Wednesday, February 11, 2026
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Rep. Larsen secures federal funding for local jobs, infrastructure projects

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen announced this week that more than $10.1 million in federal funding for local projects in Northwest Washington has been approved as part of the Fiscal...

Income tax debate opens up in WA Legislature

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and Democrats in the state Legislature are divided over how to use the expected revenue from a newly proposed income tax on higher earners. Lead lawmakers...

Hanford nuclear cleanup gets federal budget bump

Congress last week approved a $3.2 billion budget for the Hanford nuclear reservation’s cleanup in fiscal 2026 — a more than $200 million increase from the prior two years. That...

In Washington orchards, immigration crackdown sows fear and uncertainty

UNION GAP, Wash. --- On a chilly fall morning, farmworkers fanned out through an orchard here to pick rose-hued apples from green rows of trees that flank this central...

Feds order WA power plant to keep burning coal, setting up clash with state

The Trump administration has ordered Washington’s last coal-fired power station to continue burning coal, just weeks before it was scheduled to shut down and convert to natural gas fuel. This...

Long path to recovery ahead for areas hit by Washington’s record floods

While overflowing rivers were beginning to recede across Western Washington on Friday, officials said it could be days or even weeks before residents can safely return to areas swamped...

Larsen secures nearly $14 million for Community Transit to fund hybrid buses

This week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded more than $50 million in grant funding to four Northwest Washington transit agencies -- including $13.99 million to Community Transit --...

Fight over counting mail-in ballots after Election Day will go before Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday took up a Republican-backed challenge to counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Depending how the justices rule, the case could be consequential for...

Trump administration to pay about half of November SNAP benefits amid shutdown

This report has been updated. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will pay about half of November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, though benefits could take months...

Second webinar Oct. 30 for workers affected by federal government shutdown

Washington state federal workers and others who have been furloughed or laid off as a result of the federal government shutdown are invited to another free virtual webinar on...

City Council hears updates on federal transportation grants and effects of government shutdown

Despite the federal government shutdown, the City of Mountlake Terrace continues to make progress on its federal initiatives, according to city lobbyist Jake Johnston of the Johnston Group, who...

WA’s food aid program for infants and mothers now funded through most of November

Federal food benefits for Washington mothers and their babies at risk due to the federal government shutdown will continue into mid-to-late November, the state announced Thursday. Funding from the U.S....

Sticker shock: WA health insurance buyers confront steep price hikes

The roughly 300,000 Washingtonians who buy health insurance through the state’s online marketplace are set for a rude awakening as they begin shopping for plans. That’s because premiums for individual...

Renewed legal battle ramps up over Columbia Basin dams and salmon

A long-running court battle over how to balance protections for endangered fish with hydropower dams in the Columbia River Basin has resumed after a two-year pause. Conservationists, anglers and clean...

WA’s food aid program for infants and mothers now funded through October

Washington mothers and their babies will have access to food benefits through the end of the month, even though the federal government remains shut down, the state’s Department of...

With federal penalties looming, WA looks to curb food stamp payment errors

States that routinely overpay or underpay food stamp recipients could now lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. This has Washington officials trying to improve the state’s already...

U.S. Rep. Larsen, Snohomish County health leaders strategize as federal cuts near

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen Friday met with members of the Verdant Health Commission and other local health care providers at the Verdant office in Lynnwood to discuss the impact...

Trump administration pulls funding for Northwest green hydrogen project

The Trump administration Wednesday nixed funding for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub and several hundred other federally-subsidized clean energy projects in Democratic-led states. Democratic politicians from Oregon and Washington state...

AI reviews rolling out for Medicare in WA for some procedures

Medicare enrollees in Washington may soon need to get additional approval before undergoing some medical procedures, under a controversial new program the federal government will test in a half-dozen...

Treatment of radioactive waste at Hanford will begin on time, feds confirm

The federal government will begin turning some of its worst radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation into glass by an Oct. 15 legal deadline. Last week, ambiguous signals out...

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