Washington state
Trump Administration Won’t List Spotted Owl as Endangered
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday it will not list the California spotted owl as an endangered species.
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Grizzly Bear Reintroduction Plans Eyed for Northern Cascades
Grizzly bears could soon roam the North Cascade mountains in Washington state and revitalize the alpine forest, but not everyone welcomes the prospect of the keystone predator’s return.
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Conservationists Target Feds’ Slaughter of Washington State Wildlife
The federal government agency Wildlife Services needlessly slaughters bears, bobcats, wolves, coyotes and other animals in a “mass extermination program,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read moreFlavored Vape Ban
An e-cigarette trade group and smoke shop joined forces to sue Washington state Monday over a recently enacted temporary ban on flavored vaping they say is “threatening to destroy an entire industry and the livelihoods of Washington citizens.”
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Washington State Lawmaker Espouses Hatred of Muslims in Video
Washington state Rep. Matt Shea said in a video posted Thursday that the media’s exposure of his extremist ideas such as Christian dominion — which calls for Christians to control society by taking over political and cultural institutions — is a “Soviet tactic” to persecute him.
Read moreBad Behavior
A former deputy prosecuting attorney sued Snohomish County, Washington, claiming her former boss, Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe, harassed and discriminated, calling women “bitches” and “cunts,” calling men “faggots” and “homos,” and other vile behavior in the office, in King County Court.
Read moreWashington State Lawsuit Against Private Prison Allowed to Move Forward
Washington state can continue to pursue claims against a for-profit prison and detention facility operator for failing to pay federal immigration detainees minimum wage, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, reversing his previous decision to dismiss the case.
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Monster Alaska Quake of 1964 the Likely Culprit Behind Fungal Disease
Scientists who have taken on the role of detectives to determine the origin of a deadly fungal disease affecting people and wildlife in the Pacific Northwest announced Tuesday they may have finally found the answer.
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Emergency Ban on Vaping Products Ordered in Washington State
Washington state enacted an emergency ban on all flavored vaping products Friday over concerns about an outbreak of lung illnesses throughout the country linked to the products.
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Justices Will Examine Teenage Murderers’ Sentences
Lee Boyd Malvo, who terrorized the Washington region in 2002 as one-half of a sniper team, is at the center of a case the Supreme Court will hear this fall. But the justices’ eventual ruling probably will mean less for him than for a dozen other inmates who, like the now-34-year-old Malvo, were sentenced to life without parole for murders they committed as teens.
Read moreShow Us the Money
A Ninth Circuit panel denied for-profit immigration prison operator Geo Group’s request for relief from a federal judge’s order compelling production of its financial records in a labor dispute with Washington state, given the state’s promise to keep sensitive information from becoming public.
Read moreDemocrats Sue Democrat Over Washington State Veto
The Washington state Legislature sued Governor Jay Inslee on Friday over his vetoes of a single sentence lawmakers say are illegal under the state Constitution.
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Inslee Inches Closer to Qualifying for Third Presidential Debate
Washington Governor Jay Inslee is a little closer to qualifying to appear in the third Democratic presidential debate after passing the 130,000 unique donor threshold Monday.
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Feds Sued to Get Ship Noise Out of Killer Whale Habitat
Wildlife conservationists sued federal ocean management agencies Monday in an effort to spur protections for endangered killer whales whose foraging habits off the Pacific Northwest coast have been disrupted by noise from ships and other vessels.
Read moreTimber Corporations Can Keep Killing Bears, Judge Rules
Washington state’s rules allowing corporate timberlands to use traps, bait and dogs to kill bears are legal, a judge ruled Friday, even though voters banned those exact methods decades ago.
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Endangered Killer Whale Pods Lose Three More Members
An endangered population of orca whales continued to decline this summer, with three presumed dead while the remaining 73 search the ocean for their main food source: dwindling numbers of Chinook salmon.
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Washington Redskins Promote Gambling on Their Games
The Washington Redskins will become the first NFL team to have a gambling-focused telecast of their games, offering cash prizes to viewers who correctly predict game outcomes during the preseason.
Read moreAbortion Gag Rule
Washington state will use its own money to reimburse family planning clinics that lost federal funding following a Trump administration directive gagging Title X recipients from telling patients about abortion services.
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Washington Appeals Court Finds Seattle Income Tax Unconstitutional
Seattle’s income tax on wealthy residents is unconstitutional, the Washington Court of Appeals held, but left the door open for the city to impose property taxes based on income if they are uniform across tax brackets.
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