(The Center Square) – An Island County elections observer was escorted out of the Auditor’s Office on Monday for refusing to wear a facemask. The masking requirement came from Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, who told The Center Square that in the wake of a COVID-19 outbreak at the elections center back in August, when election workers were conducting a recount in the Lands Commissioner race between Democratic candidate Dave Upthegrove and Republican Sue Kuehl-Pedersen
(The Center Square) – Hundreds of voters who returned their election ballots at a Vancouver, Wash., drop box over the weekend are urged to follow up with the Clark County Elections Office, following a Monday morning fire that likely damaged or destroyed hundreds of ballots in a suspected case of arson. A drop box in Portland, Oregon, was also vandalized Monday morning. A video posted by KATU-TV in Portland showed officers pulling burning envelopes from
(The Center Square) – The Spokane International Airport laid out a $215.7 million budget for 2025 on Monday, roughly 16% more than budgeted for 2024, while maintaining a balanced outlook. The request comes as Spokane County grapples with balancing its own budget for next year due to flatlining revenue. The Spokane International Airport, or SIA, is owned by the county and the city of Spokane, meaning its purse falls under both purviews. However, unlike most
(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell recently signed legislation that reduces the design process time to bolster housing development in the downtown area. The bill creates a three-year exemption from the design review process for projects that provide housing, lodging, and research and development. Projects have to be within the downtown core, South Lake Union, the Uptown neighborhood, First Hill and parts of the Greater Duwamish Manufacturing and Industrial Center. The city expects
