Associated Press
US senator seeks cyber info from voting machine makers
WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. senator wants to know how well prepared the country's top voting machine manufacturers are against hackers.
In letters shared with The Associated Press, Sen. Ron Wyden asks the CEOs of six election technology firms to answer a range of questions detailing how they protect sensitive voter data and test their own internal security systems...
Father of Las Vegas suspect operated Oregon bingo parlor
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The father of the suspected Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock operated an Oregon bingo parlor after escaping from a Texas prison in the late 1960s.
An Oregon Supreme Court opinion from 1981 said FBI agents arrested Patrick Benjamin Paddock - also known as Bruce Ericksen - on Sept...
Farmworkers end 6-day strike against Larson Fruit
QUINCY, Wash. (AP) - A group of farmworkers are celebrating the end of a six-day strike in the apple orchards near the town of Quincy.
The 17 workers reached a settlement that obligates their employer - Larson Fruit - to address complaints ranging from a scarcity of toilet paper to verbal abuse from a supervisor...
State’s health-exchange rates to increase by 24%
SEATTLE (AP) - The board for Washington's health-insurance exchange has approved an average rate increase of 24 percent, the largest premium increase since the exchange began in 2013.
The Washington Health Benefit Exchange board approved the rate increase this week...
Evacuation notices lifted as threat of wildfire subsides
CLE ELUM, Wash. (AP) - All evacuation notices are being lifted on Friday as a massive fire burning in central Washington no longer threatens homes and private property.
The Kittitas County Emergency Operations Center says the blaze that began Aug...
Judge won’t restore pensions for retired Hanford workers
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - A federal court ruling says the Department of Energy had no obligation to continue full pension benefits for Hanford nuclear reservation workers who were required to switch from one employer to another in a 1996 contracting change...
Prosser schools superintendent leaves with year’s salary
PROSSER, Wash. (AP) - Officials say the longtime Prosser School District superintendent who went on paid leave without explanation will remain on paid leave until his June retirement date next year.
The Tri-City Herald reports the school board on Tuesday approved an agreement allowing Ray Tolcacher to collect his entire salary of $137,245 along with about $55,000 for vacation, sick leave and other
Teen charged with shooting 4 at school appears in court
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A 15-year-old boy charged with fatally shooting a classmate and wounding three others at his rural Washington state high school has made his first appearance in court.
A judge on Wednesday in juvenile court in Spokane set a date to determine if Caleb Sharpe will be tried as an adult in the Sept...
Ex-inmate accused of threatening officers pleads not guilty
WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) - A former Washington State Penitentiary inmate has pleaded not guilty to sending threatening letters while in prison.
The Union-Bulletin reports 47-year-old Michael T. Donery entered his plea on Monday. He faces seven counts of harassment for sending letters in April to an individual outside the prison that penitentiary staff intercepted...
Family of missing hiker offers $10K reward for information
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - The family of a missing Pacific Crest Trail hiker hopes a reward of up to $10,000 could bring forward new information.
The Yakima Herald-Republic says Kris Fowler was last seen in central Washington nearly a year ago...