Secular News

New treatments promise to make buildings fire-resistant without using older, toxic chemicals.

With the state strapped for cash, Democrats’ chief budget writer in the Washington Senate has told colleagues there’s no money available for new spending they might desire next year. Don’t even bother asking, Sen. June Robinson, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, warned fellow lawmakers in an email Tuesday. “I will not be […]

ChatGPT wrote a woman a suicide note and another AI chatbot role-played sexual acts with children, BBC finds.

ChatGPT wrote a woman a suicide note and another AI chatbot role-played sexual acts with children, BBC finds.

A close contest between two Democrats for a Washington state House seat tightened further Wednesday. Kevin Schilling’s lead on state Rep. Edwin Obras shrank to 199 votes in their 33rd Legislative District duel in south King County. The district includes Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, SeaTac and much of Kent. Schilling, the mayor of Burien, […]

Washington state’s new requirement for farms to post public notice of routine seasonal layoffs is more than an added nuisance for farmers. It’s yet another threat to the survival of already-struggling farms. This ill-conceived law, often called Washington’s “Mini-WARN” Act in a nod to the 1988 federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, began […]

A BBC investigation finds that a host of areas in England are closing waiting lists and others are rationing care.

A BBC investigation finds that a host of areas in England are closing waiting lists and others are rationing care.

Washington is making its bid for a billion dollars in new federal funding for rural health care. The so-called “big, beautiful bill” that congressional Republicans approved in July included a total of $50 billion for the Rural Health Transformation Program. The money is meant to offset some of the expected damage to rural hospitals from […]

This story was originally published by CalMatters. California voters on Tuesday passed a ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats, a major victory for the party in a high-stakes national redistricting fight that could determine who controls the House of Representatives next year. The Associated Press called the race shortly after […]

Voters were giving the go-ahead Tuesday for the state to make stock market investments with payroll taxes collected for Washington’s new long-term care program. A measure to amend the state constitution was passing by an overwhelming margin of 56.8% to 43.2%. Results will be updated as more votes are tallied. If Tuesday’s results for Senate […]

Two potentially vulnerable Democrats in the Washington state Senate appeared poised to retain their seats after an initial ballot count on Tuesday. Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, faced a challenge from a more moderate candidate within her own party. And Sen. Victoria Hunt, D-Issaquah, from a Republican opponent hoping to chip away at the lopsided balance […]