A federal judge in Massachusetts June 8 struck down the Trump administration’s efforts to require a $100,000 visa fee for highly skilled immigrant workers, finding the policy is an unlawful tax.

Of the agency’s top priorities is the eradication of Japanese beetles in south central Washington. They’ve been found in Kennewick, Pasco, Sunnyside, Mabton, Wapato and near SeaTac. 

State agency leaders received a dire warning from Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office on June 5 that they’re headed toward “what will likely be the most challenging budget any of us has yet faced.” 

City of Pasco officials will share on June 10 the latest update on designing and building a future overpass over Highway 395 for pedestrians and cyclists using Sylvester Street. 

Let’s Go Washington, the initiative sponsor, has until July 2 to turn in at least 308,911 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify for the ballot. State election officials suggest submitting at least 390,000 to account for invalid ones. 

The Port of Benton is working to correct a roughly $1.14 million deficit in its 2026 budget after a financial review uncovered several discrepancies in budget documents approved last fall. 

The federal government recently released new guidance on how states should roll out the Medicaid work requirements that will affect  healthcare coverage for millions of Americans.

Working women may soon have an easier time navigating a major life change in the workplace.

A state agency has awarded $2.4 million to support 16 new electric vehicle charging slots across three sites in Benton County. 

The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent decision to downgrade the drug classification for medical cannabis will help medical marijuana businesses. But the broader divide between federal and state marijuana policy remains largely intact, leaving states to navigate a fragmented and still-evolving cannabis landscape with few clear answers about what comes next.