Governing

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After deaths of the Decker sisters, advocates call for review of Amber Alert system

Child safety advocates and Washington state lawmakers met on the steps of Seattle City Hall Friday to call for a review of Washington’s Amber Alert system. Their calls are in response to the deaths of the three Decker sisters.
- Paige Browning
Protest Trump but do so peacefully, Washington state officials warn

Washington state officials urged people to raise their voices in a planned day of protest Saturday against the policies of President Donald Trump, but urged protesters to avoid violence and deprive Trump of any excuse for intervening as he did in LA.
- Amy Radil
Seattle Police Chief Barnes says he expects to be jailed for resisting Trump's orders

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes told City Council members Tuesday that he plans to stand up for the First Amendment rights of Seattle residents and expects to be jailed at some point for making that stand.
- Stephen Howie
Washington scientists say ‘brain drain’ has begun as researchers consider moving abroad amid Trump cuts

With the Trump administration gutting research funding, imperiling science-related jobs, and stalling the grant-approval process for clinical studies and research centers, many U.S. scientists are considering research opportunities abroad.
- Stephen Howie
Washington's medical board gets ombuds funding amid push to improve public trust, communication

The regulatory authority that oversees doctors in Washington will create an ombudsman's office in an effort to improve communication with the public.
- Katie Campbell
Northwest tribes: Treaties mean Trump can’t ax salmon funding

Northwest tribal officials say the Trump administration’s latest budget proposal would violate their treaty rights to catch salmon.
- John Ryan
New records detail fear, deception as Seattle investigated former police chief Diaz for hiring girlfriend

Seattle’s Office of Inspector General has released a long-awaited trove of documents undergirding the investigation that led Mayor Bruce Harrell to fire then-Seattle police chief Adrian Diaz for dishonesty last December.
- Ashley Hiruko
Looks like they made it, or not. Highlights from Washington's 2025 legislative session

The work of governing a state comes to a pinnacle every year when the governor signs or vetoes legislation. Nearly 500 bills were completed this session in Olympia. That’s a lot to keep track of. To focus on some highlights, KUOW’s Kim Malcolm spoke to Olympia correspondent Jeanie Lindsay.
- Jeanie Lindsay
Ferguson breaks with past Washington governors — on his official bill-signing pens

What pen a governor uses to sign laws might not seem that important — but it’s a token and often an extension of who they are as a person.
- Scott Greenstone
ICE agents at Seattle courthouse arrest people whose deportation hearings are dismissed

People showing up for hearings at the Seattle Immigration Court this week are facing something new. Federal immigration agents wait in the courthouse hallways to arrest people if their deportation proceedings are dismissed by a judge.
- Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez

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