OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee entered office a dozen years ago vowing to not raise taxes as Washington emerged from a devastating recession during which state programs and services were slashed to make …

OLYMPIA - It’s confusing, it’s convoluted, and it’s your taxpayer dollars. It’s budget season in Olympia.  Over the next few months, legislators will go over the …

OLYMPIA - Washington state’s budget is, to put it nicely, in a world of hurt. There’s a big gap between what the state is collecting in taxes and what it needs to pay for its …

OLYMPIA - Child care affordability, crime trends, environmental protections, access to addiction treatment and housing costs. These are some of the issues on Washington lawmakers’ agenda this …

OLYMPIA - Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson is tapping a Biden Administration official to lead the state’s Department of Ecology and to keep Washington at the forefront of the nation’s fight …

OLYMPIA - Businesses and nonprofit organizations should watch out for fraudulent letters that claim to be asking for money on behalf of the Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Since …

OLYMPIA - Many affordable housing projects in Washington are funded in part by the state’s Housing Trust Fund.  A new report from the Department of Commerce looked at the cost of …

OLYMPIA - State funds that pay for homelessness services in Washington are running low, and the Legislature may need to find extra money to avoid program cuts.  The Department of Commerce …

OLYMPIA - With the state facing a multi-billion dollar budget gap , Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered state agencies to freeze “most non-discretionary and non-essential” hiring, …

OLYMPIA - Washington lawmakers have begun teeing up legislation ahead of the 2025 session. Monday marked the first day they could pre-file bills. Legislators will have 105 days to push their …

OLYMPIA - A 5,000-member public employee union in Washington that overwhelmingly rejected a new two-year contract in September is accusing the governor’s office and several community colleges …

OLYMPIA - With overcrowding at Washington’s two juvenile detention centers, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is asking state lawmakers for money to open a new facility.  …

OLYMPIA - Long lines on Election Day aren’t common in Washington with the state’s vote-by-mail system. But this year, some counties were inundated with people taking advantage of a …

Boeing’s planned job cuts will include 2,199 layoffs in Washington, according to a notice issued Monday by the state’s Employment Security Department. The Society of Professional …

OLYMPIA - Most of Washington state courts’ computer systems are up and running again following a two-week shutdown that disrupted operations in local courts and halted processing of thousands …

OLYMPIA - The natural gas initiative Washington voters approved calls for erasing some of the state’s building codes but that might not happen when the measure takes effect next month. …

OLYMPIA - Inadequate tracking by the Employment Security Department led to Washington workers receiving both unemployment insurance and Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits at the same time, a new …

OLYMPIA - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is warning of a budget deficit in excess of $10 billion and calling on state agencies to pare spending now to deal with it. A Nov. 8 memo from Inslee’s …

Washington State Standard OLYMPIA - Supporters and opponents of a proposal to slash public defender caseloads in Washington made their closing arguments to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday. …

Washington state courts’ computer systems have been down for nearly two weeks, disrupting the operation of local courts and preventing the completion of thousands of firearm sales. The …