All articles tagged with #washington state
A 32-year-old man stabbed four people to death on the Key Peninsula near Tacoma, Washington; a Pierce County deputy shot and killed him after the attack, which occurred while deputies were attempting to serve a protective order that had not yet been served; three victims died at the scene and a fourth later died at a hospital; investigators are examining the deputy-involved shooting.
Portland General Electric agreed to acquire PacifiCorp’s Washington-state wind, natural-gas generation and distribution assets for $1.9 billion, with Manulife Investment Management backing the deal and taking a minority stake. PacifiCorp says the sale will bolster its finances and simplify operations amid diverging policies. The assets include three generation facilities, about 4,500 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and operations across roughly 2,700 square miles serving about 140,000 customers.
Washington's only Bahama Breeze location, in Tukwila, will close in April after a 30-year run as Darden Restaurants shuts down 14 Bahama Breeze locations nationwide; 93 employees may be offered transfer opportunities to other Darden brands like Yard House, Olive Garden, and The Capital Grille.
A Snohomish County school-age teen died after contracting influenza, marking the state’s first pediatric flu death this season, with health officials reporting rising flu activity across western Washington and urging vaccination and preventive measures.
Amazon is reportedly planning up to 14,000 layoffs nationwide, with more than 2,000 in Washington this month as part of a broader workforce reduction; potential cuts span AWS, retail, and Prime Video, and Amazon has not publicly commented yet.
Washington lawmakers are advancing SB 5855 to ban face coverings by local, state and federal police, aiming to protect immigrant communities and build public trust; exemptions exist for undercover work and SWAT, but opponents warn of constitutional issues, with committee votes looming and a potential June rollout if enacted.
Gov. Ferguson used his first State of the State to urge bold, bipartisan action in the 2026 session on infrastructure, tax reform (including a millionaires’ tax), and housing, touting past bipartisanship, flood-resilience, and proposals to streamline permitting and FAFSA while promising to return revenue to residents.
Washington state officials admitted to overstating the climate benefits of their carbon permit auctions, with revised estimates showing the projects will only reduce about 300,000 metric tons of pollution, far less than initially claimed, due to data errors and misreporting. The correction highlights concerns over the credibility of the state's climate initiatives and the potential diversion of funds to non-climate priorities.
A Washington state report claiming significant CO2 reductions from $1.5 billion in climate investments is largely inaccurate, with about 86% of the claimed reductions likely false due to data errors and overly optimistic estimates, raising concerns about the credibility of the state's climate spending and reporting.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson supports exploring a new income tax, specifically a 9.9% tax on those earning over $1 million, aiming to overhaul the state's regressive tax system and fund public services, despite historical rejection and legal challenges.
Starting January 1, Washington state implements new laws including extended unemployment benefits for striking workers, increased taxes on large businesses and technology companies, higher transportation fees, a nicotine tax, and measures to reduce plastic waste, along with new options for including blood type on IDs and requirements for movie captioning.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claims that Jeff Bezos's move from Washington to Florida significantly impacted Washington's budget by removing its biggest taxpayer, highlighting the advantage of states without income tax like Florida amid discussions of new taxes in Washington.
A 14-year-old girl who went missing in Bellingham was found safe after an AMBER Alert was issued by the Washington State Patrol. She was last seen early Saturday morning and is described as being around five feet five inches tall with dark brown hair and eyes.
Starting January 1, 2026, Washington state will implement new laws including a minimum wage increase to $17.13, updates to paid family leave, expanded child support guidelines, strengthened victims' rights, and changes in tax and property laws, reflecting legislative efforts to modernize and improve economic and social protections.
Washington state faces ongoing flood damage amid delays in federal funding for flood mitigation projects, including levees and property buyouts, due to political disputes and policy changes under the Trump administration, highlighting the need for proactive disaster prevention as climate change increases storm severity.