Wahkiakum County

A house with white siding and black trim around the window.

Take this historic house, please! Lawmakers unsure about acquiring political trailblazer’s home

Tom Banse

Julia Butler Hansen's son wants to donate her former home so it can become a heritage site, but repair and upkeep costs are giving officials pause.

Hayley Thompson, the coroner in Skagit County, says the makeshift morgue she rents from the local hospital — a space converted from a closet — has a lot of flaws. But it's better than what most coroners have.

Politics

Coroners in Washington manage to investigate deaths despite untenable conditions

Kari Plog

It isn’t often a coroner gets to deliver good news. Last week was an exception for Hayley Thompson.The Skagit County coroner learned her office was…

Skagit County Coroner Hayley Thompson (left) and Connie Le Sourd, owner of Mount Vernon Cemetery, arrange urns of unclaimed remains in a shared crypt during a committal service in October 2019. Thompson is one of 17 elected coroners in Washington state.

Politics

'A challenging way to practice medicine': Death investigation in Washington faces grim reality

Kari Plog

Dr. Carl Wigren could stand in for just about any medical examiner as seen on TV. He’s witty, a fast talker who knows a lot about investigating deaths.In…