If you haven’t gotten into the habit of bringing your own reusable bags while out shopping, you may want to start. 

Immigrants not legally authorized to work in the U.S. represent an estimated 40% of the people who help to produce many fruits, vegetables and other labor-intensive crops. 

The new year – and the next few after this one – will bring higher water and sewer bills to Pasco residents. 

Jan. 1 is a free day for Washington’s state parks, and several Eastern Washington parks will host free staff-led and self-guided hikes and snowshoe events.  

About 20 miles of U.S. 2 are set to reopen Dec. 29 on the east side of the Cascades, allowing access to the Stevens Pass ski resort, after devastating flooding and debris slides destroyed parts of the highway this month.

“We are facing falling revenue, rising costs, and budget cuts and chaos coming from the Trump administration,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said. “I’m providing a road map for the Legislature. This is, of course, the first step in a conversation about how best to balance our budget.” 

For the third time in 2025, a Mid-Columbia agricultural operation has agreed to a settlement with state justice officials for reportedly treating workers unfairly. 

Some legislative Democrats are eyeing a 9.9% “millionaires tax” on adjusted annual gross income over $1 million. Ferguson endorsed this version of the proposal. Less than 0.5% of Washingtonians would be subject to the tax, and it’s expected to raise $3 billion per year. 

The next legislative session is fast approaching and some state lawmakers are wasting no time in signaling their intent to either fully remove or limit the impacts of the slew of new state taxes approved in the 2025 legislative session. 

A member of the Kennewick Public Hospital District who was among its board members to sell a then-bankrupt Trios Health and is now a supporter of the effort to turn the former downtown Kennewick hospital into a recovery center is stepping down. The deadline to apply for the board vacancy is Jan. 29.