The Columbian

Northwest

14-year-old boy arrested for threatening to shoot up, bomb school in Ritzville, police say

October 23, 2024, 8:11am Northwest

A 14-year-old Lind-Ritzville High School student is accused of using the social media app Snapchat to threaten to shoot and bomb his school, prompting officials to close schools Tuesday. Read story

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2020 photo, state Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, listens to testimony on the House floor at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Prominent state lawmaker Shea says the coronavirus is a foreign bio-weapon and claims Marxists are using the pandemic to advance totalitarianism. (AP Photo/Ted S.

State bar association declines to discipline extremist former lawmaker Matt Shea over Malheur incident, citing ‘constitutional scrutiny’

October 22, 2024, 3:05pm Northwest

The Washington State Bar Association has dismissed a grievance filed against former Washington lawmaker Matthew Shea after he was alleged to have planned and participated in political violence, citing “constitutional scrutiny.” Read story

Paul Patu performs hip-hop music with the theme of "Drop The Vote," Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, outside a voting center in Seattle where people can drop off ballots or get help registering to vote or obtaining their ballots. Patu is the executive director of the Seattle-based organization Urban Family, who came up with the Drop The Vote campaign to encourage and educate voters from underserved communities. (AP Photo/Ted S.

WA voters worried about postelection violence, poll shows

October 22, 2024, 1:09pm Election

Nearly two-thirds of Washingtonians are concerned about politically motivated violence following this year’s elections, a new poll found. Read story

Scene of a shooting Monday morning in Fall City, Washington, on Oct. 21, 2024.

Teen in custody after 3 youths, 2 adults fatally shot near Fall City in King County

October 22, 2024, 11:21am Northwest

Five people, including three youths, were fatally shot near the Lake Alice public boat launch site in the Fall City area Monday morning, according to law enforcement officials. Read story

Health insurance premiums to rise for WA small businesses by about 12%

October 22, 2024, 10:51am Business Free

Health insurance costs in Washington for small businesses and their employees will increase an average of 11.9 percent in 2025, according to the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Read story

Nuclear contractor to pay $1.1M after charges of COVID loan fraud to pay his credit cards

October 22, 2024, 8:16am Northwest

The owner of a Hanford nuclear site subcontractor has agreed to pay the federal government $1.1 million to settle accusations that he and BNL Technical Services defrauded the federal government through its COVID loan program. Read story

Proposed $5 billion data center would be transformative for this Eastern WA county

October 22, 2024, 7:41am Business

Advance Phase LLC may not be a familiar name in Southeast Washington, but its $4.8 billion plan to build a cluster of 16 data centers at Wallula Gap promises to raise its profile. Read story

Ballots are sorted at Clark County Elections Office on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 6, 2024.

Can you track your vote until it’s counted in Washington state this election? Here’s how

October 22, 2024, 7:40am Clark County Politics

For some, voting by mail can be an easy and convenient way to cast a ballot in an election. But what if you’re concerned that your ballot got misplaced, or lost in the mail? Turns out, there’s a way to address that. Read story