AP Washington

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court struck down the death sentence of an inmate in a ruling Thursday that found lawmakers had fundamentally altered “prevailing societal standards” for executions with a 2019 law change. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that experts believe the decision could eliminate the death sentence for all inmates facing the

SHELTON, Wash. (AP) — Authorities are searching Shelton, Washington, for a potentially armed suspect after an officer was shot. KOMO reports the Mason County Sheriff’s Office said it has set up perimeters Wednesday to find the suspect while asking residents to avoid the area. The Washington State Department of Corrections says one of its community

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — The Northern Idaho hospital that was the first in the state to institute health care rationing due to surging COVID-19 cases says the situation is growing worse. Kootenai Health reported a record 150 coronavirus inpatients on Wednesday, with 43 requiring critical care, 17 on ventilators, and two patients under the

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Mainstream Idaho Republicans concerned about a takeover by the surging far-right wing of the party are asking Democrats, Independents or other affiliated voters to register as Republicans to vote in the party’s May primary. Republicans closed their primary a decade ago, and the already deep-red state

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities say 18 former NBA players have been charged with allegedly pocketing $2.5 million illegally by defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told a news conference Thursday that the defendants’ playbook involved fraud and deception. An

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A jury has found a former Monroe prison guard guilty of child rape. The Daily Herald reports Jason Dominguez’s verdict was read Wednesday in Snohomish County Superior Court. According to witness testimony, Dominguez sent sexual messages over Facebook to a girl when she was in her early teens. Charging papers say

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — Microsoft says Russia once again accounted for most state-sponsored hacking, with a 58% share of intrusion attempts it detected in the past year. The targets were mostly government agencies and think tanks — in the United States, followed by Ukraine, Britain and European NATO members. The

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) — A 19-year-old from Ellensburg, Washington, has been arrested in Hawaii and is accused of selling the drugs that killed an Ellensburg man. Police say the man was arrested Tuesday for the death of 21-year-old Sage Francois. Ellensburg police say they responded to a reported overdose on August 7th on North Walnut

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Before his arrest at a Tukwila hotel last week, a 38-year-old man wanted in connection with the August shooting death of his girlfriend in Renton evaded police for nearly six weeks. King County prosecutors say Vaughn Weems was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder domestic violence, accused of shooting Montisha Offord in

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is requesting disaster relief from the federal government for the state’s strained commercial salmon industry. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the governor submitted the formal aid request this week to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Brown said in her letter the economic return from commercial salmon fishing along

SEATTLE (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association says two reports of a beluga whale sighting were reported in Puget Sound waters near Tacoma and Seattle this week. KING-TV reports the sightings were reported to NOAA Fisheries, with one coming from Commencement Bay around noon Sunday and the other near Elliott Bay on Monday.

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s weekly COVID-19 case count, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline following the state’s worst coronavirus surge during the pandemic. Although the number of coronavirus cases is improving in the state, the strain on Oregon’s hospital system continues — with just 53 available adult

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — The surprising Oregon State Beavers are the only undefeated team in conference play in the Pac-12 North. It’s the first time the Beavers have ever been in sole possession of the division’s top spot. The Beavers are riding their first four-game winning streak since

SEATTLE (AP) — Officials say the number of Seattle police officers who have turned in required proof showing they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus is increasing. The Seattle Times reports the department’s counts as of Wednesday show in all, 292 Seattle sworn officers still need to verify they’ve been fully vaccinated before the Oct. 18

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s court of appeals reversed the murder conviction and death sentence of a Black man, saying his defense team failed to interview a key witness who saw a white man fleeing the victim’s home. Jesse Johnson was accused of stabbing Harriet Thompson, a 28-year-old Black nurse’s

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho governor has issued an executive order repealing his political rival’s executive order from the previous day involving COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandatory testing. Republican Gov. Brad Little issued the order Wednesday while still in Texas, a move that challenges the state’s longstanding practice of

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Even before making the move to the NFC West, Matthew Stafford could get a sense for the intensity of when Seattle and Los Angeles get together. His first taste of the Rams-Seahawks rivalry will come in a place he’s never won before when Los Angeles travels

By The Associated Press The Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams in a key NFC West showdown on Thursday night. The Rams took their first loss of the season last Sunday at home to Arizona, while Seattle snapped a two-game losing streak by winning at San Francisco. Matthew Stafford is off to a hot

SEATTLE (AP) — The Northwest Carpenters Union says it has reached a new contract agreement with the Associated General Contractors that will put several thousand striking carpenters in the Seattle area back on the job Wednesday pending a vote on the deal. Union members have been on strike since Sept. 16, with rotating pickets at

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A California forest products company has bought Seneca, a Eugene, Oregon-based company that had owned more than 100,000 acres of land in southwestern Oregon. The News-Review reports Sierra Pacific Industries announced last week it had completed the acquisition. The combination of the two companies means Sierra Pacific Industries will have than