Northwest – The Columbian

Oregon man accused of killing women and dumping their bodies is arraigned on fifth murder charge

CLAIRE RUSH, Associated Press — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:11:36 +0000

PORTLAND — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.

Appeals court affirms Bellingham’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate was constitutional

Hannah Edelman, The Bellingham Herald — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:16:23 +0000

BELLINGHAM — A federal appeals court has affirmed that the firing of Bellingham city employees for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate was in compliance with the U.S. Constitution.

How to help Longview community after disaster

Catalina Gaitán, The Seattle Times — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:03:04 +0000

After news broke of Tuesday’s deadly implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co., Fei Chen knew she wanted to help the families of those killed — some of whom were regulars at her restaurant across the street from the pulp mill.

HUD rules risk King County homelessness funds

Stephannie Stokes, The Seattle Times — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:02:44 +0000

SEATTLE — The Trump administration announced dramatic changes to federal funding for homelessness services that could jeopardize tens of millions of dollars Seattle and King County rely on to get people off the streets and keep them housed.

As Trump admin sues states over federal agent mask bans, Northwest remains on sidelines

Shaanth Nanguneri, Oregon Capital Chronicle — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:30:29 +0000

Despite passing some of the nation’s first laws barring federal law enforcement agents from concealing their identities, Oregon and Washington have yet to receive the same response from the Trump administration as other Democratic states.

How do incomes in Washington compare to rest of U.S.? What new study says

Karlee Van De Venter, The News Tribune, Tacoma — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:17:31 +0000

How much does the average American earn each year?

WA urges U.S. Supreme Court to take redistricting case

Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:30:01 +0000

The state of Washington on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to accept a challenge against the state’s political maps, then remand it to a lower court to determine if the way the lines were drawn complies with a recent ruling in a Louisiana case.

U.S. Chemical Safety Board faces steep cuts during Longview probe

Anumita Kaur and Rebecca Moss, The Seattle Times — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:00:49 +0000

WASHINGTON — As federal investigators descend on Longview to make sense of the catastrophic implosion at a pulp and paper mill, Congress is weighing a proposal to cut the investigating agency’s budget by more than 40%.

More Idaho farmers, ranchers can now get federal funds to help migrating wildlife

Nicole Blanchard, The Idaho Statesman — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:36:07 +0000

BOISE, Idaho — Federal officials on Tuesday announced an expansion to a program that uses Farm Bill funding to help farmers and ranchers preserve big-game migration corridors on private land. The announcement was made in Boise at a Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies conference.

What we know about Longview superintendent’s contract

Minka Atkinson, The Daily News, Longview — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:23:57 +0000

LONGVIEW — Community members have questioned the Longview School Board’s decision to renew Superintendent Karen Cloninger’s contract without public discussion amid controversy about allegations of sexual assaults taking place at Mark Morris High School.

Longview industrial spill leaves hundreds more fish dead

Joseph O’Sullivan, The Seattle Times — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:41:41 +0000

Emergency response crews retrieved another 337 dead fish Tuesday from around the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in Longview, where a chemical tank failed last week, killing 11 people.

Two and half years later, site of Olympic Pipeline gasoline spill shows minor contamination

EMMA FLETCHER-FRAZER, Skagit Valley Herald — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:15:20 +0000

CONWAY — Two and half years after a leak in the Olympic Pipeline allowed thousands of gallons of gasoline to get into the soil and water in Conway, a report shows some minor contamination remains.

Scientists lose critical climate record as ocean observatory will go dark under Trump funding cuts

Associated Press — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:08:30 +0000

SEATTLE — A portion of one of the most ambitious ocean monitoring networks ever built will go dark this month when scientists board a research vessel and motor off the Oregon coast to pull a research buoy from deep out of the Pacific.

Nearly $1.3M already raised by WA Supreme Court candidates. The stakes are high

Simone Carter, The Olympian — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:51 +0000

OLYMPIA — In past election cycles, most eyes weren’t necessarily trained toward the Temple of Justice in Olympia.

Where Affordable Care Act insurance coverage has dropped most in WA

Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:51:00 +0000

Washington’s rural counties saw the largest drops in insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act after the Republican-controlled Congress failed to extend subsidies that helped consumers afford the plans.

Gasoline prices show spring surge, recent pullback across WA and U.S.

Nance Beston, Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:32:08 +0000

MOSES LAKE — Gasoline prices across Washington, the nation, Grant County and Adams County have followed a similar trajectory in the first five months of 2026: a steady climb through late winter and early spring, a peak in mid-May, and a modest decline heading into June, according to data from AAA.

How much does AC really cost in Washington? We asked the experts

Julia Hawkins, The News Tribune, Tacoma — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:30:37 +0000

As the weather heats up across Washington, your home can get a bit uncomfortable.

Hawaiian Airlines to replace free onboard meals with preorder program

Angela Lim, The Seattle Times — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:22:41 +0000

Hawaiian Airlines will soon stop offering free meals to its main cabin passengers on most flights between Hawaii and the continental U.S., and will instead have menu items available for purchase.

‘Wake-up call’: Idaho has one of the highest rates of uninsured young children

Becca Savransky, The Idaho Statesman — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:12:49 +0000

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho has one of the highest rates of uninsured children younger than 6 across the country, according to a new report.

Seattle-based production company sets up in downtown Spokane to film tire commercial

Elena Perry, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:48:45 +0000

SPOKANE — Washingtonians living east of the Cascades know this side of the state has a lot to offer in the ways of historic architecture, natural beauty and small-town fare.

Canada-destined cars keep piling up in Seattle’s empty port. That’s a bad sign

Josh Farley, The Seattle Times — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:30:25 +0000

SEATTLE — Neat rows of shiny Hyundais, among other foreign vehicles, have lately found a temporary home at the Port of Seattle’s Sodo terminal, lining the wharf for around two weeks at a time. They’re not destined for the American market; no, they’re the result of another port’s success literally spilling over an international border.

Widow of worker killed in Longview mill disaster seeks answers

Conrad Swanson, The Seattle Times — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:02:00 +0000

LONGVIEW — Minutes before he died, Jared Ammons texted his wife from his job at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. Hardly an hour ever passed that the two weren’t sending messages back and forth.

Longview dead fish count nears 2,000 after pulp mill disaster

Lauren Rosenblatt, The Seattle Times — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:31:28 +0000

Response crews in Longview saw a major jump in the number of dead fish days after an implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging pulp and paper mill released many gallons of harmful chemicals into the environment.

How to get tickets to see America’s founding-era documents at MOHAI

The Columbian — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:25:06 +0000

SEATTLE — Seattleites will soon have a rare opportunity to see an engraving of the Declaration of Independence and other historical documents from America’s founding era at the Museum of History & Industry. From July 30 to Aug. 16, MOHAI will be the final stop of the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation, an exhibition from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., that celebrates America’s 250th anniversary this year

Some urge dividing Washington into two states

Simone Carter, The Olympian — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:03:04 +0000

Olympia — Blue skies stretched over the anti-Trump protest at the Washington state Capitol, where some demonstrators defiantly waved American flags.