Latest Jay Inslee News
State transportation panel recommends ferry fare increase
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state Transportation Commission has recommended an across-the-board fare increase to cover the costs of Washington State Ferries for the next two years. Fares for vehicles and walk-ons would rise 2.5% on Oct. 1 and another 2.5% on Oct. 1, 2022,...
Jury deciding if immigration detainees must get minimum wage
SEATTLE (AP) — A federal jury is deciding whether one of the nation's biggest private prison companies must pay minimum wage — instead of $1 a day — to immigration detainees who perform tasks like cooking and cleaning at its jail in Washington state. Democratic...
King County: COVID mask mandate to end June 29
SEATTLE (AP) — Health officials said Tuesday that 70% of eligible people in Washington state's most populous county have received either the one-dose Johnson and Johnson COIVD vaccine or both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. That means 70% of people 16 and older...
Company drops plan for $2.3B methanol plant in Washington
SEATTLE (AP) — A company backed by the Chinese government on Friday ended its seven-year effort to build one of the world’s largest methanol plants along the Columbia River in southwestern Washington, following a series of regulatory setbacks and a long debate over its environmental...
Winner of first $250K in state vaccine lottery claims prize
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The first winner in Washington state’s COVID-19 vaccine lottery has claimed his $250,000 prize. The man identified by Washington State Lottery officials Thursday as Lance R. did not want to be further identified, KING-TV reported. ...
Washington State Fair to return in-person in September
PUYALLUP, Wash. (AP) — The Washington State Fair is returning to Puyallup in September after it was canceled last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers posted on Twitter Thursday that the Washington State Fair is back, The Seattle Times reported. ...
WA panel approves sports betting; sends to governor
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The Washington State Gambling Commission on Thursday approved amendments to gambling compacts for 15 Native American tribes that are a major step to allowing those tribes to offer sports betting at their casinos. Commissioners voted 7-0, with two...
Washington state: People on unemployment must look for work
SEATTLE (AP) — State officials say people in Washington collecting unemployment benefits will again be required to actively search for work to keep those benefits, starting July 4. Gov. Jay Inslee had suspended the job-search requirement last spring during the COVID-19...
Washington's 'joints for jabs' vaccine program falling flat
SEATTLE (AP) — It was designed as an innovative way to promote COVID-19 vaccinations, but Washington’s new “joints for jabs” program is off to a rough start. Officials announced Monday that the state's nearly 500 licensed marijuana retailers could begin hosting...
Gov. names Feek as Employment Security Department head
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday named Cami Feek as commissioner of the state’s Employment Security Department, which last year temporarily suspended unemployment benefits payments after discovering that criminals had used stolen Social Security numbers and other...
