Centralia Chronicle

The director of Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services went on leave last week, but no one in the agency or the governor’s office is saying why or for how long. Matt Jones was appointed to the top post a year ago and is a member of Gov. Bob Ferguson’s executive cabinet. The department manages state facilities, among other duties. It has more than 900 employees, a $280 million operating budget, and a $1.2 billion capital program, according to the agency’s website.

High school seniors in Washington would need to complete student aid paperwork to graduate, under a proposal Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Monday. If students didn’t want to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, they could sign an agreement to opt out. Ferguson will press for lawmakers to approve the requirement during the next legislative session, which begins in January.

To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.

Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2026 8:48 am Washington state wants grocery chain Albertsons to pay for its alleged role in fueling an opioid epidemic that has killed thousands here. State Attorney General Nick Brown argues Albertsons dispensed hundreds of millions of opioid pills despite red flags in many cases that should’ve made the company’s pharmacy staff think twice. A trial in the state’s lawsuit against Albertsons began Monday in King County Superior Court.

Twelve Democratic-led states on Monday sued to block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California, argues the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, a federal law prohibiting mergers that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly.

Oregon health officials have recorded a handful of verified cases of a parasitic intestinal illness in the state over the past two months, as outbreaks involving the disease continue to grow in other parts of the country. Data the Oregon Health Authority released last week shows that in both May and June, public health officials recorded seven cases of cyclosporiasis in the state.

Last year, Oregon became the first state to start charging companies for some of the end-life waste disposal costs created by their packaging. Then, the state quickly became the first to be sued over it and, this week, the first to go to trial.

The interim peace between the U.S. and Iran effectively collapsed after American forces reimposed a naval blockade and launched another wave of airstrikes, while Tehran attacked more oil tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to restart a blockade of Iranian ports overnight came after hostilities between the two sides worsened in the past week, with tensions centered on control of the strait.

The voter initiative seeking to end Idaho’s strict abortion ban has officially qualified to appear on ballots in November, Idahoans United for Women and Families, the group leading the effort, announced Monday. Idahoans United for Women and Families turned in more than 110,00 signatures to the office on July 2, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.

President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders on Monday to again shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah — this time more dramatically, by about 3 million acres or 90% of their original size. Utah’s all-Republican congressional delegation, Gov. Spencer Cox and House Speaker Mike Schultz stood around Trump’s desk in the Oval Office during the closed-door signing that was live-streamed on YouTube by the White House.