The Columbian

Northwest

Washington public universities give applicants more decision time amid FAFSA woes

February 25, 2024, 12:49pm Latest News

Amid widespread problems with the federal student financial aid application, all of Washington’s public universities will give students an extra month to decide whether they want to enroll in the fall. Read story

The sun dial stands in front of the Legislative Building at the state Capitol in Olympia in March 2022.

Holocaust education requirement fails in Washington Legislature

February 25, 2024, 12:47pm Latest News

A bill in the Legislature to require schools to teach students about the Holocaust and genocide won’t become law, failing to move forward amid debate over the war in Gaza. Read story

Tenuous status for Ukrainians who fled to U.S. as war enters third year: ‘You feel like you’re sitting with a bomb’

February 25, 2024, 12:45pm Northwest

Yuliia Boicheva and her family had just poured their savings into an Odesa condo a short 20-minute walk from the Black Sea where her teenage son liked to swim. It was close enough that they could smell the ocean air from their new home. They had just begun to plan… Read story

The Space Needle is seen as the setting sun reflects off of nearby apartments, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Seattle.

These northwest cities were ranked among the top 10 best cities in the country for partying

February 25, 2024, 7:23am Latest News

Being able to get out and enjoy a night out on the town without spending a ton of money and having to travel far away can be an integral part of deciding where someone decides to live or travel. Read story

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, barrels of wine are moved into storage at Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville.

Grape expectations: $9.5B Washington wine industry wants to put the crush on the gloom and doom

February 25, 2024, 6:19am Business

Bart Fawbush has faced his share of challenges building a boutique winery known for its unusual varietals. Read story

A quarter of military families struggle to afford enough food. Northwest lawmakers are trying to help

February 25, 2024, 6:17am Latest News

Sara Jemo picked up a can of tomato soup from a wagon of groceries, crossed out the bar code with a permanent marker, then placed the can on a shelf. She repeated the process until the cart was empty and the shelf was stocked before she opened the Fairchild Food… Read story

Spokane County Fire District 8
A plume of smoke rises from the Gray Fire, which forced evacuation of the city of Medical Lake and closed Interstate 90 west of Spokane in August.

‘It’s going to be a long process’: Spokane leaders caution that federal fire aid will take time to arrive

February 24, 2024, 2:18pm Northwest

When Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper heard that Spokane County would receive federal aid to help recover from this summer’s wildfires, relief washed over her. Read story

Andrea Boyd photographed at Marine Park in Bellingham, Washington, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Boyd is the mother of a 36-year-old with schizophrenia who has been in crisis several times -- her son now has what’s called a “mental health advance directive,” which is a legal document that allows him to make decisions for those times he’s in crisis/incapable of consenting to treatment. Andrea says it improves behavioral health care for disabled patients and prevents people on the streets from being abandoned.

For Washington patients with serious mental illness, this little-known right may get stronger

February 24, 2024, 10:03am Health

Andrea Boyd’s son has been in crisis often enough to know the urgency of getting treatment when he needs it. In his 20s, without proper care and medication, he drifted onto the streets for nearly a decade. Read story

Snohomish County issues order to stop work at gravel yard next to school

February 24, 2024, 7:15am Northwest

Snohomish County issued an “emergency order” Wednesday to stop work at a gravel yard that’s come under scrutiny over the past year for operating directly next to an elementary school and for lacking permits. The yard has drawn complaints from teachers and parents about noise, dust and exhaust. Read story