Darby Kaikkonen, a former senior official in the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was terminated for voting to preserve fairness in girls’ sports. Kaikkonen served as Director of Student Information at OSPI and is currently an elected member of the Tumwater School Board.
The Washington State Republican Party (WAGOP) has put forward an initiative attempting to support election integrity and require proof of citizenship to vote.
After years of delays, contract disputes, and multiple ethics complaints, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has officially launched the Washington State Data Exchange for Public Safety (WADEPS). The database, mandated by 2021’s Senate Bill 5259, aims to provide public access to police use of force incident data—but its rollout has been anything but smooth.
Washington state has taken a major step to address its childcare crisis with the signing of House Bill 1648 into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson. The legislation, championed by Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, aims to reduce burdensome regulations that have driven qualified workers out of the childcare sector.
Trooper Christopher M. Gadd, 27, was killed in a high-speed crash on Interstate 5 near Marysville, Washington, in March 2024. Raul Benitez-Santana, a 33-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, now faces charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. According to authorities, Benitez-Santana was driving over 100 mph while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he struck Trooper Gadd’s parked cruiser on the shoulder of the freeway at approximately 3 a.m.
Governor Bob Ferguson signed a controversial new law that allows cities across Washington state to designate certain residential roads as “shared streets” with speed limits as low as 10 miles per hour. Senate Bill 5595 permits pedestrians to walk in the middle of these streets, eliminates traditional jaywalking laws, and mandates that vehicles yield to bicycles, which must yield to pedestrians.
On Monday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5041 into law, allowing striking workers to receive unemployment benefits starting in 2026. The controversial move, backed by labor unions, permits workers involved in strikes or employer lockouts to claim benefits between 15 and 21 days after a work stoppage begins.
After more than a year of broken promises and mounting frustration, Washington state farmers are finally exempt from fuel taxes tied to the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). On Thursday, Governor Bob Ferguson signed Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1912 (ESSHB 1912) into law, fulfilling long-delayed exemptions for agricultural producers.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is visiting the Tri-Cities on Thursday to sign 11 bills into law, but several high-profile and controversial measures—particularly those involving parental rights, student privacy, and healthcare costs—are noticeably absent from his schedule.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has signed into law a sweeping measure that gives the state expansive new oversight authority over all privately run ICE detention facilities, including the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. House Bill 1232, backed by Democrat lawmakers, authorizes unannounced inspections by the state Department of Health and imposes fines of up to $1 million annually for violations—defined solely by the agency.
