Secular News

Washington state’s new requirement for farms to post public notice of routine seasonal layoffs is more than an added nuisance for farmers. It’s yet another threat to the survival of already-struggling farms. This ill-conceived law, often called Washington’s “Mini-WARN” Act in a nod to the 1988 federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, began […]

A BBC investigation finds that a host of areas in England are closing waiting lists and others are rationing care.

A BBC investigation finds that a host of areas in England are closing waiting lists and others are rationing care.

Washington is making its bid for a billion dollars in new federal funding for rural health care. The so-called “big, beautiful bill” that congressional Republicans approved in July included a total of $50 billion for the Rural Health Transformation Program. The money is meant to offset some of the expected damage to rural hospitals from […]

This story was originally published by CalMatters. California voters on Tuesday passed a ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats, a major victory for the party in a high-stakes national redistricting fight that could determine who controls the House of Representatives next year. The Associated Press called the race shortly after […]

Voters were giving the go-ahead Tuesday for the state to make stock market investments with payroll taxes collected for Washington’s new long-term care program. A measure to amend the state constitution was passing by an overwhelming margin of 56.8% to 43.2%. Results will be updated as more votes are tallied. If Tuesday’s results for Senate […]

Two potentially vulnerable Democrats in the Washington state Senate appeared poised to retain their seats after an initial ballot count on Tuesday. Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, faced a challenge from a more moderate candidate within her own party. And Sen. Victoria Hunt, D-Issaquah, from a Republican opponent hoping to chip away at the lopsided balance […]

Democratic state Sen. Deb Krishnadasan was holding off Republican Rep. Michelle Caldier on Tuesday in an expensive battle cast as a bellwether of the political mood in Washington. Krishnadasan led Caldier by a comfortable margin of 52.7% to 47.3% in a contest that drew nearly $4 million in spending by candidates and outside groups. Results […]

A few days ago, I looked in a bag of food packed at the Tukwila Pantry, the food bank hosted by our church. There was a jar of chili sauce, two onions, and some coffee creamer.  How do you make a meal out of that?  And yet that’s what we’re expecting the families who rely […]

Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson both agree the federal government shutdown has gone on too long. But the two fixtures of Washington state politics insist the other’s party is preventing it from ending. The shutdown hit 34 days on Monday. Baumgartner thinks he and Ferguson should air their perspectives on […]

Washington businesses would need to shoulder roughly $700 million in additional taxes in a few years unless the projected finances of the state’s unemployment insurance fund improve.  Officials are looking at ways to avoid such a scenario.  Unemployment is relatively low in Washington. But pandemic-era policies and increased usage during the past couple of years […]

Voters across Washington will decide nearly 3,000 races in Tuesday’s election. These include contests for city, county, school, fire district and court of appeals positions, along with one statewide ballot measure. In the state’s biggest city and county, that means deciding on the next Seattle mayor and King County executive. There are also several competitive […]