For four generations, Steve Wine’s family has tended a 600-acre farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, raising steers and growing corn, soybeans and alfalfa. The farm has struggled in recent years with rising costs and slumping crop markets, leaving Wine to question the operation’s viability. In a bid to sustain the farm, Wine will begin in […] The post Can’t install your own solar panels? Some areas let you join a community project. appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Smartphones gripping people’s attention isn’t anything new. But following the pandemic, Kris Hagel recalls seeing a troubling rise in public school students distracted by their phones during class. “I would walk through classrooms last year and kids have absolutely no attention to the teacher that’s presenting a lesson in front of them because they’re so […] The post Should Washington’s public schools ban students from using cellphones? appeared first on Washington State Standard.

An election season thick with intrigue gets formally underway in Washington on Monday when candidates can begin filing for hundreds of local, state and federal offices. Retirements and redistricting assure new faces will be behind the levers of power in Olympia and, in at least two cases, Washington, D.C. Hot-button issues of abortion rights, climate […] The post Washington election season kicks into gear with candidate filing appeared first on Washington State Standard.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden responded Thursday to weeks of protest on college campuses calling for a ceasefire in Gaza with a brief statement that the right to protest should be protected, but “not the right to cause chaos.” “We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent,” Biden said from […] The post Biden backs peaceful protest, denounces campus ‘chaos’ over Gaza appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Electricity demand in the Northwest is expected to grow more than 30% in the next decade, or about 5% more than estimated last year and triple the prediction three years ago, industry experts said in a new report. Large data centers, an increase in high-tech manufacturing and growing electrification in homes, buildings and transportation are […] The post Demand for electricity in Northwest projected to grow 30% in decade, triple previous estimates appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Leading U.S. Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances, following the Biden administration’s move a day earlier to significantly ease regulations on the drug. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, […] The post U.S. Senate Dems launch renewed push for full marijuana legalization appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Washington is on track to hit some of its housing goals, but homeownership remains expensive, homelessness is growing, and the supply of affordable homes is still running short.  That’s according to a new state report. The Department of Commerce Housing Advisory Plan outlines how Washington has fared with housing since 2015 and what must be […] The post Washington’s neverending housing crisis appeared first on Washington State Standard.

As the owner of a bilingual child care center, I’m up every day before 6 a.m. to make sure the kids at my center get started with a high-quality, safe education while their parents are at work. This is often invisible work, but like most in my community, I want to leave things better for […] The post I’m a child care provider. Washington’s capital gains tax is critical for the families I serve. appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Spend any time thinking or talking about insurance in California these days and you’re bound to hear the word “mitigation.” Fire officials, lawmakers, insurance agents and others are asking homeowners to help lower the risk of devastating wildfires by making improvements to their properties — in some cases at great expense — and often in […] The post Californians are protecting themselves from wildfire. Why is there still an insurance crisis? appeared first on Washington State Standard.

The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s approach to conservation. The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, […] The post U.S. House votes to remove gray wolf endangered species protections appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Oregon is shipping air conditioners, air purifiers, and power banks to some of its most vulnerable residents, a first-in-the-nation experiment to use Medicaid money to prevent the potentially deadly health effects of extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other climate-related disasters. The equipment, which started going out in March, expands a Biden administration strategy to move […] The post AC, power banks, mini fridges: Oregon equips Medicaid patients for climate change appeared first on Washington State Standard.

The fate of one the largest wind farms ever proposed in Washington now rests with Gov. Jay Inslee. On Monday, the state’s energy facility siting panel sent Inslee its recommendation for approval of the Horse Heaven wind and solar project, ending a contentious multi-year review. It culminated with regulators paring the Benton County project to […] The post Inslee has 60 days to decide on controversial Horse Heaven wind farm appeared first on Washington State Standard.

The Biden administration plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous and highly regulated drugs, the Department of Justice said Tuesday night. The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving the drug from a Schedule I substance, which also includes heroin and methamphetamine, to Schedule III, which is the category for regulated-but-legal drugs […] The post Biden administration to greatly ease marijuana regulations appeared first on Washington State Standard.

WASHINGTON — Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to “make a fuss for babies,” who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children. Parents and kids representing 50 states and the District of Columbia convened for the eighth annual “Strolling Thunder.” Moms and […] The post Parents tote toddlers to D.C. to press for expanded child tax credit, child care funds appeared first on Washington State Standard.

The number of students in Washington’s school system experiencing homelessness climbed last year, a new report finds.  Data from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction shows that 3.8%, or 42,436 students, experienced homelessness during the 2022-2023 school year. That’s up from around 37,000 students during the 2021-2022 school year and roughly 32,000 students […] The post Homelessness on the rise among Washington’s K-12 students appeared first on Washington State Standard.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed on to a letter Monday alongside 47 other state governors, as well as five territories and commonwealths, opposing the Biden administration’s move to incorporate Air National Guard service members into the Space Force. The letter from the National Governors’ Association, addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is written in […] The post Inslee joins other governors in opposing National Guard move to Space Force appeared first on Washington State Standard.

WASHINGTON —  Former President Donald Trump in his second term would carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military, according to a lengthy interview he conducted with Time magazine. “When we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard,” the presumptive 2024 GOP […] The post Trump says he’d use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants appeared first on Washington State Standard.

State Sen. Norm Needleman championed the 2021 legislation designed to lure major data centers to Connecticut. The Democratic lawmaker hoped to better compete with nearby states, bring in a growing industry, and provide paychecks for workers tasked with building the sprawling server farms. But this legislative session, he’s wondering if those tax breaks are appropriate […] The post States rethink data centers as ‘electricity hogs’ strain the grid appeared first on Washington State Standard.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democratic Leaders on Tuesday killed efforts by a small group of far-right House Republicans to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership post. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar released a joint statement saying their members would vote against efforts to oust […] The post U.S. House Democrats vow to back Speaker Johnson if Republicans try to oust him appeared first on Washington State Standard.