, 2022, during the clearing and removal of several tents at an encampment in Westlake Park in downtown Seattle. Increasingly in liberal cities across the country — where people living in tents in public spaces have long been tolerated — leaders are removing encampments and pushing other strict measures to address homelessness that would have been unheard of a few years ago. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Lawmakers meet on the Senate floor, Thursday, March 10, 2022, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington lawmakers were wrapping up their work Thursday with final votes on a supplemental state budget and a transportation revenue package before planning to adjourn the legislative session. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Spending plan brings state ‘out of the pandemic and into a stronger future’

The $64.1 billion supplemental budget and nearly $17 billion transportation revenue package is now headed to Gov. Inslee.

  • Mar 11, 2022
  • By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press
Lawmakers meet on the Senate floor, Thursday, March 10, 2022, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington lawmakers were wrapping up their work Thursday with final votes on a supplemental state budget and a transportation revenue package before planning to adjourn the legislative session. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, pushes a button to cast a vote on the House floor, Thursday, March 10, 2022, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington lawmakers were wrapping up their work Thursday with final votes on a supplemental state budget and a transportation revenue package before planning to adjourn the legislative session. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

9 things state lawmakers did this session — and 1 they didn’t

The Legislature adjourned Thursday after a whirlwind 60-day session dominated by the Democrats’ agenda.

Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, pushes a button to cast a vote on the House floor, Thursday, March 10, 2022, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington lawmakers were wrapping up their work Thursday with final votes on a supplemental state budget and a transportation revenue package before planning to adjourn the legislative session. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Gage Peterson, 11, holds Duke Peterson's, 6, hand as he gets his COVID vaccination Saturday morning at North Sound Pediatrics in Mill Creek on November 6, 2021. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Panel opts against new vaccine requirement for state’s schools

The group expressed concerns over lack of data and unpredictable social impacts of a mandate.

  • Mar 10, 2022
  • By Wire Service
Gage Peterson, 11, holds Duke Peterson's, 6, hand as he gets his COVID vaccination Saturday morning at North Sound Pediatrics in Mill Creek on November 6, 2021. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Clockwise from top left: The Mukilteo ferry terminal, a bike rider in Wenberg County Park in Stanwood, A Sound Transit bus at the Northgate light rail station in Seattle, and the U.S. 2 trestle between Everett and Lake Stevens. (Herald file)

Dems push through sweeping $17B state transportation package

Around $600 million will be poured into Snohomish County projects, including a U.S. 2 trestle replacement.

Clockwise from top left: The Mukilteo ferry terminal, a bike rider in Wenberg County Park in Stanwood, A Sound Transit bus at the Northgate light rail station in Seattle, and the U.S. 2 trestle between Everett and Lake Stevens. (Herald file)
The Legislative Building is seen at dusk Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, following a session of the Legislature in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

As adjournment nears, state lawmakers reach budget accord

The $64.1 billion supplemental state budget was settled a day before the Legislature adjourns a 60-day session.

  • Mar 9, 2022
  • By Rachel La Corte Associated Press
The Legislative Building is seen at dusk Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, following a session of the Legislature in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Dennis Willard, of Bellevue, Wash., carries a sign that reads "Where Is She" as he marches in support of missing and murdered indigenous women during a rally to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day in downtown Seattle, Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. The observance of the day was made official by the Seattle City Council in 2014, and it takes place annually on the federal holiday of Columbus Day. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Washington Legislature OKs missing Indigenous women alert

The system will be similar to so-called “silver alerts” that are in place for missing vulnerable adults.

  • Mar 8, 2022
  • By Wire Service
Dennis Willard, of Bellevue, Wash., carries a sign that reads "Where Is She" as he marches in support of missing and murdered indigenous women during a rally to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day in downtown Seattle, Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. The observance of the day was made official by the Seattle City Council in 2014, and it takes place annually on the federal holiday of Columbus Day. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Sarah Augustine

Washington state redistricting commission chair resigns

Sarah Augustine lashed out at officials for refusing to defend the legislative maps from a legal challenge.

  • Mar 8, 2022
  • By Wire Service
Sarah Augustine

Election offices, government meetings will be gun-free zones

A bill heading to governor will prohibit the “open carry” of firearms in certain civic settings.

FILE - In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017, file photo, a semi-automatic hand gun is displayed with a 10 shot magazine, left, and a 15 shot magazine, right, at a gun store in Elk Grove, Calif. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. The panel's majority ruled Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, that the law banning magazines holding more than 10 bullets violates the constitutional right to bear firearms. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Lawmakers OK limit on sale of high-capacity ammo magazines

The measure passed the state House 55-42 in a vote late Friday night. The governor is expected to sign it.

FILE - In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017, file photo, a semi-automatic hand gun is displayed with a 10 shot magazine, left, and a 15 shot magazine, right, at a gun store in Elk Grove, Calif. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. The panel's majority ruled Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, that the law banning magazines holding more than 10 bullets violates the constitutional right to bear firearms. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
People hold signs as they stand near parked semi-trucks during a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other issues, Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. The trucks were part of a local convoy that traveled to Olympia for the protest. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Coronavirus outbreak

Demonstrators rally in Olympia against state COVID-19 mandates

GOP Rep. Robert Sutherland of Granite Falls told the crowd he was denied entrance to the statehouse because he refused to get tested.

People hold signs as they stand near parked semi-trucks during a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other issues, Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. The trucks were part of a local convoy that traveled to Olympia for the protest. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
FILE - A person walks near the Legislative Building, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington's redistricting commission failed to meet its deadline and on Tuesday, Nov. 16, kicked the job of creating new political maps to the state Supreme Court. The bipartisan commission had a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday to approve new boundaries for congressional and legislative districts following the 2020 census. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Inslee signs laws that fine-tune last year’s policing reform

Lawmakers retooled a law that police said stops them from assisting people in crisis and protecting the public.

FILE - A person walks near the Legislative Building, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington's redistricting commission failed to meet its deadline and on Tuesday, Nov. 16, kicked the job of creating new political maps to the state Supreme Court. The bipartisan commission had a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday to approve new boundaries for congressional and legislative districts following the 2020 census. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
FILE - In this March 9, 1995 file photo, trainer Marcia Hinton pets Lolita, a captive orca whale, during a performance at the Miami Seaquarium in Miami. The new owners of the Miami Seaquarium will no longer stage shows with its aging orca Lolita under an agreement with federal regulators. MS Leisure, a subsidiary of The Dolphin Company, said in a news release it completed acquisition of the Seaquarium on Thursday, March 3, 2022. (Nuri Vallbona/Miami Herald via AP, File)

Miami Seaquarium ending shows with aging Puget Sound orca

The new owners will no longer stage shows with the orca under an agreement with federal regulators.

  • Mar 4, 2022
FILE - In this March 9, 1995 file photo, trainer Marcia Hinton pets Lolita, a captive orca whale, during a performance at the Miami Seaquarium in Miami. The new owners of the Miami Seaquarium will no longer stage shows with its aging orca Lolita under an agreement with federal regulators. MS Leisure, a subsidiary of The Dolphin Company, said in a news release it completed acquisition of the Seaquarium on Thursday, March 3, 2022. (Nuri Vallbona/Miami Herald via AP, File)
Vibal Vidal, a recovery nurse at Swedish Edmonds, pickets outside the hospital Tuesday morning. (Joey Thompson / The Herald)
Coronavirus outbreak

Bill to set minimum hospital staffing dies in state Senate

Hospitals opposed a bill limiting the number of patients per nurse. It died in a committee this week.

Vibal Vidal, a recovery nurse at Swedish Edmonds, pickets outside the hospital Tuesday morning. (Joey Thompson / The Herald)
Mike Kreidler is sworn in as insurance commissioner, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, during a ceremony at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

State insurance commissioner accused of mistreating staff

One staffer filed a formal complaint, saying Mike Kreidler bullied him and antagonized other employees.

  • Mar 3, 2022
  • By Wire Service
Mike Kreidler is sworn in as insurance commissioner, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, during a ceremony at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A trailer with the words "Freedom! No Mandate" on its back window travels with a trucker caravan heading toward Washington D.C. to protest COVID-19 mandates on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, near Needles, Calif. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

“Freedom Convoy” leaves Spokane for Washington, D.C.

They want an end to mask mandates, which are already ending in the state and across the country.

  • Mar 3, 2022
  • By Wire Service
A trailer with the words "Freedom! No Mandate" on its back window travels with a trucker caravan heading toward Washington D.C. to protest COVID-19 mandates on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, near Needles, Calif. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
FILE - Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson talks to reporters, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, during a news conference in Seattle. A trade group that represents some of the biggest U.S. food companies has agreed to pay $9 million for violations of Washington campaign finance laws, after the state Supreme Court upheld a penalty twice that much. Ferguson, who sued the group in 2013, announced it was dropping its appeal and would instead settle the case for $9 million, including $3 million in donations to two charities that fight hunger. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren,File)

Trade group settles state’s GMO-labeling case for $9 million

$3 million goes to charities that fight hunger, and $6 million to the state’s Transparency Account.

  • Mar 2, 2022
  • By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
FILE - Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson talks to reporters, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, during a news conference in Seattle. A trade group that represents some of the biggest U.S. food companies has agreed to pay $9 million for violations of Washington campaign finance laws, after the state Supreme Court upheld a penalty twice that much. Ferguson, who sued the group in 2013, announced it was dropping its appeal and would instead settle the case for $9 million, including $3 million in donations to two charities that fight hunger. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren,File)