Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fraud Ringleader in Washington Sentenced, Ordered to Pay $7.1M in Restitution
Dec 6 2024 // A Washington man has been sentenced to a dozen years in prison and ordered to pay $7.1 million for leading a fraud scheme that involved staged collisions. A U.S. District Judge sentenced William Oldham Mize to 144 months...
Washington Workers’ Comp Premium Going up in 2025
Dec 2 2024 // The average cost of workers’ compensation insurance in Washington will go up about 3.8% in 2025, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries announced. Employers and workers together will pay on average...
Washington Woman Wanted After Failing to Appear in Court for Insurance Fraud Charges
Nov 22 2024 // A Federal Way, Washington, woman is on Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s insurance fraud most wanted list after she failed to appear at her arraignment. Yelena Gruy faces a felony charge for filing a false...
Washington Commissioner: Most Homes in 2023 Wildfire Were Underinsured
Nov 18 2024 // An analysis of the claims paid out after the Gray and Oregon Road fires in Washington last year found that most of the homes destroyed were underinsured. The fires destroyed 366 homes, burning more than 20,000 acres...
Washington Farm Labor Contractor Fined $140K for Withholding Info From Workers
Nov 18 2024 // A Pasco farm labor contractor faces nearly $140,000 in fines for violations uncovered during a Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigation that include withholding information from worker. According...
Washington Workers’ Comp Scam Exposed by Gym Trips
Nov 15 2024 // A Washington man is being charged in a felony in a $28,000 workers’ compensation scam after a trip the gym seemingly exposed him. Omid Mohammadi Dashti, 41, of Renton, was charged with one count of first-degree...
Former UFC Fighter Wanted on Insurance Fraud Charges in Washington
Nov 8 2024 // A former UFC fighter is wanted in Washington for insurance fraud, among other charges. Bryan Caraway, originally from Richland, has landed on Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s insurance fraud most...
Washington Sawmill Fined $126K for 61 Safety and Health Violations
Nov 7 2024 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is levying more than $126,000 in fines for 61 reported safety and health violations by a lumber seller. Fox Lumber Sales buys leftover wood, cuts it down, and sells...
Kuderer Wins Race for Long-Held Washington Insurance Commissioner Post
Nov 6 2024 // Democrat Patricia Kuderer defeated Republican Phil Fortunato in the bid to replace the nation’s longest serving insurance commissioner with 57% of the votes. Nearly 65% of the ballots have been counted so far, and...
Changes to Washington Homeowners and Auto Premium Rule to Be Considered
Nov 4 2024 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has proposed modifying the state’s recently adopted premium change transparency rule. The proposal is specific to Phase 2 of the rule (the automatic inclusion of...
Washington Farm Labor Contractor Fined $140K for Withholding Info From Workers
Nov 1 2024 // A Pasco farm labor contractor faces nearly $140,000 in fines for violations uncovered during a Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigation that include withholding information from worker. According...
Washington Drafting New Ergonomic Rules for Airline Ground Crews
Oct 30 2024 // Scheduled airline ground crews, including baggage handlers and maintenance workers, file injury claims for work-related musculoskeletal disorders at more than 10 times the statewide average, according to the Washington...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Adept Benefits in Washington
Oct 30 2024 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Snoqualmie, Washington-based Adept Benefits LLC. Adept Benefits is a health and benefits consulting firm serving clients in the greater Seattle area. Megan Narrance and her team will...
Washington Commissioner: Most Homes in 2023 Wildfire Were Underinsured
Oct 29 2024 // An analysis of the claims paid out after the Gray and Oregon Road fires in Washington last year found that most of the homes destroyed were underinsured. The fires destroyed 366 homes, burning more than 20,000 acres...
Washington Insurance Commissioner Issued Fines Totaling $302K
Oct 25 2024 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines totaling $302,500 against insurance companies, agents, brokers and unlicensed entities in July, August and September for violations of state insurance laws and...
Washington Paper Mill Fined Nearly $650K in Machine Operator Death
Oct 21 2024 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited and fined a mill operator in Camas following an investigation into the death of a worker who was crushed by a packing machine that had no safety guards in...
Washington’s Landmark Climate Law Hangs in The Balance This Election
Oct 16 2024 // A groundbreaking law that forces companies in Washington state to reduce their carbon emissions while raising billions of dollars for climate programs could be repealed by voters this fall, less than two years after it...
Washington Paper Mill Fined Nearly $650K in Machine Operator Death
Oct 4 2024 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited and fined a mill operator in Camas following an investigation into the death of a worker who was crushed by a packing machine that had no safety guards in...
Woman Arrested From Washington Insurance Commissioner’s Most Wanted List
Sep 26 2024 // An Everett woman on Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Insurance Fraud Most Wanted list who failed to appear for her arraignment has been arrested. Shawndlyn Williams, who also goes by Shawndlyn Dyson,...
Washington Metal Fabricator Faces Felony in $340K Workers’ Comp Scam
Sep 19 2024 // A Washington man who claimed he was too injured to work while operating a metal fabrication shop faces a felony charge in an alleged $340,000 workers’ compensation scam. Travis Lee Johnson, 52, of Spokane Valley,...
