Regional News

Cryptocurrency companies in Central Washington were left to wait in suspense on Tuesday after they asked a federal judge in Spokane to block an imminent, targeted electric rate increase. The energy-intensive data center operators claim they would be crippled by the Grant County Public Utility District rate hike. The utility says the case is without merit.

A legal case involving the Yakama Nation and Washington state taxes that started in 2013 came to an end Tuesday with a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

A Tri-Cities man who has been a frequent online critic of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he was blocked this month from commenting on Inslee's campaign Facebook page. The move comes as Inslee, a Democrat, launches his candidacy for president and his campaign says its working to make his Facebook page "a little less toxic."

Weather forecasters say the conditions are right for an orderly snowmelt in the Inland Northwest, both in the urban areas and up in the mountains.

National Weather Service forecaster Greg Koch says the prediction is for dry weather this week and temperatures in the 50s, even 60s, in the lower elevations.

“We need to lose that low elevation snowpack here in the next couple of weeks so we can make room in our rivers and streams for the snow that’s going to come off the mountains in April, May and into early June," Koch said.

An Idaho Senate committee has voted to hold a bill that would make it more difficult to put a citizen initiative on a statewide ballot.

The Senate State Affairs Committee took testimony from more than 50 people this morning [Friday] in a continuation of a hearing that began on Monday.

The options to share your fandom or your love of nature through your car license plate keep growing in Oregon and Washington. But not all license plate ideas go down smoothly: A proposed Washington wine country license plate, like Oregon already offers, drew some whining at the state legislature this week.