The Columbian

Voter turnout hits modern low in WA

Voters stop by the Fisher's Landing ballot drop-off box Monday.

November 28, 2023, 2:36pm Election

Voter turnout for this November’s election was the lowest on record for a general election in Washington state history, according to a Seattle Times analysis of election data from the Secretary of State’s Office. Read story

Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie (Courtesy of the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families)

WA juvenile detention escape reflects longstanding issues, union official says

November 28, 2023, 1:34pm Latest News

Three teenage boys who fled Sunday evening from a youth detention center near Snoqualmie never made it off the property and were quickly captured. Read story

A man passes the “Fearless Girl” statue in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Friday, November 3, 2023. Shares opened lower in Europe after a mixed day in Asia on Tuesday as investors waited for updates on inflation and how American consumers are feeling about the economy.

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mostly higher close and Treasury yields fall

November 28, 2023, 1:05pm Business

Stocks drifted to a mostly higher close Tuesday following a strong report on consumer confidence and a boost to hopes that the Federal Reserve is finished with its aggressive interest rate hikes. Read story

Palestinians inspect a house destroyed by Israeli forces during a military raid in the West Bank town of Tubas, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

Hamas and Israel exchange more hostages for prisoners on fifth day of temporary cease-fire

November 28, 2023, 1:02pm Latest News

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas released 12 hostages and Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday, the fifth day of a fragile cease-fire that has enabled humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and that mediators hope to extend even as Israel pledges to resume the war. Read story

FILE - Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Christopher Waller poses for a photo on May 23, 2022, in Washington. Waller said Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 that the U.S. economy is cooling and inflation is steadily slowing, suggesting that the Fed's interest rate policies are succeeding in getting price increases back to the central bank's 2%.

Fed’s Waller: Interest rates are likely high enough to bring inflation back to 2% target

November 28, 2023, 11:33am Business

A key Federal Reserve official said Tuesday that he is “increasingly confident” that the Fed's interest rate policies will succeed in bringing inflation down to the central bank's 2% target level. Read story

FILE - Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks to Texas state troopers and guardsmen at the South Texas International Airport, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Edinburg, Texas. A federal appeals court is hearing arguments Monday, Nov. 20, on whether to reinstate a gag order against Donald Trump in the federal case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In new challenge to indictment, Trump’s lawyers argue he had good basis to question election results

November 28, 2023, 8:27am Latest News

Donald Trump had a “good faith” basis to question the results of the 2020 election, his lawyers said in demanding that prosecutors turn over any evidence related to voting irregularities and potential foreign interference in the contest won by Democrat Joe Biden. Read story

WestRock Services LLC, a paper mill in Longview.

Longview paper mill owner WestRock, Irish company to form packaging giant

November 28, 2023, 7:47am Business

The owner of a Longview paper mill — doubling its local footprint with the anticipated opening of a new plant — is merging with an Ireland-based leader to form what the companies call the largest listed packaging company in the world. Read story

(Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald via AP, File)

Why grades are up and test scores are down in WA schools

November 28, 2023, 7:35am Latest News

Average grades rose significantly for Washington students due to the pandemic, and they’re still slightly up, according to a recent study that analyzed nearly a decade’s worth of grade data for middle and high school students. Read story

State assistant attorneys general Kent Liu, standing left, gives opening statements for the state's case during the trial of Tacoma Police Officers Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine in the killing of Manny Ellis, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, at Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Wash.

Police training expert: Tacoma officers charged in Manuel Ellis’ death justified in use of force

November 28, 2023, 7:31am Latest News

Even if Manuel Ellis was posing no threat to police on the night he died, officers were justified in continually applying force, a police training expert testified Monday afternoon in the trial of three Tacoma police officers charged with Ellis’ death. Read story