The Columbian

Northwest

Farmworkers pick daffodils March 15 in a field just off Best Road in Skagit County near Mount Vernon.

Why Washington’s farmworkers are disappearing

March 30, 2024, 6:04am Business

While there’s plenty of work to be done in Washington’s fields, orchards and berry rows, farmworkers are becoming increasingly rare in the Evergreen State. Read story

FAA halts Washington wing-walking flights, revokes owner’s pilot license

March 30, 2024, 5:31am Northwest

The Mason Wing Walking business in Sequim that allowed paying thrill-seekers to clamber over the wings of a 1940s Stearman biplane while in flight is no more. Read story

Washington, D.C., Roll Call Report

March 30, 2024, 5:11am Northwest

Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending March 29. Read story

A three-vehicle crash in January on Interstate 5 near Vancouver sent six workers to the hospital. A suspected drunk driver crashed into the rear of a WSDOT pickup truck, which pushed the truck into the rear of another.

Work-zone crews face regular danger on Washington’s roads

March 29, 2024, 8:31pm Northwest

Adam Gonzales has one of the most dangerous offices in Washington. The 49-year-old sits just a few feet from cars and semi-trucks speeding by him at up to 80 mph. The maintenance worker for the state Department of Transportation has been hit three times on the job and still suffers… Read story

Seattle company proposes new solar farm near Tri-Cities

March 29, 2024, 5:59pm Business

A Seattle company is proposing a solar farm south of the Tri-Cities that could generate power each year for about 13,000 homes. Read story

Washington becomes first state to ban lead-contaminated cookware

March 29, 2024, 5:43pm Health

Washington is the first state to ban the manufacture, distribution and sale of cookware contaminated with lead, following Gov. Jay Inslee’s approval of a bill that passed this legislative session. Read story

The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington is part of Puget Sound Energy’s clean energy portfolio.

Controversial clean energy law takes effect in Washington

March 29, 2024, 4:42pm Editor's Choice Free

Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed a hotly contested bill to quicken Puget Sound Energy’s transition away from natural gas, leaving in place a provision that critics argued would unfairly benefit the utility’s investors at the expense of ratepayers. Read story

Boeing paid out $418M in bonuses to WA employees last month

March 29, 2024, 2:39pm Business

Boeing paid out annual bonuses totaling $418 million to about 68,000 eligible employees in Washington state last month. Read story

Workers cut away an old expansion joint on Interstate 5 in Seattle, during 2022.

Inslee signs final transportation budget, warns of tough sledding

March 29, 2024, 2:34pm Latest News Free

As Gov. Jay Inslee prepared to sign the last transportation spending plan of his 12-year tenure Thursday, he described the bumpy road ahead for lawmakers and his successor. Read story