An invasive crab is stirring up concerns for Washington's salmon and shellfish. The European green crab is one of the most aggressive marine creatures on the planet.
The European green crab is an "efficient predator," according to Sea Grant Washington, and poses a major threat to fishing and shellfish industries in the Pacific Northwest.
The population is spreading rapidly in Washington state and the race is on to eradicate them before they pinch the state's economy.
The crabs have invaded the Lummi Indian reservation, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties the hardest, but now they're being found in Skagit County's Samish Bay. Read more
Incumbent Steve Hobbs leads with 50% of the vote in the election for Washington secretary of state. Nonpartisan challenger Julie Anderson is trailing behind with 47%.
An unusual number of write-in votes, more than 50,000 of them, is potentially impacting the outcome of the election, garnering 3% of the total votes cast.
Hobbs and Anderson are both vying to be the first non-Republican candidate to win the secretary of state seat in nearly 60 years. Hobbs was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to assume the role when former Secretary of State Kim Wyman left office in November 2021 to take an election security position with the Biden administration.
State Representative Brad Klippert, a Republican from Kennewick, ran a write-in campaign endorsed last month by the state Republican Party for the secretary of state seat, attracting tens of thousands of write-in votes, which is atypical for a state election. Read more
Decades of research show that people with serious mental illness who are jailed, especially in solitary confinement, experience steep declines in their mental health. But in the state of Washington, the time spent behind bars for people who are mentally ill and waiting for court-ordered treatment is at an all-time high.
Washington is experiencing the biggest backlog in state history of mentally ill defendants sitting in jails, waiting for required services to restore what’s called “competency.”
That means giving defendants the help they need to understand the charges against them and to participate in their defense. Read more
Two suspects were scheduled to make their first appearances in court on Wednesday related to a fatal shooting at Ingraham High School the day before. A 14-year-old suspect waived their first appearance, but a 15-year-old suspect did appear in court.
A student was shot at the school on Tuesday morning just before 10 a.m. and died from their injuries later that day.
The judge found probable cause to hold a 14-year-old suspect on probable cause for first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon at a school facility.
A 15-year-old suspect was also arrested related to the shooting. The 15-year-old was caught with the suspected shooter on a King County Metro bus. Prosecutors said a semi-automatic handgun, which was possibly used by the suspected shooter, was found in the 15-year-old's backpack. Read more
The Seattle Seahawks are making history in their trip to Munich, Germany to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Their matchup will be played in one of the world's most modern venues.
Allianz Arena is home to FC Bayern, Munich's home soccer club. The NFL game here will be the first non-soccer event ever played at the arena. It has room for 70,000 fans and is sold out. Read more
RELATED: Western Washington Forecast
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