state government

The Supreme Court decision June 30 restricting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency may mean continued pollution from power plants in states that are not switching to cleaner energy. But many states are switching and experts say they´ll remain free to keep cleaning up their electrical grids under the new decision.

Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson announced her campaign for secretary of state on Wednesday – and she’s running as a nonpartisan candidate, a value she feels strongly about.

State health officials are investigating the three omicron variant COVID-19 cases confirmed in Washington so far. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins and KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick look at that response and other issues facing state government right now.

Republican state Sen. Keith Wagoner says he plans to challenge newly appointed Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs in next year’s election.

Steve Hobbs has been sworn in as Washington’s 16th secretary of state. He's the first person of color to head the office and the first Democrat to hold the position in 56 years.

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Democratic state Sen. Steve Hobbs as the state’s 16th secretary of state, marking the first time a Democrat will hold the office since the mid-1960s. Hobbs will replace Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who will leave office Nov. 19 to start a top election security job in the Biden administration.

We are less than a week away from a new COVID-19 requirement taking effect in Washington. Simultaneously, officials are preparing to vaccinate the state's 5- to 11-year-olds. The pandemic is also a factor in planning the next legislative session.

Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday applauded numbers showing that some 94% of Washington state employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have received exemptions from his mandate, and 3.1% are waiting to get a vaccine or exemption.

A federal judge in Eastern Washington on Monday denied a bid by firefighters, state troopers and others to halt Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state workers and emergency responders.

In less than a month, Washington state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for most state employees, educators and health-care workers kicks in. Workers still unvaccinated by Oct. 18 could be fired.