Washington State Journal - Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy

The Canadian government has announced that effective Saturday, October 1, it will be dropping its Covid-19 vaccination requirement and end random Covid-19 testing for people... — Updated 9/29/2022

Even before the North Cascades Scenic Highway opened on Sept. 2, 1972, after 13 years of actual construction and many more of surveying, the road had been the dream of... — Updated 9/23/2022

Four employees of the Methow Valley Ranger District safely navigated the rocky, narrow Harts Pass Road in treacherous conditions as torrential rains sent rocks cascading onto the... — Updated 9/1/2022

Anyone exploring the byways of the Key Peninsula has seen them, and maybe even been startled. Wooden bear cubs clinging to a tree, an enormous eagle perched atop a roof peak, a... — Updated 8/11/2022

Thirteen NEXUS enrollment centers in Canada remain closed even though the U.S. centers have been open since April 19. One reason why is because the Canadians do not want U.S.... — Updated 8/4/2022

The parking lot at East Cranberry Lake was filled with cars, pedestrians and shuttle buses this past Saturday as folks from across the region came to celebrate the 100th... — Updated 7/28/2022

LONG BEACH - All you need is sand and water - and a little bit of aardvark snot. The multi-day summer Sandsations event delighted onlookers last week as several sand artists... — Updated 7/28/2022

Spokane International Airport officials have solidified expansion plans to keep up with the needs of the continually growing city. The first expansion of the Spokane International... — Updated 7/21/2022

KNAPPTON COVE - A pair of moccasins might only last a couple days and buffalo meat was much desired after a diet too rich with roots and salmon. The daily lives and dining... — Updated 7/14/2022

Boatloads of crabbers hope to kick off the Fourth of July holiday weekend with a bang when the season officially opens Friday, July 1. "Crabbing seasons should be similar to recent... — Updated 6/30/2022

Travel between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C., via ferry won't be happening until at least next summer, according to Washington State Ferries staff. During a community meeting last... — Updated 6/23/2022

The project to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River is set to hit a milestone next month with endorsements from key stakeholder groups, though legislators... — Updated 6/23/2022

Emma Haruka Iwao started programming when she was in elementary school. Now, she's broken the world record for computing the most digits of pi-twice. On June 8, 2022, Iwao, a... — Updated 6/16/2022

CHENEY- Michaela Friedrich is the newest addition to the Cheney Free Press. She is a junior in the Gonzaga journalism program and is looking forward to her new gig. "I'm really... — Updated 5/19/2022

Since its arrival in Washington state two weeks ago, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu, has now hit nine backyard flocks in seven counties, with... — Updated 5/19/2022

In recent years, recruitment numbers have been trending downward, according to Major General Dennis LeMaster, who spoke at Cadet Hall on the Eastern Washington University campus on... — Updated 5/5/2022

When President Joe Biden visited Seattle last Friday, Mayor Bruce Harrell's photos were all over in the media, more than other politicians. Never mind that Harrell is only a mayor,... — Updated 5/5/2022

Solo circumnavigator Erden Eruç of Wauna, 60, made landfall at Legazpi City in the Philippines March 24, becoming the first person to row from North America to Asia after... — Updated 5/5/2022

The program to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge inches closer to a final design as scenarios currently under consideration are likely to use light rail as its mass transit... — Updated 4/28/2022

After a ban of more than two years on food and drink service on Washington State Ferries, those taking the Edmonds-Kingston run can now partake in gallery offerings. Clam chowder... — Updated 4/21/2022

NASELLE - It's a simple snip that happens in seconds, a distinguishing mark that lasts a lifetime for salmon providing crucial insight for fishery management across the Pacific... — Updated 4/13/2022

It's now one of those dates where people ask you: Where were you on that famous day, when Senate Bill 5615 was signed into law? The screams you have been hearing wasn't due to the... — Updated 3/31/2022

The Port of Camas-Washougal is set to welcome the largest overnight riverboat west of the Mississippi River to East Clark County this summer. Port commissioners approved a contract... — Updated 3/24/2022

A rehabilitated bald eagle took off from Hickman Park on March 18 after receiving care from PAWS, the Lynnwood-based nonprofit whose mission includes rehabilitating orphaned and... — Updated 3/24/2022

SEATTLE - Gordon "Gordy" Simmons has achieved an honor few can match. The Skamokawa resident has had a fossil named for him. "Gordy" is the name bestowed by the Burke Museum in... — Updated 3/23/2022

Central Washington University Aviation Professor Amy Hoover entered rarefied air this month when she was named the 2022 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year by the... — Updated 3/23/2022

The Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal, Washington state's first new ferry terminal in 40 years, was named a national winner of a WoodWorks 2022 Wood Design Award. Mukilteo earned... — Updated 3/17/2022

Businesses in Yelm are considering the use of compostable plastic utensils in the wake of a new law that restricts the availability of disposal items. The Washington Legislature... — Updated 3/16/2022

A report issued on June 10 by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) examines how the tank cars were operated during last December's train derailment. The report does not... — Updated 3/16/2022

CHENEY – Veteran journalist Bob Kirkpatrick has joined the Cheney Free Press to reinvigorate the newsroom and help bring a new look to the newspapers. Kirkpatrick came to the... — Updated 2/17/2022

On Feb. 16, 1922, the Nisqually Valley News issued its first newspaper, published by Elmer Fristoe. The single broadsheet highlighted the importance of a hometown newspaper. "Our pe... — Updated 2/17/2022

A Birch Bay beekeeper received a statewide award for her dedication to protecting honeybees from the Asian giant hornet. Washington State Beekeepers Association (WASBA), a... — Updated 2/10/2022

Although its sports teams pay homage to its wildlife and past agricultural tradition through the Raptors and the Spudders, one other notable aspect of Ridgefield is prominently disp... — Updated 2/10/2022

Diana White is looking forward to paddling a canoe. But it won't be a day trip. White, an Edmonds resident and former Edmonds School District board member, will be joining the Blue... — Updated 2/10/2022

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has confirmed all of the Asian giant hornet nests found in 2021 were connected to nest 'zero,' the first nest found and... — Updated 1/20/2022

FERNDALE - Washington state's newest senator is still learning how to disagree without being disagreeable. That's what 22-year-old Simon Sefzik wrote in his cover letter to the What... — Updated 1/12/2022

Traffic at the Peace Arch border crossing, vehicles with B.C. license plates filling up at gas stations and parcels being retrieved are signs of returning normalcy to Blaine in the... — Updated 12/9/2021

Work to replace the aging spans of the Interstate 5 bridge system over the Columbia River now shows a clearer picture of what the project would look like as officials revealed a... — Updated 11/3/2021

In back to back appeals, both U.S. senator Patty Murray and governor Jay Inslee have asked President Joe Biden to personally intervene and allow the border in Point Roberts to be... — Updated 10/1/2021

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has eradicated three Asian Giant Hornet nests since late 2020 and has its eyes on a fourth nest later this week. All located in north... — Updated 9/23/2021

John Spencer had an epiphany during a lunch meeting in the summer of 2019 when he suddenly realized that he wasn't content with what he was doing for a living and that something... — Updated 9/16/2021

State entomologists eradicated an Asian giant hornet nest with nearly 1,500 hornets in various life stages in east Blaine August 25. The nest was three times the size of the first... — Updated 8/27/2021

Scientists found an Asian giant hornet nest in east Blaine August 19, a quarter of a mile from where the first hornet of 2021 was spotted nearly a week earlier near H Street Road.... — Updated 8/26/2021

Sebastian Moraga, a former sports editor for the Quincy Valley Post-Register from 2016 to 2019, is the newspaper's new editor. Moraga's first day was Wednesday, Aug. 11. He comes... — Updated 8/20/2021

Many might have cheered at the eradicated Asian giant hornet nest last year, but the fight against the invasive species isn't over in Whatcom County. The first live Asian giant horn... — Updated 8/20/2021

What started with a Facebook message will end in the Smithsonian. "Hi, I'm Ruthie Danielsen, the beekeeper who organized the trapping for the Asian giant hornet for Whatcom County... — Updated 8/5/2021

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is asking Whatcom County residents to set Asian giant hornet traps starting July 1, and keep them hanging until late fall.... — Updated 7/2/2021

Following passage of a bill designating Juneteenth a state holiday, recreationalists now won't need to display a Discover Pass for day-use parking at many Washington state public... — Updated 6/23/2021