NEWS

(OLYMPIA)— On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Office of the Secretary of State notified the Legislature of the receipt of two initiatives: IL26-001 and IL26-638. Before the initiatives can be certified and submitted to the legislature, signatures on the submitted petition sheets must be verified by trained members of the office’s Elections Division using the state-mandated process of examining a 3% random sample of submitted signatures. Signature verification statistics will be published on a dedicated page on the OSOS Elections website, according to a news release from the OSOS. The Secretary of State is required to notify the Washington State     (read more)

(SKAGIT COUNTY)- On Monday, January 5th, 2026, Skagit County Commissioners Ron Wesen and Peter Browning approved the nomination of Joe Burns to the vacant District 3 commissioner seat. District 3 encompasses eastern Skagit County including the cities of Burlington and Sedro-Woolley and the towns of Hamilton, Concrete, and Lyman. Skagit County Superior Court Judge Laura Riquelme will administer Burns’ oath of office on Thursday, January 15th, at 4:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room, according to a news release from the county. The previous District 3 commissioner, Lisa Janicki, retired effective January 2, 2026. Commissioner Janicki’s elected term ends on December 31, 2026. With the decision     (read more)

(SEATTLE)– Washington State Ferries leadership will look back on 2025 and what’s to come in 2026 at two online community meetings at noon and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21. Each meeting will begin with a recap of 2025, which saw the restoration of full domestic service and the system’s highest ridership since 2019. There will also be updates on workforce development, the upcoming state legislative session, new ferries and vessel charging. The majority of the meeting time will be reserved for questions from the public, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation. Prior registration is required for these     (read more)

(WHATCOM COUNTY)- The Northwest Clean Air Agency has canceled a Stage 2 air quality burn ban that started Dec. 29, 2025, in the Columbia Valley urban growth area (including the Peaceful Valley and Paradise Lakes developments) in Whatcom County. Air quality has improved at this time, but NWCAA urges residents to limit indoor wood burning as much as possible to avoid another burn ban in the near future, according to a news release from NWCAA. Burn bans are based on weather forecasts and current air pollution from small particles. They are called when air quality is predicted to be worse than the     (read more)

(OLYMPIA)– A new report from the Washington Department of Ecology shows that the state’s Clean Fuel Standard eliminated an estimated 2 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2023 for less than 1 cent per gallon of gasoline. That’s the equivalent of taking nearly 450,000 cars off the road or eliminating emissions from one of the state’s biggest refineries, according to a news release from Ecology. Transportation is Washington’s largest source of greenhouse gases, accounting for about 40% of statewide emissions. The Clean Fuel Standard reduces emissions by driving investment in low-carbon transportation fuels, such as biodiesel, ethanol and electricity for vehicle     (read more)