Maximillian Bazler and Megan Hudlet, both students at North Idaho College, sit together between classes as they discuss the possibility of NIC losing its accreditation. (Credit: Kaitlyn Nicholas / NWPB)… Continue Read More
The Washington Supreme Court has ruled in a 7-2 decision to uphold the constitutionality of the state's new capital gains tax. The decision filed Friday comes just weeks before taxes are due. Continue Reading WA Supreme Court Read More
Legislators in Olympia are considering a host of bills to address the housing crisis, and Tuesday, members from both parties announced they're finding common ground. Continue Reading WA lawmakers promise bipartisan action to boost housing Read More
Numerous Democrats in the Washington Legislature are backing a new proposal to make voting in elections compulsory. Citizens are required by law to cast ballots in about 25 counties, but in no other U.S. states. Continue Reading What if voting Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee emphasized housing construction and homelessness response during his 2023 State of the State address on Tuesday. The issue is a bipartisan priority for the state Legislature, but approaches differ among the lawmakers who convened in Olympia this week. Read More
Washington state voters and lawmakers appear to be in close alignment on their top priorities for the incoming Washington Legislature. The 2023 session gavels to order at noon on Monday, January 9. Continue Reading Here are six issues Read More
Should the top elections official in Washington state officially be a nonpartisan? That's one difference between the top two finalists running for Washington Secretary of State. Continue Reading No labels: Some Read More
A quartet of independent candidates on the ballot this November in Oregon and Washington state will test voter appetites for a centrist “third way.” They are experienced contenders running for state senate, Oregon governor and Washington Secretary of State. Unaffiliated candidates are popping up around the nation too, with a common theme of being fed up with a divisive Read More
Sara Minkara lost her sight at the age of seven but gained a greater awareness of herself and the world around her. Because she can’t interact with labels from a… Continue Reading Seeing People As They Are, Not How Read More
Photo of Sara Minkara. Sara Minkara lost her sight at the age of seven but gained a greater awareness of herself and the world around her. Because she can’t interact… Continue Reading Seeing People Read More
Braver Angels Workshop Listen (Runtime 1:40) Read Heading into November’s midterm election, people across the country remain divided and are having a hard time communicating with civility. One organization, Braver… Continue Reading Braver Read More
An investigation by the King County Sheriff’s Office into a ballot drop box surveillance effort organized by conservative activists has wrapped up without criminal charges. Continue Reading No Charges In Washington Ballot Drop Box Read More
Earlier this summer, the Washington State Patrol did something it’s never done before: close one of its eight regional communication centers used to answer 911 calls and dispatch troopers and other first responders to emergencies. Continue Read More
Democratic incumbent Steve Hobbs and independent challenger Julie Anderson were leading Washington’s top two primary for Secretary of State after the initial ballot count Tuesday night. Republican Bob Hagglund, who has never held public office, was in a close third place. Read More
Washington legislative Republicans were taking stock Wednesday of their less than dazzling performance in the initial returns of the August primary. Continue Reading Despite Early Attacks By Read More
The primary election ballots are in hands of Washington voters. They need to be returned or mailed by Tuesday. [From left to right: Maggie Yates, Lindsey Keesling, and Chris Faison]… Continue Reading New Blood Northwest: First Time Read More
Rising home prices and inflation are making it difficult for people to find – or keep – a home. Listen Lauren Paterson reports one Washington state legislator believes housing will… Continue Reading WA Senator Says Legislature Needs To Read More
For nearly six decades, Republicans held Washington's top election post — Secretary of State. That streak ended last November when Kim Wyman resigned to take an election security post with the Biden administration, and Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Democratic state Sen. Steve Hobbs to the post. Read More
Photo of Chris Matthews recording Traverse Talks in the Pullman studios on April 20, 2022. Chris Matthews, a self-described centrist, spent his lifetime in politics. A speechwriter during the Carter… Continue Reading What’s Read More
Chris Matthews, political commentator, author and professional interrupter discusses his career in journalism and politics in this episode of ‘Traverse Talks’ with Sueann Ramella. During this fast-paced conversation, the two… Continue Reading What’s What: Read More
In March 2003, a 17-year-old girl from McCleary, Washington was kidnapped, driven to a remote location and raped. Continue Reading DNA Samples And Genetic Sleuths Helped Solve WA Cold CasesRead More
A former caregiver charged in connection with the 2019 poisoning death of a developmentally disabled woman has been acquitted of third degree felony assault. Continue Reading Judge Acquits Caregiver In 2019 Vinegar Death In SpokaneRead More
Two new laws aimed at reducing mass shootings and cracking down on the proliferation of so-called "ghost guns" go into effect July 1 in Washington. Majority Democrats in the state Legislature passed the new restrictions earlier this year. Continue Reading Read More
Protesters gather in Seattle after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade CREDIT: Casey Martin / KUOW Photo Listen (Runtime 4:16) Read While the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned… Read More
Mason County Auditor Paddy McGuire has spent nearly two decades helping run elections, including stints as Oregon deputy secretary of state and at the Department of Defense, ensuring military service members overseas could vote. Read More
Washington’s long-time elected insurance commissioner has used offensive terms in the workplace to describe people of different races and ethnicities, as well as people who are transgender. That’s according to former agency insiders who’ve come forward in recent weeks. Meanwhile, other former employees are giving new accounts of what they say is Commissioner Mike Read More
U.S. Senate votes to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. CREDIT: HENRIQUE SIMPLICIO / FLICKR/FLIC.KR/P/F1JXBL Listen Tom Banse reports on efforts to make Daylight Saving Time permanent / Runtime: 1 minute… Continue Reading U.S. Senate Votes To Read More
Washington’s Democratic-majority legislature approves 2-year budget plan with new spending and less tax cuts Read Listen: Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports on the budget deal. (Runtime: 59 seconds) Majority Democrats… Continue Read More
Mike Kreidler, Washington’s longtime insurance commissioner, is facing allegations that he verbally mistreats staff. Current and former employees say it’s part of a pattern that’s gotten worse in recent months and is contributing to high turnover in the office. Kreidler says he has high standards for his staff, but said he will work to be more careful in how he deals with Read More
In an act of labor solidarity, scores of Democratic staffers in the Washington Legislature staged a “sick-out” Wednesday after a bill that would have allowed them to unionize failed to advance before a key cutoff deadline. Continue Read More
Political signs are everywhere during campaign season, but in some cases they stick around long past their advertised races. Continue Reading Political Billboards Seem To Be Here To StayRead More
A new bill in the Washington Senate aims to stop a controversial policy in Klickitat County, where the sheriff deputized six hound handlers to track and kill any cougars he deemed to be a safety threat. Continue Reading Washington Read More
Young people in the U.S. made history in the 2020 elections, voting at a record high rate. And now the technology company behind a popular social media app is hoping to help some of those young voters become political candidates in their own right. Read More
BY ASMA KHALID & ARNIE SEIPEL With voting rights legislation stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition, Vice President Harris suggested that she has talked to senators about exceptions… Continue Read More
For anyone who somehow missed last week’s news, the lieutenant governor made the most of her brief stint as acting governor. With Gov. Brad Little in Nashville, Tenn., for a Republican Governors Association conference, McGeachin issued an executive order rescinding local mask mandates. McGeachin said she wanted to keep kids from being forced to wear a mask — at least in Read More
Ending months of speculation, Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin officially entered the governor’s race Wednesday. McGeachin’s entry into the gubernatorial race sets up a potential showdown, and clash of ideologies, in the May 2022 GOP primary. Read More
Voters will get the chance to decide whether lawmakers in the part-time Idaho Legislature will be able to call special sessions, a power currently limited to governors. Continue Reading Idaho Voters Will Read More
Lawmakers convened for the first time in 18 days — after calling a sudden and historic recess in an attempt to slow a Statehouse coronavirus outbreak. The first sessions were brief: The House reconvened at about 12:05 p.m., and stayed on the floor for about 25 minutes. The Senate went into session at about 12:25 p.m., and was in session for just 10 minutes. Read More
The two states are both led by strong Democratic majorities and face similar issues. Only one of them is successfully passing legislation. Continue Reading While Oregon’s Legislature Feuds, Washington Lawmakers Find A Way Read More
More Murrow News Stories PULLMAN, WA. – For avid gun owners like 21-year-old Jessica Birbari, the discussion of national gun reform means that law-abiding citizens would be put in harm’s… Continue Reading The Debate on Gun Reform – Murrow News Read More
When Rep. Dan Newhouse broke with his party to vote to impeach President Trump, critics started to question his Conservative credentials. The state GOP condemned the impeachment vote, and Republican Party chairs in Grant, Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Adams, and Douglas counties demanded his resignation. Read More
Washington-based Regnery Publishing, which aims to spread the message of "prominent and lasting voices in American conservatism," announced on Monday it will publish the title in May. Continue Reading After Capitol Riot Backlash, Sen. Read More
The ground-breaking comic strip Doonesbury has been with us for a half-century. It was the first daily comic strip to win a Pulitzer Prize for tackling social issues, politics and war. It's also been censored for some of those same reasons. Read More
The Idaho Legislature will begin an unsettling and potentially unsafe 2021 session in four days. The state’s 105 part-time lawmakers will meet in the midst of a surging pandemic that has killed more than 1,500 Idahoans, and in the aftermath of rioting at the U.S. Capitol that left four people dead. Read More
The number of GOP women elected in 2020 pales in comparison with Democrats' numbers, but their increased representation may attest to the power of focused recruitment efforts. Continue Reading How A Record Number Of Republican Women Got Elected Read More
Former casino mogul Steve Wynn has been accused of rape, sexual assault, and harassment. Still, politicians have continued to accept major campaign contributions from Wynn, who has denied wrongdoing. Continue Reading GOP Welcomes Steve Read More
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will debate each other for the first time Tuesday evening, Oct. 29, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT in the first of three presidential debates. Continue Reading Donald Read More
Twitter will label or remove posts that spread misinformation. Social media companies are under pressure to curb the spread of false claims and prevent interference from foreign and domestic actors. Continue Reading Twitter’s New Rules Read More
After three unusual days in a special session, the Idaho House and Senate passed a civil liability immunity bill designed to protect school officials from lawsuits amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading Read More
Former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington, a three-term Republican and 9/11 commissioner, has died at the age of 92. Thomas Slade Gorton III was born in Chicago in 1928. He was a descendant of the Gorton Seafood family of Massachusetts. But it was politics that attracted him from a young age. Read More
