Pacific NW

Dec. 19—A closed Sunnyside company that sold juice for school lunch programs and its owner have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from inspections that found filthy, putrid and decomposing juice products, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Eastern Washington. Food and Drug Administration inspections of facilities owned by Valley Processing in 2018 found visible mold, ...

Dec. 20—Gov. Jay Inslee's "wealth tax" proposal is drawing fire from a usual Democratic political ally — Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer. Hanauer, a politically influential progressive who generally supports taxing the rich (including himself), torched Inslee's proposal as an unserious and "boneheaded" distraction in a series of social media posts on X on Thursday. "This proposal is ...

Gov. Jay Inslee’s “wealth tax” proposal is drawing fire from a usual Democratic political ally – Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer.

Using aerial drones to spray paint over graffiti along state highways is “very effective,” according to a new report from Washington’s Department of Transportation.

Dec. 20—The Federal Railroad Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has awarded $49.7 to support the proposed high-speed train across the Pacific Northwest, a group of Washington legislators announced in a press release on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The long-discussed rail project would provide train service between Portland, Oregon, Seattle, and Vancouver, British ...

Dec. 20—A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction requested by the Environmental Protection Agency that will force Granger-area dairies to test for nitrates in nearby residential drinking water. The decision, posted Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice, was praised by federal officials and environmental advocates and criticized by a Washington state-based farmer advocacy ...

Dec. 20—The holiday season seems to bring out people's creative side. Many people use lights and inflatables to transform their yards into Christmas wonderlands. But some people take it a step further and decorate their cars. You may have encountered some of these vehicles on the street decked out in bright Christmas lights. But, as amusing as it might seem to see these cars out and about, it ...

Dec. 20—App-based transportation company Uber is suing the city of Seattle in federal court to halt a new law from taking effect that will regulate when delivery drivers may be booted from its platform. The case, filed less than two weeks before the law is scheduled to go live, argues the city is curtailing the company's ability to speak for itself, forcing it to associate with problematic ...

Dec. 20—It's called feeling under the weather for a reason. Winter often brings a spike in illnesses, and Washington state is no exception. In an email to McClatchy, a Washington State Department of Health spokesperson said that respiratory illnesses tend to spike during colder months since people spend more time indoors, where a lack of ventilation allows viruses to spread more easily. DOH ...

Dec. 20—PULLMAN — Washington State University is encouraging students and residents of Pullman to celebrate college football in alternative ways that don't require sacrificing furniture for the Cougs. It was a busy season for the town's first responders. More than a handful of couches, mattresses and dumpsters were ignited following WSU football home games. Pullman police logs show at least ...

Idaho’s labor force is making gains in the national rankings. Though still near the middle of the pack in statewide rankings for median income, the state saw a faster income growth rate than all other states and Washington, D.C., coming in at 15.5% over the past five years. The state with the next-fastest income growth was Arizona at 12.3%, according to the Idaho Department of Labor. The ...

A Boise-area company that makes french fries has been targeted by an activist investor. Jana Partners, an investment firm with a 20-year record of leveraging its shares in various public companies to take over or force changes, has its eyes set on Eagle-based potato manufacturing giant Lamb Weston. The activist has built a stake of over 5% in Lamb Weston and has been pushing the company to ...