Latest Washington Headlines

All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Washington Meter Reader Who Got $186K Accused of Stealing Workers’ Comp Money

Oct 12 2020 // A meter reader who was attacked by a dog while on duty and collected years of workers’ compensation is now accused of stealing the money, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries said.Linda Jordan of...

Washington Commissioner’s Climate Summit Highlighted Area, Global Vulnerabilities

Oct 8 2020 // “The insurance buying public wants to know that insurance is going to be available and affordable to them when they need it.”That was the take-home message from Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler,...

Report: Washington Businesses Fined for Mask Violations, But Most Are Complying

Oct 7 2020 // A handful of Washington businesses are facing fines for violations related to lack of mask use by customers and staff, however thousands of other businesses that were the subject of complaints and have been warned are now...

Hackers-for-Hire Group Targets Officials, Activists, Executives in Middle East

Oct 7 2020 // Saudi diplomats, Sikh separatists and Indian business executives have been among those targeted by a group of hired hackers, according to research published on Wednesday by software firm BlackBerry Corp.The report on the...

Washington’s Minimum Wage to Reach $13.69, Will Also Impact OT and Salaried Execs

Sep 30 2020 // Washington’s minimum wage will increase to $13.69 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2021.The change is significant this year because it also impacts wages paid to some salaried employees exempt from overtime and other...

Washington Officials Say State Being Targeted by Phishing Campaign

Sep 28 2020 // Washington state is among those being targeted by a “large-scale, highly sophisticated” nationwide phishing campaign, the office of Gov. Jay Inslee said.At a press conference Thursday, Inslee said that the...

Lockton Names Huston Senior Vice President in Washington

Sep 25 2020 // Lockton Cos. has named Danielle Huston a senior vice president. Huston will support the growth of Lockton’s Washington office and oversee the introduction of benefits consulting services to the local market. She was...

Tree on Power Line Apparent Start of Washington Fire

Sep 22 2020 // A tree that made contact with a power line apparently started a wildfire that burned dozens of homes in eastern Washington, according to a utility company.The fire burned the vast majority of homes in Malden and Pine City,...

University of Washington Student Suing for Refund Because of Online Classes

Sep 22 2020 // A graduate student at the University of Washington filed a lawsuit demanding tuition reimbursement after the school shifted most of its classes online for the remainder of the year.Alexander Barry wrote in the complaint...

Fire Weather May Improve for Pacific Northwest, No Such Luck for Tinderbox California

Sep 18 2020 // Rains may bring some reprieve to those suffering from massive blazes in the Pacific Northwest in the next few weeks, but forecasters don’t expect any help for wildfire-plagued California anytime soon.That’s...

Washington Contractor Fined $230K for Fall Protection, Other Safety Violations

Sep 17 2020 // An Everett, Wash., construction company with a history of safety violations is facing fines of more than $230,000 after inspections at two Seattle job sites reportedly found numerous problems that placed workers at...

Moody’s Says Property/Casualty Insurers Face Significant Losses from Western Wildfires

Sep 17 2020 // Dozens of wildfires raging in California, Oregon, Washington and other Western states have resulted in loss of life, damaged or destroyed about 9,657 homes and commercial structures and burned more than 5 million acres,...

Virus Deaths Surpass 2,000 in Washington State

Sep 16 2020 // More than 2,000 people in the state have now died due to the coronavirus, according to The Washington state Department of Health.As of Monday afternoon, KUOW reports there have been 2,006 recorded deaths from COVID-19, and...

Washington Labor Department: Keep Workers’ Comp Rates Steady For 2021

Sep 15 2020 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries is proposing no increase in the average price employers pay for workers’ compensation insurance next year.If the proposal is adopted, this will be the first...

Bad Air From Western Wildfires Just Won’t Ease up

Sep 15 2020 // Relief from putrid, dangerous air spewing from massive wildfires across the West won’t come until later in the week or beyond, scientists and forecasters say, and the hazy and gunk-filled skies might stick around for...

Wildfires Grow in Oregon as 500K Evacuated, Death Toll Rises

Sep 11 2020 // Around half a million people in Oregon evacuated as dozens of extreme, wind-driven wildfires scorched U.S. West Coast states on Friday, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 16 people, state and local...

Ames & Gough Promotes Four Executives in Washington D.C., Boston

Sep 10 2020 // Ames & Gough, an insurance broker and risk management consultant specializing in serving design professionals, law firms, associations/nonprofits and other professional service organizations, has appointed equity...

Strong Winds Kick up Pacific Northwest Wildfires

Sep 9 2020 // Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the Labor Day weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in...

2 Washington State Agribusinesses Settle Federal Discrimination Suit for $325K

Sep 7 2020 // Two agribusinesses in Washington state will distribute $325,000 among 105 Thai farm workers to settle a federal national origin and race discrimination lawsuit.The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the...

Former Washington State Student Sues School District Over Mass Shooting

Sep 7 2020 // A former student at a high school in Washington state who survived a school shooting is suing the district for what she claims was a preventable attack.The mass shooting killed four students and the gunman in 2014. Carmen...