If it makes it through the House and into law, Washington would join Utah with the toughest standard in the nation on July 1. Foes of the bill cite concerns with enforcing it and worries it will drive away customers from bars, wineries and other hospitality businesses. 

After more than a decade of failed attempts, supporters of amending Washington state law to allow for homegrown marijuana are growing frustrated, but not giving up.

Franklin County is inviting community leaders to a Rural Prosperity Summit when it plays host to multiple officials from federal agencies, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Small Business Administration. 

A proposed law would give Washington’s agricultural workers a formal process to engage in collective bargaining with their employers, extending an advantage that many private-sector workers have.

Two bills introduced by Mid-Columbia state lawmakers would allow for locally designated zones along high-risk stretches of public roads where crashes are common and unsafe driving can have outsized consequences. 

Cleanup efforts at the Hanford site reached another milestone recently when the first batch of toxic byproducts from past plutonium production were moved to safer long-term storage. 

A Realtor, dietitian, contractor, chemist and an individual with a long career at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are among the top five candidates the Richland City Council will interview for its open seat. 

Republican state Sen. Matt Boehnke announced Jan. 22 he is forgoing reelection and entering this year’s race to succeed retiring Republican Congressman Dan Newhouse in central Washington.

Shelley Redinger, superintendent of the Richland School District, has announced that she will retire from the district, six months after the district’s board of directors declined to provide a routine extension to her contract. 

A vacancy at the helm of one of the state’s largest agencies is filled, for now, after Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Sarah Clifthorne as interim director of the Department of Commerce.