NEWS

(GIG HARBOR) — The second cohort of the Washington Secretary of State’s Institutional Civics Academy graduated on Tuesday, May 19. Fifteen students completed an eight-week course at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, where they gained tools to remain active participants in their communities, both in and out of incarceration, according to a news release from the Office of the Secretary of State. A photo of the class, their instructor and guest speakers is available on the Office of the Secretary of State Flickr account. Students learned about the foundations of government, founding government documents, how bills become law, identifying misinformation     (read more)

(MOUNT VERNON)- The SR 536 Skagit River Bridge repainting project is getting set to start. The Washington State Department of Transportation is expecting crews to begin to prepare the area on Friday, May 29th, according to David Rasbach, Communicator for WSDOT. Crews are expected to implement traffic control on Monday, June 8th, according to Rasbach. This includes an east bound closure. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane and will be west bound only. The project is expected to be finished before the 2027 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, according to Rasbach. For up to date information, visit WSDOT's website.     (read more)

(NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND)- There will be training evolutions at the Seaplane Base Training Area on Thursday May 21, 2026, between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This training evolution will involve simulated gunfire, according to a news release from NAS Whidbey Island. Safety precautions will be set to ensure ground operations pose no threat to neighboring property or persons.     (read more)

(MOUNT VERNON)– Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs presented two Washington state charities May 7 with nearly $500,000 received through the Washington state Combined Fund Drive’s December 2025 special disaster relief campaign. The campaign disbursed $993,612 overall to date for Washington charities after the historic atmospheric river event. Community Action of Skagit County and the Whatcom Community Foundation respectively received $224,580 and $234,033 in donations for directly supporting flood relief efforts across Skagit and Whatcom counties, according to a news release from the Office of the Secretary of State. “Time and time again, Washingtonians continue to answer the call when our neighbors need it most,”     (read more)

(NEWHALEM)– Two emergency repair projects have started, and State Route 20/North Cascades Highway is expected to fully reopen to eastbound and westbound traffic by Thursday, June 25. This is 10 days earlier than the Washington State Department of Transportation’s previous goal of reopening by the Fourth of July, according to a news release from the agency. A section of SR 20 between Colonial Creek Campground (milepost 130) and Porcupine Creek (milepost 156) has remained closed since the North Cascades Highway’s partial reopening from the east side April 30. Several sections were seriously damaged by washouts in December and a March rockslide, making it unsafe     (read more)