Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington Adding Emergency Heat Exposure Rules for Outdoor Workers
Jul 9 2021 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries filed an emergency rule to provide increased protection for employees exposed to extreme heat, including those working in agriculture, construction and other...
County in Washington Ordered to Pay $900K to Worker Over Retaliation
Jul 9 2021 // A federal jury has ordered King County to pay about $900,000 to a Black senior Metro transit worker who said he was retaliated against after alleging racial discrimination. The verdict by a jury in U.S. District Court in...
Washington Governor Declares Wildfire State of Emergency, Burn Ban
Jul 8 2021 // Gov. Jay Inslee this week declared a state of emergency throughout Washington relating to the growing risk of wildfires, including a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through Sept....
Washington Commissioner Wants Auto Claims, Rebate Data from Insurers
Jul 7 2021 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued a data call of 124 auto insurance companies for recent rebates given to policyholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kreidler is requesting claims data for private...
Washington D.C. Expands Program to Increase Opportunities for Students in Finance
Jul 7 2021 // Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is working alongside the district’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) to increase opportunities for high school and college students to pursue careers in...
$1M Settlement Reached in Washington Dairy Worker Overtime Suit
Jul 5 2021 // Yakima County Superior Court has approved a $1 million settlement that provides retroactive overtime pay for workers at a Lower Yakima Valley dairy. The settlement wraps up a class-action lawsuit filed in 2016 by Jose...
Washington Labor Department Says Data of Some Workers May Have Been Exposed in Contractor Incident
Jul 1 2021 // The Washington state Department of Labor & Industries is reporting that it was recently notified that one of its contractors, Pacific Market Research, was the victim of a ransomware attack on its data systems. During...
Most COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted in Washington
Jun 30 2021 // Most of the COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place and modified several times since last spring were lifted in Washington on Wednesday, meaning restaurants and bars and other businesses could resume full indoor...
COVID-19 Vaccines Promise Long Lasting Immunity: Washington University Research
Jun 29 2021 // The first two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employed a technology that had never before been used in FDA-approved vaccines. Both vaccines performed well in...
Washington Dry-Cleaner Owner Accused of Faking Injury in Workers’ Comp Case
Jun 28 2021 // The owner-operator of an Olympia, Wash., dry cleaning business faces a felony charge alleging he stole workers’ compensation benefits by faking the severity of his injury. Byung Sung Kang, 54, is scheduled for...
$1M Settlement Reached in Washington Dairy Worker Overtime Suit
Jun 23 2021 // Yakima County Superior Court has approved a $1 million settlement that provides retroactive overtime pay for workers at a Lower Yakima Valley dairy. The settlement wraps up a class-action lawsuit filed in 2016 by Jose...
Newspaper Carrier Confronted by Washington Sheriff Seeks $5M in Damages
Jun 21 2021 // A Black newspaper carrier confronted by Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer in Washingotn has filed a legal claim seeking at least $5 million in damages. Attorneys representing Sedrick Altheimer submitted the tort claim...
$3.25M in Medical Malpractice Death of Washington Prisoner
Jun 21 2021 // The Washington Department of Corrections has agreed to pay $3.25 million to the family of a man who died at Monroe Correctional Complex after not receiving adequate medical care. A lawsuit filed by Julia Kleutsch said her...
Washington City Paying $333K to Family of Man Shot in 2016
Jun 15 2021 // The City of Forks has paid $333,000 to settle a civil-rights lawsuit filed by relatives of a man who was shot and killed by police in 2016 after an officer allegedly escalated a welfare check into a deadly...
Washington Officials Allow Cannabis Dispensaries to Offer Joints for Jabs
Jun 9 2021 // Licensed marijuana stores in Washington state can offer free joints to promote on-site COVID-19 vaccine clinics, officials said this week. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board is calling the effort the “Joints for...
Washington, California Urge Insurers to Adopt Task Force Climate Reporting Guidelines
Jun 8 2021 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara are askikng all insurers that are currently required to report to them annually on climate change to start reporting their...
$3.25M in Medical Malpractice Death of Washington Prisoner
Jun 8 2021 // The Washington state Department of Corrections has agreed to pay $3.25 million to the family of a man who died at Monroe Correctional Complex after not receiving adequate medical care. A lawsuit filed by Julia Kleutsch...
Washington Debates What to Do About Ransomware Payments, Cyber Reporting
Jun 7 2021 // More transparency is needed into what kind of cash payments are made after ransomware attacks, a top Democrat said, following a recent spate of cyber-attacks aimed at U.S. companies. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate...
Former Washington Logger Charged in Nearly $300K Workers’ Comp Scam
Jun 7 2021 // A Cowlitz County, Wash., man stands accused of faking injuries to collect nearly $300,000 in workers’ compensation benefits. James Joseph Thomasson, 52, of Kalama, was arraigned in Thurston County Superior Court on...
15 Military Families in Washington Sue Private Company Over Housing Conditions
Jun 7 2021 // Fifteen military families have filed a lawsuit against a private company that manages housing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington over living conditions they say caused property damage and health problems. The 51...