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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 11 |
| 1876 | 28 |
| 1877 | 30 |
| 1878 | 22 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 5 |
| 1883 | 35 |
| 1884 | 16 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 19 |
| 1889 | 61 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 55 |
| 1892 | 73 |
| 1893 | 66 |
| 1894 | 54 |
| 1895 | 79 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 15 |
| 1899 | 20 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 40 |
| 1904 | 27 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 10 |
| 1909 | 71 |
| 1910 | 11 |
| 1911 | 4 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 15 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 24 |
| 1917 | 11 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 7 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1929 | 4 |
377 stories matching limit
- A Municipal Debt Crisis
Chehalis County commissioners find themselves over their legal debt limit, triggering a halt on all warrants and a potential bond issuance.
- The Saloon Turf War: Seattle's 1891 Zoning Scandal
A surprise move by the Board of Aldermen to eliminate limits on where liquor could be sold triggers a fierce public outcry against perceived civic corruption.
- The Price of Reckless Growth
When Lewis County hit its constitutional debt limit, local officials were left holding worthless warrants—a sharp reminder of the pitfalls of municipal overreach in 1891.
- The Supreme Court Rules on Street Grading Liability
The Washington State Supreme Court clarifies the statute of limitations for damage claims against the City of Seattle.
- The Battle Over the Plummer House
Mayor Ronald blocks a city ordinance that would have extended liquor limits to a specific building, sparking a public outcry from residents and churchgoers.
- The Milk Riots: How Seattle’s Dairymen Threatened to Spike Prices Over a Dog Ban
When the city council proposed banning pigs and limiting livestock to three cows per family, local dairy farmers didn't just complain—they warned that milk prices would skyrocket to 15 cents a quart.
- The City Could Still Take the Land
Judge Humes ruled that Seattle’s constitutional debt limit does not interfere with eminent domain, clearing the way for the Howell Street extension through the Ivey property.
- The Boom Era's Bitter Hangover
New tax assessments reveal that local property values have cratered to one-fourth of their peak as the Grays Harbor economy struggles to adjust to the end of a speculative bubble.
- A Taxpayer Tries to Stop the City From Writing Checks It Can’t Cover
Francis Hoffman and the Olympia Hardware Company ask a judge to block further city warrants, arguing Olympia has blown past its debt limit.
- The Battle for the Road into Ritzville
Local farmers are organizing to repair the treacherous road leading into town, demanding the city match their efforts to improve the final stretch.
- The Fire Ordinance of 1892
New city laws mandate fireproof construction materials in North Yakima's central business district to protect against catastrophic loss.
- Chehalis County Hits the Debt Ceiling
Facing a constitutional limit on borrowing, county officials call for a public caucus to decide the region's financial future.
- An Uninvited Mill Hand
A black bear wanders into the city limits to inspect a lumber mill, leading to a frantic encounter with local residents.
- Everett Is Born—But Its First City Limits Leave Out the Mills and Tide Flats
County commissioners granted Everett’s incorporation but drew the boundaries to exclude Lowell, the paper mill, nail works, barge works, smelter and tide flats—setting a March 29 election.
- No Money, No Jury: Tacoma's Judge Stops Court to Prove a Point
Judge Stallcup vacated a jury order because the county had no cash to pay jurors—and his suit over Tacoma's water bonds made the bench itself the story.
- Judge Irwin Wipes Out $224,000 in County Road Bonds
Chehalis County's entire 1891 road-bond program is ruled illegal for blowing past the constitutional debt limit — and the taxpayers' paper calls it a deliverance.
- A Quiet Fourth in Yakima
City authorities ban fireworks, sending residents elsewhere to celebrate while census enumerators scramble to count the town.
- Ballard Votes to Pay the Piper
A special election in the young city of Ballard clears the three-fifths bar to fund debts that ran about $3,000 past the legal limit.
- Who Should Pay for the City's Infrastructure?
Facing a debt crisis following the Great Seattle Fire, city officials in 1891 debated whether to shift the mounting costs of sewer construction from the public treasury onto the backs of individual property owners.
- The Battle Over the Public Purse
A legal challenge threatens county infrastructure funding, exposing a rift over how the town calculates its own wealth and debt.
- Eight Dead, and the Steamboat Owners Owe Only $3,500
A federal judge in Seattle limits the Annie Faxon's liability after a Snake River boiler explosion, extending an old maritime rule to inland steamboats.
- The Bankers’ Bailout for City Debt
Seattle’s financial elite push for state intervention to retroactively legalize city debt incurred in excess of the constitutional limit.
- The Hog Ranch That Stank Up Seattle: How One Interbay Farm Sparked a New Law
In 1900, a single hog ranch near the city’s water source forced the Seattle City Council to draft an ordinance limiting livestock—a rare early victory for urban sanitation and public health.
- The Wild Deer of Lake Washington
As the fishing season wanes, local sportsmen find unexpected game within city limits as deer wander into the urban landscape.
- The Policeman and the Crow
A city police officer is dismissed from the force after firing his revolver within city limits to shoot at a crow, leading to a disciplinary hearing.