Residents in the Lower Yakima Valley whose wells may have been polluted by nitrates have access to free testing and water filters, thanks to a Washington nonprofit.
In response to increased immigration detentions across the state, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and other state lawmakers have introduced the Immigrant Worker Protection Act for the 2026 session.
The number of apprentices nationally and in Washington state has increased more than 70% in the past decade, according to a new report from the Washington Student Achievement Council. Washington currently has close to 16,000 active apprentices, who are paid to work while they receive classroom instruction.
The latest U.S. Census data shows Washington’s poverty rate declined slightly overall, but the wage gap continues to grow, leaving experts concerned about rising inequality in the state.
Dr. Saravanan Kasturi, medical director of Northwest Endovascular Surgery in Richland, said private practices like his are struggling in part because Medicare reimbursements have not kept up with the cost of providing services, resulting in a loss of many procedures and patients having to instead visit hospitals.
The program will provide qualifying states with at least $100 million per year for five years but Washington is slated to lose between $30 billion and $50 billion in federal Medicaid funds over the next 10 years, leading to the closure of 14 rural hospitals. The application for the Rural Health Transformation Program is due Nov. 5 with awards expected by the end of the year.
The draft plans were obtained by the news organization ProPublicaand have not yet been formally proposed. But they include adding time limits on living in public housing and work requirements to receive the assistance.
As federal Medicaid cuts loom, consumer advocates are celebrating Washington’s new bill limiting hospital prices for state and public school employees.
