Washington has few paths to early prison release. Advocates fear Gov. Ferguson has closed off a critical one
Gov. Bob Ferguson has rejected everyone the state board recommended for commutation
Latest news (Page 29)
A WA worker’s death reveals the limits of safety enforcement
A fatal trench collapse in 2016 set precedent for holding employers criminally liable, but officials still struggle to head off repeat violations.
Oregon’s labor bureau failed to collect nearly $5 million in wage theft claims since 2015
Employers in industries with more undocumented and low-wage workers left the most wages and penalties unpaid.
‘Their cases will never be heard’: Sex traffickers evade justice as child victims openly walk Pacific Northwest streets
Survivors, police frustrated with low convictions as reported sex trafficking soars in Washington and Oregon
New mothers can stay with their babies at this Washington prison
The state’s prison nursery is one of only a few in the country intended to support incarcerated mothers amid a simmering debate on crime and drug use.
Some Republicans were willing to compromise on abortion ban exceptions. Activists made sure they didn’t.
A review of 12 of the nation’s strictest abortion bans. Few changed in 2023, as state lawmakers caved to pressure from anti-abortion groups opposing exceptions for rape, incest and health risks.
West Coast leaders urge feds to reverse decision allowing natural gas pipeline expansion
The expansion would allow 150 million more cubic feet of gas – on top of the 2 billion now – to be delivered to the region each day.
Oregon judge rules that voter-approved Measure 114 gun safety law violates the state constitution
State lawyers say they will appeal. A federal judge has ruled the measure legal under the U.S. Constitution.
Oregon pays nonprofit significantly more than foster parents to house vulnerable children in unregulated homes
State child welfare officials signed a contract with a religious nonprofit, paying it more than 100 times the amount they pay foster parents to care for vulnerable children.
Idaho forms statewide public defence agency, easing county burden after lawsuits over legal representation gaps
The Office of the State Public Defender was created under legislation passed in 2023
Over 100 detainees go on hunger strike against poor conditions for immigrants at Tacoma detention center
Over 100 people are refusing meals at the privately-run Northwest Detention Center, which has a history of controversy and similar strikes.
Left-wing activists worry anti-doxxing laws will target them
Recent laws in Washington and Oregon, part of a slew of similar laws nationwide, were initially aimed at stopping harassment by extremist hate groups
Oregon’s first large-scale solar park and farm hinges on 50-year-old land use laws
A farmer behind the state’s first “agrovoltaic” farm says critics cannot stop ‘an idea whose time has come’.